Pork Floss and Sesame Seeds Cookies

I am on a baking spree since the beginning of the June school holidays, making cakes and cookies for my children to enjoy as they are spending more time at home.

Almond Snowball Cookies

These Almond Snowball Cookies are one of the easiest homemade goodies I have ever made!



Instead of the usual way of beating butter and sugar with an electric beater, the cookies are made using my Bosch MaxoMixx hand blender set. Simply place flour, sugar, salt, ground almond and diced butter into the chopper set, process the mixture into fine crumb (within 10 seconds),


transfer to a mixing bowl, add in some vanilla extract and mix it into the crumbs. The mixture is on the dry side as there is no liquid added (other than the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract), as such, you will need to gather, press and squeeze the crumbs together to form the dough. This can easily be done within a minute of two, manually by hand.

The technique to form these cookies balls is once again, to press or squeeze the dough in your palm before rolling and smoothing it into round balls. Children will have fun making these ;)

The cookies are baked at 160 degC,  a much lower temperature than the norm of 180 degC, as the doughs may crack too much if the temperature is too high.

The recipe uses a lot less butter than most cookies, yet, they still produce a nice buttery flavour :)

The texture of these cute morsels is slightly soft and crumbly, somewhere between crunchy cookies and melting moments. They are delightful treats to go with an afternoon cup of tea, and of course, they can be enjoyed any time of the day :)



Almond Snowball Cookies

Ingredients:
(makes 18 cookies)

120g cake flour
40g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
50g ground almond
50g unsalted butter, cold, diced into small cubes
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

icing sugar for dusting


Method:

• Preheat oven to 160deg C.
• Place cake flour, caster sugar, salt, ground almond followed by the diced unsalted butter in the container of the Bosch MaxoMixx XL chopper. Process using Speed 4 for 15 seconds until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add pure vanilla extract and mix with a spatula. Gather and press the mixture together with hand to form a dough.
• Divide dough into 15g portions, press, roll and smooth each portion into round balls. Place on baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• Place at middle rack of the oven and bake at 160degC for 15 to 18mins until the cookies are lightly browned.
• Leave to cool on wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and store in air-tight container.

honey joy to the world

I didn't know these are known as honey joys until I came across an Australian's Women Weekly cookbook.

These honey coated cornflakes cookies or honey joys are a familiar treat during the Chinese new year. I have been looking for its recipe so that I can make them anytime of the year. It was by chance that I stumbled upon a recipe that seems close enough to the store bought ones. Besides cornflakes, the extra almond and sesame seeds greatly enhance palatability and flavour of these buttery sweet snacks, making them a real crunchy and joyful treat for anyone, on any occasion.

As the Christmas season is upon us, may simple joys and little pleasures like these honey joys bring sweet memories of the past year, and may your year ahead be sprinkled with joy and happiness!

Merry Christmas!


Honey Joys

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter
50g honey
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g corn flakes
100g almond flakes, lightly toasted
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds, lightly toasted



Method:

1. Place corn flakes, almond, sesame seeds in a big mixing bowl.
2. Melt butter, honey, sugar and salt in a saucepan, stir to combine. Remove from heat and pour mixture over the corn flakes, almond and sesame seeds. Keep mixing with a spoon until evenly coated.
3. Spoon cornflake mixture into mini paper case and bake on baking tray at 150°C for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool completely, store in airtight container.

Recipe source: adapted from here.

Festive Bakes

Here's the last installment of festive bakes, just in time to usher in the Lunar New Year!

I baked these Peanut Cookies on Saturday night, just a day before the lunar new year eve. These peanut cookies have been on my baking list every year. Not only they are simple to put together, it is also one my kids' favourite cookies.

I followed the same recipe from here. However, instead of grinding the peanuts, I bought ready-made peanut powder. I really like the creamy and slightly crunchy texture.

I have already lost count how many times I have baked these melt-in-mouth german cookies! I have made chocolate flavour, green tea flavour, duo or marbled version...and the latest, I added mini chocolate chips (I used 50g) into the batter. The cookies taste awesome! The semi-sweet chocolate chips greatly enhanced the taste of the cookies and the best thing is, the melt-in-the-mouth texture is not affected at all.

Here's wishing all of you a Happy Lunar New Year!

祝愿您在新的一年里，

一帆风顺，二龙腾飞，三羊开泰，四季平安，

五福临门，六六大顺，七星高照，八方来财，九九同心

十全十美，百事亨通，千事吉祥，万事如意！

Little effort yields great result

On my very first trip to the library once we came back from our trip, I zoomed in for books that are on Chinese New Year cookies or traditional asian type of cookies. I only managed to get hold of two books...and after going through the books back and forth, back and forth a few times, I could only settle on one single recipe...Cranberry Cornflakes Cookies, 蔓越莓酥饼. No, it is not the popular recipe among Chinese bloggers which originates from the book 孟老师的100道手工饼干. Rather, it is a book published by a Malaysian author, with the title，做小饼赚大钱.

Translated as Little Cookies Earn Big $, it is no wonder that the recipe yields so many cookies in just one batch. I got 77pcs of cookies out of half a block of butter. They are also very simple to put together, all you need is a mixing bowl and a manual whisk (I hardly use my old-enough-to-go-to-the-museum handheld electric whisk, as I find washing the paddles free of any oil/fat a taunting task!).

Making these cookies was really an uneventful affair, the steps are so straight forward that anyone can make them without batting an eyelid. The only highlight was, when I poured the crushed corn flakes into the mixing bowl, I was hit right in the face with this very very nice aroma. I am never a fan of cereals...I didn't grow up having a bowl of cereals with milk for breakfast. Believe it or not, I only got to taste my first bowl of cornflakes with milk in a business hotel when I first started travelling for work. This is the first time I baked something using corn flakes. I was pleasantly surprised that crushed cornflakes gives off such a nice fragrant...pardon my lousy expressions I can't describe it in words...but I thought there was even a hint of 'milky' aroma in the air. I couldn't help but to check the cereal box once I got everything done. I have never known that cornflakes are made with cornmeals! What can I say? But never a day has gone by without me learning something new!

Of course I doubt you will be able to earn big money if you were to sell them...what matters most is, a little effort could yield such great result. These little morsels have got a delicious buttery flavour...the cornflakes gives a nice crunch, and the cranberries provides a very nice sweet, tangy taste. Trust me, you won't be able to stop at just one. The only downside of this recipe is that it requires two egg yolks...but I have no problem with extra whites since I can save them for chiffon cakes. This is certainly going into my Chinese New Year cookies list, and I would make them anytime of the year :)



Cranberry Cornflakes Cookies

Ingredients:
(makes 77~80 pcs)

120g Unsalted butter, cut into cubes, soften at room temperature
pinch of salt
50g icing sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
135g plain flour
30g corn flour
100g plain corn flakes, coarsely crushed
80g dried cranberries, cut into smaller pieces

Method:

1. Place corn flakes in a plastic bag. Crush them with your fingers into smaller pieces, do not crush too finely. Set aside.
2. Cut dried cranberries into smaller pieces (I used a kitchen scissor). Set aside.
3. Place unsalted butter, salt in a mixing bowl. Sift over the icing sugar (do not skip this step, this is to remove any lumps in the icing sugar). With a manual whisk or a wooden spoon (or an electric whisk), beat the butter, salt and icing sugar till the mixture turns pale.
4. Whisk as you dribble in the egg yolks, whisk till combine.
5. Sift over plain flour and corn flour. With a spatula, fold the mixture until the flour is incorporated.
6. Add in cornflakes and dried cranberries. Mix with spatula (or use hand) till just combined.
7. Arrange mini paper liners, evenly spaced, on a baking tray.
8. Measure 7g doughs and place each into a mini paper liner. (Note: it is not necessary to shape the dough into a smooth round ball, just roughly gather it into a lump. These cookies can be baked without using paper liners, arrange them evenly spaced on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. They don't expand much upon baking.)
9. Bake in preheated oven at 140degC for about 25 minutes until lightly golden. (Note: all ovens behave differently, do keep a close watch near 20mins of baking time to prevent the cookies from over browning. Turn the tray around half way, when necessary.)
10. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack, leave to cool completely before storing in air tight containers. (Note: when the cookies are still warm, the cornflakes may taste a little chewy/soft, but it will turn crispy upon cooling.)

Recipe Source: Little Cookies Earn Big $

for the love of making cookies...

I love baking cookies...but not so much in eating them. Chinese New Year is just about the only time of the year when I actually enjoy both baking and eating them ;)

The first runner up on my cookies-making marathon is none other than these Pineapple Tarts.

I have a love-hate relationship with these Chinese New Year must-haves. Only those who have made them from scratch, all done single-handedly, from cutting the pineapples to washing up, to eventually packed these priceless morsels into containers will fully understand what I mean. Ok, I didn't do every single bit by myself, my not-so-reliable kitchen assistant did stop by to help me with the final touches just minutes before the cookies went into the oven ;)

I was almost half-dead after making the pineapple jam, not forgetting the minor cuts on my fingers as a result of being over zealous when grating the pineapples! It took me about 45mins to an hour to cook the jam. The time taken would have been longer, but I stopped when the jam 'appeared' to be fully dried up. Actually the jam was quite soft...it would be better to continue to cook it longer, but I worried I would burnt the whole pot of jam. I rather work with soft jam than to jeopardise a whole afternoon's hard work!

After spending 2 hours working non-stop, I completed two trays of pineapple tarts, just a mere 40 tangerine style ones and 30 open tarts. I actually suffered from a bad headache after making them...and had to resort to panadol and a medicated rub on my shoulders before I crept into bed that night. If you were to ask me now, I will tell you, No, I am not going to make them again, never! I have already developed a pineapple tarts phobia!

I told my cyberfriend VB, if she ever wants to make these, do make them only for herself, or only give them to someone who has baking experience or at least someone who has made cookies from scratch. I believe they are the ones who are able to appreciate your labour of love. Seriously, when it comes to pineapple tarts, everyone has got their own preferences...some prefers melt in the mouth texture, some prefers the jam fibre to be coarse, not too sweet not too sour...some even asking for pastries that could hold up nicely that doesn't crumble in your hands but only in your mouth, blah, blah, blah. It is too difficult to please each and everyone's taste buds. I don't know about you, I will be very very moody, if I hear the slightest, undesired comments about the pineapple tarts I made...

I am lucky that I found a cake friend, she is the first person whom I have this "相逢恨晚" feelings (loosely translated as...it's a regret that we met each other so late). These pineapple tarts are made especially for her as I suspected she doesn't make them, at least, she has never mentioned it to me.  I have wanted to tell her, only tell me if the pineapple tarts are nice, even if it doesn't suit her taste, I don't mind a white lie ;) But as usual, I forget about it when we started to engage in a hot topic...that is, about our kids' academic studies!

Anyway, I don't know whether it was a white lie, but my friend came back with good comments. It was certainly a pleasure to hear that she was able to mention things like..."there is no buttery aftertaste...did you use Lurpak? and I thought I tasted vanilla, did you add vanilla extract?" Even though I felt sheepish when she mentioned that she tasted some pineapple fibres, but she said it gets to show that everything is homemade from scratch (^^'). I guess for all homebakers, especially self taught ones, these are sincere comments that we treasure, it is through sharing that we would be able to improve our baking skills.

I hope you have also found yourself a cake friend, someone who can share your bakes and experience with each other :)




Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple Jam:
Ingredients:
(yields about 450g jam)

2 half ripened pineapples (use Sarawak pineapples)
250g granulated sugar (use between 200g to 300g, adjust according to taste)
1 cinnamons stick (about 5cm)
4 cloves

Method:

1. Remove the skin on the pineapples (choose half ripened ones as fully ripened pineapples will be difficult to grate and unripe ones will be too sour). Cut away the 'eyes'. Cut the pineapples (lengthwise) into 4 quarters. Grate the pineapples.
2. Drain the grated pineapples, press out the juice with the back of a spoon. Reserve the pineapple juice.
3. Place grated pineapples, cinnamon stick, cloves, and half the amount of sugar in a pot (I used a stainless steel pot with a heavy base). Bring to a boil. Turn to medium heat and let it continue to simmer. Stir occasionally. When the mixture starts to dry up, add in a few tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice. Continue to let it simmer. Keep adding the pineapple juice as the mixture dries up. Continue till all the pineapple juice is used up.
4. Add in the remaining sugar gradually (a few tablespoons at a time), and keep stirring as the mixture dries up. Adjust amount of sugar according to taste.
5. Turn to LOW heat, keep stirring the mixture until the jam caramelised, becomes sticky and dry. Total cooking time is about 1 hour or longer. Leave to cool and place in air tight container and store in fridge. 
6. When ready, roll pineapple jam into 6g balls (about 1 teaspoon). Store covered in fridge until ready to use. 

Pastry:
Ingredients:
(portion is enough to make 70 tarts)

8oz (227g) Unsalted butter, cut into chunks, soften at room temperature
50g icing sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract)
14oz (396g) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt


Method:

1. Place butter (I used unsalted Lurpak)  in a mixing bowl. Sift over the icing sugar. With an electric mixer, on medium speed, cream butter and icing sugar till the mixture turns pale. Add in salt, whisk to combine.
2. Add in the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
3. Dribble in the egg yolks and continue to whisk the mixture till fully incorporated.
4. Sift flour into the mixture. Mix the mixture with your hand and lightly knead for a couple of minutes till the flour is incorporated into the dough (do not over work the dough).
5. Wrap the dough with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30mins. (This will prevent the dough from spreading upon baking, and also makes it easier to handle.)
6. For Tangerine style: Divide dough into 10g each. Flatten each dough into a small disc and wrap with a pineapple jam. Top with a clove. Place on baking tray lined with parchment paper. (Note: If the jam is too soft, it will be difficult to wrap. To overcome this problem, freeze the rolled jam balls in the freezer for about 30mins, or longer, before wrapping. Watch this video to learn the method to wrap the tarts.)
7. For Open tarts: Roll out a portion of the dough (it is easier to work in smaller portions) between two plastic sheets to about 5~7mm thick. (The plastic sheets help to prevent dough from sticking to the rolling pin and work surface.) Cut out the dough with the tart mould and transfer to baking tray, lined with parchment paper. (To get very clear imprints, place both the outer ring and the inner piece of the mould on the roll out dough. Press the outer ring into the dough then push down the inner piece with some force. Lift up the mould and carefully remove the cut out dough which is stuck to the mould. Dust the mould with flour regularly for easy release.) Place pineapple jam balls on each cut out dough. To decorate, top it with a tiny ball of dough or cut out thin strips of dough and lay over the top of the pineapple paste. (Note: I omit the egg wash for both tangerine style and open tarts.)
8. Bake in preheated oven at 170 degC for 15 mins. Leave to cool on baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack. Let cool before storing in air-tight containers.

Set the ball rolling

It is the time of the year again when I will go on a cookie baking frenzy!

I kicked start my Chinese New Year cookie baking marathon with a batch of green tea snowballs. Upon my cyberfriend, VB's recommendation (see her lovely creation here), I first attempted to make these snowball cookies following the recipe from Daily Delicious, one of my favourite food bloggers.

Before I actually made them, I causally mentioned it to my cake friend that I am planning to make some snowballs...just the name itself got her interested. I didn't even show her the link to the recipe, as my intention was to share baking tips with her only after I have tested it out. Yet she was inspired enough to google for the recipe ;)  She came back to inform me that she has found two similar recipes, one from Daily Delicious (who can miss her gorgeous Little Balls of Happiness?!) and one posted by Wendy of My Buttery Fingers. The main difference between the two recipes is, one uses egg white while the other doesn't. My cake friend decided to try out Wendy's recipe, just like me, she doesn't know what to do with a left over egg yolk. It was great news to me, as I could hear her reviews before deciding which recipe to go for. I suggested to her that may be she could add a pinch of baking powder since Wendy mentioned that her cookies flattened a little upon baking. Well, it seems that the baking powder didn't make much of a difference after all...

My attempt with Daily Delicious green tea snowballs was not an instant success. No, there is nothing wrong with the recipe, the only thing I did wrong was that I didn't keep a close watch over the cookies while they were baking in the oven. It turns out that my oven was too hot (I used the fan mode), and the cookies were overly browned even before the baking time was up :'(

I have actually planned to bake them for my friends, luckily it was a test batch!

So, back to the drawing board again...I struggled between going back to the same recipe and the one from My Buttery Fingers. In the end, I decided to try out Wendy's recipe as I don't want to have any left over egg yolk again. With the experience from the first batch of snowballs, I was diligent enough to keep a close guard while the cookies were baking...no more over browning, yeah!

Taste wise, both cookies are almost similar, but since more green tea powder is used in Wendy's recipe, the green tea fragrant is more prominent. The fragrance from the almond powder is another bonus! The chocolate version tastes good too, the extra icing sugar makes them less bitter since I used unsweetened cocoa powder. As for the texture, both doesn't melt in the mouth...rather they are in between crunchy and melt in the mouth. The cookies made with Wendy's recipe are softer, probably because there is no egg white used. If you were to ask me, both are good recipes, but I would stick to Wendy's recipe simply because it calls for less ingredients.

Besides the snowballs cookies, I have also made marbled Melt-in-the mouth German Cookies for my friends...whom I've known for the past 15~19 years.

My cookies were all packed inside these lovely milk cartoon gift boxes which I happened to chance upon them at a neighbourhood gift shop...

Of course, the cookies I made have a very short shelf life...but I believe our friendship does not come with an expiry date. I do hope my friends will like the cookies as much as I enjoy making them, for them :)




Green Tea and Chocolate Snowballs
(抹茶，可可雪球)

Ingredients:
(makes 35)

90g Unsalted butter, cut into cubes, soften at room temperature
a pinch of salt
30g icing sugar
50g ground almonds (almond powder)
100g cake flour
6g green tea/matcha powder
10g cocoa powder (I used unsweetened, Ghirardelli)

extra icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Toast almond powder at 100 degC for 10 mins. Stirring in between. Let cool completely before using.
2. Place butter, salt in a mixing bowl. Sift over the icing sugar (do not skip this step, this is to remove any lumps in the icing sugar). With a manual whisk or a wooden spoon (or an electric whisk), beat the butter, salt and icing sugar till the mixture turns pale.
3. Add almond powder, whisk to combine.
4. Sift over the cake flour. With a spatula, fold the mixture until just combined.
5. Divide the dough into two portions (about 125g per portion). Mix green tea powder into one portion, and cocoa powder into the other portion. (Note the dough will be quite soft and sticky.)
6. Wrap the two doughs separately with cling wrap and leave to chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. (Note: if left to chill for a longer time, the dough will turn hard. Leave it at room temperature for about 5~10mins to soften before working on it.)
7. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, measure 8g of dough and shape into balls. Place shaped doughs evenly spaced on baking tray lined with parchment paper, avoid the edges  of the tray as they tend to brown too quickly. These cookies do not expand much upon baking. (Note: the dough soften easily especially in warm and humid weather, so work as quickly as possible. If there is space available, leave the tray of shaped balls to chill in the fridge before proceeding with the other portion. This is to help prevent the shaped doughs from flattening too much upon baking.)
8. Repeat the same with the second portion of the dough.
9. Bake in preheated oven at 170degC for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. (Note: all ovens behave differently, do keep a close watch near 15mins of baking time to prevent the cookies from over browning. Turn the tray around half way, when necessary. If your oven only allows baking one tray at a time, leave the other tray of shaped doughs in the fridge, or only start working with the second portion while the first tray is baking in the oven. This is to help prevent the shaped doughs from flattening too much upon baking.)
10. Remove from oven. Let cool for a couple of minutes in the tray before transferring to a cooling rack. While the cookies are still warm, dust them with icing sugar. When thoroughly cool, dust again with icing sugar. (alternatively, leave the cookies to cool completely, coat the surface with icing sugar.) Store in air tight container.

Recipe Source: My Buttery Fingers

cookies on sticks

I made these M&M cookie pops to mark Children's Day, which falls on the first Friday each October.

This year, only my younger child gets to enjoy the holiday. Since my elder son has started secondary school it will be a normal school day for him. In fact, he is busy preparing for his end-of-year examination. Not sure whether I am doing the right thing, but I have left it to him to handle his studies, I no longer coach or guide him like what I used to do when he was in primary school. So, I am now feeling a little nervous as his final exam draws closer. I am keeping my fingers all crossed and could only hope that he is able to pass all his subjects.

Back to my latest bakes...I got the idea of making these cookies on sticks when I stumbled upon a Korean translated to Chinese baking book in the library. It is really a rare find! There are many Japanese translated cookbooks but this is the first time I have came across a Korean baking book. Although the recipe from the baking book is quite straight forward, I decided to fall back on my usual chocolate chip cookies recipe. The only extra step was to stick the ice cream sticks into the cookie doughs and decorate the top with some mini M&Ms before popping them into the oven.

I managed to find ice cream sticks from the neighbourhood SPK shop. It comes in small packs...50 sticks for a dollar. I had earlier went to Phoon Huat to look for the sticks, but they do not sell in small quantities, and I am too cheapskate to part $4.50 for 20 Wilton cookies sticks ;)

I washed the ice cream sticks, soak them in water for an hour before using...just to make sure they don't break or get burnt during baking. As the ice cream sticks took up space, I had to bake these cookies in two batches. I told myself I did the right thing when I retrieved these colourful lollies from the oven! In case you ask, the word 'thing' refers to picking up baking as a hobby ;)

I got my younger boy to write the words on the sticks. For those to be given away, he wrote the name of each receiver on the stick, plus his favourite smiley, before I wrapped them with clear cookie bags. They looked very much like lollipops! I didn't have photos to show as my lousy photography skill (actually I have not acquired any such skills) is not able to handle the very reflective cookie bags (^^')

There is a down side to these cookies-on-sticks though. I have to keep reminding my kids to eat them only at the dinning table, because, if you are not careful, the cookie may fall apart half way eating it :(

Despite the 'hazard', I would still think these lollies are better alternatives to any sugar laden treats for young children. Hope you won't blame me if your little ones, or not-so-little ones start pestering you  to bake some for them ;)

Here's wishing all children a Happy Children's Day!

Journey down the baking trail: Cookies

I am moving an inch at a time on my baking trail. I have not been baking much for the past few weeks...was busy catching up with things that I have left behind...like watching tv drama and keeping up with the household chores.

I have been wanting to make these melt-in-the-mouth German cookies when I first saw it at my baking pal, Sherlyn's blog. I bought the bag of potato starch weeks ago, but it was on a spurt of the moment that I decided to bake them...even though I was recovering from a fever. My younger son as usual, was always keen and eager to help me with baking, and lately he is into cooking. I have to thank him for being a very caring child. Besides gladly playing nurse, he was very spontaneous in helping out with simple chores when I was sick.

It was a hot and humid evening when we went about whisking the butter and the sugar. After adding the flour mixture, we couldn't really form a dough...the mixture was still batter-like instead of doughy. I was certain that I didn't get the measurement wrong. The only thing I could pin-point was the additional one teaspoon of vanilla extract I added in. It could also be due to the weather, the room temperature was 31.5 degC...the butter was already very soft to the extend of appearing greasy when I was done with the mise en place...and there was nothing much to prepare since there were only 4 ingredients!

I decided to let the dough chill in the fridge and it was a good thing I did. We could finally form the mixture into cookie doughs. Due to the extreme heat, the dough started to soften as we continued to work them into small rounds. I was expecting the cookies to spread upon baking but all of them turn out well. The cookies were nicely baked...slightly pale on top but the bottoms were lightly browned. These delicate cookies certainly live up to the name...the buttery crumbs simply melts away in your mouth! My boys found them so addictive that they couldn't help popping one after another into their mouths.

Since there are so many recipes on my to-do list, I usually do not go back to the same recipe again too soon. These cookies are so good and so simple to prepare, I was addicted to baking them. I made another batch again two days later, but this time I mixed in 1 teaspoon of matcha green tea powder to half of the dough,

and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the other half. I made the doughs much smaller so that my boys could easily pop them into their mouth without leaving crumbs all over. The dough was easier to shape due to the 'drying effect' of the matcha powder and the chocolate dough was also quite dry as I have added too much cocoa powder.

As suspected, the chocolate cookies tasted bitter...would have to cut down the cocoa powder or use more icing sugar if I were to make these again. I paired them with a cup of slightly bitter coffee, and they didn't taste that bad...what to do, no one wants to eat these chocolate ones :'(

These matcha morsels are pretty nice with just a hint of matcha flavour lingering on the background. Nevertheless, my boys still prefer the plain, vanilla ones.

I packed some for my cake friend, and carried it with the greatest amount of care during the journey. However, just before I gave it away, I dropped the whole bag and the cookies were all crusted. I was so devastated and there was no one to blame but myself! Anyway, I was feeling very thick-skinned that day and went ahead to give it away. I couldn't imagine how my friend picked up the bits and pieces of cookie crumbs, lol! Fortunately, I learned later that she has actually made these cookies before, otherwise I would not have done justice to these delicious cookies.



Melt-in-mouth German Cookies 德式酥饼

Ingredients
(makes 60 pieces)

125g butter, soften at room temperature
40g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
125g potato starch
80g cake flour

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and icing sugar till light and fluffy. Add in vanilla extract (if using) and mix well.
2. Sift in potato starch and cake flour. With a spatula, mix to form a soft dough. Note: if the mixture appears too soft and wet to shape, leave the dough to chill in the fridge for about 10-15mins .
3. Roll dough into small balls (about 2cm in diameter), arrange on lined baking pan and press lightly with a fork (dip the fork in water after each press to prevent cookie dough from sticking to the fork).
4. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 15 mins, upper rack (need not bake till cookies turn brown).

Recipe source: adapted from Small Small Baker

把点点心意装进一盒饼干里

I got down to made a batch of Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal cookies yesterday morning after I heard the evening before, that my DG will be able to meet up with my DH overseas today. These cookies were adapted from the chocolate oatmeal cookies in my previous post. Instead of chocolate chips, I replaced it with dried cranberries and omitted the chocolate called for in the original recipe.

With the walnuts, rolled oats and dried cranberries, the end product is just like breakfast granola in a cookie form :)

You may think that these healthy, wholesome ingredients would probably produce cookies that taste like bland muesli or have a texture similar to cardboards. On the contrary, these cookies taste fabulous! Nice, crunchy exterior and a slightly soft, chewy interior. The cookies smell awesome too, thanks to the vanilla extract (Nelson-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract) I used. The dried cranberries provide just the right sweetness, as the sugar used is probably just enough for creaming the butter. The walnuts give the added nutty texture while the rolled oats provided a delightful chew.

This recipe is a keeper. It is very versatile as you can always use raisins or dried blueberries in place of dried cranberries; or substitute walnuts with almonds since both have almost similar nutritious  values. This is one good way to introduce some oats in our diet...especially for DH who has got high LDL but low HDL cholesterol levels!  I hope these cookies were in good condition when he receives it. On the other hand, I guess he wouldn’t mind even if they shattered into million pieces ;)



Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
(makes about 25~28 cookies, slightly less than 2" each)

90g butter, softened at room temperature
25g caster sugar
25g brown sugar
1 egg (weights about 60g with shell), lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g cake flour (or plain flour)
100g rolled oats
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
60g dried cranberries, cut into smaller chunks


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190degC. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
2. With manual whisk, cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture turns pale and fluffy (alternatively use an electric mixer if desired).
3. Dribble in the egg gradually. Mix well after each addition. Add in salt and vanilla extract, mix to incorporate into the batter.
4. Sift the flour over the batter, fold in with a spatula.
5. Add rolled oats, walnuts and dried cranberries. Mix well with the spatula.
6. Drop tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray. Leave some space between the cookies to allow for spreading (actually, they don't spread too much). Flatten each cookie dough slightly with the back of a fork, keeping the shape as even as possible.
7. Bake for 8~10 mins or until golden (my oven took 12~15mins). If necessary, rotate the baking tray halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in air-tight containers.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 好想为你亲手做出美味的甜点! 检见崎聡美

Can you bake me some cookies?

It is rather unusual that blogging and baking were excluded from my daily activities for the past few weeks.

Besides all the tasks that a stay-at-home-mum got to do, I was preoccupied with a home-based job assignment (nothing to do with baking). After the assignment was completed, I spent the following week chasing after a Korean drama, 'Beethoven Virus' with my two boys. It was an instant hook for the three of us. We let ourselves being led into the world of classical music by the lead character Kang mae(maestro in short). For the whole week, we were so obsessed with the drama that we spent all our free time glued to the tv set. After watching the entire drama, we found ourselves spending time watching live orchestral performances on youtube! It also sent my elder child searching the internet for music scores, so that he could attempt to play to the melody of Beethoven Symphony no 5, Morricone's Nella Fantasia (better known as Gabriel's Oboe), and their favourite William Tell Overture by Rossini (thanks to this 'The Mom Song', a must see for all mothers!). Even my younger child is able to hum to the tune of Piazzola's Libertango, and he kept singing to the catchy melody of Radetzky March by Strauss; while I had Gabriel's Oboe ringing in my head for days! In case you are wondering, no, you don't need to have any music background to enjoy this drama! I know nothing about music and yet I was able to enjoy the music pieces as much as the brilliant plot, and of course the flawless performance by the male lead...who has won 6 awards for playing this role.

Well, that pretty much sums up my absence from the blogging world :) Just like the Chinese saying "山中方一日，人间已千年" (literally translated as: after spending one day in the mountain, one discovers that a thousand years has already gone past in the real world), things happen so fast in the cyberspace that being away for just one day is as though I'm a thousand years behind! I sure have lots of blog hopping to catch up!

I believe I would not have returned to blogging much earlier if not for this little request from my younger boy.

While we were sharing a quiet moment together, reading on our bed, he turned to me, at the same time, executing his puppydog eyes (one of his best weapons to get his way) and asked, "Mama, can you bake some cookies for me? There are no more cookies left." His request became my obligation right away. I promised I would make him those oatmeal cookies again.

If you happen to be a frequent visitor to my blog, I wonder whether you have noticed that I seldom strongly recommends a particular recipe that I have attempted. Taste is something so subjective that one man's meat is another man's poison, as such, unless it is something truly awesome, most of the time, I would rather leave it to readers to try out the recipe themselves. However, for these cookies, they are so so good that I can't help but to shout out loud that this is a must-try or at least put it down in your to-do list.

Just take a look at the ingredients list, I am sure you will be sold. These cookies are made with not-too-much butter, low sugar amount, half portion flour, half portion oatmeal (also known as rolled oats, I used baby oats, which are slighter smaller), walnuts, chocolate and chocolate chips. What a good balance of healthy and not-so-healthy ingredients ;) It certainly makes me feel that it is not a sinful thing to pop one cookie after another into my mouth. These cookies belong to the category of crisp on the outside and soft inside texture. Not only are they full of flavour, they have got stupendously good texture, thanks to the various ingredients. Plus, much to my delight, these cookies only have a slight chew to it as I have yet to acquire the taste of chewy, oatmeal cookies. I didn't get to find time to take photos when the cookies were made...two days later, I was left with only 4 to 'work on'. Even if I have failed to inspire you to rush to the kitchen to bake a batch right away, I hope you would be able to enjoy them from your screen right now :)



Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
(makes about 25~28 cookies)

90g butter, softened at room temperature
25g caster sugar
25g brown sugar
1 egg (weights about 60g with shell), lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g plain flour
100g oatmeal or roll oats (I used organic instant baby oat)
20g dark (semi-sweet) chocolate, finely chopped
50g walnuts, chopped
60g mini chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190degC. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
2. With a manual whisk, cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
3. Dribble in the egg gradually. Mix well after each addition. Add in salt and vanilla extract, mix to incorporate into the batter.
4. Sift the flour over the batter, fold in with a spatula.
5. Add oatmeal, chopped chocolate, walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Mix well with the spatula.
6. Drop tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray. Leave some space between the cookies to allow for spreading. Flatten each cookie dough slightly with the back of a fork, keeping the shape as even as possible.
7. Bake for 8~10 mins or until golden. If necessary, rotate the baking tray halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning.Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in air-tight containers.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 好想为你亲手做出美味的甜点! 检见崎聡美