Double chocolate chip cookies

Recipes

Ingredients:
1¼ cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons or 150 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3cup (120 grams) (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces (150 grams) dark/milk chocolate, chopped into chips

Steps:
1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

2. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour. Drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

4. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

5. Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Siew Bao

Ingredients:
Pastry:
Water Dough:
1. 200 g all-purposed flour, sifted
2. 100 g water
3. 50 g shortening or lard
4. 50 g icing sugar

Oil Dough:
1. 200g plain flour
2. 100g lard

Filling:
1. 300 g BBQ pork (Char Siew), diced
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 1/3 cup of green peas
4. 1 tbsp oyster sauce
5. 1 tbsp soy sauce
6. 1 tbsp water
7. 1/2 tbsp corn flour
8. 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
sesame seeds

Methods:
Char siu filling
1. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, corn flour and sugar in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Stir fry BBQ pork, onion and green peas until fragrant. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, corn flour and sugar mixture and stir well.

Skin
1. Put all the ingredients of water dough in a food processor and pulse until it forms a soft dough. Cover it in a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
2. Repeat the same with oil dough.
3. Divide the water dough and oil dough into 18 equal portions.
4. Roll out a piece of the water dough into a flat circle.
5. Place a piece of the rounded oil dough in the centre of the flat circle.
6. Gather the outer edges of the water dough circle and wrap up the oil dough ball.
7. Pinch and seal the edges.
8. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into rectangle shape.
10. Roll up the dough Swiss-roll style.
11. Turn the rolled dough 90 degrees.
12. Repeat steps 9 and 10.
13. The pastry is now ready for filling and shaping.

Assemble
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
1. With the heel of your palm, gently press the pastry down to flatten it lightly.
2. Roll out the pastry into a flat circle.
3. Place 1 tbsp of filling in the centre.
4. Gather the outer edges of the dough circle and pleat and pinch to seal.
5. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheese and Potato Bread Twists

Ingredients:
1. 225g potatoes, diced
2. 225g strong white bread flour
3. 1 tsp dried yeast
4. 150ml lukewarm water
5. 175g grated cheese
6. 2 tsp olive oil, for greasing
7. salt

Methods:
1. Cook the potatoes in a large pan in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain through a colander and return to the pan. Mash the potato until smooth and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast and a good pinch of salt. Stir in the mashed potatoes and rub with your fingers to form a crumb consistency.

3. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the lukewarm water. Start by bringing the mixture together with your hands. turn out on to a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp dishtowel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4. Turn the dough out and knock back the air bubbles. Knead again for a few seconds.

5. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces and shape into rounds.

6. Sprinkle the cheese over a baking sheet. take each ball of dough and roll it in the cheese.

7. Roll each cheese-covered on a dry surface to form a long sausage shape. Fold the two ends together and twist the bread. Lay the bread twists on an oiled baking sheet.

8. Cover with a damp cloth and leave the bread to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat the overn to 220 C. Bake the bread for 10-15 minutes.

Marble Butter Cake

Not enough chocolate powder.

This is the recipe:
Ingredients
250 gm butter
200 gm caster sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
300 gm self-raising flour (sifted)
½ to 3/4 cup of evaporated milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Beat the butter with the caster sugar until white and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well. Then add is vanilla essence and evaporated milk and mix well.
3. Replace about 30g of flour with cocoa powder. After the flour is mixed into the butter mixture and mixed well, take out about 1/3 of the batter and add the cocoa powder into it. Place the white batter into tin and drop the chocolate batter into different spots and use a skewer or a chopstick to swirl it to make the marble effect and bake for about an hour.

Coconut Tart

Lovely coconut tart. Here's the receipe

Ingredients
Short crust pastry
180g plain flour
1/8 tsp salt
100g butter
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp egg yolk
1–2 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling
100g desiccated coconut
140g castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
30g butter
12g milk powder
1/8 tsp salt
5–6 tbsp water

Steps
1.Sift flour into a mixing bowl and add in salt and icing sugar. Cut butter into flour with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2.Make a well in the centre and add egg yolk and water. Mix to form a dough. Wrap pastry in a plastic bag and chill for 30 minutes.

3.Roll out pastry and line tartlet cases with the short crust pastry. Prick the base and chill for 30 minutes.

4.Fill tart cases with prepared coconut filling up to the brim. Bake the tarts in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10–15 minutes or until the top of filling is lightly golden.

For the filling: Combine butter, sugar and egg in a bowl with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add in desiccated coconut, milk powder and salt to mix. Add water a little at a time and mix until well combined.

Souffle Cheesecake

Ingredients:
high cake tin

A.
Plain cream cheese 225g,
fresh cream 50ml,
milk 100ml,
butter 80g,

B.
Cornflour 25g,
milk 30ml
lemon juice 1 tbsp

C.
Egg white 150g,
cornflour 10g,
sugar 100g

D.
Egg yolks 138g,


Steps:
1. Melt A. over a pan of simmering water until the mixture liquefies (stir every 3 minutes), use spatula to stir the mixture well.
2. Mix B. until cornflour dissolves and pours into 1, stir until well-combined. Add in beaten yolks and strain the mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 150°C. Butter to cake thin with butter and some plain flour. If using loose bottom cake tin, cover the outside of the tin with 2 layers of aluminium foil.
4. In a clean bowl (make sure oil less and waterless), beat the egg whites till foamy and add in sugar and cornflour in 3 batches and beat until soft peak.
5. Take 1/3 egg white and stir into the cream cheese mixture to loosen the batter. Pour the remaining egg whites and using cut and fold method quickly fold in the egg whites, do not over fold or else the air in the egg whites will escape.
6. Pour batter into cake tin. Sit the cake thin in a bigger baking tray filled with boiling water. Bake in a bain-marie (water-bath). You should cover the cake tin with at least half of the boiling water.
7. Put in oven and bake for about 35 minutes or when top is brown, reduce the heat to 125°C, continue to bake for another 1 hour or until a cake skewer comes out clean.

Banana Muffins

He wanted some banana like cakes, so I made muffins instead.




Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
50g vegetable oil
250 g all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
115g/4oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, ripe bananas
2 large eggs
125ml oz milk

Steps:
1. Heat the oven to 190C.
2. Mash the bananas well. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.
3.With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, banana essence, oil and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.
4.Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, fold in with a biggest spatula (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
5. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and using an icecream scoop, spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.
6.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

Spongecake Cups

After like 2 trials, only I managed to get these!
I love it!

Ingredients:
75 gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
75 ml milk
4 egg yolks
5 egg white
80 castor sugar
1.5 tbsp corn oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pandan paste (extract from pandan leaves)

Methods:
1. Cream egg yolks, 50 gm of sugar until it is creamy and thick.
2. Add in sifted flour and baking powder, vanilla essence, coconut cream/milk, corn oil, pandan paste into the egg yolk mixture.
3. In a clean dry bowl, beat eggwhite, remainder 30 gm of sugar, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until stiff.
4. Mix the eggwhite into the flour mixture and mix it thoroughly using a spatula. Pour into the chiffon pan and bake in a preheated oven at 175C for 45 mins.
5. When cake is baked, invert it immediately to cool down for about 10 mins. After 10 mins, use a sharp knife to loosen the side and then the bottom to release the cake. Leave it on a wire rack to cool down further.

Pandan Chiffon Cake

First thing that I baked on 1st of January 2008, pandan chiffon cake.

Ingredients:
75 gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
75 ml milk
4 egg yolks
5 egg white
80 castor sugar
1.5 tbsp corn oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pandan paste (extract from pandan leaves)

Methods:
1. Cream egg yolks, 50 gm of sugar until it is creamy and thick.
2. Add in sifted flour and baking powder, vanilla essence, coconut cream/milk, corn oil, pandan paste into the egg yolk mixture.
3. In a clean dry bowl, beat eggwhite, remainder 30 gm of sugar, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until stiff.
4. Mix the eggwhite into the flour mixture and mix it thoroughly using a spatula. Pour into the chiffon pan and bake in a preheated oven at 175C for 45 mins.
5. When cake is baked, invert it immediately to cool down for about 10 mins. After 10 mins, use a sharp knife to loosen the side and then the bottom to release the cake. Leave it on a wire rack to cool down further.

Christmas preparation

'Unique' Christmas Gingerbread Cookies

Ready Mix Mince Pie ... :)

Chocolate Banana Cake

One of my mom's favourite! Since I will be going back for CNY, I thought I should start trying and make the best Chocolate Banana Cake for her!
This is my first trial...and we totally love it! (well probably a bit more cream next time!)

Ingredients:
Chocolate cake:
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 cup strong espresso
2 tsp vanilla essence
300g self-raising flour
75g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
185g unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
180g chocolate, melted and cooled

Banana and cream filling:
300ml whipping cream
3 ripe bananas

Chocolate topping:
284ml double cream
200g dark chocolate

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 160C, and grease an 8 inch baking pan
2. Mix cocoa powder, coffee, vanilla essence and 1/2 cup cold water in a bowl and whisk.
3. Sift flour , bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt together.
4. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time.
Stir in melted chocolate into egg mixture.
5. Add the flour and cocoa mixture alternatively into egg mixture.
6. Pour into pan and bake till set (approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours).
7. Whip the whipping cream until thick. Cut the cake into 3 layers and spread the cream on each layer. Place the banana on each layer and cover it with the remaining cream.
8. Stack the cake back together. Heat the chocolate with double cream and pour it onto the combined cake. Let it cool for probably an hour in the fridge.

Creme Brulee

I was craving for this yesterday....
So we had this as our 'midnight' dessert ....

Ingredients:
300ml whipping cream
2 egg yolks
50g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
extra sugar for topping

Steps:
1. Pre-heat oven at 150⁰C. Pour the cream into a bowl and place over saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat gently but do not allow to boil.
2.Meanwhile whisk together the egg yolks, 50g of caster sugar and the vanilla essence. When the cream is warm, pour it over the egg mixture briskly whisking until it is mixed completely.
3. Pour into 4 individual ramekin dishes and place in a roasting tin.
4. Fill the tin with sufficient water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until the puddings are set. (first image)
6. Remove the puddings from the roasting tin and allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
7. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of each dish and use blow torches to brown the sugar. (second image)

"Chocolate chip oat-cookies with hazelnut"

I wonder if anyone heard the story of 'Famous Amos Hawaiian nut cookies'. I've received the email like couple of months ago but never really tried it. First because I do not know how is the taste of the Famous Amos cookies, second, I haven't got the time! Anyway, I did try it today and this is what I've got.


There are some changes that I've made....
1. less sugar!!
2. baked for 14 minutes with 200⁰C
3. less chocolate chips and less nuts

We like it ~ whether or not the cookies taste like whatever Famous Amos~

Here's the recipe that I've used

Ingredients:
1 cups butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cups granulated sugar
1 cups brown sugar
2 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal & blend in blender to a fine powder)
150g chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. salt
150g chocolate bar (grated)
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
150g chopped nuts (your choice)
1 tsp. vanilla

Steps:
1. Cream the butter and both the sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.
2. Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate and nuts.
3. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 14 minutes at 200⁰C.

Swirl Chocolate Cheesecake

I think I had this recipe for 2-3 years already. Found it on the website one day when I actually started baking. Several of my friends tried it and think is excellent (easy to bake!). One day when I was watching some shows, suddenly I've got this craving for cheesecake. The very next day, we went to supermarket and get some mascarporne cheese and all the ingredients, and you are!


Ingredients:
1. 500g mascarporne cheese
2. digestive biscuits
3. 75g condensed milk
4. chocolate powder
5. 2-3 tbsp butter
6. 2 eggs
7. 1 tsp vanila essense

Steps:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 1800C.
2. Smash digestive until very fine and mix the crumbs with butter. Transfer crumbs to a cake tin (about 8 inch loose bottom) and press firmly over base. Bake the crumbs for about 5 minutes and let it cool.
2. Beat mascarporne cheese until creamy and pale. Gradually add in the condensed milk and continue beating. Add in the eggs and vanilla essense.
3. Take 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture and add with chocolate powder.
4. On the biscuit base, spoon a couple of chocolate cream cheese mixture. Spoon a couple of cream cheese mixture on the biscuit base as well. Using a fork, simply mix the chocolate and vanila cream cheese.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes until centre is cook. Keep it in the fridge for about 3 hours before serving.

Zebra/Marble Cake

I always like to make this cake (not because I like to eat, but because of the look!). Anyway, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1. 125g butter
2. 150g caster sugar
3. 1 tsp vanilla essence
4. 3 eggs
5. 20g milk powder
6. 100ml water
7. 225g self-raising flour
8. 1.5 tbsp cocoa powder

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 180⁰C. Dissolve milk powder in water.
2. Cream softened butter with sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in vanilla essence.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in about half the sifted flour and then half the milk. Continue until both flour and milk finish.
5. Bake for 45 minutes.

and this is what I've got~nice color huh?

Hot Dog Buns

Tried this recipe a few times, very interesting and of course very delicious too!

Ingredients
A)
1. 240 gm bread flour
2. 60 gm plain flour
3. 50 gm castor sugar
4. 20 gm milk powder
5. 2 tsp instant yeast

(B)
1. about half an egg
2. 150 ml cold water

(C)
1. 30 gm unsalted butter
2. <5 gm salt

(D)
1. Hotdogs (about 12)

Steps:
1. Mix (A) till well blended. Add (B) to form a dough. Add in (C) and knead until dough is smooth.
2. Gather dought and form a ball. Let it rest in a bowl and cover it with cling film/wet towel for about 50-60 minutes or double in size.
3. Divide dough into 12 portions (depending on you, how big or small you want your buns to be). Shape them into balls and leave it to rest for about 10 mins.
4. Roll out dough and wrap with hot dogs. Design as you like. :)
5. Let it proof(expand) on greased baking tray for another 50-60 mins or until dough is double in size.
6. Apply egg wash (1 beaten egg) on dough and sprinkle some shredded cheese on it. Bake dough at 180-190ºC for abt 12 mins. So this is what I get in the end.

Tau Sar Piah

This is something I would buy everytime go back to Malaysia. Well, I thought I want to give it a try and see the outcome. It turns out quite alright but the filling was a bit tasteless, because of SOMEONE that starts complaining when SOMEONE saw the amount of sugar that I have to put in! So an advice, DO NOT make the filling when your SOMEONE is besides you! :)

Here goes, the recipe:
Pastry:
Water Dough:
1. 100g bread flour
2. 100g plain flour
3. 70g lard, softened
4. 20g icing sugar
5. 100ml water

Oil Dough:
1. 120g plain flour
2. 60g lard, softened

Mung Bean Filling
1. 300g skinless, split mung beans.
2. 75g lard, corn oil
3. 1/2 cup shallots (or 8-10 shallots)
4. 1/2 tsp sesame oil
5. 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
6. 150g white sugar (I think I've 'managed' to use only less than 100g sugar!)
7. salt to taste

Glaze
1. 1 egg, lightly beanten for eggwash

For Mung Bean Paste filling
1. Soak mung beans into water for a least 2-3 hours.
2. When the beans are ready, drain and place it in a large plate that can fit into a steamer/wok. Steam the beans until soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Remove the beans from steamer and start to smash it like mash potatoes. (Shown in picture below)
4. Heat up a work with lard/oil and add sliced shallots. Cook over low heat until golden brown and aromatic (it takes a while).
5. Remove the goldn brown shallots and use the oil to cook the rest of the ingredients.
6. Add sesame oil and five-spice powder and cook over low heat until aromatic. Add in the bean paste with sugar and salt. Continue to stir the mixture with higher heat until thick. (Shown in picture below). Let it cool.


For Pastry
Water Dough:
1. Rub lard into the flours and add the remaining ingredients and mix to form a soft dough. The amount of water needed may be different. Please adjust according to your needs. Knead until smooth. Then wrap with clign film and set aside for about 15-20 minutes before using.

Oil Dough:
1. Rub lard into flour and knead until the dough is smooth.

Tau Sar Piah skin:
1. Divide both water dough and oil dough to 20 equal potions.
2. To make the skin, take one portion of water dough and roll flat. Then take one portion of oil dough and wrap it with the flat water dough. Roll the combined dough into a thin flat sheet using a rolling pin. With your fingers, roll the thin sheet up like swiss-roll style. Turn the rolled dough 90⁰ and roll it flat again. Repeat the action twice. Lastly, round the roll-up dough piece into a ball and set it aside. Repeat the steps with the rest of the dough pieces. (Shown in figure below)3. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C. Divide the filling into 20 equal portions.
4. Press each combined dough into a flat round disc. Wrap each portion of mung bean past with one combined flat dough. Seal it up tigthly by pressing the edges together to enclose the filling. Place the puff seal side down on a baking sheet. Repeat the until finished.
5. Before these go inside the oven, glaze the puffs with eggwash. Sprinkle some sesame seeds if you like. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden color. (This is what I've got out from my oven!)

Egg Tart

I've tried this before and I think this is excellent recipe. So I would like to share with everyone here...

Ingredients:
Pastry
Short dough
1. 100g plain flour
2. 100g lard/ghee

Water dough
1. 100g plain flour
2. 5g custard powder
3. 5g milk powder
4. a pinch of salt
5. 1 egg yolk
6. 10g lard/ghee
7. 12 icing sugar
8. 40ml water

Filling
Sugar syrup
1. 150g white sugar (I've used only about 120g of sugar because of HIM)
2. 200ml water

Custard
1. 2 eggs
2. 50ml evaporated milk
3. 150ml sugar syrup

Steps:
1. Make the custard filling first by making the sugar syrup and cool. Then use only 150ml of the sugar syrup and mix with eggs and evaporated milk. Sieve this custard mixture and set aside.
2. Mix all the water dough ingredient and gradually add the water until soft. Once the dough is formed, covers it with the cling film and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. While waiting for the water dough, mix the short dough and covers it with cling film and chill in the fridge to harden slightly.
3. For the egg tart shells, flour your work surface. Roll the water dough into square shape (big enough to cover the short dough). Then, start rolling and folding the dough mixture for several times (you should see several layers start to form).
4. Once you are satisfied with the layers, roll the dough flat and use pastry cutter to cut out the circles (shown in the picture below).

5. Because I do not have any egg tart moulds, I've used shallow muffin tray to make my lovely egg tarts. The dimension of the pastry cutter that I've used is 55 mm and that fits exactly into my muffin tray.

6. Preheat the oven to 240⁰C. Fill up to about 3/4 full with the custard fillings.

7. Put the tray of filled egg tart pastry into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 200⁰C. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower down the temperature to 180⁰C and bake for another 10 minutes.


This is what you should expect: