Lunar Niu Year

What do you do when you run out of pineapple fillings and there is still pastry left? Since I had tried out a Cheese Stars cookie recipe recently, I thought why not add some shredded chedder cheese to the dough?

When I was first mixing the dough for this not so ordinary cookie, I had made a mental note to try adding shredded cheese should I have excess pineapple tart pastry. I must say that it was not a bad idea except that I was too conservative with the cheese. I should have gone with the gut feel of 100g of cheese instead of stopping at 50g. I had a block of chedder cheese in the fridge and so had to shred my own. You'll be able to guess why I stopped at 50g... it wasn't very hard work but the smell was getting to me. Ok, I was getting lazy and it was almost time to leave home for dinner at my parents' home too.

I like both versions very much. It seems that I am drawn to savoury cookies this year. Other than cheese stars there is keropok cookies. Of course, I made the usual dose of pineapple tarts and a few negligible and forgetable attempts at some traditional cookies.

I am so happy to be done with all the CNY baking! I would probably not be baking much cookies after this. Here's wishing all friends a very prosperous Year of the Ox.

"Wang Wang" Tarts

This is a record of all the pineapple tarts I have attempted since January 2008. I am so happy to be able to bake this, my all-time favourite snack. It's a real challenge trying to identify a good vendor for this snack. Everyone has an expectation of what it should be, ideally. Of course, it's hard to achieve one that satisfies everybody so I should be happy if I like it myself, right?

I absolutely loved the pineapple tarts that I baked last year. The pastry is of the right texture and taste. Since it was my first try, I used commercial pineapple filling. I tested another brand of filling this year and that turned out alright as well. I was sure one packet wasn't enough so I bought another packet which started my adventure in semi-making pineapple fillings. I shan't go into details but I've certainly learnt lots from this attempt. I can't say for sure that I will or won't be making my own pineapple jam next year, though. There is a certain sense of achievement if I get it right, I'm sure.

So, this picture below is this year's version of pineapple tarts. My earlier attempt was to crimp it so it resembles a rose, lots of room for improvement. As for the version below, I cannot say that there is a remarkable improvement in the appearance but what matters is the taste, don't you agree? I gave J some jam as I had too much and she kept praising it, so it can't be that bad. I had also learnt that pineapple tarts usually taste better the day after baking. Hubs and I have been munching on them every night, we'll have lots to pay back later...



If you are keen to cook your own pineapple jam, you may want to refer to Rei's post.

Lemon Melts

Don't these look great? I love the shape so much but the dough wasn't very cooperative. After I had used up almost 80% (after filling one big pizza pan), they just refused to form nicely. Perhaps I had pressed too hard and after banging a few times, the cookie broke. I had to use a polvoron plunger to mould the remaining dough. They are that soft.

I was keen to experiment with other flavours after the very successful (for me) cookie I had named Keropok Cookie. I toyed with the idea of adding lemon zest as well as ground almond. Finally, I had the chance to play with lemon flavour today.

I really like the aroma of lemon, especially when these were baking in the oven. What I like about this recipe is that it doesn't use any butter nor eggs! It's really healthy and good for people who are lactose intolerant too. May be I should try using orange zest next...

Biscotti Galore

I've finally delivered my promise to my friend W, she had asked me to try baking biscotti so that I could "teach" her how to make her favourite snack. I first tried it in June 2008, when W was going into the third trimester of her first preganancy. I am ashamed that I had forgotten about this until she sent me an sms recently.

So I quickly baked some and arranged to meet W as soon as possible. I'm glad she liked it and that encouraged me to experiment with another flavour: green tea and pistachio. While this flavour tastes quite unique, my girl and I prefer the original version.

In fact, my girl asked if I could just bake biscotti without the nuts! I told her that the nuts made the biscotti tasty, for me. So, I reduced the amount of almonds and added cranberries as requested by her. I found this a little too sweet for me but she absolutely loves this! She and hubs polished the whole batch in less than 3 days! Perhaps I should try baking it with just cranberries next. I've also decided that this will be one of the few items that I'll be baking for this Chinese 牛 Year.

Keropok Cookies

Can't help but let this post surge ahead of the rest especially after seeing J's post on her CNY2009 baking. Thanks so much for sharing this gem of a recipe and it's a welcome change to all the sweet cookies during this time of festivities.

However, this is not made with that particular recipe with J shared. It has been tweaked by Gina and it is something that will go on sale at Chef's Secrets. Thanks Gina and Amy for allowing me to be around during the "recipe testing".

All I can say about this version of the cookie is that it "melts" in the mouth! I am so happy I have achieved this by trial and error. After hubs tasted it, he said it tasted like keropok! That's why I have named it Keropok Cookies. This, however, is NOT the version that is available for sale at Chef's Secrets.

Lemon Lavender Cookies

Oh, how time flies! At the blink of an eye, it's the end of August now. It's been 9 months and 9 days since this blog was conceived. For Chinese, the number 9 sounds the same as "forever" and I wonder how long I can sustain this interest in baking and blogging.

I have a bottle of dried lavender waiting to be used. Drinking lavender tea is an acquired taste, initially it was like drinking air freshner, but after a while, it was quite soothing. Afterall, it's property is calming and it's supposed to be pain relieving too. I cannot remember what other flower goes well with lavender so I have been drinking it on its own.

So naturally when I saw a recipe using lavender, I was intrigued and keen to try it out. Besides, it also calls for lemon. Since taking up baking, I realised that I love citrus fruits, especially lemon and lime. Their zest add to the aroma during baking. Even the lavender gave off a wonderful aroma, but it does need some getting used to.

I first saw it on Mandy's blog and later on Happy Home Baking's blog. I encountered a similar experience as HHB, where the dough was really soft. I had some trouble rolling and wrapping it with cling wrap. Fortunately, after a little struggle, I managed to wrapped them up and placed the 2 rolls into the freezer.

I baked them after 45 mins to 1 hour. I could not wait to taste it, and tried one as soon as it was cool enough. It simjply melted in my mouth! As for taste, let's stick with "acuquired" taste.

Oatmeal Cookies

I have been looking out for a good oatmeal cookie recipe to try for the longest time. I was addicted with oatmeal cookies after tasting those made and sold at Wooden Spoon, a small bakeshop at Beach Road. They sell the most incredible scones, yum yum. These scones are sold out by lunch time. On one occassion when their scones were all sold out, I could not walk away empty handed. So I bought a box of their oatmeal cookie and boy was I blown away when I tried one.

When I saw this recipe on Amanda's blog, I told myself that I had to try it one day. Since it's the eve of Teachers' Day celebrations in schools, I told myself to just go ahead to bake them. I was keen to try the recipe and suspected that my girl would probably ask me for something to bring. And true enough! She asked if she could bring the cookies for her teachers while I was making the dough. She said she needed 8 packets, then she wanted 2 more for her primary school teachers. Later, when her friend found out about the cookies, she asked if she could have one to give to her CCA teacher as well.

In all, we packed about 11 packets (about 5 to 6 cookies each) and my girl brought the balance to school to share. By the time everything was cooled and packed, it was past her bedtime. I had to grab my camera and stole a few shots quickly.

I followed Amanda's recommendation of reduced sugar (I used 155g of brown sugar) and 2 tsp of cinnamon powder. Air was filled with slight aroma of cinnamon but I could barely taste it. If I have time to bake them longer, say at least 15 mins, they would probably be more crispy. It's a good recipe, give it a try!

Celebrating 100 Posts

Celebrating Yuri's Bake Journal's 100th post today! Hip Hip Hurray! I cannot believe that I've reached this milestone in under a year. I raked my brain to find something to signify this achievement. I was somewhat happy that I was too busy and worn out with fatigue to bake last week.

My girl requested that I bake something for her CCA party on Friday, she asked for a chocolate pie. But I wasn't keen to make pies, and definitely not the same pie again. Then I remembered seeing something interesting, check it out here. Now, that's something worthwhile and pretty to mark post number 100.

HOWEVER, that was not to be. Firstly, I am unable to steam bake the cheesecake, as my microwave oven is too small. So, I thought perhaps I could buy a no-frills cheesecake from the supermarket! Then I found out that I could get a cheesecake from one of the Japanese restaurants. Eventually, I bought a frozen baked cheesecake from the supermarket instead as I couldn't wait to try. I found that even though the cheesecake was frozen, it wasn't easy to work with it. The cake went soft so quickly and the balls just won't be round. I emailed Passionate about Baking to find out about her experience. She provided some suggestions, but I didn't want to take the chance of having my girl bring sub-standard stuff to the party.

Then she recommended making chocolate coated cornflakes. Bingo! I remembered this from Nigella Lawson, Chocolate Caramel Crispy Cakes. I had book-marked this recipe for so long, in fact, I had once bought 4 Mars bars thinking I would try it out. But the folks at home ate all the Mars bars before I could do anything! I was also very distracted then with many other things, possibly chiffon cakes.

And so, this Chocolate Caramel Crispy Cakes became the star of the 100th post. My daughter was very enthusiastic and she decorated them. She was so happy to finally have the chance to make use of my collection of toppings. She was the only one who tasted them and she said they were delicious. Of course, they are delicious, I added more chocolates, which explains the deeper colour. The aroma of chocolate was mesmerising as well, perhaps that was why I didn't feel like tasting any. She wants me to make another batch so that she can bring some to share with her primary school friends on Saturday.

Biscotti

What is a Biscotti?
The word "biscotti" in Italian is the plural form of biscotto, which applies to any type of biscuit, and originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-baked": it is defined as biscuits baked twice in the oven, so they could be stored for long periods of time, which was particularly useful during journeys and wars. Through Middle French, the word was imported into the English language as "biscuit". (Source: Wikepedia)

Hope that answers your question, my dear son. He asked that question quite innocently when I first mentioned "biscotti". He has eaten these before, those from Olio Dome are his (and his sister's) favourite. I practised with two recipes so that I can present the best version to a dear friend of mine, W, who is entering her third trimester. Her little bundle of joy will arrive some time in September. Since she had requested me to bake biscotti, I think I should try.

These are not difficult to make, honestly. However, that does not mean they are easy as well. One needs a little patience. The almond biscotti looks paler as it contains egg whites and no butter (nor any other form of fat). I took the "non-stick" pan for granted and did not line it. Well, I wasted that favourite square pan of mine! I should have poured the batter out, washed the pan and lined it. Urgh...

I first came across the recipe at Aunty Yochana's blog. I skipped the step of letting the cake cool for a few hours in the frige. Once the cake has cooled enough (so that hands don't hurt when holding it), I started to slice it. I returned the slices to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they looked dry and hard. These tasted quite good and the children did not complain about the tiny pieces of almond slivers. It was very hard, just like how biscotti should be.

I subsequently came across another biscotti recipe at Amanda's blog. This one looked interesting as it has cornmeal and butter. As expected, the dough gave off a very fragrant aroma (butter mixed with 1.5 tsp of Madagascar vanilla extract) when it was baking. I added another half a cup of flour (making it to 225 g) as the eggs I used were fairly large (about 65g each). Still, I got a rather wet dough and it spread a fair bit in the oven.

As a result of the wet dough, the first piece was underbaked. I suspected as much when I removed it from the oven. As I cut, the "cake" got softer and wetter. So I baked the second piece for 20 mins, and it browned nicely and was easier to slice. I read that Amanda would slice it thicker on her subsequent attempt, so I sliced it thick. It was easier to slice it thicker anyway as I had used whole almonds. My kids said this version is very cookie like and hubs said that this biscotti is a little soft. I guess I didn't dare bake these longer as they were darker (due to butter?) than the egg white version.

The cranberry almond biscotti is definitely more tasty than the (egg white only) almond biscotti. However, I am positive that I had underbaked them as they are quite soft after a day or two. I'm sure giving them a slight toast would restore the crispiness. I shall explore another recipe before presenting you a version that I am satisfied with. Thanks for your patience.

KB...Challenge Indeed.

This is the toughest challenge yet. Kuey Bangkit, I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I didn't expect it to be this tough.

Frying the tapioca flour was about the easiest part of this. I fried the flour a few days ago, and got down to baking it only this afternoon. Mom told me that the flour/dough would "slide" and I didn't understand her. But after mixing the flour into the egg+coconut mixture, I thought the dough was really really dry. Perhaps I was too kiasu and added too much flour, afterall the recipe called for 400 g of flour! I had to call mom to check. She thought it sounded dry and suggested that I add one more egg yolk. I had, by then, used the entire packet of coconut cream. Guess it's not to be, even though they look like the real KB, other than the strong coconut fragrance, they are not sweet enough. I had reminded myself NOT to reduce any sugar and added 5 extra gram of sugar. They aren't melt in your mouth either, I'm so sad.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My kids love this cookie so much they finished almost all of the first tray of cookies! This is definitely be another regular recipe from now on. What I plan to do differently is to NOT use self-raising flour in future. Look at how much the cookies expanded and flattened (the original is behind). Also, I may just add 2 tsp of cornflour so the texture will be a little crumbly. I hesitated this time and did not add cornflour. These turned out very cripsy.

My daughter insisted that I bake this again today, after the KB. She insisted on adding only M&M without any chocolate chips. I added 1 big tbsp of cornflour, and I like the bite better. However, this cookie is much better with chocolate chips.

Pineapple Tarts Wow!

This is my all time weakness during CNY. In the last few years, I had finally learnt to control myself, not to take more than 2 or 3 each time I opened the bottle. I'm always on the lookout for good quality, delicious, melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts for sale. I'm glad to say that I can now make my own, something I would be proud of.

Thanks Gina, for sharing such a wonderful recipe. Most people would guard it but you have so kindly shared such a winner. I made a small batch, only one-third of the recipe. I managed to make 26 pieces. Oh, one other thing, took a short-cut and used Sun Lik's pineapple jam. Mrs Wong said it had just arrived when I went over yesterday. I have another pack from PH waiting in the fridge, not so hopeful about this one though :P

Rainbow Cookies

The recipe calls them colourful cups but I want to call them rainbow cookies. They're so adorable right? Ok, there's a dent on top, as I had used self-raising flour instead of plain flour. I didn't want to open a new bag of flour just for 140 g of flour, although the recipe didn't ask for any raising agent. May be I could try making a colourful cupcake instead! So far, I haven't had much success with cupcakes though. The most successful would have to be longan muffins.

Mock Watermelon Crisps

Aren't these just so cute? Taste pretty good too, interesting texture, almost like melt in your mouth! But it's a little tedious to make due to the steps involved. Besides, the dough is really soft, so need to refrigerate it for a while before cutting. Even after leaving them in the fridge for close to 2 days, cutting these requires some skill and practice. It's rewarding though, seeing how these turned out. Must thank kwf for giving me the tip not to overbake them as the colour did lighten somewhat. But it was a good experience.

New Year Bakes!

Well, not exactly my first bakes for 2008, but couldn't resist not choosing such a celebratory frame! Also, these were taken with the new cybershot phone, the K770i.

The Peanut Butter Cups will be a hit with peanut butter fans, like my son. However, as we were too eager to taste them, they were not probably set when we ate it. Besides, the peanut butter used is a little creamy. Be warned though, these are nothing but sugar! Perfect for people with sweet-tooth.

Finally, I have found a butter cookie recipe that is a sure winner and therefore a keeper. This is the same recipe as the Disney cookies. This version uses custard powder instead of corn flour. Must say the custard powder has rendered a rather unique bite. Too lazy to roll and cut cookies, so did something really simple and let the taste speak for itself. Will bring some samples to see if anybody would place order for them.

Cookies Galore

Finally, a recipe endorsed by my lovely daughter. She is rarely SO supportive of the results of my bakes, except for this recipe. Thanks to Happy Home Baking's recipe I had 2 successful attempts with the Disney cookie cutters. I was even brave enough to bake them for my co-workers and girlfriends' kids! This is how the packaging looked: The cookies have received rave reviews from all who tasted it, even the most discerning of palates. This recipe is another definite keeper!

Of Dogs and Disney

Right, this is my second attempt at making the Doggie Cookies, using another recipe from my mom's collection. She had to secretly jot down these recipes as people back then weren't as keen to share. I wonder why... perhaps it's because they ran classes, teaching people to bake for a fee.

Anyhow, the dough was really really soft! I had to ditch the idea of using the Disney cookie cutters and used it to make Doggie Cookies instead. After one tray, my daughter decided to try using the mould and thanks to her, we had Disney cookies. I think I would need to bake these cookies for another 5 minutes or so. The cookies taste as they should, but the kids found them a bit dry. Will have to wait for comments from those who tried them though. Guess family is tired of being taste testers and I would have to find new ones! Thankfully friends have been very game. Come January, there should be more willing tastebuds... After reading some blogs today, slight moderations I have in mind right now would be to use some corn flour and to refrigerate the dough a bit before cutting. Will post recipe when I get it right.

Easy!

This may well be the easiest recipe I've tried so far! No wonder my Canadian friend, Jennifer, used to pack the dry ingredients in a bottle as presents for friends. If I were to pack them for friends, no, don't think this recipe works that way. May be after I had tried it a few more times.

This cookie has a different texture, not like those we are used to. It is a little chewy and my kids are not used to cookies with this texture. On hindsight, I should have trusted my hunch to reduce the sugar even more than just rounding up to the nearest 10g. Another thing to improve on would be the presentation. The mixture was so sticky, I'm not sure if putting them in the fridge for 30 minutes would make it easier to mould them. I will try but need to find willing parties to sample them first. Anyone interested? Recipe from Baking Bites again, Cocoa Fudge Cookies.