Buttery Shortbread

They say that failure is the mother of all successes. I made these wonderful shortbreads after a failed attempt. Lucky me, to get it right on my second attempt. My first attempt was a total wreck and I had to throw the whole batch away. I was more upset by the wastage of good butter and flour, than the fact that I failed. After comparing with several other recipes, I discovered that the failed attempt was due to a lousy recipe from a rather famous baker. Hmph. I shall not name names here. The steps in this recipe are relatively easy, but the warm weather in Singapore means that you have to work fast, to ensure that all the ingredients come together and still remain chilled. If the weather on your side is warm like mine, chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes before rolling it out. These buttery goodies are perfect with a cup of iced tea in the afternoon. Ah… the simple pleasures in life.

Buttery Shortbread
(Sarabeth’s Bakery: From my hands to yours)

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup caster sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ sugar for sprinkling

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F (175C). Line baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until the butter is smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the caster sugar, then the vanilla, mixing until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low.

3. In thirds, add the flour and salt. Mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl to be sure the dough is well combined, until the dough cleans the side of the bowl.

4. Place the dough on the lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Chill for 20 – 30 minutes before working on it.

5. Dust the work surface and the top of the dough with flour, and roll out the dough into a ¼ inch thick rectangle. Using a 2 inch round fluted cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them 1 inch apart on the sheet pan. Gather the scraps, roll out, and cut out more cookies until all the dough has been used. Refrigerate the cookies for another 30 minutes before baking.

6. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes, until the edges are very lightly browned. Switch the baking pan around halfway through. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the cookies lightly with granulated sugar. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Cookie shop chocolate chip cookies

Got this recipe from my (growing) collection of baking books, The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle. Like many others out there, I wish that authors and publishers will add in more photos. They not only act to entice you in to baking them, but also serves as a guide as to how your end result should turn like (ideally). This chocolate chip cookie has a twist  to it. In the form of grinded oats and chocolate chips. I wish that my food processor can ground the oats into finer bits though. The addition of grounded chocolate chips also intensify the chocolate flavor of the cookie. Apparently, adding ground rolled oats and chocolate into cookies was very popular in the 1980s. This version is crisp and buttery, with loads of chocolate and a nutty oatmeal flavor. I made mine the night before and let the dough sit in the fridge overnight before baking but thats entirely optional.

Cookie shop chocolate chip cookies
(Adapted from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cup rolled oats
15 oz chocolate chips
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 large eggs

1. Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375C. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of the food processor, combine the oats and ½ cup of chocolate and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Stir the oat mixture into the flour mixture and set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer using a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed until fluffy and light. About 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined.

4. With a mini ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of dough and arrange them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

5. Bake the cookies for 12 – 15 minutes until just golden brown, rotating half way through to ensure even browning. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Makes about 45.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Oops. I am a little late. Thank god for 15 days of celebration for chinese new year. This year, our family took off to Perth and celebrated the new year with my brother and his family. The weather ranged from blistering hot to windy cool during the 6 days we were there. Here are some of the photos I took! Have a great year ahead ^___^

Hello there…

It’s been quite some time since I updated this blog. Not that I have been very busy, but I have decided to devote more time on other things in my life. 2010 has been quite a year for me. It flew by in a flash, but I learnt alot in this year. Mostly about myself. I come to understand alot of things, learnt some lessons and believe that I became a better person. Anyway, the recipe for today is super easy. I made some roasted honey almonds for my relatives and colleagues. There are only a few ingredients in this recipe and do use a good honey! Do be mindful to keep stirring the nuts once u get it out of the oven as they will stick together once cooled. Therefore, stir every 3 minutes until cooled completely. The nuts are perfect as a snack, toppings on a scoop of ice cream or in your morning breakfast.

Honey Nuts

500g almonds
500g cashew nuts
½ + 3 tbsp honey
1½ tbsp vegetable oil
¾ tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 175C. Roast the almonds and cashew nuts on lower rack for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure that they are evenly roasted.

2. Remove the nuts from the oven and pour into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon onto the nuts and mix evenly. Add in honey and vegetable oil, tossing to ensure that all nuts are coated.

3. Pour the nuts into a large roasting pan and return into the oven. Lower temperature to 160C. Stir the nuts at 10 to 12 minute intervals to ensure that they are evenly roasted. Remove the nuts from the oven when they turn chocolate brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Continue to stir the nuts until they cooled completely. Keep in airtight container for up to a month.

Madeleines

This is my first attempt making madeleines and I think the result is not bad. They were a little on the dark side, due to the addition of honey. I will probably leave it out the next time round. The butter taste wasn’t very distinct, I will considering splurging on some expensive french butter when I make them the next time! I am a real dud at folding in flour, so I mixed the flour into half portion of batter before folding it back into the remaining batter.

Madeleines

(Adapted from Le Cordon Bleu)

4 large eggs
170g sugar
Pinch of salt
10g honey
5g baking powder
180g flour
200g butter, melted

1. Sift together baking powder and flour. Add eggs, honey, salt and sugar together. With the stand mixer on whisk attachment, whisk the mixture until it is thick and pale.

2. Pour half the batter into a medium bowl. Fold in the flour and mix it with the remaining batter.

3. Fold in the melted butter until just combined. Chill the batter in the fridge for about 8 hours before baking.

4. Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Spoon the batter into the well greased madeleine pan, filling each mould about ¾ full. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, until they are golden brown.

5. Dislodge the madeleines and cool on a rack. Makes 24.

Matcha Pound Cake

Matcha is only grown in Japan and is renowned for its health benefits. It is rich in nutrients and antioxidants. Unlike chinese green tea, where we filter away the leaves, matcha is grounded to a fine powder using a stone mill and consumed. There are basically 2 ways to prepare matcha: koicha (mild and sweet) or usucha (light but slightly bitter). Matcha is also a common ingredient in sweets and confectionery. This matcha pound cake is simple and has a delicate green tea flavour. I used an organic green tea powder found in a japanese supermarket. The vivid green is all natural and came from the tea powder.

Matcha pound cake

110g butter
110g cake flour
5g green tea
5g baking powder
80g sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
20g condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Sift flour, baking powder and green tea powder together. Set aside.

2. With a stand mixer on whisk attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add in egg yolk, mix until combined. Scrap down with a rubber spatula and add the egg. Mix thoroughly.

4. Add in condensed milk and mix. Add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Pour batter into a greased 15 x 6cm cake tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Naaaaaaaannnnnnnnn!

Friday was a holiday. I love long weekends! I think what I made are naans, albeit misshapen  ones. The recipe was meant for mexican wraps, but they turned out to have texture more like naans. We ate it with roast duck and yummy plum sauce for dinner. Love it.

Naans (I think)
(Adapted from Teacher Meng’s 100 bread recipes)

400g all purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
¼ tsp instant yeast
¼ tsp baking powder
220g water
25g oil

1. Mix flour, yeast and water together. Let it sit for 10 minutes. With the stand mixer on dough hook attachment, knead the mixture for for 5 minutes, until the dough comes together.

2. Add in baking powder, oil and salt. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and shiny. Set aside in a well oiled bowl and proof for 60 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough balls to about ½ an inch thickness. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cooking them in a non stick frying pan until lightly browned. Makes 6.