Flourless Fudge Cookies

There are some days where you just need to bake or cook or create something tangible with your bare hands. On those days where you feel just plain old shitty, I find one of two things helps: making something in the kitchen, or re-reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (especially the QWC campsite scenes).

I haven't baked anything since the honey lemon poppyseed cake, but I'm happy to say I've cooked a lot and have at least also made more of an effort to try new savoury recipes. I'm still contemplating sharing those as they seem pretty basic, but whatever, this is my blog and my outlet, right? I'll write what I want, and hopefully what I write helps somebody else too.

This weekend was Father's Day weekend, so I cooked up a bit of a frenzy today. Made dad a lemon Victoria sponge trifle (cream and curd were too runny, so I stuffed everything into a trifle bowl and added more cream and curd), taught dad how to make his own beef burger patties (and hence had a bit of a burger party at home), and this last one was for myself... I made these little fudgy chocolate cookies that really bear absolutely no resemblance to any cookies I've ever made or had. They're little imposters; just pieces of fudge pretending to be cookies and therefore harmless.

They're easy enough to whip up, and I kind of freaking love them, so thought I'd put it up for my own safekeeping (sincerely doubt anybody still reads this blog considering my lack of discipline in updating it).

Flourless Fudge Cookies
Makes 30 large, hand sized cookies

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
• Sea salt flakes to top (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line 2 or 3 baking tins with parchment paper
2. Combine the sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large mixing bowl, then add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir to wet the ingredients, don't worry... it really is meant to be that sticky and tough to handle 
3. Stir in the chocolate chips
4. Dollop 1 tablespoon sized bits of the batter onto the tins, be sure to space them quite generously as these things will spread. (edit: upon tasting these again, I'd say add some sea salt flakes on top before baking to counter the sweetness) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tops are glossy and crack a little like in the photos 
5. Remove from the oven and cool completely on the tins. Don't attempt to move them too early, they stick to the paper and you'll end up leaving half the cookie on the tin. Store in an airtight container

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I made a horrendous mistake last week: I accidentally deleted my iPhoto Library... then cleared my trash. Years worth of personal pictures, as well as pictures of four recipes I intended to share in the coming few weeks. This means I'll have to bake those recipes again. This also means I have learned my lesson and will back up my stupid files.

Anyway, I managed to at least reshoot images of the raisin oatmeal cookies I baked last week as I made another batch recently. These were quite a hit in my household, so I'm happy to be able to share this one recipe at least. One of my first few posts on this blog was another raisin oatmeal cookie recipe that I quite liked, but I tried out this recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook and I love it even more. They're chewy cookies, as opposed to crispy (which the other ones are), so it really comes down to personal preference.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 1 dozen large cookies

• 270g unsalted butter, softened 
• 160g caster sugar
• 160g soft dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 380g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 110g rolled oats
• 220g raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and rolled oats, then set aside
3. In the large bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is combined
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed after each addition, then add the vanilla 
5. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, then fold the raisins in with a wooden or rubber (or anything you like, really) spatula
6. Scoop out tablespoon sized balls of the cookie dough and place on the trays. Allow for two inches of space between each dollop so they don't merge into one giant cookie. Even though there's nothing really wrong with that concept, don't know why some people may find that objectionable. 
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they've achieved a gorgeous tan, then remove from the oven and allow to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy these still warm and fresh from the oven with a glass of cold milk.

Passionfruit Macarons

I've said it before, that I'm not a fan of macarons. They're too sweet, and I don't really like the texture of the shells... but they are so much fun to make! Baking to me is a sacred art, one that removes me from this realm and takes me onto another plane of peace and calm and sugar and happiness. So on a particularly bad day, I tackle the most complicated recipes. 

A lot of my baker friends ask how I have the patience to work on macarons, but really... it's so calming. The fact that you need to be 100% focused on the task, and then to have all the conditions around you at just the right state... and after all that concentration, when you peek into the oven after 10 minutes and see the little "feet" forming... it's like pulling off magic. 

I made these little pink macaron shells to fill with passionfruit curd and leftover passionfruit cream cheese frosting. They followed a particularly difficult work week, and I realised how completely stress free I had become while snapping pics of these little delights. I might have to make more macarons tonight. 

Macarons

Makes around 20 macarons (about 40 shells)

• 100g aged egg whites (I simply left them uncovered on the counter for 48 hours, though I've read that this is unnecessary) 
• 1 tsp meringue powder (optional)
• 110g ground almonds
• 200g icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 50g caster sugar

1. Line two baking trays with parchment paper
2. Run the ground almonds, icing sugar, and salt in the food processor for roughly 30 seconds, then set aside
3. Whisk the egg whites and meringue powder in your large stand mixer bowl until soft peaks have formed
4. Gradually add the caster sugar to the egg whites, and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form
5. Here's the tricky bit (but easily overcome by watching a few youtube how to vids): dump the dry mixture into the meringue, then with a spatula, just fold it in. I really cannot give you definite instructions for when to stop, but I stopped when the batter was softly oozing (like the lava in that film, Dante's Peak), and when a dollop over it blended into the rest within 30 seconds (just watch this video, maybe?)
6. Once you've possibly achieved the correct consistency, transfer the batter into a piping bag, snip off the edge and then pipe out 1" circles onto the baking trays, roughly 1" apart
7. When you've piped everything out, bang the trays on the counter 3-5 times
8. Leave the trays out for 30 minutes to an hour, and then bake in a preheated oven at 150C for 18 minutes
9. Let the mac shells cool completely before removing them from the paper or they will peel and break off from the bottoms
10. Pair the shells up with similar sized ones, then pipe in your filling and sandwich them together

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

My very good friend, Soraya, left to do her MBA in NYC last week (conflicted emotions, on one hand super happy for her, on the other totally envious and sad that I don't get to hang out with her for a while) and considering she's been asking me for cookies for almost a year... I whipped her up an batch of Dinosaur Chocolate Sugar cookies (the cookie cutters were hers) and decorated them with colourful royal icing.

Typically, I forgot to take pictures of the adorable little dinosaurs, so I had to whip up another batch last night (sans dino cookie cutters as I've returned those to Soraya) to share the recipe with you lot. It's super easy, and so yummy and great for a simple snack. I brought a few tins of the stuff to the office today and am hoarding a smaller tin for my cubicle mates.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

• 360g flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 227g unsalted butter, softened
• 350g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a medium sized bowl and set aside
2. Cream the butter and sugar with your mixer until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, then beat the eggs in one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat in again until the mixture has incorporated and looks fluffy and white
3. Dump the flour mixture in and beat on medium speed until combined
4. Turn the batter out onto a piece of cling wrap and double wrap it before popping it in the fridge to chill for an hour
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C and line your baking trays with baking paper (I recommend preparing 4 trays so you can keep baking and cutting at the same time)
6. Take out half of the dough and put the rest back into the fridge, roll out onto a lightly floured surface. You may need to knead the dough a little to keep it firm. Cut out your desired shapes, then transfer them to the baking trays. Chill the cut out cookies in the fridge for about 10 minutes before popping them into the oven, and bake for 10 minutes for a slightly chewier cookie, or up to 12 minutes for a crunchy one
7. Cool completely on a wire rack before storing in airtight containers or pretty cookie tins you picked up one night in Ikea when you weren't meant to be shopping for anything
8. You may choose to eat them plain, or pipe with royal icing, or slather on some buttercream/chocolate ganache & pistachio sprinkles

Some Like it Cold

Some of you may remember the friend I posted about not so long ago who left our consulting firm to start up his own ice-cream business, Mr Tat Wei. He recently finalised the brand and company name, and has been making waves in the desserts and treats loving community of KL (that's Kuala Lumpur, the big city of Malaysia). A few bloggers have already started reviewing his new flavours, and have done a great job of providing the technical background of his flavour and skills. So as I don't pretend to know a lot about food (except to know what I like) I'm going to jump right onto that delicious bandwagon by showing the different ways you can enjoy Forty Licks Ice-cream! Everyone, dessert lovers, overheated people of Malaysia, I hope you throw out your half-eaten cartons of whatever store bought ice-cream you currently have sitting at the back of your freezer, and order yourself a carton (or be like me and get 3!) of handcrafted, extravagant ice-cream from Forty Licks, cos one lick is never enough ;) 

Congratulations again, Tat, you know that despite my slight envy that you're doing exactly what you're passionate about at the moment, I'm also incredibly happy for you and so excited to watch the business grow into everything you dream it to be. I love your ice cream, and love you, Tat! You know that we all know you can totally rock this!

I thought to celebrate this landmark achievement with one of my personal favourite flavours by him: Earl Grey tea. This flavour and I have history, as I like to believe that I inspired him into crafting this flavour to go with my Earl Grey cupcakes (though he already mentioned it before LOL).

This time, I'm going to pair his ice-cream with lemon sugar cookies fresh from the oven. Imagine the freshly made ice-cream sitting in between two soft, hot, crumbly cookies. Mmmmm what a way to spend a Saturday evening! 

If you're going to have Earl Grey, you had better do it properly and have it with lemon. 

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Recipe from Life and Kitchen

• 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Shallow bowl of caster sugar, for rolling (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line baking trays with parchment paper
2. Whisk the flour, soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment until fluffy
4. Beat in the zest, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice
5. Roll tablespoon portions of the dough into balls and into the sugar before popping them only the baking tray
6. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and leave to cool completely on a tray, THEN scoop out an appropriate amount of Forty Licks' Earl Grey ice cream and sandwich it in between two cookies. Eat immediately. 

It's been so long since I've enjoyed an ice-cream sandwich, and having it fresh from the oven with homemade ice-cream from a good friend is even better! I was babysitting my siblings this afternoon while playing in the kitchen, so I obviously called them in to be my minions. We had so much fun making these neat little ice-cream sandwiches, then racing to eat them before the ice-cream could melt. The lemon flavour in this cookie is strong too, though in future I might not roll it in sugar to counter the sweetness of the ice-cream. 

Back to Tat Wei's ice-cream, friends in KL, if you're going to make Earl Grey cake or lemon cookies, I recommend that you order a pint of Forty Licks' Earl Grey and go all out. He's got a range of amazing flavours, most of which I have tried, though my personal favourite is the Salted Caramel. My mum is a huge fan of his Honey ice cream, my dad loves his Earl Grey, and my brother goes nuts for the Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter. 

He also does sample individual-serve cups, so you can order a variety of flavours to test. This is something new that I haven't tried yet, as I already know which flavours I dig so I just go and get a whole pint. But for my dad's upcoming birthday, I may be ordering some individual cups to give out to guests, and also something for me to whip up a fancy dessert with. 

Coming up, a special recipe incorporating Forty Licks' Pistachio ice-cream! 

To order or gush over Forty Licks if you're already a follower (I make it sound like a cult, which it kind of is in our office), check out his facebook page, bookmark his upcoming website (it's in construction, so watch that space), and follow him on twitter if you're a proper addict:

Forty Licks Facebook Page
Forty Licks Ice Cream official website 
@xFortyLicks on Twitter
018-383 1840 
tat@fortylicksicecream.com

All the best, Tat Wei, and hope you don't forget us little people when you  reach the top. 

xx Nabs

White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies

Here's something you don't like to see on a dessert recipe blog: I had my annual health check-up at work this morning, and the results were discouraging. Let's start with the hardest news to break, my BMI and waist circumference: My BMI classification is pre-obese. What an ugly way to say that I am worth 45 cows in a native tribal village! Also, my waist is 1.5 inches larger than what the ideal size is for women. I would have been attractive in the 1880s, or the Roman era, or even in the time of Marilyn Monroe... 

All jokes aside, my cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar levels are all within perfect health range, so I can continue to eat as I have been eating. I just now need to mix in a little exercise to burn off all the fat. I am now going to make it my mission to play fun sports and do fun, physical activities, which does not involve slugging it away at the gym, walking to nowhere on a treadmill for an hour.

But don't you worry, despite the fact that I am medically overweight and that our kitchen has been dismantled (part of the renovation process), I do have a few recipes up my sleeve that I have yet to share with you beautiful people. I may have to start searching for healthier recipes to share as well...

White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies
Recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

• 227g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 300g all-purpose flour
• 100g self-raising flour
• 100g white chocolate chips
• 100g pecans, shelled and chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line baking tins with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flours in a medium bowl
2. Beat the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and mix in the vanilla
4. Combine the flour with the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans
6. The recipe in the book calls for wrapping the batter in cling wrap and popping it in the fridge for an hour or something like that. Fine and dandy if you have the time. I just dropped teaspoon-sized balls on the paper and baked for 10-12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack where they should cool completely

Easy peasy, right? But it's a LOT of sugar. Even before I got my check-up results back, I already felt that this recipe is a bit sweet, so feel free to play around with it and put in less sugar if you like. I'm definitely going to have less sugar and chocolate the next time I do this. You can substitute the chocolate chips and pecans with whatever nuts or other types of chocolate you have on hand.

These are really yummy though, I'm thinking of making a big batch and giving them to friends... for Christmas, which is a good 6 months away...

xx Nabs

Nutella Cookies

When I was a kid growing up in a sleepy Shell camp in Africa, I used to live for the two times a month that a shipment from the States would arrive bearing treats and other such, boring groceries that the camp dwellers needed for survival. One of those treats that my parents would buy in abundance for me and my baby brother Mark were jars of Nutella.

I remember that they used to come with little collectible cards in the top that I would tuck away into my little box of treasures in our treehouse. I sometimes wonder what happened to the stuff in that box when we moved back to Malaysia...

World Nutella Day was on the 5th of February, and while I may have missed the boat, I found an amazing recipe online for Nutella Cookies by Kirbie over at Kirbie's Cravings blog. That find set off a whole search for quick and easy Nutella recipes that I just salivated over for roughly an hour.

Anyway, 15 years on, add another 2 siblings and we're all still nuts for this Hazelnut Spread. As a treat for my siblings today, I decided to whip up a single batch... and they were gone before I had even completed baking the last batch! So as Mark is my biggest critic, I trust that this is definitely a recipe to share. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did, and Happy belated Nutella Day!

Nutella Cookies
Recipe from Kirbie's Cravings

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup nutella
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to fan/180C and line your cookie trays with parchment paper
2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside
3. Cream the butter and sugars, then add the nutella, vanilla and egg and beat until fluffy
4. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until fully incorporated
5. Using either a tablespoon, or piping bag, pipe out tbsp-sized balls onto the trays*, 2 inches apart
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then remove onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely

*The dough is easy to handle, so I rolled the tbsp-full dough into a ball with my hands and pushed down on them slightly before popping into the oven

Easy enough, right?
Much love, Nabs

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

On a very good day, it is an hour's commute for me to get to work from where I live so very firmly in the suburbs. On a very bad day, like yesterday, it may take two and a half hours of replaying every feel-good song I have on my iPod, and a full Starbucks tumblr for me to get to the office. That was my personal hell, shared with thousands of others, also stuck in similar vehicles on three lanes for over 50 kilometres.

Things I typically do when driving on my own include plotting what to bake and cook when I get home, mentally inventorying my pantry to see if I need to  make a stop at the grocery store (most times I don't need to, but do anyway), telling myself I need to improve my lighting for nighttime food photography, typing up future blog posts in my mind (such as this one), sing along to 90s hits, try to call into the radio stations, create elaborately heart-wrenching conversations in my mind with the guy I'm currently gaga over, call my family members and ask them what they're doing, read a chapter or two of whatever book I have handy (this week it's A Woman in Black, bless thin books), and trust me, the list goes on.

Forget driving and texting, I've got bigger things on my mind.

When stuck in situations like I was yesterday (read above; bad traffic, growing urban population, people suck, etc), I feel like I HAVE to bake or cook, or generally tinker in the kitchen. It's either that, or bug my siblings half to death with my rolling over them, begging for love and attention. Baking is my number one method of relieving stress and heartache, it's something bigger than me, you know? *sounds like a hippie* It's not about the eating of cookies, cupcakes or the such (usually, when I stress eat, it's pasta based), it's more of the method and being in this other world where I am the queen of the kitchen, and nobody can touch me.

Last night, I came home with a reusable bag of fresh ingredients, and still clad in my confining corporate clothes, I went to work on these happy little bundles of love: Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I just took a whack at it really, googled a recipe real quick and found this one on Baking Bites. Only thing is, I may have overdone it with the beating in of strawberries...

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp white clover honey
• 2 cups freeze-dried strawberries, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line your cookie trays.
2. Sift into a medium bowl and set aside
3. In a larger bowl, beat using your electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time 
4. Stir in vanilla and honey, beat until just incorporated 
5. Add the strawberries and chocolate chunks
6. Drop onto your baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden around the edges and the top springs back when pressed lightly with a finger. Cool for 5 minutes of the tray before removing onto a cooling rack

Guaranteed to have your entire house smelling of love and cookies! I love using freeze-dried strawberries as the flavour is so much stronger, and it's more sweet than tangy like fresh strawberries. I don't know, you can probably give fresh ones a shot if you've got plump and sweet ones in season. 

Much love, 

Nabs

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

I am currently in the holiday state of mind, ready to slip on my flip-flops, bikini, slap on the suntan oil and spend the day on the sand with a good book and a frilly looking cocktail. Here on the Equator, we're lucky enough to have constant holiday weather, but I'll do you one better: we're headed to the beautiful North Island of New Zealand next week for a family holiday!

It'll be my first time there, and I'm not entirely sure what kind of clothes I need to pack... for warm weather, chilly weather or just beach clothes. Guess a cardigan or two wont harm me.

The best part about going to New Zealand, though? I get to meet with Kirstie and Tegan, two friends I've known for a very long time from SnitchSeeker, and I'm contemplating bringing my ratty old SS t-shirt just to make it easier for them to spot me in a crowd. We'll see how these visits go, I'm so excited!

The other thing I thought of when I heard we'd be going away for a week was: Ohmigosh, I can't leave my blog for a week! I'd lose any readership I had managed to gain in the past few months! lol yes, it is a very real worry for me. So I've figured out a solution... you'll see.

Anyway, let's continue with the festive themed treats, today I bring you the very simple, and yet sinfully sweet and pretty Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies. I used a recipe from Paula Deen, with very small tweaks (maybe cos I don't read instructions well and was too lazy to buy ingredients).

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp buttermilk
• 2 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp red colouring

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 110g butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a larger bowl, beat the sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time
4. Add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and colouring and beat until incorporated
5. Once the wet mixture is fully combined, add the flour  mixture and beat until incorporated (gotta find another word for combined, incorporated...) 
6. Drop the dough onto the cookie sheet in teaspoonful amounts, or if you have a small ice-cream scoop that's even better. Space the dough roughly 2 inches away from each other cos trust me, babeh, these will spreaaad.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, or until fully baked through, and allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing to the cooling rack to allow it to cool completely. Is the word cool starting to sound funny to you? 
8. For the frosting: beat cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy (use a hand mixer), then add vanilla, beat for a bit more, then add the sugar 1/2 a cup at a time. 
9. Once the cookies have cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting between them and ENJOY! 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I got my 10 year old brother and 11 year old sister to do the last step for me, while I sat in a corner giving orders and re-reading Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. Santa and her elves, that's right. Should've given them bells, too. Drat. 

These are cute, tasty and fun to make. Though, I made the mistake of putting the completed sandwiches in the fridge, so here's a tip: make the frosting ahead of time and refrigerate so it firms up and you won't need to put the whole sandwiches in. I've got so much left over frosting, that I'm good for another 3 batches of cookies I think. Whoops, now you all know what you're getting for Christmas! 

Much love,

Nabs

Gingerbread Men

Run, run, as fast as you can,

You can't catch me,

I'm the gingerbread man!

I don't know how, why or when the Gingerbread man became associated to Christmas, but it's a tradition that I can definitely appreciate, considering I'm mad for ginger (gingersnaps, ginger beer, Weasleys, etc). I was familiar with the fairytale while growing up and I have to say, it always disturbed me that this old lady made a child out of food... Talk about filling the void...

On that note, while baking these yesterday, I realised that my younger siblings probably didn't know the story. Which I blame entirely on the internet, tv and video games, by the way. Children these days don't get the same exposure we used to get as close as ten years ago, they don't need to read an entire encyclopedia to find one bit of information because they can just google something. There goes general knowledge.

As I rolled out the dough and employed Adam and Elyza to cut out the cookies for me, I told them the very disturbing story. I made sure to enhance the story's impact on them by telling the classic 1875 version... where Gingy (let's go with it) cries out "I'm quarter gone! I'm half gone! I'm three quarters gone!" made worse by biting off the cookie limbs during the retelling, relishing the twin looks of horror on their faces.

Elyza has more heart than me though, she always bites off the heads first... it's more humane.

Classic Gingerbread Recipe

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp ground ginger (to taste)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses (I used the mild flavoured kind)

1. In a large bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices
2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter on medium speed with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy
3. Add the sugar, beat until incorporated then add the egg
4. When the butter mixture is lighter, add the molasses and beat for 3-5 minutes
5. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until incorporated
6. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours) or ready to bake
7. Preheat oven to 180C and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper
8. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to around 1/4 inch thickness and use the cookie cutter of your choice, transferring the cut outs onto your cookie sheets with an offset spatula
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or edges begin to brown
10. If desired, press currants, gum drops or other candies into the candies while they're still soft (within 1 minute of removing from the oven) and then allow to cool on a wire rack

You've GOT to make some gingerbread people, trees, reindeer, snowmen and other such Christmas ornaments this last week. To use them as Christmas tree ornaments, use a straw to poke a hole in the cookie cutouts before popping them in the oven (LOL I'm so bad at multitasking, typed office instead of oven at first) then string a ribbon through the cookies after they've cooled.

x Nabs

Green Tea Chocolate Chip cookies

I'm constantly humming Christmas carols, there's always something green or red in my daily outfits, I start re-watching films like The Santa Clause, Love Actually, The Holiday, Home Alone, Elf, and Scrooged. I start reading lists of things that happened in 2011 on the internet, laugh at some of them, wrinkle my nose and sniff at some of my bigger regrets, scoff at the shoddy list of resolutions I made this year. All of this can only mean one thing: December is here!

This time last year I was a new associate in the firm, starting to get my sealegs and also planning a trip with my cousin and a bunch of friends to Langkawi for New Years. It was fun, we made good memories and I would probably definitely do it all over again.

This year, I'm looking at a limited number of leave days I can take... mostly due to the fact that there are three weddings happening next year, one of which involves a 23 hour flight to the other side of the world. I need to save up my leave days, carry some forward and plan this very, very carefully.

But most of all, I just want to be out of the city when the clock strikes 12. I hate new years eve, hate the expectation that comes with it, and how everyone makes such a bloody big deal of us growing yet another year closer to our death. So whether or not I end up going on holiday with my family, or escaping to a beach island somewhere with a friend, or end up stuck in the city... I'm going to do whatever the hell I wanted to do regardless of whether or not anybody else wants to do it with me.

One of those things might be baking.

Speaking of which, in the spirit of Christmas, I thought to make something green! Green Tea Chocolate Chip cookies, to be exact, inspired by Starbucks Green tea chocolate chip frapp. I figured it would be easy enough to do, and adapted a recipe which I have been dying to try from Smitten Kitchen. I only made minor tweaks, but in future I may add a 1/4 teaspoon of colouring to get a brighter green out of the batter.

Green Tea Chocolate Chip cookies

adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Chewy Choc-Chip cookies recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 heaped teaspoons green tea powder (or to taste, add more if you like)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. Sift together the flour, green tea powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the melted butter and sugars at medium speed until well blended
4. Add the egg + egg yolk and vanilla, beat until fluffy then incorporate the milk, continue to beat until ingredients have incorporated
5. Combine the sifted ingredients into the wet mixture in two additions
6. With a spatula, manually stir in the chocolate chips (the original recipe called for 2 cups, but I like a lower cookie to chips ratio)
7. Scoop up teaspoon-fulls of batter and drop them on the cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Try to manipulate them into ball-shapes at least, so they don't go oval on you
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly toasted. Allow to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack

I have to say that I'm quite happy with this recipe, and also the way they look with all my Christmas decorations. Can't wait to try another Christmassy recipe!

x Nabs

[note: Photos from a second batch, added a drop of green Wilton colouring gel and an extra tsp of green tea powder]

M&M Cookies

I haven't tried any new cookie recipes in a while, preferring to stick to plain sugar cookies or my favourite: Oatmeal Raisin cookies, but then I saw a picture of M&M cookies recently and decided to give them a shot.

M&M cookies

• 2 cups and 2tbsp of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini M&Ms

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line your cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda
3. In your bigger mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for about 3-5 minutes
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar (LOL I typed bugger first) mix, beat until fluffy
5. Add the flour mixture a cup at a time, beat until incorporated
6. I didn't do it this time, but in future I might also add 1/2 cup of milk to the batter
7. Fold in the M&Ms with a spatula
8. Drop teaspoonfulls (for small cookies) or tablespoonfulls (large) of dough, 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes. OR until the cookies gets slightly golden around the edges, and pops right back up when pressed lightly with a finger in the middle

Without the milk that I usually add in my cookie batter, these turned out a little tough. I like chewy cookies, so in future will definitely include milk and probably increase the dough to M&M ratio.

x Nabs

Amanda's Sugar Cookies

I posted a similar recipe before that I adapted from my aunt's, but this time I decided to try out Amanda from iambaker.net's recipe. I wasn't up for adding frosting, especially considering these cookies are just so delicious when plain. I whipped up two batches that day, and I have to say that mixing this dough with a kitchenaid is ten times more satisfying than using a hand mixer.

Never before have I managed to create such a solid dough, it just mixes and incorporates everything so well!

Best item I own, by far.

Amanda's Sugar Cookies

• 3/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, then gradually add in sugar until you achieve a smooth and creamy mixture
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add in the vanilla and almond extract
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder and salt
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mix a cup at a time, beating at medium speed with the paddle attachment the whole time, mix until fully incorporated
5. Drop the dough onto a large piece of cling wrap, fold it tenderly like you would clothe a baby (I even baby talked at it, the dough was so cute!) and refrigerate for at least an hour
6. After you've showered, watched an episode or two of Community and dried your hair, (lol in other words: when you're ready) roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface til it's around 1/4 inch thick, cut out your cookie shapes and pop in the oven
7. Bake at 180C for around 8-10 minutes.

Delicious! I brought a tupperware full of these cookies to work and they've been my perfect tea-time snack during the days.

Thanks, Amanda, for sharing this great recipe!

x Nabs

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Cookies

From the very same genius who brought us the recipe for Butterbeer Cupcakes, comes this deviously tempting little gem: Red velvet cookies with a cream cheese swirl.

I love Red Velvet cake, LOVE it, but I can't possibly eat cake every single day if I hope to maintain some form of a waistline. It's not much of one, but at least there is a slight curve (though one may counter that it's simply because my butt balloons outwards). Whatever, I love where my weight is right now, it's not ideal, but neither is completely giving up the food I love.

So, while browsing through Amy's blog to check out the butterbeer cupcake recipe, I stumbled across her red velvet cookie recipe! How gorgeous are those cookies? They're so striking that people can't help but to take a second look.

Anyway, last Saturday night, I came home from a night out with my cousins and friends, with the most peculiar desire to bake! It was almost 4 in the morning, and I was physically tired, but I still managed to whip up a batch of cookies in no more than 30 minutes.

Some people are just not normal.

They smelled and tasted delicious, though. I've now decided to add this to my list of treats to bake when I'm back in Sarawak next week. Though will take the creator's word for it and not let the cream cheese get TOO mixed in with the dough. Mine is barely noticeable, however, the taste is still there,

Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese

Courtesy of amybites.com

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy and well-combined.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla, then beat in food coloring.
4. Add flours, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and mix until just combined.
5. Add cream cheese in pieces to dough and mix briefly until just swirled.
6. Portion out by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets.

This is a gorgeous recipe, but please... do not put in TOO much colouring. Also, if in doubt, when swirling in the cream cheese, it's probably best to simply use a spatula.

Love,

Nabiya

Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies

I found this recipe on tidymom a while ago, and it's been on a my to-do list ever since. I just never had the time to get it done, or to be honest, I just got distracted by other recipes. However, last week we had a farewell do for a friend and colleague, and knowing she's got quite the sweet tooth, I felt like bringing her a little home-made gift.

A quick aside: I think I'm just going to give people home-made stuff from now on. Sorry to disappoint if you were expecting jewels or fancy clothes.

Back to the matter at hand: So, out of all the recipes I've put a bookmark on, I chose this one because it looks adorable, it's quick and easy, and the night before we had just had a chat about lemon tarts, lemon cakes and lemon bars.

I had to alter the recipe a weeee bit to fit my pantry (note to self: do not assume we're stocked), but not by much, and I'm not even sure if my changes had any effect on the intended outcome.

Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies

Adapted from Tidymom's recipe

• 1 box lemon cake mix
• 3/4 cup whipped cream
• 1/2 cup milk (I used skim milk)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, mix the lemon cake mix, whipped cream, milk, and egg until just combined
3. Using a tea-spoon, drop scoops of the dough into powdered sugar and roll with a spoon to cover
4. Place on the parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes

The recipe is so simple, and yet soooo satisfying. Try one the moment it comes out of the oven, trust me when I say that burning your tongue may just be worth it. It took me exactly twenty minutes to prepare the cookies, from step 1 to tasting.

To JG, all the best and see you soon!

Love,

Nabiya