Make Chocolate Crinkles

Photo courtesy of Joyofbaking.com; another one of the best chocolate recipes! Whipped up from the savory ranges of chocolatey bites, this recipe is yet again, worth your time to try.
Yes, I have baked them myself, and albeit the messy effects of the icing sugar toppings, the taste was goooddd. I made mine just like the above, a bite-sized figure all savaged by withing minutes. No kidding!
This fudgy-like chocolate crinkles coated with generous amount of icing sugar yields the perfect blend of sweet confections and chocolate.
Try out this recipe for a nice afternoon snack, or late night supper. Pair them with a glass of fresh milk and be ready be sugar high.


Chocolate Crinkles:
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
8 ounces (225 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Topping:
1 cup (110 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted.

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate and butter over a saucepan o simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and fluffy (medium speed for electric mixer).
3. When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together salt, flour, and baking powder. Then stir in chocolate batter.
5. Cover with plstic wrap, and referigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight until bater is firm engh to shape into balls.
6. Preheat oven to 170 C.
7. Roll a small amount (a dollop) of the dough and roll the ball in confectioners sugar until copletely covered.
8. When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.

Read more here.

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Lava Cake (Failed)

I am back!

Okay, seriously, this recipe is a failed attempt to make chocolate lava cake. Turned out to be a combination of lava cake and molten cake. Oh no. By which, tastes very similar to brownies.

I don't think it's necessary to post the recipes, if you want it just search for chocolate brownies in this blog.

I'm going on a second attempt of chocolate lava cake again. Wish me luck!

Make Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies

This homemade cookie is recommended for diabetics, as found in diabeticliving.com. I safely reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe by about 30 percent; also because I decided to add some chocolate chips for that extra chocolatey taste. The result? Yes. Delicious.

I'll get you straight to the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter

100g white caster sugar

60g packed brown sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup sour milk (to make your own sour milk: 3/4 tsp lemon juice/vinegar + 1/4 milk. Let stand for 5 minutes)

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat and add in white caster sugar and brwon suger. Mix well.

2. Pour in vanilla extract and continue mixing.

3. Next, gradually add cocoa powder and mix until incorporated.

4. Pour sour milk into the mixture.

5. Meanwhile, mix flour and baking soda together and then fold them into the chocolate mixture. Add chocolate chips.

6. Refrigerate dough for about one hour.

7. Spoon dough and bake on a baking sheet at 165 - 170 C for about 8 minutes.

My cookies turn out to be very dark, as in the color and the taste, but it wasn't bad at all. It has a very rich dark chocolate taste. Maybe next time I will reduce the amount of cocoa powder.

Enjoy

Make Cream Cheese Brownie Fudge

So my one and only photo up there doesn't depict the intensity of the brownie's external texture in a profound way. Again, pardon me, because I'm still working on my photography skills.
I whipped up this recipe from Food & Travel magazine September 2009 after weeks of drooling over cheese recipes. The pic in the magazine looked extremely inviting and it was easy to make too! This brownie has two layers, with the chocolate fudge as the bottom layer, and cream cheese as the top layer.

Here is how you can make cream cheese brownie fudge.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Brownie
190g unsweetened chocolate
50g unsalted butter
2 eggs
3 tablespoons caster sugar
100g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Layer
250g cream cheese
90g butter
3 tablespoons caster sugar
3 eggs
3 1/2 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler for about ten minutes until melted. Stir gently with wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs until thick, add sugar gradually and continue beating. Then, add in vanilla extract.
3. Pour cooled metletd chocolate into the egg mixture and mix well.
4. Next, fold in sifted flour until well incorporated.
5. Spread chocolate mixture onto bas of a square cake pan, lined with baking sheets.
6. Then, pour in cream cheese filling as top layer.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 180 C.

Directions for Cream Cheese Layer:
1. In a medium bowl, beat butter, and vanilla extract with cream cheese together until creamy.
2. Add sugar gradually until fluffy.
3. Add in eggs, one at a time until it is well incorporated.
4. Fold in flour and mix until well blended.

Here I have reduced the amount of sugar in the brownie and cream cheese layer since I used melted, sweetened chocolate chips in addition (as a substitute) to my baking chocolate. Also, I don't really fancy intensely sweetened brownie. So you can add extra sugar if you intend to. The original amount of sugar for the brownie is 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup sugar for the cream cheese layer.
Since the recipe calls for 3 eggs in the cream cheese filling, I honestly think that 3 is too many. 1 should be sufficient because in the end, the cheese taste a little bit eggy. Perhaps I need to add more cream cheese as well. Much to the contrary, the dense, fudgy brownie was perfect, you'll even forget how cheese tastes like!

Whatever it is, this still is a confection that promises to delight both cheesecake and brownie lovers :)

How to Make Chocolate Almond Biscotti

The name biscotti was derived from the Italian word 'bis' meaning twice and 'cotto' meaning baked or cooked. Biscotti is said to have originated during Columbus' time. The Italians use the term 'biscotti' to describe any particular type of cookie. But in North America, biscotti is referred to as a long, dry, hard, twice-baked cookie with a cuved top and flat bottom designed for dunking into wine or coffee.

I am particularly all for this recipe because it is butter-free. This recipe uses eggs to bind the ingredients together. Also, you want to avoid the cake-like texture.

Many biscottis call for a nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. I guess that gives it an extra something to nibble on while drinking milk or coffee.

Here, I have a simple version of biscotti recipe from one of my favorite website, Joyofbaking.com. You can check here for more varieties and other form of baking recipes.

It is really easy to make. Here are the ingredients:

110g blanched almonds, roasted, and chopped

130g granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

225g plain flour

110g chocolate chips, chopped

Directions:

1. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and fluffy. Add vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients i.e. flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and beat until combined.
4. Fold in chocolate chips and toasted almonds.

5. Pour dough into a baking sheet in a log-sized baking pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 25 minutes.

6. Then, remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Cut the log diagonally and transfer into a baking sheet on a baking pan.

7.Reduce heat to 165 C and bake for 10 minutes, turn the side over, and bake for another 10 minutes.

8. Remove biscotti from oven and store in an airtight container.

The first round of baking leaves a fudgy texture whereas the second round of baking will remove the moist and form some sort of a hard cookie.

Enjoy!

How To Make Coconut Macaroons

I made no-bake chocolate macaroons a few days ago (I will put up the recipes soon!) and I loved the springy texture of the flaked coconuts. So I went on to bake Coconut Macaroons earlier today. I have never tried coconut macaroons before; well honestly speaking, the coconut flavor were too distinct for my taste and a bit coarse. The entire portion of the macaroon is only made out purely of flaked coconuts. It tasted okay straight from the oven, but after a while, the crispiness was gone which resembles a soft cookie with pure coconut.

Macaroons are sweet pastries made with either coconut and egg white or with a coarse almond paste fromed into a dense confection. There are many varieties of macaroons depending on where they are originated, but macaroons usually consist of egg white, almond paste, sweet condensed milk and flaked coconut.

Coconut macaroons are most famous in North America, most commonly in the United States, although invented in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conventional macaroon with a distinct coconut flavor and containing shredded dried coconut.

So here, I have made this version of coconut macaroons. Simple, plain, and easy recipe :)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups dessicated coconut, unsweetened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whip egg whites until stiff. Then add in sugar and vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together, dried coconut, flour, and salt.

3. Mix well the egg whites with the dry ingredients.

5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper.

6. Bake in preheated oven at 165 C for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Coconut macaroons are typically dipped in milk chocolate. In some varieties, almonds and pecans are added. In Australia, a blob of raspberry jam is often concealed in the center of the macaroon prior to cooking.

Make Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts

There is not story that I can whip up from this next post. But my dad inspired me to make our very own home-made egg tarts. Daddy has strong, sensitive taste buds. That makes him very picky about food. A few weeks ago, daddy wasn't well so he asked mummy to get him some egg tarts but refused to eat those anyway because they were too sweet. So he got mummy to buy another couple of egg tarts from another bakery.

So I figured, wouldn't it be pretty much healthier if you can control the ingredients i.e. salt and sugar content in your own favorite pastries? Yes. I think so too.

So here are my home-made egg tarts which are just as good as those from the bakery.

Ingredients:

A. For Pastry

1 egg, beaten

220g unsalted butter, softened

300g plain flour

3 tablespoons sugar

a pinch of salt

B. Filling

3 eggs

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon custard powder

70 ml fresh milk

230 ml water

Directions:

1. To make the pastry, mix together butter and sugar until creamy. Then, add in eggs and salt. Mix until incorporated.

2. Pour flour and mix well until dough is formed.

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by beating eggs together with sugar and custard powder.

5. Pour milk gradually while mixing the filling.

6. Finally pour water while alternatively stirring the egg tart filling.

7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and tear off and roll just about less than an inch of ball dough, place in the center of the tart tin and with your thumbs, lightly press the dough starting from the bottom and up to the sides.

8. Then, pour filling into the center of the dough.

9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 20 - 25 minutes.

This is a Hong Kong/Cantonese Egg Tart recipe, pretty simple, no? Makes about 20 egg tarts and best eaten straight from the oven; hot and fresh! 20 egg tarts gone in two days!