MILO Chocolate Chips Cookie

This morning my kitchen was filled with MILO and chocolate aroma... my son quickly went to the kitchen and ate a piece of it and wanted to eat more...

MILO Chocolate Chips Cookie
(makes about 80 cookies)
Adapted from Jam's recipe

Ingredients:
225g butter
150g sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp of cream of tartar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup MILO powder
1 egg yolk
165g Hershey's semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
300g self-raising flour

Method:
Mix butter, sugar, vanilla essence, cream of tartar and bicarbonade soda in a mixer till fluffy, add in milo, egg and chocolate chips. Lastly add in the flour. Shape the dough using a teaspoon and bake in preheated oven at 160 deg C for about 15 minutes .

Butter Crunch Cookie

Firstly, my apology. Please don't be angry with me as I was busy playing games in my facebook. Really!

It's so addictive and I have totally forgotten about my food blog and also not replying to some comments posted here.

Today my daughter asked me if I can bake some cookies for her friends. First thing came to my mind was a Cookie shared by Sri (Thanks for sharing, Sri!), the recipe looks easy. As I bake quite often, I have most of the ingredients, just need to buy one more ingredient, that is "Pecan" nuts.

So this morning I headed to NTUC supermarket, I was very disappointed to find that "Pecan" was missing on the selves. Sigh! No choice! Try another supermarket near my place, that is "Shop n Save", couldn't find "Pecan" nuts, and saw plenty of "Almond" nuts, chopped, sliced, powdered, whole and washed. No choice lor! Decided to replace the "Pecan" with "Almond" nuts.

"Nice! It's so crunchy and taste good." My daughter commented.

This recipe is a keeper. I shall post it here for easy reference.

Butter Crunch Cookie

Recipe taken from Tastes of Home magazine.

Yields : 4 dozen

Recipe shared by Sri

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks = 250g), softened

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed

1/2 cup chopped pecans (I replaced it with chopped almonds)

Method:
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt;

gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Stir in the cornflakes and pecans.

Roll into 1 inch balls.

Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Cheesy Salmon Potato Patties

Cheesy Salmon Potato Patties

Ingredients:

200g fresh salmon, cooked and mashed

pinch of salt

2 potatoes (about 420g) ~ boiled and mashed

80g grated parmesan cheese

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 tbsp chives, chopped

1 tbsp plain flour

1 egg, lighly beaten

some breadcrumbs for coating

cooking oil for frying

Method:

Mash cooked salmon to paste. Add mashed potato, cheese, chopped onion, chives, flour and mix well, then add an egg to bind. Divide mixture evenly into 10-12 portions and form each into a patty. Coat each patty with breadcrumbs until evenly covered.

Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan. Put the patties, pressing them down with a spoon to flatten slightly. Cook for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Serve.

Quick and Easy Chicken Curry

My daughter likes to eat spicy food, especially Curry Chicken. She said this curry is yummy!
So I'm posting the recipe here and hope she can learn to cook her favourite curry when she is older.


Quick & Easy Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
1kg Chicken pieces (I use chicken legs also known as drumsticks)
2 tbsp BABA's brand curry powder (to marinate the chicken and set aside)

1 large red onion (chopped)
2 fresh chillies (chopped)
1 packet Instant Chicken Curry Sauce (240g)
2 large potatoes (peeled, cut into big chunks)
500ml water
200ml Thick Coconut Milk (any brand)
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat the frying pan with 2 tbsp cooking and saute the chopped onions and red chillies till fragrant.
Stir in the instant curry sauce and cook for about 2 minutes.
Transfer it to a large pot together with marinated chicken pieces.
Add 500ml of water and bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and coconut milk. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender.
(Approx. 20 minutes)
Serve hot with rice.

Carrot cupcakes

These carrot cupcakes are very moist, soft and yummy. The recipe was adapted from Brenda's Carrot Cake recipe. Thanks Brenda! *wink*

Carrot Cupcake

Ingredients:
250ml vegetable oil (I use 200ml Sunflower oil)
150g brown sugar
3 eggs
500g coarsely grated carrot (I use 300g)
120g coarsely chopped walnuts (I use 50g)
375g self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice (I use 1 tsp cinnamon powder)

(Please take note: I would prefer to follow the original recipe, due to not enough ingredients available, I adjust a bit here and there.)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice together in a bowl.
3. Whisk eggs and sugar till thick and creamy.
4. Fold in the oil lightly. Don't worry if the oil doesn't bind into the mixture at this stage - because it won't. Therefore, you don't need to stir the mixture too long.
5. Fold in the carrot and the walnuts. Again, don't worry if the carrot and walnuts don't get mixed evenly; the mixture still won't bind well until you...
6. Add in the dry ingredients. In this case, add in a few spoonfuls at a time, until the batter is more or less even.
7. Spoon the batter into the paper cups about 2/3 full.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or till skewer inserted comes out clean.
9. Let the cupcakes cool on the wire rack.

French Toast

I had this French Toast for breakfast yesterday. It's quite healthy as I don't use butter or cooking oil to cook it.
Here's the recipe.

French Toast

Ingredients:
60ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg (55-60g)
1 tsp sugar
2 slices wholemeal bread
cinnamon powder to sprinkle on
fresh fruits for serving

Method:
Place the egg, milk, sugar and vanilla essence into a flat dish, whisk with a fork.
Place the bread into egg mixture and leave 1 -2 minutes.
Heat non-stick pan, place the bread into the pan and allow to brown before turning to brown other side. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and serve with fresh fruits.

Tea Time

I have a few recipes of this snack ~ 金堆. I love this yummy snack and will try to make that one of these days. If the recipe is good, I will post it here.

Biskut sarang semut

Thanks Jam for sharing this delicious recipe.

Biskut sarang semut

Ingredients:
200 g castard flour
100 g plain flour
120 g butter
100 gm sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
chocolate rice for sprinkling on the cookies
paper cups

Method:
1) In a mixer, cream the butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla essence till fluffy.

2) Add in the mixture of custard and plain flour which has been sifted first.

3) Chill the dough in the fridge for about 1/2 hour or more, and grate the dough.

4) Spoon the grated dough into paper cup and sprinkle some chocolate rice on top.

5) Bake in preheated oven of 175degrees C for about 15-20 minutes.

Peanut Chocolate Chips Brownies

I always like to read the "ST" ~ "Mind Your Body" Kitchen section every Thursday. For this issue, there are two Brownies Recipes by CYNTHIA LOW, she suggests making snacks like Brownies. Oh, I always like sweet cakes and brownies. Very sinful snack! I've the ingredients for this recipe, so trying this one today and for the other recipe - "Gooey Chocolate and Walnut Brownies", wait till I have next family or friends gathering. The texture of these "brownies" is crispy on the outside, soft in the inside. Quite fragrant, very nutty, not too sweet.




Click on the image to enlarge.


Here's the recipe, makes about 50 brownies.

Peanut and Chocolate Chips Brownies
by CYNTHIA LOW

Ingredients:
130g butter
160g caster sugar
2 eggs
200g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
150g roasted unsalted peanuts
100g chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Cream the butter and sugar together then add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder together then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the peanuts and chocolate chips. The mixture will be quite stiff.
Line an oven baking tray with baking paper. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on the tray. Slightly flatten the top of each with a fork.
Bake for around 15 to 20 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

Baked Sausage Prata Pastry Rolls

I bake these mini sausage rolls this morning for breakfast.
The flaky pastry, "Chinatown brand Prata pastry" can be found at most supermarkets.
I use half a packet, 3 pcs of prata (halves), 6 cocktail chicken sausages, an egg for glazing and some vegetable oil for greasing the baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 deg C, for about 25 minutes or till it turns golden. Serve warm.

Mid Autumn Festival

I like this Hokkien Mooncake bought from Gin Thye Cake Maker located at 423 Sembawang Road. When I was a kid (in the 70s), my mom used to bring us (me and siblings) to the shop and chit chat with the owner ~ 锦泰 (Gin Thye), sadly he has passed on years ago.

For more than 15 years (not sure the exact figure), I have been buying cakes, 寿桃 (bun made for birthdays), mooncakes, new years goodies from the shop. It brought back many sweet memories. Though the taste is slightly different, we still enjoy eating it.

The Hokkien mooncake above actually filled with crystallised pork fat (now being replaced by 冬瓜糖 ~ winter melon candy).

Last night, we bought a total of $157 mooncakes from the shop. My mom's favourite Ngo Lin (五仁月饼) - five seed Cantonese mooncakes filled with assorted seeds and nuts such as melon and sesame seeds, hazel or cashew nuts, almonds and olive kernels. White lotus paste Mooncakes, Cantonese Mooncake with Tau Sar a pastry filled with a deep maroon, almost black, paste made from mashed red azuki beans. Pek Kor, a complementary sweet made only for mid-autumn festival. Made of glutinous rice flour, it's chewy, slightly floury and sweet, melt to your mouth. 客家米糕 Round Hakka Mooncake -made from glutinous rice flour and sugar pasked tightly into a mould. The floury cake is chewy and quite bland, taste mostly sugar. Also bought two big Durian Snow Skin Mooncakes, a box of 4 medium size salted Tau Sar Mooncakes for my Parents-in-law (my mother-in-law can't take sweet food), one Giant and 20 small Tau Sar Mooncakes and some piggy mooncakes.

Very Yummy Brownies

Thanks Brenda for sharing her favourite brownie recipe with us. I bake this for a "house-warming" party tonight.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter
4 eggs

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9x13inch baking pan.
3. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Stir to blend.
4. Mix in 3/4 cup melted butter and 4 eggs.
5. Mix thoroughly. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven.
Cool completely in pan before cutting into 2 inch squares.

Horlicks Doggie Cookies

Today I made fifty-four Horlicks Cookies for my children to eat. The recipe was featured in The Sunday Times, creation of Ms Irene Yip, a trainer at the Chef's Secrets cooking school.

This is so fun! All the cookies look so different. The expression and the shape of the doggies. My daughter said some of them are "fat" and "round". My son ate about 6 cookies and my daughter ate about 8 cookies. They like it very much and so do I.


Horlicks Doggie Cookies

Source: Recipe from Ms Irene Yip, trainer at the Chef's Secrets cooking school.

Ingredients:
180g butter
80g Horlicks (original flavour)
200g top flour
25g cornflour
25g milk powder

Decoration:
100g chocolate chips
Koko Krunch

Note:
I add 1 tablespoon of castor sugar to the recipe and make into a dough.
I use Chocolate rice for the eyes.

Method:
1) Sift the flour, cornflour and milk powder.
2) Cream the butter and Horlicks for 3 minutes at low speed. Do not overbeat.
3) Add the sifted flour and beat for about one minute to form a dough.
4) Divide dough into 10g each. Embed 3 chocolate chips into each piece of dough and roll into a ball.
5) Insert 2 pieces of Koko Krunch to form the ears and 1 chocolate chip as the nose.
6) Bake at 140 degC for about 25 minutes. (I bake at 155 degC for about 15-17 minutes)
7) Cool before storing.

Cupcakes for Teacher's Day

Just bake these vanilla cupcakes for my daughter's School Form Teacher, Miss Seet. They are going to celebrate Teacher's Day tomorrow morning. The cupcake is soft and yummy! This is a very good recipe and hope you will give it a try.

Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes

(Makes about 30 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use Top Flour)

2 cups sugar (I add 1 2/3 cup)

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks = 250g) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon

pure vanilla extract

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 165°C. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over-beat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Billy's Vanilla Buttercream

Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

(Makes enough for 30 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks = 250g) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Sugee Cookies

Recipe shared by Jam (M4M)

Sugee Cookies

(makes about 85 cookies)

Ingredients:

250 butter

150g sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Sieve together:

200g plain flour

150 semolina

50g ground almonds (or cashew nuts)

Method:

Mix the butter and sugar till creamy.

Add in the vanilla essence follow by the flour, semolina and ground almonds mixture.

Shape the dough anyway you like and bake in the preheated oven at 165 deg C for about 20 - 25 minutes.

Kimchi Pancake

Kimchi Jeon (Jun)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Kimchi, chopped

50g Enoki Mushroom, chopped

1 sprig Chives, chopped

1 sprig Chinese Celery Leaves, chopped

1 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

Method:

Beat the egg and add the milk in a mixing bowl.

Stir in the flour and mix all the ingredients above.

Heat the frying pan with a tablespoon of cooking oil.

Pour 2 tablespoon of batter onto the heated pan and use a metal spoon to spread the batter.

Makes three 15-cm round pancakes.

Serve.