White Chocolate Macadamia & Cranberry Cookies

Waaaaa...lamanya saya tak update blog masak2 ni...

Seperti biasa, masalah saya nak update blog adalah MASA. Masak mmg masak cuma tak sempat nak amik gambar masakan, apakan lagi nak masuk blog. Saya mmg kagum la dengan blogger masakan tersohor mcm cik Mat Gebu dan kak Azlita Masam Manis yang kerap update blog dan boleh pulak tu letak gambar step-by-step. 

Dah nama pon bloggers otai kan....hehehe. Memang tak terbanding la dengan saya yang blogger cipisan, yg syok sendiri pos entry ntah apa2 yang dimasak.....hehehe. But it's really not my intention to gain popularity through blogging. It's just that saya suka masak dan it makes me happy bila rekodkan apa yang dimasak.

 Jun/July bulan puasa hari tu saya sempat jugak la buat kuih raya sejenis dua untuk makan di hari raya. Tapi tak buat banyak. Selain dari Famous Amos cookies dan Almond Oatmeal cookies, yang setiap tahun wajib saya buat, saya juga mencuba resepi baru iaitu White Chocolate Macadamia & Cranberry cookies.

Saya mula jatuh hati dengan cookies masa first time mencubanya di Subway. Subway kan ada set meal yang you can get free cookies. So saya pon try la white chocolate macadamia cookies nya. Bertahun2 saya berhajat nak buat sendiri cookies ini tapi kacang macadamia mmg susah sikit nak cari dan agak mahal harganya. Then saya terjumpa di Tesco, dah siap dah pek macadamia campur cranberry. Itu yang semangat nak buat cookies ini.

Banyak versi resepi yang dijumpai di Internet and I ended up cuba resepi INI dari taste.com.au. Resepi tu untuk cookies saiz jumbo mcm Subway jual tapi saya buat kecil2 saiz cookies biasa.

Resepi yang dah diterjemahkan dan diubahsuai:

Bahan2

250g mentega, dibiarkan pada suhu bilik 

1 1/2 cawan gula kastor

1 1/2 sudu teh vanilla essence

2 biji telur

3 1/2 cawan tepung naik sendiri

1/2 cawan coklat chip putih

1/2 cawan cranberry kering

1/2 cawan kacang macadamia yang dicincang kasar

Untuk cranberry kering dan kacang macadamia tu saya guna ready packed campuran macadamia-cranberry yg beratnya dalam 200g or so (tak ingat sangat but almost equivalent to 1/2 cwn of macadamia and 1/2 cawan cranberry)

Cara2:

1. Panaskan oven pada suhu 180C. Lapik dulang pembakar dengan kertas pembakar.

2. Putarkan mentega, gula dan vanilla essence sampai kembang. Masukkan telur satu persatu.

3. Ayak tepung naik sendiri dan masukkan ke dalam adunan mentega tadi. Kacau sebati. Kemudian masukkan coklat chip, macadamia dan cranberry. Gaul sebati lagi.

4. Bulatkan adunan sebesar gula (ikut suka saiz cookies yang nak dibuat). Kemudian lenyekkan sedikit dengan garfu di atas dulang pembakar. Ulangi proses yg sama sampai adunan habis. Pastikan ada jarak antara cookies sbb nanti cookies akan mengembang. 

5. Bakar selama 10 minit atau sehingga cookies keperangan. Masa membakar bergantung kepada saiz cookies. Kalau resepi asal utk saiz jumbo dia bakar dalam 18-20 minit. Lepas tu sejukkan kemudian simpan dalam bekas kedap udara.

Ni la pembantu2 saya utk buat cookies ni :)))

Crunchy Caramel Almond

Of late I've cooked a lot of new things jugak tapi tak berkesempatan nak masukkan dalam blog. The good thing about recording what you have cooked, it helps you remember which reference did you use for that recipe. Kalau ok, senang nak rujuk lain kali dan kalau  tak ok, then next time boleh try resepi lain pulak. Takde la tersilap guna resepi yg sama kan?

Saya dah lama dok eyeing resepi crunchy caramel almond ni. Apa yang saya tau for ready-made crunchy caramel almond harganya amat la mahal. Tak heran la kalau dah bahan2nya mmg bahan2 yg mahal mcm kepingan badam dan biji bunga matahari. Dan bila tengok resepinya, resepi ni guna tepung florentine atau florenta. 

So aritu saya saja2 masuk bakery yg dekat rumah saya tu, dan tanya dia ada tak tepung florentine. Oh, happynya bila tauke cakap ada. Walaupun harganya mahal, RM17.50 utk 500g, saya tak fikir panjang terus aje grab. Juga beli sliced almonds, sunflower seeds dan black sesame seeds. Saya tambah jugak bijan biasa yg tinggal sikit dalam simpanan.

Ini la pek pembungkus tepung florentine

Saya rujuk pada resepi Kak Azlita dari blog Masam-Manis.

200 gm tepung Florenta
200 gm badam keping
100 gm kuaci hitam
20 gm bijan hitam

Badam dan kuaci di bakar sebentar dalam oven pada suhu 160 C selama 5 minit
Satukan semua bahan dalam bekas
Gaul rata, hingga semuanya bersalut sempurna

Sediakan loyang 14x14 inc, alas loyang dengan kertas kek sahaja
Panaskan oven pada suhu 160C
Tuangkan adunan tadi dalam loyang dan ratakan nipis
Bakar dalam oven selama 10 minit
Sejurus keluar dari oven terus potong kepada kepingan
Simpan dalam bekas kedap udara.

Selain tu jugak biskut ni juga dikenali sebagai Biskut Florentine sebab guna tepung florentine. Saya tgk pada tulisan di pek pembungkus, tepung florentine dah siap diadun dengan gula, madu dan campuran serbuk kekacang yang dibakar. 

So bila dah ada tepung ni mmg senang la sangat kejadiannya. Just campur sebati bahan2nya lepas tu ratakan dalam pan pembakar dan bakar for 10 minit. Disebabkan tepung dah ada gula dan madu, jadi the whole thing akan caramelize bila dibakar. Saya terbakar lebih 10 minit jadi biskut saya hangit sikit...hihihi

Sepatutnya utk dapatkan kepingan yg nipis bersesuaian dengan sukatan adunan yg Kak Ita guna tu kena la pakai pan saiz 14 inci x 14 inci. Saya takde pan saiz tu so saya pakai aje la tray pembakar sedia ada. Ok jugak la. Selain tu jugak potong siap2 masa panas2 tu tapi tunggu sejuk baru boleh simpan dalam bekas kedap udara. Kalau dah sejuk, mmg tak dapek la nak potong lawa2 ye. Patahkan je la jawabnya...hihihi

So kalau rajin, boleh la buat sendiri biskut ni. Sangat sedap ok!

Famous Amos Choc Chip Cookies

Suka makan Famous Amos cookies? Sy jaranggggggggggg amat membeli Famous Amos cookies disebabkan pada sy harganya teramat la mahal. Ada la kot sekali dua beli masa zaman dolu2 sbb nak sgt merasa tambahan pulak kalau lalu kat stall dia, bau cookies dibakar semerbak harum. Mmg la sgt sedap tapi nak dijadikan kebiasaan, boleh bankrupt I....hahaha.

Years ago, I remember my ex-officemate circulating this e-mail about Famous Amos charged a person RM250 for a cookies recipe. This person ingat bila cashier ckp 250, it was RM2.50 tapi setelah dpt bil credit card baru tau sebenarnya RM250. Saya agak pelik la jugak kenapa masa dia bayar tu dia x tgk resit? Agaknya jenis org yg main swipe je credit card, pastu x tgk resit dah. Luckily it is my habit always tgk balik my resit selepas selesai membayar. Ye la, mana la tau kalau terlebih charge ke, terkurang ke kan.....

For years I kept the recipe tapi tak penah try buat. Skrg bila I google this recipe, ramai yg dah try this recipe reviewed this recipe is very good. Memandangkan kita pon buat kuih raya, so kita pon cuba la. 

Resepi saya cut & paste dr Oh-My Cookie! Tapi saya cuma buat separuh aje dr resepi asal. Oh, by the way, saya guna Hersey's choc chip sbb masa shopping groceries kat Mydin saya ternampak Hersey's choc chip dan teringat kat mana tah ckp guna high quality choc chip mmg akan buat cookies jadi sgt sedap. Mahal la sikit tapi rasanya mmg puas hati. Utk chopped nuts, saya guna badam. I guess walnut lebih sedap tapi masa kat Mydin, walnut takde.

Ingredients

2 cups butter 
4 cups flour 
2 tsp. baking soda 
2 cups granulated sugar 
2 cups brown sugar 
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal & blend in blender to a fine powder) 
24 oz. chocolate chips 
1 tsp. salt 
18 oz. Chocolate bar (grated) 
4 eggs 
2 tsp. baking powder 
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) 
2 tsp. vanilla 

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Cadbury bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.. bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees (180C)

Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Last Saturday,  just to distract the twins from focusing on their hunger because of fasting, I made a baking project with them.

Disebabkan ianya adalah adhoc baking plan, saya kena guna bahan2 yg dah sedia ada dalam stok. Yg paling patut digunakan adalah oatmeal segera yg saya beli konon2 utk buat breakfast tapi boleh kira bape kali je breakfast makan oatmeal...hehehe. 

So godek2 resepi Internet, saya jumpa resepi Almond Oatmeal Cookies dr website Cooks.com. 

It's a very easy recipe. Sebab mmg ada almond dalam simpanan, jadi boleh la buat ground toasted almond seperti dalam resepi tapi x perasan ia memerlukan 1/2 cup almond slices. But then I wasn't panic, I replaced it with sunflower seeds!

Ok, sedap saja rasanya :). But one batch of the recipe, hasilnya tak banyak. Cuma dpt setgh balang besar shj. Kalau nak buat stok kuih raya, kena buat 2-3 batches baru sesuai!

Pistachio Chocolate Butter Cookies

Another cooking project ngan anak2...dah asik diorg ni lapar manjang dan asik nak main game aje, patut dikerah tenaga sikit bg buat makanan yg diorg sendiri boleh makan. Berfaedah sikit!

Resepi diambil dr website Free Food Recipe. Resepi asal takde pistachio, sy je suka2 nak letak pistachio kat atas cookies nak bg nampak menarik sikit. Sikit je dpt satu adunan ni, lebih kurang dlm separuh bekas biskut kuih raya malaysia. Tapi ok je la sbb kalau adunan yg byk, jenuh jugak nak mneghabiskan. Ni ngam2 saja dgn kudrat budak dua org tu, kira diorg x sempat la nak bosan nak mengabiskan keje2 buat cookies ni.

Tekun sungguh cik nabilah menekap acuan cookies...

esok2 dah anak dara moga2 rajin masak ye nak!

Ngan abahnya pon excited nak buat sekali!

Resepi cut & paste:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

For decoration: white eggs & crushed pisctachio

Methods:

Preheat oven to 180C.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except flour and cocoa. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes). Gradually add flour and cocoa until well mixed (about 2 to 3 minutes). I made it into dough and wrap it with plastic cling and keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Shape rounded teaspoonsful as desired (1-inch balls, 2- to 3-inch logs, balls flattened, balls with indentations, etc.) or use a cookie press. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. For decoration, I brushed the top with white egg and then spred with crushed pistachio.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, ni bukan sbb x sabar2 raya....not meant utk biskut raya pon. Kalau boleh simpan sampai raya, that's good!

Buat biskut ni sbb melayan kerenah sikembar. Hari sabtu diorg nak sgt ikut Uncle & Auntie gi Frankfurt. Sy x bg sbb Mat & Liza nak gi shopping brg, utk bawak balik Malaysia....takkan nak angkut diorg lak. Dah la posa, penat lak nanti melayan kerenah budak dua org tu. Sy lak malas nak pegi, nak cari apa lagi pon...bukan ada bazaar Ramadhan pon kat Frankfurt tu.

So demi nak pujuk diorg, sy ajak la buat chocolate chip cookies ni.

Resepi sy amik kat Joy of Baking.

And cut & paste resepinya:

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe:

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsaltedbutter,room temperature

3/4cup (150 grams) granulated whitesugar

3/4cup (160 grams) firmly packed light brownsugar

2 largeeggs

1 1/2teaspoons purevanillaextract

2 1/4cups (295 grams) all-purposeflour

1teaspoonbaking soda

1/2teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (270 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (100 grams) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Chocolate Chip Cookies:Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the white and brown sugars and beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated.Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until incorporated, adding the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) about half way through mixing. If you find the dough very soft, cover and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

For large cookies, use about a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop or with two spoons, drop about 2 tablespoons of dough (35 grams) onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake about 12 - 14 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen - 3 inch round cookies.

Note: You can freeze this dough. Form the dough into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze and then place the balls of dough in a plastic bag, seal, and freeze. When baking, simply place the frozen balls of dough on a baking sheet and bake as directed - may have to increase baking time a few minutes.

Butter Cookies with Frosting

Skrg ni anak2 sy sedang bercuti summer. Bila dah tak pegi sekolah tu diorg mula la kebosanan. Sy pon x larat tgk diorg mengadap tv dan lapto sepanjang masa. Bg baca buku pon bila dah lama sikit, diorg pon naik bosan. Nak keluar pulak kena tunggu petang sbb skrg ni cuaca tgh panas membara. Kadang2 mencecah 40C.

So sy ajak diorg buat butter cookies. Sikembar mmg sgt suka kalau sy ajak diorg buat projek masak2. Since sy xde papan menguli yg besar, sy guna meja makan as papan menguli. Of course sebelum tu sy basuh dan lap bersih2 meja makan. Dan sy biarkan aje sikembar nak cut the cookies ikut shape yg diorg suka.

Nabihah in action

Nabilah in action

Butter cookies yg dah siap dibakar, tunggu sejuk utk frosting

Resepi utk butter cookies ni sy rujuk di sini

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons milk
• red food coloring

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
2. Place the dough in a cookie press fitted with a heart plate; form cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool on wire racks.
3. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Blend in enough milk until desired spreading consistency is reached. Add food coloring to a portion or all of the frosting if desired. Frost cookies.

Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread

This is something I took from Joy of Baking - one of my favourite baking website. The other day I was browsing through the website, looking for something interesting to make for my baking experiment and cik Hb saw the picture of the chocolate shortbread and requested that I make this one.

It is quite easy and straight forward to make this one. The smell of the chocolate dough while baking provides nice aroma in the house, making my twins so excited waiting for the product to be completed. The only thing I regret, since I don't have smaller baking pan (mine is 9"), the shortbread turned out to be so thin. I'm thinking to buy a smaller baking pan, maybe the 6" type.

Anyway this is the recipe I copy and paste from Joy of Baking for your easy reference.

Ingredients:

1cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated whitesugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

Glaze:

3 ounces (90 grams) semi sweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup (35 grams) lightly salted or unsalted roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Methods:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with the rack in the center of the oven. Lightly butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8-9 inch (20-23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.

In a bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

Then, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 - 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract and egg yolk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour cocoa mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat just until a dough forms.

Press the shortbread dough in an even layer onto the bottom of the tart pan.Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or just until the shortbread no longer looks wet and is firm to the touch. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately upon removing the shortbread from the oven, pour the warm chocolate glaze over the shortbread and, using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, evenly spread the glaze to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of the edge of the shortbread. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and press them gently into the glaze. Let the chocolate shortbread cool completely then cut into 12-16 wedges.

Can be stored in a container at room temperature for several days.