White Chocolate-Cranberry Biscotti

I must confess I love baking and cooking with cranberries. I use either fresh and dried cranberries or both on the same recipe. I always have dried cranberries in my pantry and fresh cranberries in my freezer. This evening I am in the mood to try one new recipe from the Taste of Home, here. I have baked biscotti previously and all the biscotti recipes use lots of nuts but not this recipe, that caught my attention. And since I love using cranberries and I have all the ingredients at hand, I have to give it a try.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in vanilla.
Combine flour and baking powder;
Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Stir in cranberries and chocolate chips. Divide dough into 4 portions (dough is pretty sticky but manageable)
On 2 baking sheets lined with silicone mat.
Shape each portion into a 10-in. (to 12-in.) x 2-in. strip.
Bake at 350° for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5-10 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 1-in. slices.
Place cut side down on lined baking sheets.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove to wire racks to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Yield: 4-1/2 dozen.

Cranberry Muffins

I was asked to bake some muffins for our Christmas Ornament & Breakfast gathering this past Saturday, my first thought was to bake cranberry muffins. I used bake cranberry quick breads every Christmas but had stopped baking them several years ago. While I will always love my cranberry bread recipe, I also like to try new recipes :)  And I found this recipe from Taste Of Home here supposedly award winning recipe.

I have to agree, these muffins were so crumbly and light tasting, crowd pleasing .. I thought ;) . It will work great for breakfast or tea time treats and especially looks very festive for Christmas!

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cranberries, quartered
8 tablespoons sugar
1-3/4 cups self raising baking flour
1 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Cinnamon-sugar

Directions:
1. Sprinkle cranberries with 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside.
2. Measure flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. In the mixer, beat oil and remaining tablespoons sugar.
4. Add egg to mixer.
5. Alternate milk and flour mixture to mixer.
6. Scoop 1/3 of cranberries and add to mixer and mix well.
7. Fill (paper lined) standard muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with cranberries on each muffin and with cinnamon-sugar.
8. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden stick comes out clean.

Yield: 12 standard-size.

Balsamic Root Vegetables

Though Thanksgiving was just 2 weeks ago and we just had Roasted Turkey, I am roasting another Turkey today but I am not making the grand Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. I still need to make at least a side dish to pair and compliment well with the toasty turkey for dinner.

I found this recipe from this myRecipe site -
Balsamic Root Vegetables, and like always, I have put in my personal twist and modify the recipe a little and make the healthy version without losing too much of the favor... my test tasty approves and like it and I am happy.

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
1 yukon potato
1 medium size carrot
1/2 onion
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/pinch ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon basic

Preparation

1. Peel first 3 ingredients, and cut into chunk 1 1/2-inch pieces.

2. Combine potatoes, sweet potata, carrots, onions, and cranberries in a lightly greased 3-qt medium pot over medium heat.

4. Add in the rest of the ingredients into pot and stir well.

5. Cover and let vegetable simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Pumpkin Rolls with Nutella

I have confessed though these rolls didn't turn out the way I wanted, they are surprisingly tasty accordingly to my taste tester Terry, he would want to stop eating them. Unfortunately I told him, he will just have to wait to eat them at the Coffee Fellowship tomorrow morning :)

I have used and followed the recipe of Rozana's Home Baking's recipe, the dough was so wet I added an extra cup of flour, thus making the dough seems much drier after baking.

Ingredients:
5 cups flour
1/3 warm water
1 Tbs yeast
1/2 cup margarine (melted)
1 can pumpkin puree ( 15 oz )
1 cup sugar
Nutella fillings.
1 egg beaten ( used as egg wash )

Directions:
In mixing bowl, add warm water to yeast, let it sit for 5 mins.
Add to pumpkin and margarine to bowl.
Add 2 cups of flour to mixing bowl and mix well.
Add the rest of the flour gradually while continually mixing until dough come together.

Place dough in bowl and cover with towel and let it rise ( for a hour ).
Punch down dough and cut dough into 32 pieces.
Flatten each piece and fill with Nutella into a small ball, set ball in baking pan.
Brush each roll with egg wash.
Let dough sit for another 30 mins.
Heat up oven at 350 degree and bake for 25 mins.

Soda Cake

I needed to bake a quick easy cake today and so I searched online for simple and quick cake recipe. I found this recipe from Duncan Hines website. I followed most of the recipe with some minor changes. I will be bringing this cake to our Bible Study group to share tonight... hope everybody will like it :)

Ingredients:
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
 ( I used Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix, it can be any brand cake mix)
1 (3.4 ounce) box Vanilla instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup of gratefruit soda pop
1/2 cup oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (325* is correct heat)
Grease a Bundt cake pan/tube pan
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix with the pudding mix. Add the eggs and oil, then slowly add the soda pop. Mix at medium speed until blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for five minutes, then transfer cake to a wire rack
Instead of using glaze per recipe, I sprinkle powdered sugar over cake.

Pumpkin Brioche Loaf with Hershey Chocolate Filling

After I saw the Foodiva on her nutella stripe bread, I thought I copy her idea on baking a twisted loaf of bread too, I will be making a brioche bread. Here is Foodiva Nutella Strip Bread 

This will be a sweet bread for this Sunday's Coffee hour, it is the pumpkin brioche bread filled with Hershey Chocolate spread (instead of nutella... just a different brand). I am using fresh roasted pumpkin. I had blended the pumpkin and have freezed it awhile ago, it is good to have frozen prepared pumpkin at hand for any baking needs any time. 

Since I also have a jar of Hershey Chocolate spread, it will compliment well with the brioche. Just for fun, loaf bread makes for easy handling, I can cut up the brioche loaf in nice serving slices..... hmmm hope it will be interesting and inticing :)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp yeast
1/4 warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
1 cup homemade crushed roasted pumpkin
4  1/4 cup flour

Directions:
In a mixer, add warm water and yeast, let it stand for 5 mins till it gets foamy.
Add melted margarine and sugar, stir well.
Add one egg at a time and mix well.
Add 2 cup flour, mix well
Add pumpkin and mix well.
Attach hook to mixer, continue to mix well.
Gradually add the rest of the flour and mix well.

Pick up dough from mixer and knead dough into a ball.
Place dough in a dry bowl and cover dough with dry towel and let it rise for at least an hour.
Dough will rise and double in size.
Punch down dough, place dough on a lightly floured smooth surface.
Using a rolling pin, roll dough into rectangle and flat to least than 1/2 inch.
Spread the Hershey chocolate in the middle section of dough, fold in 1/3 over.
Spread hershey chocolate on top on the half section of dough, fold the 1/2 over.
And again and fold another half.
Using rolling pin, roll dough to flatten in one direction to make dough longer.
Using a pairing knife, cut dough into 4 long stripe.
Braid dough intertwined and tuck the top and bottom inside.
Place braided dough in a loaf pan, let dough stand for at least 30 mins.
Heat oven at 350 degree, bake for 35 mins.
Let bread cool and slice with bread knife and serve warm with more hershey spread or jelly (optional)

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Eileen from Eileen's Diary at this post.

 

For October 2014, Eileen has requested her Little Thumbs Up event with PUMPKIN theme to starts on 1st October and will end on the last day of the month. Please join us! To join, simply cook or bake any recipe with PUMPKIN for October 2014 and link with us at this post anytime until 31st October 2014.

Healthy Fried Rice

I used to eat fried rice growing up. My mom would usually made fried rice when she had lots of leftover rice from previous meals. It was a one dish meal as the fried rice consists of mixed vegetables with protein of either shrimps, pork or chicken. Oh, and egg is an essential ingredient to fried rice, not only is egg serves as protein but the egg is what makes the fried rice so favorful and complete. So, even though it was usually the last resort for my mom to decide what to cook for dinner, it never went wrong cooking 'Fried Rice' for us and everybody in the family loved it.

Today, at our potluck party, we have some leftover of a big container of cooked rice. I decided to  made fried rice but with different ingredients all together.... it will be a very healthier version. My mom's and everybody's else version use lots of oil, my version is almost oil free ... how? secret ingredient is using chicken broth. And since my chicken broth is homemade and with so much favor, I am making this without eggs... what??? Yes, without eggs  ... and it still tastes pretty good ..... and you don't have to feel quilty eating it with much less calories :)

Ingredients:
3 cups Cooked Brown Rice
4 pieces of ham
2 carrots, diced
1 can of sweet peas
1/4 onions, chopped
3/4 cup of chicken broth
2 Tbs of soya sauce
1 tsp dried basil
pepper to taste

Method:
In a big saute pan, over medium heat, cook chicken broth with onions and carrots for 5 mins.
Add ham and sweet peas, let this simmer for another 3 mins.
Add soya sauce, basil, and pepper to taste
Add brown rice, stir and mix well in ... for another 5 mins.
Serve warm.

Banana Apple Bread

Late on a Saturday afternoon, it darn on me that there will not be any treats for our 8:30 Sunday Coffee fellowship. Now, I should see if I have anything I can bake with what I have in the kitchen. Bananas and apples were 2 obvious ingredients that popped up, and so I baked these mini loaves.

Ingredients:
5 bananas ( all I have, riped and perfect for baking)
3 little apples, chopped
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar plus 5 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
6 Tbs margarine

Directions:
In my kitchen aid mixer, mix sugar, margarine and eggs until well incorporated.
Break in pieces bananas and add to mixture and continue to mix well.
Measure flour and mix in baking soda in a bowl.
Gradually add to mixture and mix well.
Add a handful of apples to the mixtures and mix well.

Lined 5 mini loaf pan with parchment paper at the bottom.
Scoop to each mini pan 1/2 full of dough mixture .
Sprinkle a big tablespoon of apples to each mini pan.
Scoop the other 1/2 of dough mixture to mini pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the apples to each of the mini pan.
Sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar on top of apples.

Heat oven at 350 degree.
Bake for 35 mins.
Cool slightly and slice and serve.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and  Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Kit from I-Lost in Austen at this post.

 

Barley Bean Salad

1. 1 cup uncooked Barley
2. 2 1/2 cup water
3. 1 cup black beans
4. 1 can of corn
5. 1 cup of chickpeas
6. 1 red or orange bell pepper ( finely cubed )
7. 1 Tbsp lemon juice  ( or vinegar if you don't have lemon juice )
8. 1 packet of splenda ( equivalent to 1 tsp sugar)
9. 1/4 cup light italian dressing.
10. Dash of italian seasoning (optional)
11. 1 spring onions (julienned or finely chopped)
12. pinch of salt and pepper

Rinse barley and soak barley in water overnight ( or at least 4 hours ).
In a medium pot, bring barley and water to a boil, then simmer for 15 mins. cool.
In a bowl, mix barley and ingredients 3-6.
Add in item 7-10, mix and toss well in the bowl.
Add in salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle onion all over.
Wrap and seal with saran wrap to keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serve at room temperature.

Makes a very good side to any summer meal. Enjoy!

gathered around carry-on pillow

I put together this toddler size pillow case. This pillow can be a carry-on pillow for air travels or road trips, or will also be perfect for baby girl conpanion pillow.

I used 4 different mix of pastel colored materials from my renmant fabric pile. Pillow case is washable as I have 3 buttons with tie-hooks that easily be removed from the pillow.

Patriotic Trifle

We are going over to a friend's house for the July 4th Cookout Party this afternoon and I offer to bring a dessert.  hmm.... what would be new for me to try and just right for the occasion?

So it is good to seek and peek what is out there in the Pinterest world of Patriotic desserts... and low and behold this one caught my attention.

I really like this recipe found at Chef-In-Training site here. So I am making this trifle with some minor changes. Perfect for the 4th celebration and hopefully this will please the crowd :)

Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes (can use pound cake instead too)
• Fruits of your choices, I used the followings:
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 2 bananas. sliced
• 1 cup black grapes
• 1 1/2 cup globe grapes ( seeded out and halfed )

Cream Filling

• 6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk ( or can use 6 Tbsp icing sugar )
• 1½ cups cold water
• 1 pkg. white chocolate instant pudding mix, dry
• 8 oz. cool whip whip 
• 
  
• Directions:
• In a mixing bowl, whisk the condensed milk (or sugar if you are using sugar) and cold water. Add in the dry pudding mix and whisk for an additional for 2 minutes, or until it thickens. Let the filling sit for a couple minutes. Once it has thickened, fold in the cool whip until evenly combined.
• Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a  trifle dish. Sprinkle a layer of globe grapes and bananas evenly over the cake cubes. Next, pour half of the cream mixture over the fruits and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining strawberries and black grapes, arranging them in a pretty pattern. Cover and refrigerate at least one 1 hour or until ready to serve.
 

lemon velvet tart with white chocolate chips

I still haven't figured out why lemon is key for Easter's dessert. I was tasked to bring a dessert to our Easter Dinner gathering. I thought of trying to bake the classic Lemon Meringue Pie and as I looked online for lemon dessert ideas and stumbled upon this Lemon Velvet Tart and it looked interesting and that was what I have baked. I followed most of the recipe and have just minor changes. I did away with the caramelized sugar spirals and replaced with my easy lazy white chocolate chips instead (which I have a bag handy).

Here is the link to the recipe lemon-velvet-tart .

Pork Sirloin Tip Roast with Brussel Sprouts

My weeknight dinners are mostly quick and simple especially when you work all day and rush home to prepare dinner. Tonight, I cook a very fast and super healthy (low calorie) and still savory dish.

Get this, this recipe does not use a drop of oil, all the favor comes for the juice of the pork with the magic of the the pressure cooker.

2 lb pork roast (sliced in /4 inch thick)
3 rib of celery, sliced
2 stick of carrots, sliced
1 24 ozs frozen brussel sprouts ( or fresh brussel sprouts )
1/2 cup black beans ( I boiled and freezed that I use any time )
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 chopped onion
1/4 jalapeno (optional), chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs worsheshire sauce
1 Tbs soya sauce
1 1/2 cup water

Start by placing slices of pork at bottom of pressure cooker.
Add tomato over pork slices
Add all the rest of vegetables on top of pork slices.
Pour in water into the mixture in the cooker.
Shake in onion and garlic powder.
Mix in worsheshire sauce and soya sauce.
Add in the black beans.

Set timer to 20 minutes.
Cover lid on cooker and heat at high heat until the cooker starts to boil or when you hear hissing noise.
Turn heat to medium heat and let it continue to cook until 20 minutes timer is up.
Turn heat off, let cooker stands on stove for another 5 minutes before you attempt to open the cooker. ( make sure you let out the air pressure out first and then open the lid )

Open cooker lid, stir the cooker and serve hot with rice, noodle, nann bread or tortilla wrap, we chose to eat with a piece of tortilla wrap for dinner.

Serves with hot sauce for 6 and up 10 servings. Light, healthy and tasty dinner :)

Mandarin Orange Hot Cross Buns

With Easter just around the corner, I have planned on baking Hot Cross buns for our church 'Coffee Fellowship'. Then, it darned on me that I have so  many mandarin oranges.

Hmm.. and I saw this recipe on Orange Hot Cross Buns at Taste Of Home, I thought it sounds and looks interesting. Besides, I thought I could bake some of these and be able to participate in this month Little Thumbs Up with 'Orange' theme.

Recipe:
One Tangzhong Starter recipe. ( recipe does not use this )
3 mandarin oranges - squeeze the juice, and finely chopped up the orange peels.
6 1/2 cup flour
6 Tbs butter ( recipe uses 1/2 cup butter)
2 eggs (recipe uses 3 eggs)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup chopped dried cranberry ( recipe uses raisins)
1/2 cup sugar.

Direction:
Mix flour, cinnamon, salt.
In a mixer and hook attachment, drop in yeast and warm water, let it stands for 5 mins, will be foamy.
Add in 1 cup flour and sugar, mix well.
Add in butter and eggs, mix well.
Add in another cup of flour, mix well.
Add all the Tangzhong to mixture, mix well.
Alternatvely add in flour and orange juice and mix well.
Gradually add in the rest of the flour and mix well.
Add in chooped orange peels and cranberries.
Mixture will be stiff, knead with hand for 2 to 4 minutes.

Fold dough into a ball, place in bowl and cover with a dry towel, let it stands for at least an hour. Dough will double in size.
Punch down dough, divide dough into 20 to 24 pieces.



This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and me, Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Ann from Anncoo Journal at this post.

 

The Little Thumbs Up event starts on first Tuesday of the month until the last day of the month. Please join us! To join, simply cook or bake any recipe with the theme of the month which is ORANGE for April 2014 and link with us at this post anytime until 30th April 2014.

Drunken Noodle with Shrimp (Prawn)

I cook this dish once in awhile when we crave for some spicy asian dish. I have stocked up couple of this Thai Tom Yam curry paste for my asian dishes. The Tom Yam paste is the 'secret sauce' to most of my asian dishes :), this paste adds so much punches to any dish and we use it sparingly... reason being I bought 3 bottles and brought them from Malaysia to US. I can't seem to find the exact paste here in US. Yes, there are lots of stuff I can find in the Asian market here but there are certain things like this particular Tom Yam paste, I have not seen in stores here in US.

I usually cook this drunken noodle with different sort of ingredients, all depending on what I have in my fridge. But in most cases, I always have the main ingredients like rice sticks (noodles), eggs, and shrimps and ben sprouts. I like to have plenty of vegetables and less noodles.

On this recipe, I used snow peas. ( I sometimes use cabbages, tomatoes, green beans, carrots ).

Ingredients:

2 eggs
6 ozs of rice sticks (I used medium size rice sticks, though 'wide' size is the preferred drunken noodles, but they taste the same)
1 bowl of snow peas
1 lb bean sprouts
30 medium size shelled shrimps (prawn), sliced into half on each shrimp if you like (optional)
4 Tbsp Tom Yam paste
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp fish sauce ( or use soya sauce if you don't have fish sauce )
pinch of salt
10 slices of fresh ginger, and cut them in thin strips

Directions:
1. Start boiling rice sticks in a 4 qtr pan filled with 2/3 full of water.
2. When water starts boiling, set timer to 4 minutes. Drain in strainer, set aside.

3. In a 5 qtr stir fry pan, heat oil and ginger in medium to high heat.
4. Add snow peas, salt, stir (using wooden spatula) and let it cook for couple mins.
5. Add bean sprouts and fish sauce, stir and cook for 5 mins. I also added 1/4 cup water (because I hate to use oil, so I use water - if I have tomatoes, it will be better, I would have use 1 or 2 tomatoes in replacement of water ).
6. Break in eggs, cover vegetable over eggs for 3 mins and stir and cook.
7. Add Tom Yam paste, stir well.
8. Add rice stick and stir well, and cover pan with lid not completely for 5 mins.
9. Uncover lid and stir and cook.
10. Scoop to dish and serve warm.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and me, Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Moon from Food Playground at this post.

 

The Little Thumbs Up event starts on first Tuesday of the month until the last day of the month. Please join us! To join, simply cook or bake any recipe with the theme of the month which is PRAWN for March 2014 and link with us at this post. anytime until 31st March 2014. 

Meringue Cookies ... lightly coated in chocolate

I really needed to use and get rid of the 5 egg whites I have saved for so many days. So I resorted to bake Meringue Cookies and served them for Coffee Fellowship at Sunday's service. These cookies were fun the make except for the chocolate dipping part which I need more practice on. I am sure will be plenty of opportunuity on working with Chocolate Dippings :)

Recipe:

5 egg whites at room temperature.
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of lemon juice.
couple drops of vanilla extracts

1/2 chocolate chips ( melt chocolate in a bowl in microwave when ready to use, stir )

Direction:
Beat egg white at medium to high speed for 10 minutes.
Gradually add lemon juice, continue to beat and mix well.
Slowing sprinkle in sugar to the mixer while the mixer continues to run. Mix well after each add on the sugar.
Drop in vanilla and continue to mix and beat.
Mixture should be foamy and puffed.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Fill minture into piping bag with star shaped tip decorator.
Press cookie on cookie sheet.

Bake at preheated oven at 225 degree for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, turn off oven, open oven door slightly and let cookies cool in oven for at least 1 hour.

Dip each cookie with melted chocolate. Let chocolate set on cookie on the same cookie sheet.
Let cookie set in the slightly opened door oven.
Serve alone or with other cake dessert or ice-cream.
Or store cookies in air-tight container.

Carrot Whoopie Pie

I have been wanting to try making whoopie pies. I chose to make carrot cake whoopie pies. I should have known that on the first attempt to this new recipe would be a little trials and errors on the baking part. I adjusted the recipe somewhat because I wanted the cookie dough to be thicker and added 3/4 more flour. My challenge all started with the dough so when I scooped to drop a tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto to the pan, it still was spreading out too wide. That made me worry that the cookie will be too flat after baking. To be surprise, the cookie did not flatten so that was good. ( should tried a different whoopie pie like just a pumkin or vanilla flavor, I like to work with a more doughy texture when I drop the dough on the pan that it feels like a cookie ).

Take a look at these first product.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated carrots
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup oil
3 eggs

Mix eggs and sugar till blended.
Add oil and mix well
Mix together flour, baking poweder and baking soda.
Add flour mixture to egg muxture, mix well.
Add carrots, mix well

Line 4 cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Drop 1 tablespoon or 1 tsp (depending on how big you want your whoopie pies, I used a teaspoon full on each of my cookie ) on pan. Make sure cookie is spread apart evenly at least 1 1/2 inches apart.

Preheat oven at 350 degree.
Bake 2 cookie sheet at a time for 15 minutes.
Let cookie cool down.
Spread a teaspoon of cream cheese frosting on back of one cookie.
Sandwish another back of one cookie to the frosted cookie to complete one whoopie pie.

Look for Cream Cheese Frosting recipe on this  here

Pizzelle Cookies

Take two... This time around I used butter in replacement of coconut milk.

Even though the cookie mixture was pretty thick in comparison with my first earlier attempt, these cookies are very crispy... much easier to bake, one minute per set of cookies and surprisingly this recipe yielded round 40 pieces of whole pizzelles!

Recipe will follow at the bottom.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cup rice flour
1 Tbs tapioca starch
3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
5 Tbs melted butter
4 whole large eggs
1 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Mix eggs and sugar till sugar is dissolved.
Add melted butter to the mixture, continue to stir and mix well.
Add all the flour to the mixture and mix well.
Mixture will not be runny but not super thick, but thinner in texture then ordinary cookie dough.

1. Wipe the pizzelle maker moulds with damp oil to completely grease the moulds.
2. Heat up pizzelle maker. Wait pizzelle maker is hot to the touch on the mould.
3. Drop 1 Tbsp of dough mixture to the middle of mould.
4. Cover pizzelle lid and clamp the handle of pizzelle.
5. Bake cookie for total of 1 minute.
6. Pick up cookie using a kebab wood stick or bare finger. Should be pretty easy to pick up cookie.
7. Lay flat or roll or fold to desire shape as soon as cookie is out of pizzelle maker.
8. Repeat step 3-7 on the next cookie.

Cool cookie and store in air-tight container.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Filled mini rolls

I believe I can now make my basic sweet bread rolls without looking at my recipe. I now uses the Tangzhong Starter making all my bread rolls (makes the bread really light and soft).

I wanted to give the filling just a light pink to give a little contrast and highlight to the rolls so I made the cream cheese filling with a hint of strawberry jam.  

Here is the recipe:

1) 1/2 cup of warm water

2) 1/2 cup of flour

3) 1 Tbs of yeast

4) 4 cup flour

5) 1/2 warm water

6) 4 Tbs oil

7) 1 Tangzhong Starter  - 

In the mixer, mix ingredients 1,2 and 3, let mixture rest for  minutes. (mixture will be foamy).

Add all Tangzhong dough to mixer mixture.

Add 1 cup of flour initially, mix well.

Add oil, mix well

Gradually, add and mix in rest flour.

Mix well.

Transfer dough to dry big bowl, let dough rest for 1 to 2 hours in dry warm area. Dough should be double in size.

Punch down dough.

Cut dough into 4 pieces.

a. Working with each quarter, cut dough into 2.

b. Roll out dough on flat surface into long rectangle.

c. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on dough.

d. Roll dough to long strip. Cut into 6 pieces.

e. Place each piece on muffin pan. ... repeat b through d.

f. Repeat from (a) on the next quarter of dough.

Cream Cheese Fillings:

4 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 Tbs corn flour
6 Tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs of Strawberry or Cherry Jam ( for pink color )

1. In a mixer, mix all the cream cheesse filling ingredients except the jam for about 10 mins until well blended.
2. Scoop to air-tight container, now add 1 Tbs jam at a time and stir well to blend. (depending on how light and dart you want the pink color on the cream cheese, adjust jam amount to mixture accordingly, you can either add more or less).
3. Store cream cheese mixture container in fridge until ready to use.

Mini Blueberry Tart on graham cracker crust

This Saturday was a wet, windy and snowy day. I didn't want to do anything outside my cozy home, so baking goodies for tomorrow morning's worship service was a perfect fit.

I was given a tub of homemade blueberry jam from last Sunday's chili cook off dessert tray that would go well with some type of fruit tart recipe. I found one that seemed just right. It wasn't easy to prepare but the graham cracker pie crust recipe was a great choice. ( I also had some left over graham crackers. It is good to conserve your leftover ingredients from past dishes. I can always find a home for them!)

It was now that I prepared my kitchen for another round of healthy baking. Low fat and low sugar are mostly baked in my treats, which is my signature style. (or one of them). I started up my trusted Kitchen Aid batter mixer and pulled out my full sized rolling pin and baking pan. I am ready to go, so let's begin !

I made the tart crust with a twist; the recipe I used was a combination of regular pie crust and graham cracker pie crust. It will be interesting to find out if this will be thumbs up or down!!

Here is my recipe:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs oil
4 Tbs of water
1 graham cracker pie crust ( broken in pieces )

In a mixer, combine flour and broken pieces of graham cracker crust. Mix well on low speed.
Add in oil, and mix well until it is well incorporated.
Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, mix well.
Let the pie dough sit for just a few minutes.

In a flat surface lightly flour the surface using a rolling pin. Then roll out a small portion of the pie dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
Cut the individual circles in 2 1/2 inch diameter  tarts.
Place tart on mini muffin pan.
I made 48 mini tarts.
Now cut out as many as you can, miniature flower shaped cookies (wished I had heart shapes since we are still in the Valentine's spirit).

Preheat oven at 350 degree. Bake tarts for 8-10 minutes.

Let tarts cool.
Now, spoon 1/2 tsp bluebery jam on each tart.
Top each tart with a flower cookie ( or two cookies if you prefer ).

Enjoy!
Light tasty treats :)

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