Mexican Wedding Cookies

I am almost always an optimist but the past year was slowly turning me into a pessimist.I hope this year will be very different and we will have memories to cherish.
The first recipe for this year will be a sweet, decadent, melt in the mouth cookies and by the way they are eggless!

Also, there was a problem with comment moderation with the previous post.This is the second time it is happening with my blog.Some of you have left comments and I could not publish them due to some technical difficulty.Now, everything seems to work fine and I hope I don't have to deal with it again.But thank you so much for your comments.That is what keeps me going , I am sure that is what keeps each of us going-the support!

Makes 6 dozen cookies
Recipe:Martha Stewart

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Pecans ( about 3 3/4 oz)

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• Pulse the pecan halves and a 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor or a blender.
• Combine the nut mixture, flour and salt
• Ina separate bow, beat butter, and 3/4 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy
• Stir in vanilla and almond extracts
• Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until well combined
• Roll the dough into 3/4 inch balls
• Place them in the baking sheets about a couple of inches apart

• Bake them until the cookies are pale about 12 min
• Let the cookies cool completely before vanishing them away!
  

This goes to Cakes and Cookies event, hosted by Mahimaa of Indian Vegetarian Kitchen

Have fun guys!

Lots of love,
Shri

Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti

Merry Christmas to you all!Hope you all have grand plans for the day.I made these a while back but was saving the post for today as I thought there cannot be a better and an apt recipe I can post for X'mas.

Recipe:Martha Stewart

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
3 cups All purpose flour, plus for dusting
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4tbsps unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped

• Preheat the oven to 375F;Line baking sheets with Parchment paper
• Add boiling water to cranberries and put them aside until they plump;Drain the water from cranberries
• Sift the dry ingredients-flour, salt and baking powder
• Beat butter, sugar on medium speed until fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time;mix in Vanilla extract
• Add the dry ingredients, slowly and mix well on low speed
• Add cranberries and pistas
• Place the dough on a floured surface and divide in half
• Make each half in to a log and put it on the baking sheet
• Flatten logs and brush the egg on the logs;Sprinkle with sugar
• Bale until logs are firm ot the touch about 25 min
• Place the logs on a wire rack to cool slightly
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300F
• Cut the logs crosswise using a serrated knife, about 1/2 inch thick
• Place the wire rack on a baking sheet and arrange the slices on the rack
• Bake until firm about half hour
• Remove from the oven and let them cool down on the rack

Have a safe holiday:-)

Hugs
Shri

Coconut & Lime Lace Tuiles

A lot of you can relate to when I say, kids in their 'terrible 2's',-eating habits or just making them sit in one place for 5 sec and focus on something particular.It is frustrating and equally humorous!Lately, I am unable to manage my daughter, some one who I thought is relatively a docile one, with good listening ears.But now, she does exactly opposite of what I ask her to do.Is it the age or my frustration, I am not quite sure!Despite all of it,the one part I love is when she runs and hides under my dining table whenever I ask her to clean up her toys or have food.That makes me smile,always!

She is not a good eater. She mainly survives on dairy products, boiled veggies and occasionally fruits!And oh!Apple juice, lots of it!But anything else is a big no-no for her!We are still struggling to get her to mix rice and curry or dal instead of eating both of them separately.I hope time and age will take care of that!However, she is open to tasting and spitting instantaneously if she doesn't like it, which is mostly the case!But these cookies are one of those that she was willing to give a try and I had this feeling she liked:)

Tuile in French means 'tile'.Apparently, it is so named because the classic tuile when moulded gives it a roof tile shape.These are a lot of fun to make and quite easy actually!You can mould them into different shapes-flowers or tubes or cups, when in a pliable state after baking.You can also fill some light fillings.

I have used Martha Stewart's recipe,almost to the letter.

3 tbsps unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 light corn syrup
2 tbsps all purpose flour
Pinch of Salt
Zest of 1 lime

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Line baking with parchment paper
• Cook butter, sugar and corn syrup on medium by stirring constantly until the butter and sugar liquefy.Remove from the heat
• In a separate bowl, whisk flour, coconut and salt.Add this to the butter mixture.Mix in the zest
• Drop rounds of batter onto the sheets.Place them atleast 2 inches apart, it spreads out
• Bake them for about 8 to 9 minutes, until the cookies are golden
• Take them out and using a spatula, wrap them around a rolling pin or the handle of a saucepan (must be a metal handle).
• Let them stand until set.

Cardamom Cookies(eggless) with Walnuts

It is sugary treat again this time.I prepared these cookies for my friend’s daughter’s birthday party. We have been eating the delicious rice krispies that I made and now, I want more sweet treats. Last week, I was determined to not sway from my exercise plan-to walk for a mile and a half, do the abs and toning but once I started eating sugars, I am slowly slipping away, slip sliding away…Speaking of slipping away, do you remember the wonderful song ‘slip sliding away’ by Simon and Garfunkel or Paul Simon to be exact? The lyrics are a delight to listen to!These are some of my favorite lines from the song.

Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away
.
.
.

I know a woman, (who) became a wife
These are the very words she uses to describe her life
She said a good day aint got no rain
She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed
And I think of things that might have been

I digress!All the lovely readers of this blog know how much I love participating in events. The recipes that I have been posting for the past 4 months or so have been primarily for the events.
Meeting the deadlines for the events may not be possible from now because of some work at my end. However, I may send in for an event or two, just may be! But I will continue to post recipes but this time they don’t go anywhere :-)) (Laughs)!
Please do not ask me the source of this recipe as I have no idea where I snatched from! If I remember it right, it is from a magazine that I picked up from a book store last Christmas. I cannot be certain though.
They taste very similar to Mexican wedding cookies in that they are very delicate in taste and touch.

Makes about 6 dozen
2 cups butter, softened
2-1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar,divided
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
1tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

• Preheat the oven to 350F.Grease a cookie tray and line with parchment paper if desired.
• Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the almond extract
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cardamom, and salt.
• Add this to the butter mixture. Add the walnuts
• Make 1 inch round balls and place them a couple of inches apart (the balls will spread a lil’ bit) on the baking sheet
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden
• Remove from the oven and let them sit for a min or so until warm and easy to handle
  
• In the remaining sugar, roll the warm cookies and place them on wire racks to cool.

For variation: You can use pecans instead of walnuts or a combination of both.
Note: If you are using salted nuts, you can skip adding salt.

Also, Padma and Raje have passed me some awards and I will post them in my next post.Thanks ladies!

I will leave you with the last verse of the song...

Whoah God only knows, God makes his plan
The informations unavailable to the mortal man
Were workin our jobs, collect our pay
Believe were gliding down the highway, when in fact were slip sliding away

Have fun,

Rice Krispy(ies) treats

I bumped into this wonderful website, Joy of baking sometime back when I was searching a recipe for Rice Krispies.There are several mouthwatering recipes in every possible category, mostly baking related.
I am not fond of the ones that you get in the grocery stores, the prepackaged ones.I feel they are very sweet!While I was doing my Masters, I often used to go to Borders Book store and they used to have the Rice Krispies, not too sweet, just perfect and crunchy.These taste just like that...
This recipe used Rice Krispies cereal, which is loaded with Vitamins and the parents should have no problem allowing their kids to gorge on these.

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 tbsps unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-10 ounce package miniature marshmallows (I used Kraft's Jet puffed mini marshmallows as I think they are just perfect in sweetness)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grease or butter a 9 inch square baking tray

Butter a bowl and place the rice krispies in it

Melt butter and add salt to it.

Add marshmallows and stir until they are melted completely.

Add vanilla extract

Mix until well combined

Immediately pour into the greased tray and let it cool.

Cut into squares.




These crunchy snacks are off to Kids Delight hosted by Srivalli

Lebkuchen

I have not been around for the last 5 days or so as I was out of town.With Summer ending (although I am not quite ready yet), we planned a vacation to OBX and it was absolutely fantastic there. The weather scared us a bit initially with Hurricane Bill and later Danny near the islands. Luckily, the weather cooperated and we went around! I will post the pictures soon. I know I have to post the Bushkill falls trip pics as well. Once I ease back into my routine, I will post the pics and some pending recipes too! For now, I am posting some of my Germany trip pics.

Germany, A beautiful country famous for great musicians like Beethoven, for the black forest cuckoo clocks, for Volkswagen and Porsche, for the Autobahn, has a distinctive cuisine. When you think of German food, Sauerkraut and beer cross the mind.But, there is much more to it than just these!
The Germans have a tradition of five meals a day. The day starts with Frühstück (Breakfast), which is followed by a second breakfast, a few hours later –Zweites Frühstück.At midday is their dinner, Mittagessen which is usually a hot meal.In the afternoon, comes their snack time-Kaffee which is more than just coffee!The day concludes with a light supper called Abendrot.I wonder if they still follow this tradition!
When I was making Lebkuchen, I was recollecting my trip to Germany in ’04.My food there primarily consisted of French fries and ate Lebkuchen once. The cookies were very delicious. I have heard that the cookies do not contain ginger although the recipe that I used does contain a small quantity of powdered ginger.
Here are some of the pics of my trip. I would have loved to share more but the ‘Devil’ seems to be in almost all the pics: D. Thought will spare you some fright!

Heidelberg Castle



Castles you can see alongside Rhine.You have to excuse me for the picture quality.We took it while we were cruising.:)



This Cuckoo clock is the size of a small house.On the hour, the dolls (couples) come out dancing.
The partial head that you can see is of my DH's:D


Cologne Cathedral



Decoration is an important aspect in making Lebkuchen. The decorations were made with inscriptions, made into heart shapes cookies, or even Christmas cards with angels cooing!In the story written by Gottfried Keller, ‘Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe’ ( A Village Romeo and Juliet), the heroine gives her lover a Lebkuchen heart with an inscription “A sweet almond kernel is in this heart, but my love for you is sweeter than the almond”

Adapted from: Better homes and Gardens New baking Book

Makes 40 cookies; The recipe from the book yields 48 cookies. They used square cookie cutters.

1 egg
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ cup chopped almonds
½ cup mixed candied fruits and/or raisins
1 recipe lemon glaze



Beat the egg on high speed. To this, add brown sugar, by beating on med speed until fluffy. Add molasses and honey to it and mix well

Sift the dry ingredients-flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom. Combine the dry ingredients with the egg mixture. Combine well using hand. The dough will be stiff and tough to handle. Add almonds and the candies mix. Refrigerate the dough in a bowl covered for 8 hrs or until the dough is easy to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350F.Line a baking sheet with al foil and grease it.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide the dough into 2 halves. Roll the dough into a 12X8 inch rectangle. Since I had the round cookie cutters, I made them into circles instead of squares.
Cut 2 inch circles. Place them carefully on the baking sheets.

Bake them in the oven for 10 min. Remove the cookies and cool them on the baking sheet for a minute or so.

While warm brush with lemon glaze and decorate with candied fruit. You can store it in an airtight container for up to 7 days for the flavors to mellow. It tastes better when stored for several days.

For the glaze:
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp lemon juice




Combine all of them by adding 3- 4 tsp of water such that it forms a drizzling consistency.

This goes to AWED German, guest hosted by Lakshmi Venkatesh, started by DK of Chef in You.

Jyoti, Sushma and Mythreyi passed me some wonderful award(s)/scrap again!Will post it in the next couple of days!

Have fun now:)
Shri

Pretzels

This is the first time I am baking bread! I have always felt baking any kind of bread is a daunting task and way too overwhelming. I would rather go to Panera and pick up a baguette. But, finally, I took the plunge! Interestingly, I am not big on Pretzels. Occasionally, I would pick up Pretzel Tide’s ‘Pretzel Bites’ and I cannot stand any other pretzels. I made this because my daughter who is quite a picky eater loves ‘em. I took this recipe from Bobby Flay’s Soft Pretzels recipe and it came out very well! We had that for dinner by the way, yes, ME TOO! He also gives the recipe for Con Queso dip but I served it with store bought dip.

Some tidbits I found interesting (From WIKI ) “The Pretzel Museum opened in Philadelphia by members of the Nacchio family dynasty in 1993 to highlight the area’s preference for their more unique more rectangle shaped styled pretzels being baked soft and unlike the dominant more circular hard pretzels produced in western Pennsylvania. Champion hand pretzel twister Helen Hoff produced 57 pretzels per minute at this first museum.10 years later, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell declares April 26 National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy. Congress declared it in 1983, but stopped the "commemorative day" practice in 1998”
-Did you know that the Germans eat/ate pretzels on Good Friday because the shape resembles praying hands?

Makes about 8 pretzels
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher/regular salt
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 2 whole eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• Coarse sea salt

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl using a mixer.
To this, add flour and salt, and mix until well combined.
Increase the speed of the mixer and knead the dough until it is smooth and begins to pull away from the bowl. If you find the dough too wet, add some flour to it.
Grease a bowl and place the dough in it and coat the dough with the oil/butter.Cover and store in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. Took me about an hour and a half
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a pan with parchment paper or Al foil and grease with butter or PAM
Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil and add baking soda to it.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches.

To Shape:
Take the right side and cross over to the left.
Cross right to left again and flip up.
Place two pretzels at a time in the boiling water for about 30 seconds.
Take out the boiled pretzels using a large spoon. Place it on the baking sheet and brush the tops with egg and season the top with coarse sea salt.
Bake them in a preheated oven until golden brown, for about 20 minutes.
Let them cool down a bit and serve with your favorite dips!


This goes to Cooking for Kids:Evening Snacks, guest hosted by Divya, an event started by Sharmi of Naivedyam.

Also, it goes to Sunday Snacks:Snacks by Bread, guesthosted by Priya, an event started by Hima of SnackOrama.

Have fun,
Shri:)

Chana Chaat

Call it Chaat or a snack, this Chana dish is simple and easy to make! We call them ‘Shenagalu’ in Telugu. I have eaten this snack in Hyd where the street vendor tosses boiled chana, onions, tomatoes, coriander and lime juice in masala powder and wraps up in an old newspaper! Those of you from Hyderabad will know when I say street food @ Eat Street & Tankbund. Chana is also served as Prasadam in temples where they temper with mustard seeds and fresh grated coconut.You could make it either way..I was just in the mood for chaat!!

1 cup black chana soaked overnight for 8-12 hours
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tbsps of fresh grated coconut
1 tsp Chaat masala
Lime juice
Cilantro, garnish

Soak the chana (I have used the black type) for 8- 12 hours.
Pressure cook the chana for 2-3 whistles.
Let the cooker cool down before draining the water.
Set aside the drained chana in a mesh strainer for 15-30 min



Combine chana with onion, tomato, chaat masala and grated coconut.




Toss the ingredients with lime juice and garnish with coriander.



This goes to 'Spill the beans' hosted by Priya of Akshayapaatram.

Enjoy!
Shri

Shortbread Cookies

So, this is what my husband wanted for Father’s Day! He had store bought shortbread cookies sometime back and was craving for them, looks like And what better place to hunt for a cookie recipe than Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. This is almost a Bible to me. I have baked a lot of cookies from her book and every time they turn out to be perfect, ‘melt in the mouth’ cookies.

I just made half the recipe which yielded 11 cookies. The original recipe yields 22 cookies.

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
1 ½ sticks butter softened
4 oz Confectioner’s sugar
Pinch of salt
Granulated Sugar

Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease and line a 9x9 baking pan with a parchment paper. Sift the flour and salt. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat the mixture until it forms the consistency of cookie dough. Spread the mixture evenly and refrigerate it for about 15 mts.




Poke holes in the dough with a fork and bake it in the oven until it is golden brown. Immediately sprinkle granulated sugar and cut them into fingers. Let them cool in the pan.



These cookies taste best when eaten on the same day. You can store them in an airtight container for a week.


Note: I used a 9x9 baking pan but you can use whatever pan you have but make sure the dough when spread is atleast ½ inch thick.

This is my entry to CLICK Stacks photo event hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.
Shri