Peanut Butter, Oats and Chocochip cookies

It’s true that love has no definition, no boundaries, no rule and not even remains the same forever. Look back in your life and you would know what I mean. As a child we loved our parents and thought there in nothing beyond their love, then came our siblings and friends. In our teens we make a picture of love of our life and how we would be when in love. When in love we evolve as well as let go a lot. We always want to be in love yet so much change around this emotion. From one dimension to other love is so dynamic. What is so amazing that I find its true for my love of baking as well (Burrrrrrhhhhhhh…..) Lol!!! I started with cakes, which lead to cupcakes and now I am more drawn to cookies now days. Every cookie I taste, see or read about just want to bake. So I came across this flourless peanut butter recipe and jumped on it.

 

Though I am not a Peanut Butter fan specially the store brought one, but started making it at home for my daughter after one of my friend told me about this super easy recipe she use to make at home. Believe me, I did not know one can make Peanut Butter at home and second it could taste far better than store brought.

 

 

As my Peanut butter was sorted it was so easy to get on to make cookies. What we are aiming is to get thick, soft and chew cookies, which will remain soft even after 3-4 days after baking but I can bet they will not last that long. The key to make chew and soft cookies is to use brown sugar. It not only give a good color but the nice chewy texture too. So please don’t compromise on it. I have used egg, if you don’t want to use leave and use a splash of milk instead.  Cooling the dough is the essential step of making this cookie so please doesn’t skip it and give at least 30 min of chilling in the fridge. 2 hours to overnight rest will be even better.

For Peanut Butter

2 Cups Peanut

1 Tbs Butter

½ Tsp Cinnamon Powder

2 Tbs Honey (Optional)

Heat a pan and melt the butter. Add peanuts and road them evenly. Add cinnamon when peanuts are light brown.

Add honey if desire. It will give nice sweetness to the peanuts and enhance the flavor of cookies. It’s important to keep stirring the mixture till it cools off completely otherwise the peanuts will get stick to the pan and will form big lumps.

So next step process the cooled peanuts in a processor till its smooth and creamy. That’s it, you have a fresh and super tasty peanut butter.

For Cookies

2/3 cup (58g) Rolled oats

1/2 tspn ground cinnamon

1 tspn baking soda

1 large egg

1 cup (250g) Peanut Butter at room temperature

6 Tbsp Brown sugar 

1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips

Mix the oats, cinnamon and baking soda together in a bowl.

 In another bowl beat the egg. Mix in the peanut butter and brown sugar with a spatula until combined. Pour in the dry ingredients and slowly mix until everything is combined. It will a thick mixture, if you use peanut butter at room temperature if will easier to combine everything.

 Fold in the chocolate chips.

Chill the cookie dough for 2 hours ideally and minimum 30 minutes. This step is a must.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line large baking sheets with  parchment paper.

 Scoop the dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheet. Place the dough in the form of mounds to get think cookie and do not press them down or spread at this point.

Bake in two to three batches depending upon your tin size, just making sure you are giving enough space for cookies.

Gently press down on the dough mounds with the back of a spoon to slightly flatten.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for soft yet crispy cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Keep them in air tight container and they will be fresh for a week. Enjoy your flourless thick and chewy cookies with coffee. Kids will love them with a glass of milk.

 

Melting moments - Some what rustic this time

I have been following Masterchef Australia for quite some years now and this has opened up mind food wise. I used to get amaze and still do by the extent food knowledge contestant and Judges have. There are many long lasting impression on me of Judges, chefs, contestant and off course recipes which inspire me everyday. One of such contestant is Julia Taylor who was the finalist of season 4. She was this super competitive reserved lady who has strived to be at top all her life. Now she was here on Masterchef where she was among best of bests.  It was initially surprising for her that there are people better than her. She struggled to find herself in elimination as she knew and believed the she was just meant to be at top. But she realized, accepted and respected the this fact the competition is really tough and there are far more talented people against her. Then what we saw was real dedication, determination and hard work from Julia. I could relate to her a lot because I have also gone through this challenge in life. She made quite a few stunning dishes in the competition but what left a big impression on me was her “Melting moments” from cookies challenge. 

Melting moments are shortbread-like cookies that rely on butter for their wonderful flavor. I got hooked to these cookie because they look very cute and a very easy to make.

I have baked this cookie I don’t know how many times because they just disappear in jiffy. I have to admit more than half I must be eating alone. This time I have introduced my twist to make them very rustic like any home baker. First, I gave it more rustic look by baking it on bit higher temperature for slightly brownish color and used creamy tangy cheese cream filling with mixed fruit jam. I saved some efforts here by using a store brought jam. Fewhh!!!  So following is my version of melting moments.

180 gm Flour

180gm Butter

60 gm Custard

60 gm Powder Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

Pre-heat the oven at 180 ºC

Line your baking tray with baking paper

Cream butter until light and fluffy

Add custard powder and mix, and then add powder sugar

Sift flour and baking powder together and then add to the dough

Mix until a soft dough come together

Make small balls from the dough and place on baking sheet

Use a fork and press lightly on the dough balls to create impression

Bake for 10-12 mins until golden. For bit more brownish color, I cranked the temperature to 210 and baked for anothe2-3 mins

Let them cool and then remove from the tin

Cream Cheese Frosting 

½ Cup of Cream Cheese, Softened, at room temperature

 ¼ Cup Butter, Softened, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powder sugar

2 cups powder sugar

3 Tbs of Mixed fruit Jam

Beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy

Add in the vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds

Now start adding the powder sugar 1 cup at a time and beating in between each addition

You can make this frosting before and refrigerate. At the time of usages can give it a whisk and pipe

Before starting assembling of cookie gently warm the jam in small pan

To assemble the cookie, pip cream cheese on the flatter side of cookie and then smear a small spoon of jam over the cheese. Finally top it with another cookie, flatter side facing the filling to make the sandwich

And now enjoy!! Crunchy, creamy, tangy, fruity bits all at the same time will just melt in your mouth

I, thank Julia every time I make these

Easy and Fun Baking - Ginger Cookies

Winter continues to play hide and seek. Yesterday’s bright and sunny day has given way to gray clouds again. The cold wind has again forced me take out my pullover this morning. These very rare days of slight cold make me nostalgic about winters of back home.

Having a cup of tea with freshly baked ginger cookies make a winter evening more enjoyable. You must be wondering, why every time I just think of having tea. LOL!! I love tea and everything which makes a cup of tea special. My love for tea has fetched me the title of “Miss Tea Pot”.  

Baking cookies sounds like a very tough job. Take my words, it’s not as difficult as it might seems.  I am sharing one of very simple recipe of make amazing cookies.

1 ¾  Cup Plain Flour

1 tps Baking Powder

2 tps Ground Cinnamon

1 ½ tps Ground Cloves

 ½ tps Ground nutmeg

 ½ tps Ground Ginger

¼ tps Salt

1 ½ Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Chopped Candied Ginger

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

3 eggs (Can use 1 cup of melted butter if you don’t want to use egg. )

Line a baking dish with butter/ baking paper and sprinkle very small amount of flour evenly

Pre-heat the oven at 180 ºC

Mix all the dry ingredients in one large bowl

Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl

Mix both by adding small amount of wet mixture at a time in dry mixture.

(If using butter beat butter and sugar together lightly and then add all the dry ingredients. Mix well till the dough come together)

Prepare soft dough.

Roll out small size boll of dough and flatten to make coin medium size discs.

Bake for 20 minute at 220 ºC till golden brown . Cool on wire rack.

And that’s it!!!  You are done.

 Your Ginger Cookies are ready to enjoy. This recipe is so easy, try making these with your kids, it will be so much fun.

Ginger and spices together infuse such warm sensation on the plate that anyone can’t stop going for one bit after another. So make sure you make plenty.