Fancy A Yoyo

Once, I went to Melbourne and I brought back a box of biscuits called Melting Moments. When I came across this recipe, it reminded me of those unforgettable biscuits. It might have been better not to have come across this recipe, but I just had to recreate that moment once more.

You'd probably be speechless after a bite of these. Honestly they are full of butter, but it's only for the moment hence it's called Melting Moment. It's also called a yoyo and the biscuit does live up to its reputation. 

Most of these were also wrapped up and stored away for the kids that my mom has to treat.

Butter melting away in your mouth. Every bite is only for a moment. 

Yoyos (or Melting Moments)
Makes 10-14

Ingredients:
biscuit
175 grams butter at room temperature
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 custard powder

cream
50 grams butter at room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons of custard powder

Directions:
biscuit...

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place baking paper on a tray.
2. Cream 175 grams of butter with 1/4 cup icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat. Sift flour and 1/4 cup custard powder into the butter mixture and mix well.
3. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place on oven tray and flatten with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

cream...

1. Meanwhile, beat remaining butter, icing sugar and custard powder together until well combined.
2. When the biscuits have cooled completely, sandwich the cream in between two biscuits.

Source of recipe: Cookies-Collectors Edition

Gingerbread Bears, Hearts and Flowers

My mom needed something to treat the children. So I happened to flip to a gingerbread men recipe, which I had all the ingredients for but no cookie cutter template of men.

What's gingerbread men without the men? Anyways these turned out like ordinary cut-out cookies but the aroma of the ginger really feels up the kitchen when it's baking.

My mom absolutely adored these little cookies, but I look forward to hearing what the children think.

Gingerbread Bears, Hearts and Flowers
Makes 12-24

Ingredients:
125 grams butter at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup golden sugar (I used honey)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add egg yolk and beat to combine.
3. Sift dry ingredients together, then stir into butter mixture with golden syrup (honey). Mix and combine until it resembles a dough, then knead gently on a floured surface until smooth.
4. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until about 3mm thick. Cut gingerbread cookies with cookie-cutters (continue rolling and cutting to make more), and then place in the oven to bake 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
5. Decorate with desired toppings or icing sugar.

Source of recipe: Cookies-Collectors Edition.

Who Ordered Brownies?

Actually my little sous baker had been requesting these for quite some time, except I never had the courage to attempt something like this. I prefer cakes, cookies, jellies, and puffy things. A brownie is like a block of chocolate, well, almost.

Since she mentioned it again today, I gave her one chance to collect all the ingredients and if she was able to find it all in the pantry, then I'd attempt it. Doesn't it look decadent (above picture)? Those white bits are actually white choc bits, making this brownie a really chocolate-sugar filled treat. It's 2cm x 4 cm x 4cm, and we made about 16 pieces though the recipe calls for 10 pieces but one little piece was enough for even the sweet-tooth sous baker.

Chocolate Brownies
Makes 10-16

75 grams butter softened
1/2 cup baking cocoa (unsweetened)
2 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup white choc bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Line a 9cm x 14cm x 3 cm (approx.) tin with baking paper.
2. Melt butter and stir in baking cocoa, allow to cool slightly. Beat in eggs. Stir in sugar and vanilla.
3. Sift flour and baking powder together. Add to mixture and stir thoroughly. Stir in white choc bits. Pour mixture into tin.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm when pressed in centre. Leave in tin to cool for 20 minutes before removing. Allow to completely cool then cut into bars.

Source of recipe: Nestle's Baking Cocoa Can

Matcha Jelly With Red Bean

The volunteer photographer of some of these photos requested this jelly order; matcha jelly with red beans and milk. So with the left over matcha powder and red bean from the last macaron bake, we searched for a recipe.

It's really something that we'd never tried before but this making turned out alright. Interesting, just interesting. Although the flavor combinations match very well, I don't think I have the acquired taste buds to enjoy matcha-made items...yet. 

The matcha jelly recipe came from here, a real Japanese dessert.
If there were a next time, condensed milk or ice cream would match perfectly with the delicate matcha jelly.

Cocoa Cookie Cut-Outs

Cool, right? Just plain and simple.

Cute little cookie cut-outs for everyone. And there's no need to worry about the little things like added nuts and too much sugar, well, maybe a little. But a treat in a while is well worth the bite in the moment.

Cocoa Cookie Cut-Outs

Makes about 20

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of all purpose flour

50g of white choc chip to decorate (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar together. Then add the flour in and mix to incorporate until it becomes one piece of dough.
3. Roll it out to about 0.5 cm thickness and cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters.
4. Decorate with white chocolate or other items (e.g m & ms, sprinkles). Note: place a piece of foil over the cookies if decorating with white chocolate as the white chocolate will become burnt.
5. Bake on a tray with baking paper for about 20 minutes.