Can't Get Enough Of Cookies On Sticks

My aunty gave me a recipe for soft chewing chocolate chocolate cookie which I just had to try. I hope I did justice to the recipe.

I ended up making double the batter because of two farewell occasions. Some for work colleagues and some for the children in the school that I am volunteering in. So I made some pretty and decorated, and some classic homestyle-looking cookies. 

These cookies just make you speechless after the first bite. It's so soft and slightly chewy, and it just crumbles    then melts in your mouth. Delightful and delicious.

Soft Chew Chocolate Cookies

Makes 36-40

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoon coco power
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
•    Or semisweet white chocolate chips
•    Or 1 cup each of semisweet chocolate chip and semisweet white chocolate chips
•    Or 2/3 cup each of both chocolates with 2/3 cup mini size marshmallow .

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda ,coco power and salt set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches ( 7 cm ) apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

My Aunty's baking tips on this recipe :)

1. I will set alarm of baking time to 13 minutes, and check on back of the cookie if light brown yet and also cookie edges if lightly toast or burn . So, you have chance not to over bake it. If edges of cookie is burn, better take it out.  Cookie always taste good even under cook, but when it over bake and burn then that sucks. 

2. Don't press cookie flat this time , because due to the baking, it will go flat itself and keep moisture inside them.

Happy baking my dear!!! Chocolate cookie always go well with cold milk in summer!!!

Coffee At C15

There was a nice atmosphere about this place and it was just another nice place to chill nearby home. When the day winds down, it's nice to be able to "talk" and enjoy a cup of coffee or dessert with someone special.

Still, I always order the strangely mint-flavored items. This was my cup of ice chai mint latte. A treat from my cousin.

This was her cup of latte. I thought the cup seemed quite elegant and interesting.

While enjoying our coffees, we "talked" and observed our surroundings. It seems they serve relatively large proportions for the main meals. One day we might go back and try it.

The ceiling was even nice to stare into.

If you ever feel like chilling over a cup of coffee or breakfast, come down here.

焦げパフ(kogepafu): Burnt Puff

The first time I ate a cookie coated puff was in Melbourne. I never had anything like it. I remember that day me and my friend were strolling past the shopping centre to catch the bus and then we passed by the puffy store. In the spur of the moment, it caught my eye and then I had one in my hand. Thanks to my friend and tour guide, I was able to try this little sweet treat. 

The other day I came across a recipe on my friend's blog, Tray, and her creations almost resembled that cookie coated puff. I have been saving it up for a long time, hoping to recreate that little sweet treat I had with my friend that day. But to my dismay, it's not quite the same as that sweet moment. Yet in its own way, my little puff creations were special too.

Sadly they got left in the oven a little too long. Thus they became burnt puffs. That was why there was a slight burnt smell waffling in the kitchen at the time, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. 

It reminds me of the story of Kogepan, the burnt red bean bread man, a Japanese animated character.

The poor little red bean bread accidentally fell off the tray after finishing baking and got cooked some more, until its skin was no longer a golden color and it smelt awful. But not to worry.. about half the tray of cookie coated cream puffs were burnt so they kept each other company. On the other hand, Kogepan was alone and nobody bought it. Other red bean buns mocked it and even its baker did not pay attention to it. Kogepan's only dream was to become a delicious red bean bun.

Anyways enough of that story, but if you'd like to read on then you can visit here. All the cookie coated cream puffs here were treated with care and eaten with love. Afterall, what's not to love about a little sweet treat despite the slight discoloration and smell.

Ahhh...open wide and enjoy!

Cookie Topped Choux Puffs
Makes 10-12

cookie dough
25 grams plain flour
25 grams unsalted butter
25 grams caster sugar

choux puff
30g all purpose flour
30g cake flour
40g unsalted butter
100ml water
5g castor sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs (100g)

vanilla custard cream
(Note: this is my own recipe, as I didn't have any vanilla pods in the pantry)
1 cup of fresh milk
1/2 cup of thickened cream
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of plain flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Directions:
cookie dough...

1. Place the butter in a bowl and use a spoon to mash until slightly softened.
2. Add in the sugar and mix to combine.
3. Add the flour and use a spatula to mix till combined. Wrap with cling wrap and roll into a mini cylinder. Place in the freezer to chill for at least half an hour.

choux puff...

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place water, butter, sugar, salt in saucepan.Heat the mixture till the butter melts and boils. Remove from heat, add the flour into the saucepan. Using a heatproof spatula, stir the mixture quickly to mix.
3. Place the saucepan back over medium heat. Stir constantly with the spatula while letting the moisture from the mixture evaporate. The dough should become less watery and be stickier. When a thin layer of skin forms on the base of the saucepan, remove saucepan from heat.
4. Dump the dough into a mixing bowl, and while the dough is still warm, add in the eggs one at a time. Using the spatula, stir the mixture quickly to mix in the egg. When the mixture is smooth, add in remaining egg bit by bit (you might not need all of it) and repeat quick stirring motions until the eggs are fully mixed in and mixture appears smooth.
5. Transfer the dough to a piping bag (I used a zip lock bag and snipped the tip off). Line a tray with baking paper. Pipe swirls of the dough onto the tray. You should end up with approximately 10 puffs.
6. Remove the cookie dough from the freezer, slice into ten (or more) pieces and place on top of the piped puffs. Press down slightly and ensure that the cookie rounds are in the center of the puffs (if not you'll end up with lopsided cookie tops!).
7. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Cool before filling with desired fillings.

vanilla custard cream...

1. Place milk and cream in a bowl and turn the heat on low.
2. In another bowl whisk the sugar and egg together until the sugar dissolves. Then add the flour and whisk until the mixture turns slighty pale in color.
3. When the egg mixture is ready, turn the milk mixture on high heat and pour the egg mixture in while stirring. Turn the heat on medium and stir until the mixture thickens slightly (about 3-5 minutes). Adjust the temperature lower if mixture begins to burn slightly.
4. Stir in vanilla essence. Serve warm or chill. Whisk the mix after chilling mixture before serving.

Recipe source of cookie dough and choux puff: Foodagraphy. By Chelle. 

Make, Bake, Have Some Cake In A Cup

Not the prettiest layered cheesecake, but it tasted alright. You see, I've always wanted to try making an evenly layered cake. Every time I go pass a store that sells cakes, their little goodies makes me admire the precision and beauty in the making of layered bakes. Yes, I'm one of those girls who like to stop and stare for a while at any decorated cake or dessert (but never have the time to sit and enjoy it with someone, yet occasionally I do get the chance and that's enough for me).

I was hoping to make a layered strawberry jelly cheesecake but it turned out uneven, and I felt that there was a little too much jelly. The bottom layer is a butter cookie crumble layer, followed by a berry cream cheese layer, a thin layer of pure strawberry jelly, and then a strawberry jelly mousse topped off with some blueberries and jam-butter-cream-cheese-cream swirls. But I am sure people enjoyed it anyways as I didn't see the last of the 20 cups when I entered the dining hall for lunch (well, 19 to be honest as my sister ate one the night before). Dessert first is best, occasionally (;

Berry Jelly Cheesecake In A Cup
Makes 10

base
1/4 cup of butter softened
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of plain flour

cream cheese layer
250 grams of cream cheese
50 grams of caster sugar (optional)
1 cup berry-flavored yogurt
1 teaspoon of gelatin powder
40 ml boiling water

jelly
1 packet of strawberry jelly
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of cold water

jelly mouse
1 packet of strawberries and cream jelly
3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup of whole milk (ratio of milk to water are rough estimates, I used half milk and half water but can be adjusted for a creamier or lighter taste)
1 punnet of sliced strawberries

Directions:
base...

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together and then fold in the flour until the mixture becomes consistent and dough-like.
3. Divide the mixture into rough cookie shapes and place onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. 
4. While warm, crush the cookies until they resemble fine crumbs and press into cup or mold.
5. Chill this while making the cream cheese.

cream cheese layer...

1. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and yogurt together.
2. Dissolve the gelatin in the water and then add into the cream cheese mixture.
3. Divide mixture between the cups or mold.
4. Chill for at least 4 hours.

jelly...

1. Pour a cup of hot boiling water into a bowl and stir through the jelly crystals. Set aside to cool.
2. Then add the cold water. Chill for at least 4 hours.

jelly mousse..

1. Pour a cup of hot boiling water into a bowl and stir through the jelly crystals. Set aside to cool.
2. Then add the milk and stir in strawberries.
3. Add to the cups or mold. Chill for at least 4 hours.
4. Garnish the top of the cup with more berries or cream.

Note: I would have swapped the jelly layer with the jelly mousse as milk, strawberries and jelly don't seem to mesh together too well to give a pretty look.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake

When my cousin sister requested something "chocolate-y" and "cheesecake-y", I just had to put this decadent chocolate cheesecake together. I've never tried piping and decorating a cake before (I usually spoon a spoonful of cream or something and then use a toothpick to make swirls), so I was really playing with the elements I had before placing them on the cake.

It kind of looks like the macarons around the cake are half sunk into the cake, doesn't it? 

Anyways the cheesecake was a hit; creamy chocolate cheese filling, a little chocolate hit from the chocolate button, chewy chocolate macaron, and crunchy with the chocolate biscuit base . Note: best not eaten after a heavy meal (e.g. KFC or any other fast food for that matter...because we did and everyone didn't look so good afterwards). 

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
base
125 grams of chocolate biscuits (I made my own the previous day creaming together a 1/2 cup of butter softened with 1/4 cup brown sugar, then added 1 cup all purpose flour and mixed. I spooned the mix onto baking paper into about 12 proportions and baked it for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celius)
60 grams of melted butter


filling
250 grams of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks (I think this can be omitted)
1 cup cream, whipped
125 grams milk chocolate

Directions:

1. Prepare the base first by mixing the biscuit crumbs (crush the biscuits beforehand) with the butter and then press this into a 20cm diameter spring form cake pan (or prepare a cake tin by lining with baking paper). Refrigerate this.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
3. Beat cream cheese until smooth then beat in the brown sugar. Add lightly beaten egg yolks and melted chocolate and mix well. Then gently fold in whipped cream.
4. Pour over the biscuit base now in the cake pan. Then smooth the surface. Add any decorations or other elements as desired. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.