Almond sugar pastry cookies

When this blog was a little left behind and there was no new recipe post due to my busyness with my two latest posts on reviewing one restaurant and one bakery, and after everything is done, I feel like I need a break just to catch my breath. The reason why I posted two resto review posts in a very short time was because I was fortunate enough to be chosen by BBlog as one of food blogger to join with other bloggers to do the review and get paid for it :) Yes, I was so lucky !

Chocolate to try : Chocolate crinkle cookies

Eid is approaching ! It also means long holiday is coming. Only in few days all Moslem across the globe will be having their winning celebration. Yes, it is a celebration that marks the end of the holy month Ramadhan. A moment full of forgiveness, togetherness and happiness. After a month of fasting, we experience hunger and thirst and bring us closer to Allah. Now let me wish you "May your life be filled with peace and happiness. Have a joyous celebration and showers of Allah's blessings. Aamiin"

In this long religious Eid al Fitr holiday , we usually visit our closest relatives and neighbors to wish and greet them Eid Mubarak. It's a tradition that after Ramadan ends, every family will serve special meals for the entire family member and their guests. Traditional menus like ketupat (rice cook in coconut leaves wrapper), sayur lodeh (Betawinese vegetable in coconut milk soup), opor ayam (chicken braised in coconut milk) , sambal goreng ati (spicy chicken liver), semur (Betawinese beef stew), setup kolang-kaling (palm sugar fruit compote) can be easily found during Eid. Thankfully that my family and my husband's family always serve different kind of dishes. My mom usually cook Betawinese style ketupat sayur with opor and semur which are amazingly delicious and the best ones ever. While my mother-in-law cook Soto Surabaya (Surabaya style flavorful chicken soup).

Although I don't cook special dishes for Eid but I definitely bake some cookies. It's because I'll be at my mom's house or my mother-in-law's during Eid. Beside mom will also gives me some of the dishes for me to take home and that would be more than enough for the three of us (me, hubby and son). One of the intriguing cookie I wanted to make was Chocolate crinkle cookies. I called it "The ugly beauty". There are cracks everywhere but those what make these cookies look pretty. And I fell hard for its shape, cracks and taste.

I got the recipe from here and did some adjustments according to my liking. I'll leave you with the story and photos of the cookies for now, I'll be back with the recipe by the end of the day. Here's what I've done so far with the recipe and you may check it out below. 

Enjoy....

Brownie Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting and my first GIVEAWAY

What motivated you to start your blog ?

I started to write my first post on this blog about two years ago. The main reason why I made it was for my food photography. I wanted to submit my food photos to DMBLGiT, an international monthly food photo contest. One of the rules says that I must have a blog where the photos were posted. So, it all began with a simple post and photos. :)

For the last 2 years I've been keeping my works, passion and love through words and photos. From preparing all ingredients, cooking, food styling, photographing, editing and finally I write a post on my blog and share it with you. I enjoy every steps though. But I never say it was easy, writing a post is not easy for me. Now, this blog has become my second home. I keep it neat and clean.

As I promised you on my post on December 2011, I'm celebrating my 2nd blog anniversary. Before you go to the details, please enjoy Donna Hay's Brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting. I did some adjusting in the recipe (I reduced the sugar) and made it not too sweet for my tooth. :D I also stored the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. It tastes much much better !!

Brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting

Ingredients :

Brownie cookies :
- 175 gr dark chocolate, chopped
- 20 gr butter
- 1 eggs
- 50 gr caster (superfine) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 13 gr plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

Peanut butter frosting :
- 60 gr icing (confectioner’s) sugar mixture
- 140 gr smooth peanut butter
- 40 gr butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 40 ml single (pouring) cream

How to :

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Cookies : Place the chocolate and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.

3. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Stir through the flour, baking powder and chocolate mixture and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

4. Spoon tablespoonfuls of the mixture at a time, onto baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on trays. 

5. Peanut butter frosting : place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 6  minutes or until light and fluffy.

6. Add the cream and beat for a further 2 minutes. 

7. Spread half the cookies with the peanut butter frosting and sandwich with the remaining cookies.

SECOND BLOG ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY **CLOSED !!

To show my gratitude on my 2nd blog anniversary this year, I'm hosting a BLOG ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY ! A set of porcelain white bowl with a wooden tray as the prize. Looks perfect for your food photography props or you could use it daily on your dining table.

A set of porcelain white bowl with wooden tray

How to enter :

1. Write about "The reason why you started blogging" on your post and mention about this event (and link back to this post). 

2. Leave a comment in this post telling me you have done so, including the link of your post. (can be written in English or Bahasa Indonesia).

Terms and conditions :

1. This giveaway is open internationally.

2. Only one comment per person. (only comment with URL of your post will be counted)

3. This giveaway will run until January 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM. I will announce the winner on February 2, 2012.
4. The winner will randomly  be chosen.

Good luck everyone !

Lemon and Pistachio Biscotti

Hi guys....new look on my blog. I did some changes here and there. I added horizontal menus, change the background, header, I also added link of beautiful blogs from wonderful and talented people around the world. I will continue to update the link if I find out new ones. So, welcome and hope you enjoy your ride here. And I hope you like my new blog appearance  as much as I do :)

Do you see the picture above ? It has reached more than 300 viewers and more than 30 favorites on my Flickr in less than a week since the first time I uploaded it. I didn't expect that some of the viewers love this photo. And some of my friends love the colander :D (sssttt...I bought it on ACE Hardware).

Frankly speaking, I was looking for an idea with the pistachio. Right after this photo being uploaded, Aisha Yusaf (my dear Flickr friend) offered me the recipe of biscotti. What a nice coincidence :D The following week, I insisted to make it. I want to serve this for tea time on the weekend. But good intention is not always enough.

My handmixer suddenly stopped working while I was beating the butter and sugar. Oh nooo....I just started ! Maybe this is one of  a cook's nightmare. But finally I could managed everything back on track (you don't want to know what I have used to mix the mixture :D and I won't tell you either, hahaha...shame on me !)

But my nightmare was not over yet ! I set the oven temperature too high and also forgot to line the baking tray with parchment paper. Bad..bad..bad... !! So you can see, my burnt biscottis. It tastes good though :p (Aisha ... I promise to make it again and I'll make it in a good and pretty shape ! Promise).

I should tell you, "No, those aren't potato wedges !"

Lemon and Pistachio Biscotti
(a recipe from Aisha, written as what she wrote to me)

Ingredients :
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shelled pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped

For the icing:
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice

How to :

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. (The dough will be soft.)
5. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half.
6. Lightly flour each piece and shape it into a log about 1 1/2" in diameter and 9" long. Place the logs about 3" apart on the baking tray.
7. Press each log down to make it about 3/4" thick and 3" wide.
8. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven until puffed and lightly browned on top, about 25-30 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the tray.
10. Carefully slide the logs onto a work surface. Using a long, sharp knife, cut each log crosswise into 3/4" thick slices. (Make each cut with a single swipe of the blade. Don't use a sawing motion, which will break the biscuits.)
11. Place the slices cut side down on the baking sheet (can be touching to fit them all on the sheet).
12. Bake on the middle shelf for about 8 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven, turn the biscuits over and bake for another 8 minutes till golden. (Keep an eye on them, you don't want them to burn.)
14. Immediately transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing:
1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat until smooth. Beat in additional drops of lemon juice if necessary to make an icing that will coat the biscotti lightly.
2. Dip one whole side of the biscotti in the icing (you just want one side dipped in the icing not both.)
3. Place on a wire rack icing facing up until the icing sets.
4. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy....

Jamie Oliver's Chocolate biscuits

Blogwalking to Jamie Oliver's web and I found this Chocolate biscuits with soft chocolate centres recipe. He's such a talented man ! I want to try every chocolate recipes he has on his personal web.

I modified the shape of the biscuits since I don't have cookie cutter. Never mind about the shape, I believe the taste of the biscuits is as good as Jamie's :D (same recipe, remember ?) The chocolate milk inside the biscuits give you the different texture, chewy and crunchy at the same time. You could keep the biscuits in the fridge to make the biscuits stay crunchy.

Don't forget, I'm the host of DMBLGiT July Edition ! The event is still open until July 20, 2011. I'll be here waiting for your beautiful food/drink photos. Have you send yours yet ?

Ingredients :

- 140g/5oz butter

- 140g/5oz caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks

- 255g/9oz self-raising flour
- 30g/1oz cocoa powder

- 30 squares of chocolate (milk, white or plain)

How to :

1. Grease a large baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 190ºC
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Beat in the egg yolks, then add the flour and cocoa powder to make a dough. Turn out and knead, then pop it into the fridge for a while.
3. Take the dough and shape into balls each about 25 gr.
4. Roll the ball dough and put a square of chocolate in the middle – make sure you use all the chocolate however many you do. Shape it into ball again.
5. Cook in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, and eat them hot or cold.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan :

- 140 gr mentega

- 140 gr gula kastor
- 2 kuning telur

- 255 gr self-raising flour
- 30 gr cocoa powder

- 30 potongan kecil coklat (milk, white atau plain)

Cara :

1. Oles loyang dengan margarin. Lalu panaskan oven dengan suhu 190ºC
2. Kocok mentega dan gula sampai mengembang. Masukkan kuning telur, kosok rata. Lalu masukkan tepung terigu dan bubuk coklat sambil diayak. Matikan mixer dan campur dengan menggunakan tangan. Sampai membentuk adonan yang tidak lengket di tangan. Setelah itu masukkan kulkas.
3. Setelah beberapa saat, bulatkan adonan kira-kira seberat 25 gr masing-masing.
4. Tipiskan adonan, isi dengan coklat  yang sudah dipotong kecil-kecil (coklat bisa dicampur. Lalu bulatkan kembali.
5. Panggang selama 10 menit. Angkat dan dinginkan.

Enjoy....

Chocolate-covered Oreo cookies with colorful sprinkle

Oreo rocks....!!! Hahaha ..... keep Oreo sandwich biscuits in your house and you could make some simple recipes from it. Oreo smoothies, Oreo cheesy cream and also chocolate-covered Oreo. Magic, how I can managed 3 boys in the same room and make this recipe together. Oreo is my savior.

I had posted this recipe few months ago, it's still the same recipe with the old one. The difference is only by sprinkling the colorful sprinkle on top of these cookies. The kids were so happy with the sprinkle, though the sprinkle has no specific taste at all.

I didn't scaling or weighting in this recipe. As I mentioned before in one of my post, that I wasn't born to cook. Me and baking are almost like enemies :D. Maybe because I hate scaling and weighting ingredients, and (hate to admit it) sometimes I don't read the step by step carefully. So, it happens a lot I ended up with failure :D. Now, food photography is become my biggest passion. Don't get it wrong when I take pictures of bought food.

What you need for this recipe are (of course) Oreo cookies, dark chocolate, white chocolate and sprinkle. Easy, right ?

How to :
1. In a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, put in the dark cooking chocolate and white chocolate. Stir until melted, remove from heat.
2. Using two forks, dip Oreos (a couple at a time, depending on the size of your bowl) in the melted chocolate and coat both sides. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. (Decorate top of cookie with colorful sprinkles or crushed candy canes, if you like)
3. Let set in refrigerate for about 45 minutes to an hour.


Enjoy.....

Chocolate covered Oreo

A very simple recipe, especially when you're not in the mood to bake a cake but you want to eat something sweet but simple and easy to make. I had a really good story to go along with this little recipe. A cup of left-over dark cooking chocolate, that I left behind for a day after my food photography project "When Strawberry met Chocolate". I didn't know what should I do with the chocolate. Then an idea popped out just like that "why don't you make chocolate covered biscuits".

So, here is the recipe of Chocolate covered Oreo Cookies

Ingredients :
- Oreo Cookies
- Dark cooking chocolate

How to :
1. In a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, put in the dark cooking chocolate. Stir until melted, remove from heat.
2. Using two forks, dip Oreos (a couple at a time, depending on the size of your bowl) in the melted chocolate and coat both sides. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. (Decorate top of cookie with sprinkles or crushed candy canes, if you like)
3. Let set in refrigerate for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Easy, isn't it ? And your kids will love it if you make these cookies to joy them.
Have fun and enjoy....