Peanut Cookies

In another two more weeks we will be welcoming the "Monkey" for the coming Chinese New Year.  I am sure those who are celebrating the Chinese New Year, will be busying themselves baking all sorts of cookies.

And my first bake for the CNY cookies is Peanut Cookies.  Though it is quite laborious to make this, I guess it is worth it.  So fragrant and nutty flavour!  

PEANUT COOKIES
Recipe sourced from Food-4Tots 

Ingredients 
300g raw peanuts
250g plain flour
130g icing sugar
135ml peanut cooking oil
15g butter (softened – optional)
Pinch of salt 

Egg Wash 
1 egg yolk (from 1 large size egg; lightly beaten and diluted with 1 tsp milk 


Preparing the peanuts 

Rinse the raw peanuts and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Dry fry the raw peanuts in a big wok or frying pan under medium heat; stir frying from time to time till golden brown.
Remove and set to cool before removing the skin.
Grind the  peanuts till fine or  superfine (to your preference) in a food processor. 


Making the peanut cookies 

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, icing sugar and salt together.  Add in to the ground peanut and mix it up all together with a hand whisk.
Add in the butter (if you are using it) and slowly pour in the peanut oil till a smooth dough is formed.  (you may have to add extra oil in in order to combine a smooth dough).

Take a small dough weighing about 8g and roll into round size.  Flatten it slightly with your palm.  Repeat till all dough has finished.
Using your clean ballpen cap, lightly press it to the centre top to imprint a design.

Brush the cookies with egg glaze.
Bake the cookies at pre-heated oven 160Celcius for 15-20 minutes.
Cool before store in an air tight container.

I grind my peanuts till superfine to get into a melt in the mouth texture. 

Gingernuts Cookies

I have a few cookies recipes which I've bookmarked using Ginger thinking to be baked during Christmas time but every year, I always miss out baking those bookmarked recipes.  

When Hui of Waltzing Butterflies posted her Gingernut cookies recently, and looking at the simple ingredients and steps to prepare, and in no time wasted, I made mine today.

GINGERNUTS COOKIES
makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

105g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
40g brown sugar
50g unsalted butter, cold, diced
1 tbsp + 2 tsp golden syrup

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and ground ginger together in a mixing bowl. Add in the brown sugar till combined.

Mix in the diced butter into the dry ingredients till crumbly.

Add in the golden syrup into the mixture and mix till become stiff paste.  

Divide into 16 pcs and roll into balls  Place them onto the baking sheet and flatten the balls slightly.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or till cookies turn golden brown and cracked.

Original recipe from Delia Online

If you love ginger, you will definitely love this Ginger Cookies!

Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies)

I made this Kuih Bangkit just last week ~ thinking it was easy and bravely doubled up the recipe in two batches in a row eventhough it was my first attempt making it.  It was indeed a wrong move and making it hastily without reading the recipe carefully.  I didn't cream the egg yolk and icing sugar till creamy resulting the dough was little more yellowish in colour.  And there was other factor that I did wrong too.  Sigh... BUT....nevertheless, those cookies were delicious and full of aroma taste.

As I am not pleased with the first attempt, I am adamant to try it out again.  And indeed, I done it!!  More than happy now.....

Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies)

Recipe sourced from Sonia of NasiLemakLover 

(I made 1 ½ recipe from her original recipe) 

Ingredients
190g tapioca flour
190g sago flour
6-8 screwpine (pandan) leaves, cut into small pieces

2 medium size egg yolk
130g icing sugar
125ml - 140ml concentrated coconut milk (or adjust accordingly) -

   use freshly squeeze coconut milk
A pinch of salt
Red food colouring (for decoration)
 

Directions

Combine the tapioca flour and sago flour together.  Dry fry the flours with the screwpine leaves in a big wok till very light (at least about 30 - 40 mins).

(My weight of flour after frying and sieve about 330g)

Cool flour for at least 2-3 days before used.
 

Whisk egg yolk and icing sugar until creamy and slightly pale, and half coconut milk, whisk till combine.

In a mixing bowl, sift in tapioca+sago flour, add in egg mixture.
 

Slowly add in(little by little)the balance coconut milk into mixture, mixing by hand till mixture clings together to form a stiff dough, smooth and pliable (neither too wet nor dry).  

Make sure to give it a good knead for at least 5-10 minutes.

Dust a Bangkit mould with extra flour, press dough gently into mould. Trim excess dough. Tap gently on hard surface to remove dough. Repeat.

Bake in preheated oven at 160c for 25mins.

  

Note:  

*  If your dough is too wet, you will have a hard time removing it from the mould eventhough you dust your mould with flour.  So adjust accordingly when adding the balance of the coconut milk.

*  My first tray of cookies, I baked in 150C, and all the cookies have cracked top and browish but very crispy and aroma taste.  Whereas my second tray of cookies, I lower the oven temp to 100C only to slow baked it to prevent from cracking top though it wont have crispy crunch; but I just love how the shell shape look in the end result.

Ha....I took these cookies to the seaside to take photo..... Do you believe me? nah... just pulling your leg....

                                       
                                       

I'm submitting this post to the Bake Along event hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Lena of Frozen Wings 

and the theme is 'Chinese New Year Cookies'.

Kumquat Almond Pie Cookies

Aaah.....has the title of this post the word "Kumquat"  makes you recall Mel being the Kumquat lover?  Kumquat is available now at Tesco!!  I bought it at RM3.70 per pack.....isn't it a bargain?

I have been eyeing to bake this recipe for quite awhile......at first I was thinking of using pineapple as filling....and everyday I've been looking, and looking at this recipe but lazy bug was inside me and wasn't even feeling wanted to lift up my legs to stand long hours in the kitchen.    But at last, it was the kumquat makes me do it!  

Kumquat Almond Pie Cookies

Recipe inspired from Sweet Explorations

Ingredients

226g butter, room temperature

160g sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups (I used 420g) plain flour

Filling

½ cup Kumquat Jam *

(puree the sweetened kumquat with 2 tbsp almond meal)

 

Method

In a bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed till soft and fluffy.  Add in egg and vanilla extract.  Add in all the flour on low speed till dough comes together.

Divide the dough equally into 2 and wrap each dough in between plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180Celcius.

Roll out dough and using your cookie cutter, cut out round or square shape to your likings (I used a 3" round cutter).  Sandwich in between with 2 tsp Kumquat Almond Jam and light press to seal the edges.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or lightly brown at edges.

* To make the Kumquat Jam

20 kumquats
Sugar
Water

Weigh kumquats and prepare half amount of water (in weight) and half amount of sugar (ratio: 2:1:1, kumquat:water:sugar, eg : 200gm:100gm:100gm)

Slice half kumquats and remove seeds. Put cleaned kumquats, sugar and water into a saucepan and cook (on medium heat) until the kumquat looks glossy and soft. 

My cookies didn't do that good compare to Francois of SweetExplorations, as the top was not smooth looking compare to his!  BUT.....nevertheless it was good in taste the cookies!  I wasn't really happy the result of my cookies and was not prepare to post to share it out but the yummylicious make me do it!

                                                                          YUM!

"Almost" Famous Amos Chocolate Chips Cookies

Hi everyone, how have you all been doing?  I'm sorry for not updating my blog for so long...... I have been lazy to sit in front of the computer to do posting eventhough I have been busy cooking and baking yummy good food for my family here in Auckland.

Lately it has been raining almost everyday here; and instead I just stay at home reading and browsing cookbooks.

Today post is Chocolate Chips Cookies.  I have wanted to bake this back at home this "Almost" Famous Amos Chocolate Chips Cookies for so long but I was afraid that I couldn't finish this cookies all by myself as I am not a big fan of chocolate chips cookies.  So since I am here and my niece is always pestering for chocolate chips cookies, so I grab this opportunities to make it for her.

I wanted to make half of the recipe and I am glad I didn't.  This chocolate chips cookies are SO GOOD and crunchy.  I LOVE IT and in fact I can say I am in love this chocolate cookies!  I am going to make this again and again........

"Almost" Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe sourced & adapted from BisousAtoi 

Ingredients
250g salted butter, softened
200g light brown sugar  (I only used 150g and I still find a little too sweet)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coffee oil (this is the one that gives the cookie its distinctive fragrance)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup oats, processed to bits in a chopper
1/4 cup ground almond
1/2 cup of your favourite nuts, chopped finely (optional, here I used walnuts)
1 pack of Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (I used abt 250g)
300g self-raising flour 

Method
At least 2 hours or the night before, beat egg with vanilla & coffee oil to infuse. If done the night before, refrigerate & then bring it to room temperature before mixing. 

Preheat oven to 160C. 

Beat butter, sugar & salt to combine. Beat in egg and stir in the processed oats, ground almond, chopped nuts (if used) and the chocolate chips / chunks. Sift flour and fold it in. 

For small cookies, place half tsp dough, spaced slightly apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. For large cookies, place rounded tbsp of the dough spaced apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. (I placed 10g dough for each cookie & baked for about 20 minutes.) 

Cool completely before serving.  To allow the flavour and fragrance to develop further, store cookies in an airtight container overnight before serving.

   

I've asked my niece how she like the cookies?  And her reply is......."SO YUMMY and DELICIOUS!"

So crunchy....... and I have become a chocolate chips cookies addict now!  

PINEAPPLE ROLLS

The past weeks I had wanted to bake this pineapple tarts or pineapple rolls or whatever you wanted to call it.... I was in thinking should I buy the ready made store bought pineapple filling or should I go ahead to make my own.  Well, the store bought definitely is very sweet and this is why I hesitate to buy it.

Well in the end, when Sonia  posted her best melt in the mouth pineapple tarts, it just make me wanted to make it too .... Moreover, oh...shy to say ..... the Kumquat Nastar Rolls which I made earlier, I almost finished munching away....
  

PINEAPPLE ROLLS 
Recipe sourced from Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Ingredients

350g butter
100g condensed milk
510g plain flour / all purpose flour
2 egg yolks

1 egg yolk +1tsp milk, for egg wash

700g Pineapple filling (homemade or store-bought)

Method
1. Cream butter and condensed milk till light.
2. Add in egg yolk one at a time, and beat until combine.
3. Mix in flour, mix till become a soft and not sticky dough.
4. Roll pineapple filling into ball (8g each) and roll dough into ball (10g each).
5. Flatten a piece of dough and place a piece of the roll pineapple filling in the middle. Bring the
    edges of the dough together and press lightly to seal. Roll it in between your palms to shape it 
    into a roll.
6. Cut few lines on the pineapple balls to create pineapple pattern, apply egg wash with a brush.

OR 
    Put dough into a Nastar mould and press out into strips about 5-6cm long.  Place pineapple 
    filling on the edge of a strip and make a small elongated roll 

7. Bake in preheated oven at 165C (fan forced) for 23mins or till golden brown.
8. Cool on wire racks before storing. 

For Homemade pineapple filling

1.5kg pineapple flesh (from ripe pineapple but not over ripe) , process finely in a food processor

(do not add water)
250g coarse sugar (adjust accordingly)

Method
1. Cook pineapple flesh together with the juices in a wok over medium low heat until water

    reduced, stir from time to time.
2. Add in sugar and cook over low heat till thick, stir from time to time, takes about 1 hour.

Initially I wanted to make the same like Sonia's the (enclosed version) but I had a hard time folding the pineapple filling into the dough and end up the rest of the pineapple in nastar rolls instead.

I love this pineapple tarts or pineapple rolls ..  yummy and delicious!

I am glad I make my own pineapple filling because I can adjust the sugar to my preference.

                  I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by
                                                     Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover


Thank you Sonia ....this is very yummy!

This post is also link to the event Little Thumbs Up organised by

 Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY.

SUJI / GHEE COOKIES

I thought I won't be baking anymore cookies for the CNY but I still have some ghee left and thought of finished it off.

I have browsed through the "New Year Cookies cookbook" and this Suji/Ghee Cookies was highly recommended by the Editor's Choice so I guess this must be good.  
My previous Almond Cookies was  from this same recipe book and was also highly recommended by the Editor's Choice.

Yes, indeed this Suji/Ghee cookies is yummy because of the added ground almond.  

SUJI / GHEE COOKIES

Recipe sourced from “New Year Cookies” Cookbook by Alan Ooi 

Ingredients

A

80g icing sugar

¼ tsp salt

160g plain flour

50g almond flour

B

110g ghee/clarified butter

For Glazing:

1 egg yolk (beaten)

For Decoration

Some red or greed candied sprinkles (I don’t have this so I just dot with red colour and some red chocolate rice)

Method

Combine ingredients A in a mixing bowl.  Add in ingredient B and mix to a soft dough.

Cover with a piece of clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.  Rest dough for 4 hours.

Pinch a small piece of dough and roll into rounds, OR roll dough out on floured surface and cut out designs with cookie cutters.

Arrange on greased or lined baking tray.  Glaze cookies and top with coloured sprinkles

Bake at preheated oven at 170C for 15 minutes until lightly browned.
Cool well.

Well, if you still want to bake more cookies for the CNY, this Suji/Ghee Cookies is quite good as it was recommended by the Editor's Choice of that Y3K Cookbooks - New Year Cookies cookbook.  

And also this cookies is good for the elderly who has biting problems (hee...hee...) as this is soft and melt in the mouth!

  I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by

 Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

 

BARAZEK (Pistachio & Sesame Seeds Cookies)

I loves to eat cookies that have a crunch and crispy...... because I like munching and munching!

When Wendy of Table for 2 ....or more posted her Barazek (well, I have not heard of what is Barazek before) and after looking at the pic, I guess this type of cookies is in for me as I can see it has that crunch for me!

BARAZEK

(Pistachio & Sesame Seeds Cookies)
Recipe from Wendy of Table for 2....or more 

Ingredients
150g sesame seeds

53g honey
65g ghee (clarified butter)
1 medium size egg
70g sugar
1/8 tsp salt
120g plain flour
160g semolina flour
1 tsp baking powder
120g pistachios

Method
1. Mix the sesame seeds and honey.  Set aside.

2.  Chopped the pistachios coarsely and place on a flat plate.
3.  Mix ghee, egg, sugar and salt; cream till smooth.
4.  Sift in flour, sugee and baking powder. Mix well.
5.  Take 1/2 tbsp level of dough (1 scoop out using a melon baller) and form into round.

6.  Drop dough onto chopped pistachios that has been placed on a flat plate.Lightly press dough 

     onto pistachios.

7. With the dough sticking on the back of the spoon, drop the dough pistachio nut side up onto the 

    sesame honey mixture.Lightly press the dough

8. Spoon out dough with generous amount of sesame sticking at the bottom.

9. Place dough sesame side up pistachio side down onto baking tray. Lightly press them flat.

10. Bake at 170C for 15 minutes

11. Cool on baking tray for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to fully cool down.

Please go over to here for tutorial pic

The difficult part of making this is.......messy!  The sesame seeds doesn't stick much to the dough and have to take some out to lightly press it down to stick.

Well, as indicate by Wendy, that this cookies taste better after 3 days, so I shall wait till 3 days to taste how good this shall be.  

On my last tray to bake this cookies, I use a small knife to make a slit .... just for fun ..... so it hang nicely to my cup!

                 I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by

                                                           Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Kumquat 'Nastar' Rolls

Everyone is making pineapple rolls or pineapple tart...... I wanted to make this too but I still have two punnets of kumquats in my fridge so I thought of using it to make Kumquat Nastar Rolls instead of the usual pineapple.   How's that for a change?

KUMQUAT “NASTAR” ROLLS

Pastry Dough from Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Ingredients

175g butter
50g condensed milk

255g plain flour / all purpose flour
1 egg yolk

1 egg yolk, for egg wash

About 450g Kumquat filling
(blend & puree the kumquat and cooked with sugar and some water)

Method
1. Cream butter and condensed milk till light.
2. Add in egg yolk, and beat until combine.
3. Mix in flour, mix till become a soft and not sticky dough.
4. Put dough into a Nastar mould and press out into strips about 5-6cm long.
5. Place kumquat jam filling on the edge of a strip and make a small elongated roll.
6. Cut off excess dough, brush with egg glaze.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 170c for 15-18mins or till golden brown.
8. Cool on wire racks before storing.

 

 I love it......... taste so yummy....... because I just loves Kumquat!  

Because some of the kumquats going to get rotten in the fridge, it just gave me an idea of using it as the filling for this rolls as replacement for a change for pineapple instead.

   Good for a change, isn't it?

                    I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by 

Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

                                This is made in 2014....thought of upload this pic to this old post here.