Spicy Mint Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
Butter - 1/4 cup
Mint leaves finely chopped - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Method:

• Sieve the flour and baking soda together and mix well
• Add the other ingredients and mix it into a fine dough
• If it is too tight, you may add a tsp of oil and a few tsps of milk to form into a dough
• Roll the dough using a pin and cut into desired cookie shapes
• Bake them for about 15 minutes at 350 F

Enjoy!!!

Eggless Sugar Cookies

There are some moments with your children that you feel absolutely proud. It is end of the year in my daughter's school. She wanted to gift some goodie bags for the bus monitor, the bus driver and also the helper in her class who have taken care of her throughout the school year.
I was so touched when she told me this.
In this mad, mean world, I just want my children to be compassionate and truthful human beings whatever the circumstances may be. So far they have been walking in the right direction.

This week flew past in a wink. I went through a lot of recipes to make these sugar cookies and finally tweaked here and there and came up with this recipe. These just melt in the mouth and taste great as it is and do not really need any decorations. The recipe will give out about 40 - 50 small sized heart shaped cookies, or 30 small round cookies.
Give a bag of these to someone who has lost their smile and keeps a  long face all the time. They are sure to smile!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Cream - 2 tbsp ( I used whipping cream since that's what I had in the pantry)
• Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp
• salt - a pinch
• melted Butter or margarine - 1 cup

Method:

• Cream the sugar and butter till fluffy
• Add in the dry ingredients, cream and vanilla essence
• Knead into a soft cookie dough
• Allow it to rest in the fridge for an hour
• Take the dough out and roll them thick and flat.
• Using a cookie cutter, cut out the cookies.
• Bake them in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 350F
• Allow the cookies to cool completely and frost the cookies.

Frosting the cookies:

I am still a learner in decorating the cookies.

I mixed icing sugar, vanilla essence and milk to a thick paste.

Using a piping bag, I frosted the cookies and put some sprinkles on them when still moist.

Allow all the frosted cookies to dry before storing them.

Enjoy!!!

Picture Illustrations

Oatmeal - Coconut cookies

I learnt this recipe from the school cook. Normally all the other cookies he would bake contain eggs. So whenever he makes these he would share some with me and he was kind enough to write down this recipe for me.

Oatmeal - Coconut cookies

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup  butter
2. 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (crisco)
3. 1 cup castor sugar
4. 1 cup brown sugar
5. 1 tbsp vanilla essence
6. 2 cups flour
7. 2 cups oatmeal
8. 1 tsp baking soda
9. 1 tsp baking powder
10. half a cup desiccated coconut

Method:

Mix the ingredients from 1-5 till smooth and creamy and set it aside.

In another bowl mix ingredients 5-9 and then mix it with the sugar butter mixture.

Knead them well till a cookie dough consistency is obtained.

Make small cookies and spread them in a baking sheet.

Bake these for 15 minutes till golden brown.

The aroma of vanilla,coconut wafting in the air... to die for

Ahem.. trying my hand on food photography

Cardamom Biscotti

I took this recipe from Isha Recipes. The original recipe was Almond Caradamom Biscotti. Though I read a lot of blogs and recipes, there are very few recipes that call out to me and force me to try them immediately. This was one of it on a beautiful Friday evening.

I was lazy to soak, blanch and roast the almonds but too eager to test out the recipe. I excluded the almonds and did a Cardamom biscotti

Cardamom Biscotti

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tbs orange zest
• 1 stick or a 1/2 a cup of melted butter
• 2 tbsp flax seed powder
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 3/4 - 1 cup sugar (depending on the sweetness, the sugar I get in Guatemala is not very sweet, so I added 1 cup)
• 2 tsp cardamom powder
  

Method:

In a bowl mix together, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and cardamom powder.

Melt butter for 30 seconds and add it to flax seed powder, vanilla essence and orange zest.

Add butter mixture to flour mixture.

Knead them well. Shape dough to a long rectangular shape. I leveled and shaped with a flat cup at home.

Bake in 325F for 15 minutes.

Take it out. The top should be firm. Let it cool and  make diagonal cuts.

Separate them and place them again in the baking sheet and bake for 10 more minutes until golden brown and crispy.

These biscotti's taste heavenly when dunked in almond tea.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

What we need?

Flour - 1 cup
Chocolate Chips - 1/4 cup or a handful
Sugar - 6 table spoons
Milk - 1 table spoon
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tblsp
Butter  melted - 1/4 cup


Method:

• Mix Flour and baking power using a sieve
• Mix butter, milk and sugar and beat them nice and smooth.
• Add flour mixture and the butter mixture and knead them smooth
• Add in the vanilla essence and the chocolate chips.
• Use a cookie cutter , make small cookies and bake for 15 minutes in 350F.