Macarons

I made 4 attempts over 2 years to bake macarons before I decided to call it a day and swore that I need to learn the techniques from the expert. Even before these attempts, I did a lot of research, I spent hours reading the tips and the dos and don'ts of macaron making...but still, I ended up with a bunch (a lot) of failed macaron shells in the bin. When I was reading the tips from well known bloggers, it seems so easy and I thought I fully understand them but when I was in the kitchen doing the exact same process and procedures...everything went WRONG!! So after the fourth unsuccessful attempt, I quit and told myself that I need to watch and learn from the guru.

In my first class in Taylor's last month, Chef Karam taught us how to make macarons but not just any macarons...they are Laduree's macarons. Yes, I heard about Laduree but not as much as I heard about Pierre Herme. From what I gather from the www, Pierre Herme is claimed to be THE best macaron but since I haven't tasted it, I'm at no position to judge it. But I'm sure they taste great.

Being trained at Laduree during his younger days, of course my chef claimed that his Laduree's version is the best. What a good macaron looks like? The top of the shell is shiny, it has ruffled straight feet and when you break it into 2 with your fingers...the shells didn't break into pieces. When you bite it, it is chewy and not crunchy like you are eating a biscuit. All in all, a good macaron is a perfect shell with nice ruffled feet and chewy texture.

The moment I bite into the chef's Laduree macaron, it was like falling in love for the first time...I was on cloud nine...the nutty taste of the shell which I love so much is very prominent and it wasn't as sweet as all the macarons that I have tasted previously. Now that I have learned to make them and understand the macaron as a whole, I am beginning to appreciate what macarons are all about. Macarons are about challenging yourself, perseverance, humble but confident and strive for perfection. YES! It is challenging and I'm still perfecting my macarons.

Ingredients: (digital scale is a must, don't convert into cups!)

125g ground almond

125g confectioners' sugar
45g egg whites
125g caster sugar
45g egg whites
Coloring gel

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together ground almond and confectioners' sugar with the first egg whites and coloring. Using a wooden or silicone spatula, stir until it becomes a paste.
2. In a small deep saucepan, put the sugar and add a little bit of water until it just wet. Cover the pan with an aluminum foil. Prick a fee holes on the foil using your sugar thermometer. Suspend the thermometer in the pan and boil the sugar until it reaches 118C. 
3. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, on medium speed whisk the second egg whites until foamy. Once the sugar reaches 118C, remove from the heat and straight away pour it into the foamy egg whites in a slow steady stream from the sides of the bowl. Whisk until firm peaks form and the meringue looks smooth and shiny.
4. Fold the meringue into the ground almond mixture and pipe onto a sheet on the baking tray. Rap the tray a few times and leave them to dry for 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Bake at 150C for about 8-10 minutes depending on your oven.
6. Cool completely before applying your choice of filling.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

 
Chocolate or chocolate chips cookies are always on a high demand all year round, aren't they? This weekend I made one big batch of this triple chocolate cookies which recipe I posted last year. But this time, I made a little modification on the white sugar, the chocolate chips and also the presentation.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or cookie flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate

 

 Let's bake'em!:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degree Celsius
2. Line baking tray with grease paper or silicone mat
3. Whisk the flour, salt and soda in one big mixing bowl, you can also sift it if you want instead of whisking it.
4. Using electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until white and creamy. Add the vanilla pudding mix and beat for 1 minute. Add eggs one by one and mix just until combined. Pour the vanilla extract.
5. Fold in the flour mixture with the mixer running at low speed. 
6. Fold in the chips using a spatula.
7. Spoon the batter onto the baking tray, an inch apart from each other. I used an ice cream scoop to get an even size. Slightly press the chopped chocolate on top.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning the tray after 3/4 baking time.
9. Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to wire rack to cool completely. 

Maple Pecan Squares

Maple & Pecan are best friends. It always great together. The earlier post on Maple Walnut Squares which I did because I do not have pecan within reach so I decided to substitute it with walnut...well, this weekend I finally baked it with the suggested ingredients...pecan! It is so delicious and I wouldn't substitute it with walnut..ever again! We just can't separate or substitute our best friends, right? Even when there are times that we need to say farewell to our best friends...InsyaAllah...we will find a way to catch up, even for just for a little while... :)

 

Ingredients:

Crust

1 1/4 (200g) cup all purpose flour

1/3 (75g) firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 (125g) cup cold unsalted butter, chopped

Filling

6 tbsp (90 g) butter

1/3 cup (105 g) pure maple syrup

2/3 (155 g) firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy /double cream

2 cups (250 g) coarsely chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius and line a 9 inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Let the foil extend up the sides of the pan. Spray the foil with vegetable oil.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt, stir until blended. Fold in the butter and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 12-17 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
4. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine and stir together the butter, maple syrup and sugar until the butter melts and sugar dissolves.
5. Bring to a boil and continue to let it boil for 1 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Fold in the nuts and pour the filling over the crust. Spread evenly.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until the filling is set when you give the pan a gentle shake.
8. Let cool completely for about 1 1/2 hours before lifting up the liner from the baking pan.
9. Cut it into 25 small or 16 medium squares.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The Day: Saturday 
The Theme: ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE
The Book: Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking
The Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
125g unsweetened chocolate, chopped (didn't have them, so i used bittersweet Manjari 64%)
1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
1.5 cups (235g) all purpose flour (I used cookie flour)
1/2 cup (45g) cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 cups caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups (280g) miniature semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar (sifted), more if needed

1. Put the chocolate  & butter in a microwavable glass bowl and heat it for 15 seconds, stir with silicone spatula, heat it again for 15 seconds and stir, repeat the process until the chocolate & butter fully melted and well blended. Put aside to cool. You can also use a double boiler method as per suggested by the book.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until light in color and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture on low speed until blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls, about 2-3 hours
5. Preheat oven to 165 degree Celsius. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
6. Roll a rounded tablespoon of dough between your palms into a 4 cm ball, roll it in the icing sugar. Place the them 3 cm apart on the prepared baking sheets
7. Bake it for 15 minutes. Let cool in the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely
8. Store in an airtight container  

 

Soft Choc Chips Cookies

This is an old time , all time favorite and repetitive RECIPE.
Actually this recipe was Googled by my husband long long time ago...can no longer remember which website it was on.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour or cookie flour
1 tsp baking soda
250gm salted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups choc chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven 175C
2. Sift flour & baking soda
3. Cream butter & sugar until fluffy. Fold in pudding mix until blended. Add in eggs one at a time & vanilla extract. Mix until just combined
4. Fold in the flour. Mix well.
5. Using a silicone spatula, add the chips in and stir.
6. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
7. Bake 10-12 min.Cool on wire rack...(or into your mouth!)

Maple Walnut Squares

This recipe was supposed to be Maple Pecan Squares, I was too lazy to go to the bakery supplies store to get the pecan yesterday, so just tried to find it at Carrefour & Cold Storage nearby my house but it was not available. I got like nicely 2 cups of walnuts in the fridge and decided to substitute it with what I have. This is quite an expensive recipe...the walnut, the pure canadian maple syrup, and to make it more expensive I substitute the brown sugar with muscovado sugar. Muscovado sugar is unrefined sugar and nutritionally richer that the brown sugar because it retains most of the natural mineral from the sugar cane, and the taste is more intense .... in Malaysia it close to the dark brown gula melaka.

Ingredients:

Crust

1 1/4 (200g) cup all purpose flour

1/3 (75g) firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 (125g) cup cold unsalted butter, chopped

Filling

6 tbsp (90 g) butter

1/3 cup (105 g) pure maple syrup

2/3 (155 g) firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy /double cream

2 cups (250 g) coarsely chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius and line a 9 inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Let the foil extend up the sides of the pan. Spray the foil with vegetable oil.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt, stir until blended. Fold in the butter and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 12-17 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
4. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine and stir together the butter, maple syrup and sugar until the butter melts and sugar dissolves.
5. Bring to a boil and continue to let it boil for 1 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Fold in the nuts and pour the filling over the crust. Spread evenly.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until the filling is set when you give the pan a gentle shake.
8. Let cool completely for about 1 1/2 hours before lifting up the liner from the baking pan.
9. Cut it into 25 small or 16 medium squares.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Another batch of chocolate chip cookies this weekend...it's like a must to bake cookies every weekend just because the 2 year old has already stopped taking milk formula for the past one month, so his eating habit is like MASSIVE! Have to deal with his sugar overdosed as well...very hyper! This recipe was adapted from Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies from Williams-Sonoma book entitled  Essentials of Baking.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or cookie flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped milk chocolate
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

 Let's bake'em!:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degree Celsius
2. Line baking tray with grease paper or silicone mat
3. Whisk the flour, salt and soda in one big mixing bowl, you can also sift it if you want instead of whisking it.
4. Using electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until white and creamy. Add eggs one by one and mix just until combined. Pour the vanilla extract.
5. Fold in the flour mixture with the mixer running at low speed. 
6. Fold in the chips & both chocolate using a spatula.
7. Spoon the batter onto the baking tray, an inch apart from each other. I used an ice cream scoop to get an even size.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning the tray after 3/4 baking time.
9. Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to wire rack to cool completely.

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or cookie flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped milk chocolate
(But you can also use 2 cups of chocolate chips)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius
2. Line baking tray with grease paper or silicone mat
3. Whisk the flour, salt and soda in one big mixing bowl, you can also sift it if you want instead of whisking it.
4. Using electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until white and creamy. Add eggs one by one and mix just until combined. Pour the vanilla extract.
5. Fold in the flour mixture with the mixer running at low speed. 
6. Fold in the chip & chocolate using a spatula.
7. Spoon the batter onto the baking tray, an inch apart from each other. I used an ice cream scoop to get an even size.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning the tray after 3/4 baking time.

 Cookie treat after making Baked Pasta, look at those sweat which probably blended well with the pasta! That's why your sisters & brother love you so much :)

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Ini resipi ulangan, since the kids will be at home enjoying their school holidays that started yesterday so need to prepare some snack for them. So this one is like compulsory menu during holidays.

Ingredients:
8 oz - 1 cup - 227gm unsalted butter (softened)
6 oz - 3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 oz - 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cookie flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups choc chips or you can also substitute with the same amount of raisins or dried cherries

Let's bake them:

1. Preheat oven 175 Cel (350 F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat
2. Cream butter, brown and caster sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes. Scrape down and side of the bowl with spatula. Add eggs and vanilla at once and blend well
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture all at once. Blend slowly until no more patches of flour. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Using a spatula, add oat and choc chip and blend well.
5. Scoop a tablespoon of batter onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. 
6. Bake for 13-16 min, rotating them in between, until the cookies are golden brown at the edges and still a bit pale in the center.

This batch makes about 30 pieces of medium cookies.

Source: Adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

 

 

Biskut Coklat Badam

Semalam Hari Raya AidilAdha, jadi pagi semalam untuk juadah pagi raya cuma nasi impit , kuah kacang dan mihun soto. Dalam pukul 10 pagi, kami sekeluarga balik beraya ke N9 sekejap. Di LEKAS highway memang tersangatlah lekasnya, sampai Bukit Putus adalah sedikit jam sebab construction works dekat dengan Air Terjun Ulu Bendul. Selepas tu, traffic okay jadi jadi sampai di kampung dalam 12:30 tengahari. Kat kampung, Mak Ngahnya ada beli kuih raya sikit so Maryam pun tanya boleh tak Mummy buat kuih raya yang ada kacang tuuuu... :) Okaylah so harini kita buat kuih raya haji.

Resepi ni saya ambil dari blog Kak Siti Delima, pernah cuba sekali untuk biskut raya Aidilfitri baru-baru ini. Kali ini saya tukar sedikit untuk hiasan saya menggunakan hirisan badam.

Bahan- Bahan:
250 gm mentega/butter
140 gm gula aising/icing sugar
2 biji kuning telur/egg yolk
450gm tepung gandum yang diayak/ sifted cookie flour
50gm serbuk koko yang diayak /sifted cocoa powder
50gm serbuk badam/almond meal
2 sudu teh esen vanilla/vanilla essence
sedikit badam yang dicincang atau hiris

Cara-cara:

1. Pukul mentega & gula hingga kembang
2. Masukkan kuning telur & vanilla
3. Masukkan almond meal, cocoa dan pukul hingga sebati.
4. Masukkan tepung gandum sedikit demi sedikit dan uli hingga mendapat doh yang lembut. Kalau dah lembut dan boleh dicanai tak perlu habiskan tepung. 
5. Canai dan teraplah dengan acuan yang disukai.
6. Sapu putih telur diatas biskut dan taburkan badam diatasnya dan bakat dengan suhu 160 Celcius selama 20 minit.
7. Sejukkan biskut di atas redai sebelum di simpan.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Well, I am writing again.  Yesterday, my 13 year old Naim and I baked some oatmeal cookies. Here we go...

Ingredients:
8 oz - 1 cup - 227gm unsalted butter (softened)
6 oz - 3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 oz - 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cookie flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups choc chips

Let's bake them:

1. Preheat oven 175 Cel (350 F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat
2. Cream butter, brown and caster sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes. Scrape down and side of the bowl with spatula. Add eggs and vanilla at once and blend well
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture all at once. Blend slowly until no more patches of flour. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Using a spatula, add oat and choc chip and blend well.
5. Scoop a tablespoon of batter onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. 
6. Bake for 13-16 min, rotating them in between, until the cookies are golden born at the edges and still a bit pale in the center.

This batch makes about 30 pieces of medium cookies.

Source: Adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

Soft Choc Chips Cookie

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (tepung cap sauh pun boleh)
1 tsp baking soda
1 (250gm) butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups choc chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven 175C
2. Sift flour & baking soda
3. Cream butter & sugar until fluffy. Put in pudding mix until blended. Stir in eggs & vanilla extract.
4. Blend in the flour.
5. Put the chips in.
6. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
7. Bake 12 min.