Chocolate Madeleines

Just a few more weeks and I'll be off to France! We'll be spending some time in Paris, Lyon and we'll be visiting the Côte d'Azur... I can't wait!

Honestly, I really believe this trip will be mostly about food. My boyfriend and I are writing down places we want to visit: Pierre Hermé, LaDurée, Le Cordon Bleu, Poilane, Moet et Chardon. But isn't that what a trip to France is all about? (That and the beautiful French Riviera...)

The other day was my birthday. I really wanted to make a cake, a giant beautiful cake, but I couldn't find the time or energy to make it. My parents bought me an Opéra, and it was okay, but I really missed the homemade sweets. So around midnight, I decided to make one of the least time-consuming things I knew: madeleines. Not only are they quick to make (you do have to refrigerate them for about an hour), but they don't even require you to make a stop at the grocery store to pick up some chocolate!

So here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

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Chocolate Madeleines

Adapted from Epicurious

Makes around 36 madeleines

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

4 large eggs

1 cup vanilla sugar

12 tbsp (6 oz.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Butter to butter the madeleine tins (or Pam cooking spray)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt.

Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until thick and lemon-colored. Fold in the flour mixture, then the melted butter.

Butter the madeleine pans (or use Pam), then spoon in the batter, filling each about 3/4's full. Refrigerate the madeleine pans and the remaining batter for about an hour.

About 15 minutes before removing the pans from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake the madeleines until they are firm and puffed, around 7-9 minutes. Turn them immediately from the molds onto a cooling rack. When the pans have cooled off, wipe out the molds and respray them with Pam. Continue baking the madeleines until all the batter is used.

The madeleines are best eaten slightly warm the same day they are made.

Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

Last week was our "Reading Week" from school. I did everything except read, isn't that was a week off from school is for?

A friend of mine and I were really looking forward to this week because we wanted to bake together. I usually bake alone, so it was fun to have someone to share my worries with! Like after we spent all night baking, cooling and trying to speed up the chilling process (by putting it in the freezer!) of this delicious-looking marble cheesecake, we had to have a tiny slice. But it was still warm and creamy inside, kind of like a mousse! We were a bit disappointed! I had a hunch though that it really needed to be overnight in the fridge, at the least. The next morning, I sneaked a bite and yes, it was an absolute success!

The original recipe asked for crushed graham cookies for the crust which we substituted for Oreo crumbs and also made a marble on the top for a chocolate twist to the New York-Style cheesecake!

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Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

Adapted from Ricardo, Volume 8 Number 5

Crust

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

2 sheets aluminium foil, 46-cm (18-inch) wide

Filling

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

4 containers (250 g/8 oz each) of cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup sour cream

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the bottom of a 20-cm (8-inch) spring form pan with parchment paper.

Crust

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crust. Press lightly into the bottom on the spring form pan and bake for about 12 minutes. Let it cool.

2. Brush in the inner sides of the spring form pan with some melted butter. Wrap the base and the outer sides of the spring form pan with the aluminium foil, making sure it's watertight. Double the aluminium foil.

3. Turn the oven's temperature down to 325 degrees F.

Filling

1. Place the sugar and flour in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and pulse just until the mixture is smooth. Pour onto the crust, reserving about 1/4 cup of the filling.

2. Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler and pour into the reserved filling. Mix well and with a teaspoon, dollop the chocolate mixture in a few dots on top of the filling in the spring form pan. Swirl the chocolate mixture into the filling with a knife.

3. Prepare a bain marie: place the spring form pan in a large baking dish. Fill the baking dish with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the spring form pan.

4. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour and 50 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the middle of the cheesecake shows 150 degrees F. Remove the spring form pan from the bain marie as well as from the aluminium foil. Let cool for about 1 hour. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, or until completely chilled (best left overnight). To remove the cheesecake from the pan, run a thin knife all around, between the spring form pan and the cheesecake.

My First Daring Bakers Challenge: White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Florentine Cookies

After debating for a long while if I was ready to participate in a baking group (since FFwD didn't really work out...), I decided to join the Daring Bakers! I was looking through the past challenges and they're all things on my baking wish list, so why not?

This February was my first Daring Bakers challenge and panna cotta was something I was not very familiar with. As I started making it, I realized it was a lot like making ice cream, except with some gelatine!

I decided to make a raspberry gelée and what better than a white chocolate panna cotta to go with it? There were a few things that weren't mentioned in the challenge that I would have found helpful:

If you want a layer of gelée in the panna cotta: first make half the panna cotta recipe, refrigerate it well, make the gelée and let it cool, pour some on top of the cooled panna cotta (equally dividing it between all the servings), refrigerate it, then make the second half of the panna cotta and pour it on top of the gelée.

Since I didn't realize this, I made all the panna cotta and gelée at the same time, refrigerated the panna cotta and then had to reheated the gelée in order to pour it at the very top! It still tasted great, but I would have rathered have the raspberry gelée inside. I would definitely try this again, maybe with dark chocolate next time? As for the cookies, I love this recipe because it was the first time I made oatmeal cookies and they actually spread! A bit too greasy in my opinion and I would make them a bit smaller next time. So here's the recipe for my February Daring Bakers challenge:

White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Florentine Cookies

White Chocolate Panna Cotta

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes about 6 servings

1 cup whole milk

1 tbsp (15 mL) (7 g) (1/4 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup (145 g) (5 oz) white chocolate

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pour the milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top and set aside for 2-5 minutes.

2. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a low boil.

3. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk the milk/gelatin mixture into the chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved.

4. Transfer to ramekins, or nice glasses for serving.

5. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Fruit Gelée

Recipe by Mallory

1 cup (230 g) (8 oz) fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mango, blackberries, etc.)

*Note: Certain fruits interact with gelatin and stop it gelling like pineapple and kiwi.

3 tbsp water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) (3.5 g) (1/8 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water.

2. Place fruit and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Now mix the gelatin into the raspberry mixture and stir until gelatin has dissolved.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool (close to room temperature). If you're planning on layering by pouring on top of your Panna Cotta, a hot mixture will also heat up your chilled Panna Cotta.

Florentine Cookies

Adapted from Nestle

Makes 2-1/2 to 3 dozen cookies

2/3 cup (150 g) (5.3 oz) unsalted butter

2 cups quick oats

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1-1/2 cups (250 g) (9 oz) dark or milk chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare your baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.

2. To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, 3 inches apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

4. While the cookies are cooling, melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1.5 minutes) or on the stove top (in a double boiler).

5. Peel the cookies from the Silpat or parchment and place face down or a wire rack set over a sheet of parchment paper (to keep counters clean).

6. Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.

Macarons à la rose - Rose Macarons

Another great recipe from my Macarons book by Gaëlle and Johan Crop! It was my first time in a long time trying out the French meringue method again so I was preparing a few days in advance. I ground the almond powder and powdered sugar together and let them air dry for 3 days. I also left the egg whites out of the fridge for 3 days.

I ran into a few problems though: my macarons barely had any feet and some cracked right in the middle. As I piped the macaron mixture on parchment paper, there were peaks that didn't smooth out, leaving me with not-so-smooth-looking shells! I was a bit disappointed but I have to admit they tasted almost like the ones from the shop!

Valentine's Ice Cream Sandwiches

I've been wanting to make ice cream sandwiches for the longest time, but I had no idea how to shape the ice cream like the cookie so they would fit perfectly. Won't the process of cutting ice cream with a cookie cutter, then getting it out and onto the cookies just make the ice cream all melted?

Wait, there's a solution! Heart-shaped silicone molds!

It just happened that I had a cookie cutter with the exact same shape as the silicone molds. We've had these molds at our house for the longest time but I've never used them once before this weekend! Just churn your ice cream and place it in these molds to freeze.

In order to remove the ice cream from the molds, run hot water under the molds, then carefully detach the ice cream from the molds, one heart at a time. Sandwich the ice cream between two cookies and voilà: beautiful ice cream cookies for your valentine!

Here's the chocolate cookie recipe I used (the dough is insanely addictive!!). Enjoy!

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Chocolate Sablé Cookies

Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Makes about 40 cookies

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp coarse sugar (optional)

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs one at a time, beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Reduce the speed of your mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until blended.

Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, pat each into a flat disk and wrap them separately with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disks for at least one hour. (You can also store the disks for future use: store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. If freezing, place the well-wrapped disks in heavy-duty sealable plastic bags and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.)

When ready to roll out the dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheet with parchment paper (or silicone mats).

On a work surface, place the disks between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer them to prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart. Gather the scraps and cut out more cookies. Sprinkle the cookies with coarse sugar (optional, I didn't).

Bake the cookies until the edges are crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool briefly on the sheets. Transfer the cookies on the wire racks to cool completely.

Tiramisu Cake

This is the perfect cake to make for a celebration. It is easy to make, not very time-consuming and tastes wonderful! It will take longer if you make your ladyfingers, I decided to try it out with store-bought Savoiardi cookies. We made this for my boyfriend's mother's birthday and everyone loved it! I would make a bigger one next time I think, maybe a 9-inch cake, because it disappeared quickly!

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Tiramisu Cake

Adapted from Happy Home Baking

Makes one 7-inch cake

For the espresso syrup:

1 tbsp instant espresso/coffee powder

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tbsp Kahlua (or Marsala)

Dissolve the instant espresso/coffee powder and sugar in the boiling water. Let it cool and stir in the Kahlua. Set aside.

For the filling:

250 g marscapone cheese

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp Kahlua (or Marsala)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a mixing bowl, whisk marscapone, icing sugar, vanilla extract, Kahlua and 3 tbsp of the espresso syrup with a manual whisk until blended.

With an electric mixer, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form and fold 1/4 of it in the marscapone mixture with a spatula. Fold the remaining whipped cream in the marscapone mixture gently.

To assemble the cake:

About 24 ladyfingers (Savoiardi)

Dark and white chocolate shavings

Cocoa powder, to dust

Espresso syrup (above)

Filling (above)

Line the edges of a 7-inch spring form pan (remove the base) with plastic wrap and place it on a plate or a round cardboard base. Cut off one end of the ladyfingers so each is about 3 inches in length. Line the sides of the pan with the ladyfingers (about 17) and save the leftover small pieces.

Gently dip ladyfingers one at a time in the espresso syrup and use them to line the base of the pan, soaked side up. Cut the ladyfingers into shorter lengths if necessary and use the leftovers pieces to fill in the gaps.

Spoon over half of the filling and spread it evenly over the first layer of ladyfingers. Grate some dark chocolate over the filling. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers and spoon over the remaining filling. Spread and smooth the top. Dust with cocoa powder and grate some more dark and white chocolate over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, best left overnight.

Before serving, unmold the cake and tie a ribbon around the outer ladyfingers.

Macarons au café - Coffee Macarons

Last year I had visited a macaron shop in the downtown area of Montreal and wrote a post about it! The owners of that shop have written a book with all the recipes of the macarons they sell there and guess what? I got it for Christmas! It is such a beautiful book! I will attempt to make my favorite macaron one day, caramel fleur de sel.

This week, I made my first macaron from that book, Macarons au café (or Coffee Macarons) following the Italian meringue method. The recipes are planned out for you, dividing the tasks to make each macaron in days. For these, Jour 1 consisted of making the chocolate-espresso ganache and Jour 2 consisted of making the shells and assembling them. They turned out a success, even if I used dark chocolate instead of milk for the ganache! I only think that I should have ground the almond powder more because my macaron shells turned out looking a bit grainy. I'll be doing that next time one day or two before and letting it dry. I can't wait to try making more! Here is their in-store catalogue!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I didn't make these cookies. My sister had never baked anything on her own before and wanted to make the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for her boyfriend. So I put myself to the task and searched for the recipe that had the best reviews!

I also want to share with you that I got a new camera!! Actually my boyfriend got it for me (he's the best!!) and now I can't stop taking pictures. Everything looks better through a DSLR!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from All recipes

Makes 24 addictive cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp light corn syrup

2 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (I used a pinch)

2 cups chopped semisweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt, and stir into the peanut butter mixture in 3 parts. Fold in the chocolate chunks (or chips). Drop onto ungreased baking sheets using a tablespoon, 3 inches apart.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown (the more you bake, the less the cookies will be soft and chewy). Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet before removing them and placing them on a wire rack.

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines

My idea of a perfect madeleine: has a bump, is airy and springy, and must have nice seashell shape. And I finally found it thanks to David Lebovitz! I don't think I've ever made anything I regretted from him, everything always turns out delicious!




These madeleines didn't require much time to make. In fact, I left them in the refrigerator overnight and baked them in the morning. I used to use cooking spray for the pans but they would stick a bit and it would ruin the whole shape! Butter and flour is the way to go!

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Lemon-Glazed Madeleines

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Makes 24 madeleines

Madeleines:

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 (130g) cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 (170g) cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

Zest of one small lemon

9 tbsp (120g) unsalted butter, melted and at room temperature

Lemon Glaze:

3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar

1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp water

Brush the madeleine mold with the melted butter. Dust it with flour, tap off the excess flour, and place it in the refrigerator.

In a medium bowl, whip the eggs, granulated sugar and salt until thickened, about 5 minutes. Spoon the flour and baking powder into a sifter and use a spatula to fold it in as you sift it over the egg mixture. Add the lemon zest to the cooled butter and drizzle it into the batter a few spoonfuls at a time while folding the batter to incorporate it.

Cover and chill the dough for at least one hour (and at most 12 hours).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Fill the madeleine molds with about three quarters dough (don't spread it). Bake for 8-9 minutes.

While madeleines are baking, make the lemon glaze by stirring the lemon juice, powdered sugar and water together in a bowl until smoothe.

When madeleines are cool enough to be handled, dip one side of each into the glaze (the shell side) and rest them, glaze-side up, onto a cooling rack until glaze has cooled.

Checkerboard Cookies

I first saw these cookies in The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts book and have avoided making them ever since because I found they looked really hard to make. In the book, there's a recipe for the chocolate and vanilla doughs, but no explanation on how to achieve the checkerboard! Luckily I found a diagram on Baking Obsession that Vera drew to help people like me :)




The doughs didn't require much time to make but I had to keep taking them in and out of the fridge. Cutting and assembling the dough (following the diagram from Baking Obsession) is easier when they are cold.

As long as the dough doesn't get too soft at room temperature (like the spritz cookie dough), any shortbread or sablé cookie dough recipe would do. I used the recipe from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts book for sablé cookies and was very pleased with the results!

Spritz Cookies

The only thing that stopped me making these cookies is the fact that I didn't own a cookie press. I checked out a few places for it and finally found a good deal at Déco Découverte.

These cookies don't need any planning ahead because the ingredients can be found in any kitchen: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract and baking powder. The Wilton recipe asks for a bit of almond extract also, but you can leave that out if you want.

Even though they look cute and easy to make, they are not! Maybe it's just me not being able to use to cookie press properly, but I had a really hard time getting the cookies onto the parchment paper or Silpat! I would press the little handle and the cookie would form but it would stay stuck to the cookie press!

I know I'm complaining and everything, but they were worth it. I would make them again, even after all that hassle! I would probably dip some into chocolate or decorate them with candied cherries next time.

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Spritz Cookies

Adapted from Wilton

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl. In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract. Beat well (do not chill dough) and fill cookie press with the dough and desired disk. Press cookies onto a ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet placed on a rack then remove from sheet and cool completely.

Almond Biscotti

I just love biscottis. Crunchy, crispy and not overly sweet. I added some cinnamon too and voilà: a perfect treat next to my frappe!

Blueberry Macarons

Everytime I'm in the Mont Royal area downtown, I make sure I stop either by La Maison du Macaron or the newly discovered Point G. I've tried many of their flavors and now believe that there isn't one macaron that tastes bad. Even the weird ones like Balsamic Vinegar are delicious!


Seeing that I've been having more of these petits four lately, I decided to give them another shot. I had used the french method last time and had some trouble with the batter that had ended up far too liquidy to pipe out. This time, I chose to use the italian method which was said to be easier to work with for beginners.




I followed the detailed instructions and tips on Mélanger (the italian method follows the french) and found the batter much easier to pipe out! They didn't turn out flat like with the french method! Nice!

However, there are some things I would do differently next time. I would double my pans when baking because my first batch burnt slightly. I would fold the batter a bit more after adding the egg white + almond mixture to the meringue to get rid of all the lumps. Also I couldn't find egg white powder anywhere, so I had to omit it. I wonder what that would change...

The recipe for these blueberry macarons can be found on Mélanger's blog! I suggest to let the filling in the fridge for a couple of hours so it can be really thick when filling the macarons. Absolutely delicious!

Mini madeleines au sésame - Mini Sesame Madeleines

I was drawn to these cute petits fours ever since I was old enough to bake on my own. I usually make lemon or chocolate but decided to try savory this time.


When I usually bake something, anything, I taste the dough (who doesn't!?). I came to the following conclusion: a good tasting dough will yield a good tasting result! It isn't the case for savory madeleines though... When I tasted the mixture before putting it in the fridge, it tasted so salty that I wondered if it was even worth baking! Surely 2 tbsp of grated parmesan couldn't make the dough that salty?!


I still decided to keep following the recipe and the madeleines didn't turn out salty at all! I guess my dough-tasting theory doesn't apply to savory things...






I found the madeleines tasted rather plain and didn't really enjoy the smell of sesame oil. I would suggest 1 tbsp oil instead of 2 and would maybe add more toasted sesame seeds to the batter.

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Mini madeleines au sésame - Mini Sesame Madeleines

Adapted from Mini madeleines: sucrées ou salées by Marabout

Makes 28-30 mini madeleines

100 g all-purpose flour

2 eggs

3 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt and black pepper

2 tbsp sesame oil

20 g unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp grated parmesan

4 tbsp milk

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan on low heat.

Mix all the ingredients (except the sesame seeds) in a bowl until smooth. Fold in the browned sesame seeds and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F). Spoon about a small teaspoon of batter into the well-buttered molds and bake for 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) and continue baking for another 5 to 6 minutes. If the madeleines brown too fast, lower the oven temperature.

Amygdalota - Greek Almond Cookies

I always look forward to receiving these cookies when guests come over. I mean pastries and baklava are always welcome, but amygdalota... they're perfect with a cup of coffee, tea or a frappe!

I wondered how they made these cookies in bakeries. I mean I knew they contained ground almonds, but what else? Flour? Eggs? It never occurred to me to look for a recipe online because I didn't think they were so popular. Apparently I was wrong! I came across a recipe posted by the Greek Gourmand and they look exactly like the ones from the bakery! Everything on that blog looks so delicious! Many of the foods we make at home or I've had in restaurants (pan-fried feta cheese... yum!!).

The cookies turned out exactly like the bakery's when they came out of the oven, but as they cooled, they hardened a bit. Usually the outside is a bit hard and crunchy and the inside stays chewy. A bit like a macaron shell, but less delicate and more dense. The cookies are easy to make but quite hard to pipe out... The Greek Gourmand suggests an easier way for shaping the dough but I chose the harder because I wanted them to look pretty! I also added an extra beaten egg white to the dough because it was impossible for me to pipe it out otherwise (maybe that's why they turned out a bit harder?).

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Amygdalota - Greek Almond Cookies

Adapted from Greek Gourmand

Makes about 24 cookies

1/2 kg blanched almonds (or ground almonds)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp fine semolina

1 tbsp orange blossom water

About 25 whole blanched almonds

Add the blanched almonds and the semolina to a food processor and grind until very fine. (I used already ground almonds but still processed them with the semolina to make them finer.)

Beat the two egg yolks and one egg white very well with a mixer in a large bowl, then add the sugar, the almond mixture and the orange blossom water and mix well with either a wooden spoon or a dough-hook on a stand-mixer. (I mixed with the paddle attachment until dough was too firm to continue, then with a wooden spoon.)

In another bowl, whip the egg white (I used 2) until stiff with peaks and then incorporate it into the almond puree mixture.

Coat the inside of a large piping bag with melted butter to help piping since the almond mixture is pretty dry. Place a large tip (I used a star tip) to the end of the piping bag and pipe out small rosettes onto a sheet of parchment paper placed on a baking tray. Lightly press a whole blanched almond into the center of each rosette.

Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20-30 minutes (it took me 25 min) or until the cookies turn lightly golden. The aim is too dry out the outer layer and bottom of the biscuit while retaining whatever little moisture is left inside. Cool for at least an hour and store in an air-tight container to maintain inner chewiness.

The Chewy

The final exam period can be very stressful. It's hard for me to eat the right foods, the ones full of nutrients and vitamins, especially when I spend most of my time at the library or at cafes (mostly Starbucks). One thing that I find myself craving is a warm and chewy chocolate chip cookie.





I used "The Chewy" recipe by Alton Brown to make them. I only had 1/4 cup brown sugar left so I used granulated white sugar for the remaining 1 cup that I needed (in addition to the 1/4 cup needed for the recipe). These were not the best chocolate chip (in this case, chunk) cookies I've had, but they were very very good.

Bunny Sugar Cookies

This time of year is just hectic. All the final projects and assignments are due, finals are coming up so it's time to start panicking and hope I can still remember things I had studied for before the midterms. But then there's Easter with all the possible good things to make, like sugar cookies.

I've been wanting to make these forever. These websites are very helpful. They have step-by-step instructions and tips on how to decorate with runny royal icing:

http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-flood-cookies-with-royal-icing

http://www.sweetopia.net/2010/03/easy-easter-decorated-cookies/

It didn't look so complicated: bake cookies, make icing, pipe onto cookies. The baking was pretty simple. I used the sugar recipe featured in Canadian Living and made the runny royal icing found on the Cake Journal website.

Maybe it's because it was my first time using runny royal icing, but I had a bit of trouble making neat outlines of my cookies. It doesn't really matter though because it barely shows when you fill them in. At the end of the night I had purple icing on my pants, arms and on the whole table. It's pretty messy I tell you, but cleaning it up was delicious!

I had to let the first coat (purple icing) dry for 24 hours before making the little details in white. It skipped my mind to keep some icing aside before adding purple so I can make the tail, ears and nose in white and had to remake a mini batch the following day. It didn't take that long though because I knew what to expect!

These cookies were yummy but a little time-consuming. Call me lazy but next time I would divide the tasks like this:

Day 1: Bake cookies

Day 2: 1rst coat of icing

Day 3: 2nd coat of icing

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Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Holiday Baking by Canadian Living

Makes about 30 cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

In a large bowl, beat butter with granulated sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture in 2 additions to make smooth dough.

Divide dough in half and flatten into discs; wrap each and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (I didn't do this part.)

On floured surface, roll out each disc into 1/4-inch thickness. With floured cookie cutters, cut out cookies as desired. Arrange, 1 inch apart, on 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or grease. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 350 degree oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until light golden on bottom and edges, 10 to 12 minutes. (Mine took about 16 minutes because they were thick.) Transfer to racks and let cool completely before decorating.

Runny Royal Icing

Adapted from Cake Journal

2 eggs whites

2 lbs sifted icing sugar (not all will be used)

1 tsp lemon

Combine egg whites and lemon juice in a bowl. Add some icing sugar and start the mixer.

Keep adding sugar until the icing looks like whipped cream and makes soft peaks. Then add 2 tsp at a time (because the icing will get stiffer faster) until the icing makes stiff peaks. To make it runny, add a few drops of water and stir. Keep alternating between adding drops of water and stirring until it gets a thin. A trick I read was that the perfect consistency is when you can run a spoon in it and then the icing surface becomes flat again between 5-10 seconds. Cover bowl of unused icing with a damp cloth, it tends to dry out fast.