Andes mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I started with typing, "it is spring here" last week. Then I got lazy and then things changed on the weather front. Yes it was sunny and the weather was in its 50s last week but then all of a sudden it started snowing yesterday and there was snow accumulation. The whole event was kinda depressing. So off I went into a slumber. A deep slumber in which blogging was the last thing on my mind. But then I had to give in, isn't that what we bloggers do all the time.

So here I am with these outrageously delicious mint chocolate chip cookies. If mint is your thing, then you sure have to give this a go. I love anything with a hint of mint. That refreshing flavor it gives is something that you would find addicting, if well, mint is your thing. If you do not have access to mint chocolate chips, then use regular chocolate chips and if you can lay yours hands on pure mint extract then add 1/4 tsp of that and increase by your personal preference.

~*What U Need*~ Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, room temp Brown sugar - 6 tbsp Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract - 1 tsp Egg - 1, room temp Andes creme de menthe baking chips - 5 oz, 1/2 a bag All purpose flour - 1 1/3 cups, sifted How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Sift together the all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients and stir well. Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined. Drop tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 mins or until it slightly browned on the edges.

Serve with a glass of milk.

So thats it Folks...
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Gingerdoodle Cookies

Ginger is one among my favorite spices. A warm cup of ginger tea with some goodday biscuits is what I always crave on a chilly evening. It is memories of those days that made me make these ginger spiced cookies to go with our tea. The molasses adds a very unique flavor to these cookies and pairs perfectly with the spices added. Ginger is a very strong spice and if ginger tea or anything with a strong ginger flavor is not your thing then these cookies are not for you. But to me these were the perfect accompaniment for our evening tea.

~*What U Need*~ Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, softened Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup Brown sugar - 1/4 cup, packed Egg - 1/2, beat an egg and use half of it Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp Molasses - 2 tbsp Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp Cloves - 1/16 tsp Nutmeg - 1/16 tsp Ground ginger - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp All purpose flour - 1 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Granulated sugar - 2 tbsp, for rolling How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, vanilla and molasses. Beat for 2 mins. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix until dry ingredients are just combined. Roll 1 tbsp of dough into a ball and coat in granulated sugar. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until outside looks cooked but inside is still soft and gooey. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Serve with some milk!!!

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Ragi Almond Cookies | Ragi Biscuits and MERRY CHRISTMAS

Its not going to be a white Christmas for us here. Its going to be chilly but not white like last year. We have been blessed with a beautiful weather this time but we do miss that white blanket. It just doesn't feel Christmassy. I have been cranking up my oven every single day for the past one week and pounds of butter are disappearing into cookies and cakes. I am done with all of my work, fruitcake has been baked and soaked with few coatings of rum, presents are wrapped and set under the christmas tree, cookie has been laid out for Santa though we don't have a chimney and we are all set to enjoy tomorrow. WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS and let there be joy every day. Here is a simple and healthy cookie recipe for the day.

~*What U Need*~ Sprouted ragi flour - 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour - 1/4 cup Almond powder - 1/4 cup Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup Icing sugar - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1/8 tsp Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp Milk - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Roast ragi flour on a low flame till the raw smell goes off. Let it cool. Beat butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and beat well. Sieve together ragi flour, whole wheat flour, almond powder and baking soda. Add it to the butter mixture. Knead well. Add 1 tbsp of milk to make the dough pliable. If it is quite dry add another tsp of milk and work. Once it is ready, take 1 heaping tbsp of the dough and press between the palms and shape it like a cookie. Arrange the cookie on a parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with tea or coffee.

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Cutout Sugar Cookies | Christmas Cookies

Pappu's holidays have officially started. Last thursday was the last day of school and now its Christmas break. Its fun on one hand cos we can sleep in late, have fun playing but the thing is he gets bored easily. His attention span is so little and engaging him needs stamina. I have some stuff planned for us like baking cookies (!!!duh), puzzle time, sensory play and threading pasta. So lets see how everything is going to work out. Coming to these cookies, these make perfect kids activity and holiday gift cookies. Kids can help in making the dough, cutting out the shapes and then decorating it as they want to. Since I made these for a volunteer event at pappu's school, I didn't decorate them as it was planned for kids' activity. But if you are planning to decorate them then use royal icing.

~*What U Need*~ Prep time: 30 mins; Cook time: 10 mins; Serves - 2 dozen All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/8 tsp Unsalted butter - 6 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 cup Eggs - 1 Pure vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of your standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to whisk till fully combined for about 1 minute. In a bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder and mix it into the egg mixture until its all combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for about an hour. Take the dough out of the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick, cut out any design with your your cookie cutter and place them on your lined baking sheet. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges and allow them to cool completely.

Decorate as desired with royal icing.

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White chocolate Cranberry & Coconut Oatmeal cookies

Christmas is all about gifting to friends and family. With just a few more days to go, I am planning to share a few cake and cookie recipes here and this is first of the lot. My husband is a big fan of coconuts in cookies while the kid loves white chocolate. As for me I have been wanting to make oatmeal cookies for a long time and so I incorporated all three, added some cranberries to overcome the sweetness and a teeny bit of lemon zest for some freshness. These taste delicious and make perfect holiday gifts.

Prep time: 15 mins; Baking time: 12 mins; Makes - 18 cookies ~*What U Need*~ Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, room temp All purpose flour - 3/4 cup Old fashioned oats - 3/4 cup Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Brown sugar - 1/4 cup White sugar - 1/4 cup Egg - 1/2 of an egg Lemon zest - 1/4 tsp Dried Cranberries - 1/4 cup White chocolate chips - 1/4 cup Coconut flakes - 1/4 cup How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 350F. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, and baking soda; set aside. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add egg, lemon zest, and mix well. Add the flour mixture and gently mix till you see no traces of flour. Gently fold in the coconut and white chocolate chips and cranberries. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Form 1 tbsp balls, flatten it a bit and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool for 2 minutes before using a spatula to move onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the entire batch.

Serve with a glass of milk.

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French Macarons ~ My first OK attempt!!!

Yeah, you heard me right. I got them right, well not perfect right but OK right. Atleast I got what makes a macaron, a macaron stuff right. I got the feet, I got the rise and I got them out of the parchment paper intact. So yeah, I made my first OK macarons. This is not my first time but gladly this is not my nth time too. The first time I made it, I didn't grind my almonds fine enough and so the second time I resorted to store bought ground almonds. And these macarons happened.

So if you are here for macaron advice, my first one would be to get a kitchen scale. Macarons are all about precision and cup measurements would never work out. Next grind your almonds fine but donot overwork it that the almonds start releasing their oils. If you are not confident enough then get store bought flour. Then age your egg whites, the older the best. Sieve the almond+icing sugar atleast thrice. Finally allowing the piped shells to dry till they are no longer tacky is super important. So why wait ;ets get going and bake some macarons.

~*What U Need*~ Ground almond - 50 gms Icing sugar - 100 gms Castor sugar - 20 gms Egg whites - 60 gms A pinch of salt How I Made it: Separate the egg whites and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2 days. On the day of use, remove the container from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Weigh all the ingredients and set aside. Blend the icing sugar and ground almonds together with a food processor for around 1 – 2 minutes. Sieve the mixture thrice getting rid of the bigger bits, set aside. Whisk the egg whites with the whisk attachment at medium speed until frothy. Add the pinch of salt. With the mixer at medium speed beat until soft peals. Turn your mixer to high speed and gradually add the caster sugar beating till you get shiny stiff peaks. Gradually add the dry ingredients to your meringue in 3 additions. Gently cut and fold the mixture by means of a silicone spatula. Around 50 folds. You should get a smooth and glossy batter, with no visible dry ingredients just like lava. Attach a plain nozzle to the piping bag and fill it with the macaron mixture. Pipe the shells onto a parchment paper and remove the macaron template carefully. Tap the bottom of the baking sheet against your worktop in order to remove any peaks and large air bubbles. Leave the shells to dry for around 30 mins to 1 hour until no longer tacky. This is the most important step of all. Preheat the oven for 15 mins for 300F. Bake the macarons for around 10-14 minutes. Once the macaron is done, allow to cool for 5-10 mins and then remove from the parchment paper. Place them on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Fill with chocolate ganache and then combine two shells. Store them in an airtight container inside the fridge up to 2-3 days.

Serve with love!!!

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Funfetti Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Bars

Generally the recipes that you see here on the blog are a week old just because I need time to sit, compose and edit my post and pictures. And with a hyperactive toddler in hand, time seems to be flying. Moreover he hates when I spend time on the laptop. All he does is comes over and with a stern voice says "close". So I generally edit a post when he takes his afternoon nap and that 2 hours is just not sufficient. But then there are certain recipes that needs to be shared immediately because they are 'yummy' and when they are certified yummy by a two year old, it has to go on the blog ASAP. Like these cookies bars.

Pappu has started learning colors. Well, its been a while and whatever he lays his eyes on, he immediately screams out the color. He loves his building blocks mainly because of the assorted colors and he loves anything and everything colorful. And these cookie bars were no less. Whenever he took a bite he would keep chanting all the colors that he saw on the bar.

Adapted with own changes from here Prep Time: 20 mins; Cook Time: 25 mins; Yield: 6 large squares ~*What U Need*~ for the sugar cookie dough: Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, softened Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup - 2 tbsp Large egg - 1/2 Vanilla extract - 1 tsp All purpose flour - 1/2 cup + 6 tbsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - a pinch Funfetti sprinkles - 1/8 cup for the cheesecake filling: Cream cheese - 2 oz, softened Sour cream / greek yogurt - 2 oz Remaining 1/2 of the egg Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup Funfetti sprinkles - 1/8 cup How I Made it: to make the dough: Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add egg and vanilla to the butter and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and stir gently until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the funfetti. Chill the dough for atleast 2 hours or overnight. to make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat well. Add egg and mix just until combined. Line a small cake pan with parchment paper leaving to hang on the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press 3/4th of the cookie dough onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the filling over the crust. Sprinkle with 1/8 cup of funfetti. Crumble the remaining cookie dough in your hands and place over the filling. Sprinkle additional 1 Tbsp of funfetti over the topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely in the pan. Cut and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.

Serve with love.

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Almond cookies

Like I said before, I am still searching for recipes that incorporates nuts in some form so that my son who is a fussy eater can have his regular intake of nuts. And one such thing that I came up was this almond maaladdoos which was well received by everyone. This time I tried to make some cookies with only ground almonds. I didnt use almond flour cos then I should have made some french macarons. All I did was grind some almonds with the confectioner's sugar, sieve it once and then fold it into the whipped egg whites. The result was some crunchy and yummy almond cookies.

~*What U Need*~ Egg whites - 2 Confectioner's sugar - 1 cup Ground almonds - 3/4 cup Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup How I Made it: Pulse confectioners’ sugar and ground almonds in a food processor until combined. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add granulated sugar by tablespoon. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time till the sides turn brown. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Remember the Supernatural brownies that I sent for my brother when my parents left for CA, I made these double chocolate chip cookies as part of the hamper too. When I asked my brother if he had any preference on the cookies, all he said was that he needed loads of chocolate chips. So I made these double chocolate chip cookies ~ soft, chewy, crunchy, totally addictive and a truck load of chocolate chips with every bite.

Adapted from here Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Makes: 30 cookies ~*What U Need*~ Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup Brown sugar - 1/2 cup, packed Egg - 1, room temperature Vanilla extract - 3/4 tsp Unbleached all purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups Baking soda - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Dark & white chocolate chips - 1 1/2 cups How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat well. Blend in the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips, drop by tablespoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with love!!!

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