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RagiBiscuits_Featured2

I live in the hills where Ragi or Manduwa is very popular. Kumaoni food has a special place for Mandua ki Roti or Ragi Flour Flat bread. Its considered very nutritional, specially in winters as it has the ability to keep body warm against fierce winters in this belt. I tried making crisp Instant Ragi Dosas with the flour and my family loved it. It has found a permanent place in my household. 

Recently, I opened my small bakery by the name The Secret Oven, for homemade breads and other baked items. A local shopkeeper asked me to supply sample for Ragi biscuits. I had never made them before but then it seemed an an appropriate opportunity to give it a try. I made these crisp delicious discs strictly following Padhu’s recipe from her blog Padhu’s Kitchen.

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The recipe was foolproof and the biscuits came out so beautiful. Fortunately, my sample was liked and i got a 10 kg Ragi biscuit order 🙂 This would not have been possible without this perfect recipe. The biscuits are healthy and team up very well with a glass of cold milk. My boys (my son and husband) gorge on these. It is difficult to stop them from stealing biscuits from my order.

Directions:

1. Roast Manduwa or Ragi Flour in a pan on a medium low flame. Keep tossing for a few minutes until the aroma of roasted flour fills the air.


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2. In a bowl add sifted Whole Wheat Flour and Roasted Ragi Flour.

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3. Also add sifted Baking Powder to the flour and give it a gently mix.


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4. Refrigerate butter for 20 minutes and cut it into cubes. Add these butter cubes to the flour mix. 

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5. Mix the flour with the butter with your finger tips till you get a coarse mixture.

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6. Add powdered sugar and mix.

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7. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time and bring the mixture together like a dough. If you add too much liquid or too less liquid it will not hold the shape and will crumble.


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8. Cover it with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

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9. Roll the dough on a flat counter using a roller pin. You may dust a little with wheat flour to prevent it from sticking. The rolled dough should not be very thin nor very thick, just right 🙂 

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10. Cut it into desired shapes. I am using a circular biscuit cutter, you can use cookie cutters or even lids.

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11. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet. You can use a sharp knife or spatula to lift it up. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper. I am using a silicon mat to prevent sticking to the bottom. 


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12. You can make striped design with a fork and bake it in a preheated oven on 180 degree C (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversions) for 15-18 minutes in the middle rack until they acquire a slight brown colour. 

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13. The biscuits will still me soft as you remove them from the oven. Let the cool down on a wire rack until they become crisp and delicious! You can enjoy them anytime with or without a glass of cold milk or a fresh cup of hot chai.

Other cookies and biscuits you can try are: Italian Almond Biscotti, Choco Coconut Cookies, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.

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[whohit]RagiBiscuits[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’172′] 

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AlmondBiscotti_Featured2
I remember first time I baked them I was in Mexico and we were making a trip to the State of Michoacan to the Butterfly Sanctuary to witness a spectacular Event. There are millions of Monarch Butterflies. You can see them flying around and almost obscuring the sky. You will hear the fascinating sound of their wings flapping. Its indeed the 8th wonder on Earth. Every fall, huge numbers of Monarch Butterflies gather in southern Canada to migrate. Some Monarch Butterflies travel over 3,100 kilometers to Mexico to reproduce and and then die.

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The trip was a beautiful comfortable journey. These cookies kept our spirits high and energy boosted. Whenever I bake these I remember this memorable trip. Coming back to cookies, they are crunchy and so very almondy. The roasted almonds gives it an incredible texture and taste. You can dunk them in your coffee or chai and take a short trip to heaven. 🙂

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Directions:

1. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes on 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversion). In a baking tray spread the almonds in a single layer and toast them for 10 minutes. They will give out a golden colour and will crunch up.

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2. Let them cool down a bit and roughly chop them using a sharp knife.

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3. In a bowl combine All purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.


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4. In a different bowl whisk Sugar and butter (Learn how to bring eggs and butter at room temperature) until it turns creamy.


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5. Add in eggs and Vanilla Extract. Continue to whisk until its very creamy. Also add Almond Extract.


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6. Add in the flour and mix thoroughly. It should resemble a sticky dough. Do not over mix, just till the flour is moistened.

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7. Add in chopped toasted almonds and simply fold in using a spatula.


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8. Sprinkle some flour on the counter slab and put the sticky dough on it.

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9. Divide and shape the dough into four logs about 6 inches Long and 2 inches wide. Flatten the logs with your finger tips. You will need a lot of extra flour to do this. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Ensure there is 4 inch space between each logs as they will expand on baking. I baked two logs at a time. 

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10. Bake it in a peheated oven for 35-40 minutes on 190 degree C until they acquire a slight golden colour.

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11. Let them cool down a bit, cool enough to handle. Place it on a chopping board. Slice it diagonally using a serrated knife and further cut them into 3/4 inch pieces.

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12. Arrange these pieces on a lined baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake them for 7 minutes on one side and then flip the side. Bake the other side also for 7 minutes.

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13. Let them cool down for 5 minutes on the baking tray and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool down completely. The cookies will crisp up only after coming at room temperature. Dunk them in your coffee and enjoy these delicious twice baked Italian Biscotti.

Other Cookies you can try here : White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coconut Chocolate Cookies

AlmondBiscotti_Featured4[whohit]Almond Biscotti[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’166′]

 

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When you and your son loves peanut butter, what can be a better way to use whole of it than baking this soft, gooey chocolaty cookies. We loved baking these delicious babies and equally enjoyed devouring them. 

If you like the flavour of Peanut butter these cookies are definitely for you. You can store them in your cookie Jar and relish with your favourite cup of coffee or even tea. Bake them for your friends and gift them as personalized presents. Nothing brings more joy than that.

Directions:

1. Preheat your  Oven to  350 Degree F (Learn more about Oven Temperature and Conversions).In a bowl add some All Purpose Flour and baking soda.

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2. Add salt to it and combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

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3. In a different bowl add butter at room temperature and mix white and brown sugars to it. Cream them together using a whisker, till sugar and butter have creamed together.


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4. Add egg and vanilla essence and mix until combined. If you want to make them eggless see the notes below*.


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5. Add Peanut butter and mix further til you get an even mixture.


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6. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture.

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7. Combine them together till no dry flour is spotted.

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8. Add chocolate chip cookies and fold them in the batter. Do not overmix.


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9. Take an ice cream scooper and place one scoop of the cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I have used Oddy Uniwraps Parchment Paper, because it makes baking a breeze. It makes the cookies bake perfectly without sticking to the paper or tray and makes cleaning hassle free.

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10. Press them gently to flatten them using your fingers,

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11. If you wish you can make patterns using a fork. Bake them on a preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes till they become slight golden in colour around the edges. Let them cool on baking sheet for a minute and then transfer on wire rack to cool completely. 

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12. Enjoy with your favourite Cup of Coffee.

You can even try other cookies like Chocolate Coconut Cookies and White Chocolate Chip Cookies.


[whohit]PeanutButterCookies[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’91’]

ChocolateChipCookies_Featured1
Cookies!! Yes be it any type of cookie makes you drool. These white chocolate chip cookies are better than any store bought cookies. They are incredible with a cold glass of milk. I made my friend try and he exclaimed ” they are better than those subway cookies! Well I can be self flattering many a times but if you want the truth bake them today. Your kids will end up loving you more 🙂 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. (Read Oven Temperature and Conversion).

2. Mix together the dry ingredients and keep aside.

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3. Cream together the butter and shortening and both types of sugar.


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4. Add eggs and vanilla extract to make everything creamy. I used a hand blender, you can even use your hand.

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5. Add the dry ingredients and combine well. Throw in chocolate chips and form a evenly distributed dough. 


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6. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper place the cookie dough rolled into balls. You can do it with hand or with an ice cream scooper. Press the cookie balls slightly from top. Keep a distance of two inches from each other for they will melt and spread. 


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7. Bake them in preheated oven for  10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges.

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8.  Cool them for five minutes on the cookie sheet then cool them completely on a wire rack before digging in. 

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[yumprint-recipe id=’9′] [whohit]WhiteChocolateChipCookies[/whohit]