EasterCookies – The Secret Ingredient

Baking

Easter Hot Cross Buns

By anshu April 9, 2020

Hot Cross buns are symbolic to Easter and may go back to 12th Century. The relic goes that a Monk baked buns and made a cross on them in honour of Good Friday. Gradually, they became popular world over and were associated with Easter. Interestingly, there are a few superstitions and tales linked to baking these sweet hot cross buns on Good Friday. If you are interested you can read them at The kitchn.

This is about the origin of recipe but what exactly are Hot cross buns? Well they are mildly spiced, sweet buns which are loaded with black currants or raisins. On top of these buns a cross is marked, which can be either done with icing sugar or its etched in the dough at the time of baking. As a kid we relished eating these buns and loved to sing Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns, One a penny, Two a penny, Hot cross buns. This ignites nostalgia and takes me back memory lane.

On the occasion of Easter, I collaborated with Eggee, the best organic high protein eggs, to curate this recipe for my readers. The addition of fresh eggs in the bun dough took this recipe to a whole new level. If you can find these organic eggs around you, give it a try. You sure would know the difference in taste and freshness. I have used home made Pumpkin Pie Spice and Candied Orange Peel in the recipe. You can make it yourself from scratch.

I am jumping to the recipe right away without wasting much time. Easter is just an excuse to bake these but honestly I can eat them all year round. If you try this recipe share your feedback with me and tag me on facebook or instagram.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl add all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

2. Also add to the bowl sugar and zest of orange and lemon. Mix well and set aside.

3. In another bowl or jar take some lukewarm milk. It should not be hot just lukewarm. Add some sugar to the milk.

4. Sprinkle yeast on top and give it a gentle stir. Let the mixture stand and wait for yeast to bloom. I have used yeast from out online store The Gourmet Shop.

5. In another small bowl add melted butter and whisk in some eggs.

6. Once the yeast has proofed or bloomed and has become frothy, add this to the dry ingredients along with egg and butter mixture.

7. Mix them well till everything comes together into a sticky dough. Knead well for 6-8 minutes till the dough is smooth and supple.

8. Add black currants and candied orange peel and mix well into the dough.

9. Dust your counter with some flour and dump the dough on it and knead well will your dough has developed gluten and is elastic and pliable.

10. You can slightly poke your finger in the dough to test if its kneaded well or not. If the dough bounces back its ready and if it doesn’t you need to knead a few more minutes.

11. Grease a big bowl and place your dough in it to rise until it has doubled in size. This depends on the temperature of your kitchen. The warmer the kitchen the sooner the dough proofs.

12. Once the dough has proofed. Again dust your counter with some flour and punch dough the dough to deflate it.

13. Divide the dough into equal 16 parts with the help of a bench press or metal scraper.

14. Roll each portion into a round ball with a smooth top.

15. Grease a baking tray with butter and place these rolled dough in the tray. Each bun dough should be placed at some distance from each other.

16. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise till they have doubled up in size.

17. Give them an egg wash and preheat your oven to 180 degrees C for ten minutes. Once preheated place your buns in the oven for 20-25 minutes on 180 degree Celsius until the top is golden brown.

18. Place them on a wire rack to cool down. While they are cooling make royal icing. Learn to make Royal Icing here.

19. Pour this royal icing in a pipping bag and snip the end just enough for it come out. Pipe X on top of each bun and enjoy.

20. Enjoy these hot cross buns with a cup of coffee or tea. My kiddo gobbled two of these while they just got crossed. So tea or no tea you will love them as it is.

Happy Easter Friends!

Other Bread Recipe you can try are: Italian Focaccia Bread with Strawberries , Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread, Garlic Cheesy Bread, Dominos Style Garlic Bread Sticks, Honey Oats Bread, Cinnamon Raisins Bread. Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, Beetroot Bread. Georgian Kachapuri

Easter Hot Cross Buns

Recipe Type: Festive

Cuisine: European

Author: Anshu Wadhwa

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 2 hours 25 mins

Serves: 16buns

Hot Cross Buns are a traditional mildly spiced sweet bread buns, bearing a cross on top, made specially on Easter, the Good Friday.

Ingredients

For the Buns:
2 and 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
1 cup Lukewarm Milk
3 and 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
½ cup Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2/3 cup Currants or raisins
3 Tbsp Candied Orange Peel
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 Tsp Orange Zest
¼ cup Unsalted Butter, melted
2 Eggs
Egg wash, one egg beaten with some milk or water.
For the icing:
1 ½ cups of Powdered Sugar
1 Egg White
Some Whole Milk, if needed

Instructions

In a large bowl add all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Also add to the bowl sugar and zest of orange and lemon. Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl or jar take some lukewarm milk. It should not be hot just lukewarm. Add some sugar to the milk.
Sprinkle yeast on top and give it a gentle stir. Let the mixture stand and wait for yeast to bloom.
In another small bowl add melted butter and whisk in some eggs.
Once the yeast has proofed or bloomed and has become frothy, add this to the dry ingredients along with egg and butter mixture.
Mix them well till everything comes together into a sticky dough. Knead well for 6-8 minutes till the dough is smooth and supple.
Add black currants and candied orange peel and mix well into the dough.
Dust your counter with some flour and dump the dough on it and knead well will your dough has developed gluten and is elastic and pliable.
You can slightly poke your finger in the dough to test if its kneaded well or not. If the dough bounces back its ready and if it doesn’t you need to knead a few more minutes.
Grease a big bowl and place your dough in it to rise until it has doubled in size. This depends on the temperature of your kitchen. The warmer the kitchen the sooner the dough proofs.
Once the dough has proofed. Again dust your counter with some flour and punch dough the dough to deflate it.
Divide the dough into equal 16 parts with the help of a bench press or metal scraper.
Roll each portion into a round ball with a smooth top.
Grease a baking tray with butter and place these rolled dough in the tray. Each bun dough should be placed at some distance from each other.
Cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise till they have doubled up in size.
Give them an egg wash and preheat your oven to 180 degrees C for ten minutes. Once preheated place your buns in the oven for 20-25 minutes on 180 degree Celsius until the top is golden brown.
Place them on a wire rack to cool down. While they are cooling make royal icing.
Pour this royal icing in a pipping bag and snip the end just enough for it come out. Pipe X on top of each bun and enjoy.
Enjoy these hot cross buns with a cup of coffee or tea. My kiddo gobbled two of these while they just got crossed. So tea or no tea you will love them as it is.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Laura In the Kitchen. https://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/hot-cross-buns/

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Australian Cuisine

Traditional Australian – New Zealand Anzac Biscuits | Australian Memorial Day Biscuits | Eggless Oats & Coconut Cookies

By anshu June 24, 2016

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As a foodie I feel life is so short and there are so many cookies, cakes and dishes in this world. One has to really keep trying as many new things as possible. With this thought in mind I often like to try out new cookies whenever I get a chance. My blog is already over flowing with cookies and biscuits of a wide variety.

My baker friend Jayshree Nischal from The Baking Sutra is super talented and her bakes are an inspiration, I tried her Anzac Cookies and these were one of the bestest cookies I have made so far. I have been eyeing these special cookies for a while now and when Jayu posted them one day I could not control my temptation.

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A brief background check on Anzac Cookies or Biscuits, these are traditional biscuits from Australia and New Zealand and are suppose to be eaten on the Anzac (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day. This day is celebrated on 25th April every year in honour of soldiers who have lost their lives in the wars, especially World War I. During the war times, these biscuits were sent overseas on ship to locations where the soldiers were stationed. The biscuits were nutritious and had a good shelf life and even survived the long ship journey. Also they were pretty solid and wouldn’t break easily. They were also known as “Anzac Tiles” or “Anzac Wafers”. However, the new modern recipe of Anzac makes them soft unlike the traditional ones. I wouldn’t keep you busy in history anymore. Here goes the recipe.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperature and Conversions). Line a baking sheet with Parchment Paper or Silicon Mat (You can order this silicon mat online from The Gourmet Shop, our online Gourmet e store). In a bowl add Flour and Rolled Oats. I have used Whole Wheat Flour you can also use All Purpose Flour or Maida.

2. Add dessicated Coconut to the the bowl along with castor sugar. You can even use Brown sugar powder also. Combine them and keep aside.

3. In a sauce pan add water and butter. Turn the heat on, on medium and let the butter melt.

4. Add honey and combine. Then add baking soda. The mixture will become all frothy. Turn the flame off .

5. Add this liquid to the dry ingredients and combine till everything comes together.

6. Take a spoonful of this mixture in your palm and roll it into golf size ball. Place them on a baking sheet and press them slightly to flatten them. There should be at least 3 inches gap between each cookie as they spread a lot on baking.

7. Bake them for 15 minutes on 160 degree Celsius on the centre rack. When you see them they are light golden remove them from oven and let them rest for ten minutes on wire wrack. It will help them crisp up further. Dunk them in a glass of cold milk and you will be straight in heaven 🙂

Other Cookies and Biscuits you can try are: Chickpea Flour & Corn Flakes Eggless Cookies,Coconut Chocolate Cookies, Gingerbread Man Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Italian Almond Biscotti, Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies , Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, Subway Copycat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, White Chocolate Chip Cookies .

AnzacCookies_Featured1 [whohit]AnzacCookies[/whohit]

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Baking

Subway Copycat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | Eggless Oatmeal & Whole Wheat Cookies

By anshu May 25, 2016

My husband and me are Subway Lovers. That is our favourite Sandwich place in the whole wide world. Every place I have been outside India I have had sandwiches from Subway. If we have subway in our city we tend to eat three to four times in a week there. At the end of every meal I grab an Oatmeal Cookie for myself and eat it greedily. They are soo very addictive. I guess that is one reason for me to make a frequent visit there.

The other day I was craving for the Subway Oatmeal Cookie (we dont have a subway in hills bohooo :'( ) So I decided to hunt on the web for a recipe which is as close to Subway’s Oatmeal Cookies. After a few hit and trials and trying a few recipes, I think I hit a jackpot. This recipe from Aarthi’s blog was almost near to what I was looking for. I tweaked it a little to make it just PERFECT. You have to try it but dont blame me later that I dint warn you for they are soo addictive.

Directions:

1. In a bowl add Flax Meal (Learn how to make Flax meal or Flax seed powder at home) and 3 tablespoon water. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes till it becomes gelatinous. You can always replace flax meal with an egg if you are okay with it.

2. In a bowl add Butter (at room temperature) and caster Sugar. Whisk them together until creamy.

3. Add the gelatinous flax meal and combine.

4. Add Cinnamon Powder, Quick Cooking Oatmeal and baking soda.

5. Also add Whole wheat Flour or atta and Raisins. Combine everything into a dough.

6. Line a baking sheet with Parchment Paper or Silicon Mat. I use Silicon Mat because it can be used again and again and nothing sticks on it. You can order your own silicone cookie mat from our online store, The Gourmet Shop. Scoop out the cookie dough with an ice cream scooper or you can even use a normal spoon and place them on the tray. Ensure to keep 2 inch space between them, as they will spread on baking.

7. Press each cookie ball with your palm and put them for baking in a preheated oven for 17-18 minutes on 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperatures and Conversions) until you see them slightly golden.

8. Take them out of the oven and let them sit on wire rack for ten minutes before indulging. They will crisp up as they come to room temperature.

9. Put them in an airtight cannister and they will stay good for more than a week, if only you can resist not eating them. Enjoy them with a cup of hot coffee or a glass of milk. You know for sure they are better than subway 🙂

Other Cookies you can try here are: Besan & Corn Flakes Cookies, White Chocolate Chip Cookies , Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, Coconut Chocolate Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Melomakarona: Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies and Italian Almond Biscotti.

[whohit]OatmealRaisinCookie[/whohit]

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Baking

Besan & Corn Flakes Cookies | Chickpea Flour & Corn Flakes Eggless Cookies | Gluten Free Chickpea Flour Cookies

By anshu May 5, 2016

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I am not a huge fan of Corn flakes, I prefer wheat flakes over Corn. So is the case with my family. I had a packet of Corn flakes feeling abandoned. And when I saw a post of Besan Cornflakes Cookies by Ravneet it triggered a spark and compelled me to try these. It was a rescue mission for the poor corn flakes but later I realised I have to get another packet of corn flakes as the cookies cake out quiet nice. My husband and son ate them all in no time.

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The another fascinating thing about this recipe is that its gluten free. For those who are avoiding gluten for any specific reason can safely indulge in this. I love the way cardamom goes with chickpea flour. It fondly reminds me of Besan Ke Laddoo 🙂 Yum!

Directions:
1. In a blender add corn flakes and grind them into a coarse powder. You can even crush them using a rolling pin, but if you leave big flakes they will fall out and cause trouble in shaping the cookies.

2. Mix the corn flakes power and besan or chickpea flour in a bowl. Add Baking powder and give a gentle mix to the dry ingredients and set aside.

3. In another bowl add castor sugar and add cardamom powder.

4. Add Ghee or clarified butter to it along with some Olive Oil.

5. Add milk and give the wet ingredients a good whisk until everything is well incorporated.

6. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead everything into a paliable dough. If you think you need more milk to get it together you may add a few teaspoons.

7. Divide the dough and roll into small balls of equal size and place them on a cookie tray lined with Parchment Paper or Silicon Mat. Preheat your oven to 180 degree Celsius for ten minutes.

8. Flatten the dough balls with your palm and place slithered almonds on top of your cookie and press slightly. I used almond flakes.

9. Bake in the middle rack of your oven on 180 degrees (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversion) for 12-15 minutes or until you see them slight golden. Remove them from oven and place on a wire rack to cool down for about ten minutes and then dont wait just grab a cookie and indulge 🙂

Other Cookies you can try are: White Chocolate Chip Cookies , Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, Coconut Chocolate Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Melomakarona: Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies and Italian Almond Biscotti.

BesanCornFlakesCookies_Featured3

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Baking

Strawberry Cookies | Eggless Strawberry Cookies

By anshu March 11, 2016

StrawberryCookies_Featured2

On my last trip to Delhi I gathered a lot of strawberries for my experiments. Ha! I sound as if I am a mad scientist..well almost 😛 When I made the Strawberry Preserve for my family they went gaga over it and it was finished in a few days. I never have had so much jam in my entire life. Well I am left with is an empty jar and sweet memories on my tongue. The next on my mind was to use them for some cookies. I know it sounded weird but when I did my google I saw there were many weirdos like me. I zeroed down to Harini’s Recipe and it was huh! Heavenly!

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The colour of cookies was so enticing that my little sunshine picked up one, and then two and finished three of these with milk in his favourite short mason jars. You know baker mommies they just love this and that’s how their heart melts. I am simply going to repeat doing this whenever I have strawberries next. In the meanwhile you try and indulge.

Directions:

1. Wash and hull strawberries and cut into slices. With the help of your finger tips coarsely mash them. A blender will make it a puree, but we just want them coarsely mashed. So stick to your hands.

2. In a bowl add butter and sugar. Cream them together.

3. Add coarsely mashed strawberries and combine.

4. Add Vanilla extract and combine.

5. In a separate bowl sift and combine All Purpose flour Baking Powder and Custard Powder.

6. Add the flour to the wet ingredients and mix together to form a sticky dough. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes so that it becomes easier to work with.

7. Line a baking sheet with Oddy Uniwrap Parchment Paper and preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.

8. Divide and roll the dough into golf size balls and place them on the baking sheet. Press them slightly with your palm.

9. Bake them in oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove them from oven. Let them cool down completely before indulging into it.

Other Cookie recipe you can try here are: Coconut Chocolate Cookies, Italian Almond Biscotti, Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies , Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips.

StrawberryCookies_Featured5 [whohit]StrawberryCookies[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’197′]Sending this to: Uniwraps.com

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Baking

Coconut Macaroons | Quick Crispy Eggless Coconut Macaroons

By anshu January 21, 2016

CoconutMacaroons_Featured3
This is my first post the year. It has been crazy in the midst of workshops, bakes, pickle orders and a much much more. Not that I have not been baking , just that I have a different laptop to work with and it is taking a while to adjust. So a lull in posting. I hope you missed me as much I missed you. Here’s a super quick dessert which is easy, crisp and equally delicious.

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These Coconut Macaroons are not to be confused with French Macarons. The two words refer to completely different things. Both macarons and macaroons are confections, and both names are derived from the Italian word ammaccare, which means “to crush” – but that’s where the similarities end. Traditionally, these coconut macaroons are made with whipped egg whites, however this recipe is eggless and far more easy and yet so delicious!

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degree F ( Learn about Oven temperatures and Conversion). In a bowl add some dried flaky Coconut. Also add to it All purpose Flour and little salt.

2. Add to the bowl vanilla extract and condensed milk.

3. Mix them thoroughly using a spoon. Wet your hands and roll them into golf size balls.

4. Line a baking sheet with Oddy Uniwrap Parchment Paper and place these balls on it.

5. Bake them in preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Remove them on wire rack to cool off.

6. Enjoy these crispy flaky Coconut Macaroons in no time. Perfect solution for quick dessert cravings.

Still looking for more Coconut recipes? You can try Coconut Chutney , Coconut milk and Mango Pudding and Chocolate Coconut Cookies.

CoconutMacaroons_Featured5 [whohit]CoconutMacaroons[/whohit]

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Baking

Gingerbread Man Cookies | Festive Gingerbread Man Cookies with Molasses

By anshu December 11, 2015

gingerbreadmancookies_featured4

Few days from now and it will be Christmas!! And I will be home with my parents. I may have been raised Hindu but having studied in a Christian School makes me yearn for Christmas and fun & frolic associated with it. I remember as a little kid I would decorate a potted plant in my house 😛 Now that I am a mommy, the spirit of Christmas hasn’t died in me, rather it is coming out in the form of baking and cooking delicious food which makes the festivity more joyous.

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A little while back I had posted Melomakarona : Greek Christmas Cookies and since then the vicious circle of baking is on. The next on my list if to bake my Rum Cake for Christmas. I smell the rum soaked dry fruits everyday and greedily imagine when the cake will be baked. Well looks like I will do that in a day or two, cant wait beyond this 😛 Nevertheless here are my authentic ginger bread man cookies which are made with molasses syrup. It has a distinct spiced flavour to it which makes you warm and feel good about the weather around. Not to mention, its so much fun to decorate them using royal icing. You need a little practice and patience to decorate them perfectly. Clearly I lack both 😉 My kiddo had fun baking these cookies with me. He ate the entire first batch by dunking them in his glass of milk. Definitely, he is mumma’s boy <3

Directions:
1. In a bowl add All Purpose Flour.

2. Add to it ginger powder, ground cinnamon and cloves powder.

3. Add baking soda and salt. Mix all the dry ingredients well and set aside.

5. In another bowl add butter at room temperature and add brown sugar to it. I used light brown sugar as it was the only thing I had on hand. Add molasses and give everything a good whip until creamy and soft. I used my electric whisk but you can always do it manually.

6. Add an egg to it whisk again. Now its time to add your dry ingredients little by little till everything comes together in the form of a dough.

7. Divide the dough into two or four balls and wrap them in a cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until the dough is set.

8. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celcius (Learn more about Oven temperature and Conversion).Take one ball of dough and let it sit on counter till it is workable. Dust your counter well with dry flour and roll it into a 1/8 inch circle. Cut it into gingerbread man shape using a cutter. If you think your cutter gets sticky you can dip it into flour and continue to cut the shapes. You can buy gingerbread man cookie cutter from our online store The Gourmet Shop

9. Place them on a baking sheet lined with Oddy Uniwrap Parchment paper. Bake them for 10 minutes in a center rack until they turn a little brown.

10. Cool them completely and decorate them with Royal Icing and candies. Learn to make Royal Icing easily at home.

11. You can dunk them in milk or enjoy them as it is. Its a treat for kids and you can even gift it to your loved ones to melt their heart this season.

Other Cookies you can try here are:Melomakarona : Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies, Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Italian Almond Biscotti, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Coconut Chocolate Cookies.

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Baking

μελομακάρονα | Melomakarona | Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies

By anshu November 28, 2015

Its November end and Thanksgiving is over. I can feel the chill in the air and my nose turns red when I take my daily walk in the hills. I have soaked the dry fruits in Rum for the Christmas Cake, which officially means that Christmas has begun. Hurray!! now who can stop me from baking delicious cakes and cookies.

Incidentally, this months Spatula Force Theme Challenge was Greek Cuisine hosted by my Friend and Food Blogger Bhawna Pandey from Salt and Pepper . This motivated me to try the Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies Melomakarona. They are delicious, melt in mouth, egg shaped cookies with goodness of Olive Oil and Honey. They are Spiced with Cloves, Cinnamon and Orange Zest. Doesn’t that sound very festive and christmasy?

The baked cookies are dipped in Sugar Honey Spiced Syrup and finally glazed with Honey and chopped Walnuts. Ohh!! The taste is absolutely mindblowing and scintillating. You must try these to believe me 🙂 I loved to photograph these cookies and creating a little Christmas like ambience. Thanks to my friend Lily for the beautiful platter she gifted me on her visit. Doesn’t that look amazing!

Directions:

1. Wash and dry a firm Orange and take out its zest, only the orange part using a microplane or zester.

2. In a saucepan add some water and add to it lemon zest and orange juice.

3. Add sugar to the saucepan along with cinnamon and Cloves.

4. Bring the syrup to a boil and then simmer for two minutes. Turn the heat off and add honey and mix well till it is dissolved. Keep aside.

5. In a mixing bowl add Vegetable Oil, Olive oil and Orange juice.

6. Add to bowl baking soda and whisk together with the juice and oils. Let the soda react with the juice.

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7. Add ground Cloves and Cinnamon and combine

8. Add caster sugar or icing sugar to the oil juice mixture and mix well along with orange zest. Add semolina and combine using a whisk.

9. Now add All purpose flour little by little and combine to make a smooth dough. Do not over work the dough.

10. Divide the dough into walnut size elliptical or oval shape balls and press them against a grater to get the pattern. Other wise you can use a fork to make pattern of your choice.

11. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat, with amble space between each cookie* and bake for 25-30 minutes on 200 degree Celsius in middle rack. Keep an eye after 25 minutes, for it shouldn’t get over baked.

12. Immediately as they come out of the oven dip them in the syrup we prepared before for 20 seconds. You can use slotted spoon to take them out.

13. Let them drain and rest on a wire wrack. When they cool down drizzle them with Honey and sprinkle on top some coarsely ground walnuts.

14. You are ready to dig into them and make this Christmas more special and Joyous.

Other Cookies you can try on The Secret Ingredient are: White Chocolate Chip Cookies , Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, Coconut Chocolate Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Italian Almond Biscotti.

If you are looking for Delicious Cakes and Sweet Breads: Apple Raisins Streusel Bread , Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake, Eggless Almond Vanilla Cake, Eggless Orange Cake with Candied Orange Peel Filling, Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze, Persimmon Rum Cake, Pumpkin Cake Rolls , Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake, Wacky Vegan Chocolate Cake , Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread with Melon Seeds.

Other Greek Cuisines from my fellow Bloggers participating in this challenge are: Spanakopita Triangles or Greek Spinach Pie by Binjal Pandya from Binjal’s Veg Kitchen, Baklava by Pooja Khanna from 2Bliss Of Baking.

[whohit]Melomakarona[/whohit]

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Baking

Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits | Maduwa Atta Biscuits | Nachni Aur Gehun Atta Biscuits | Sweet Finger Millet Biscuits

By anshu September 29, 2015

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

6. Add powdered sugar and mix.

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.

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

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 🙂

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

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.

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.

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.

[whohit]RagiBiscuits[/whohit]

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Baking

Italian Almond Biscotti | Twice Baked Almond Cookies

By anshu September 7, 2015

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.

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. 🙂

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

[whohit]Almond Biscotti[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’166′]

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