Marias Menu » Baking Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maria — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:50:56 +0000

I never knew it was so difficult to get a good recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I’ve tried 3, 4 recipes before this one and was not happy with the outcome. Every time I made it, Jose (my hubby dear) used to find something or the other wrong with it, mostly the texture and oh ya.. the cookie used to get burnt also :( I had to scrape the bottom layer. I guess I haven’t tried any other dish this many times to get it right.

Though I bake cake often, cookies are still new to me. I came to the conclusion that cookies dont like me :( I even thought of giving up the idea of baking cookies, but hey wait a min…

Anyways after seeing the recipe in Cafe Cakes book by Australian Women’s Weekly, I decided to try my luck again. The success of Family Chocolate Cake from one of their books, gave me the motivation and I was not disappointed :) The texture was right and most importantly, it didn’t get burnt! Cookies do like me :)

This is the first cookie post in my blog and am very happy to send this to Home Made Christmas Gifts event hosted by Happy Cook. HC, hope you will like this small treat :)

HC, this is for you:

Here is the recipe:

Butter – 125 gm, chopped (softened)
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Brown sugar – 1/3 cup (75 gm), firmly packed
Caster sugar – 1/3 cup (75 gm)
Egg – 1, room temperature
Plain flour – 1 1/4 cups (185 gm)
Bicarbonate of soda – 1/2 tsp
Walnuts – 1/4 cup (30 gm), toasted and finely chopped (optional)
Dark choc chips – 1 cup (190 gm)

Preheat oven to 180 degree 10 minutes before baking. Beat butter, essence, sugars and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, nuts and choc chips. Drop level tablespoons of mixture about 5 cm apart on greased oven trays, press down lightly. Bake for 12 minutes or until browned lightly. Stand cookies 2 minutes before lifting onto wire racks to cool.

The above measurement yields around 25 cookies.

Check out these cookies baked by Gayathri. Thank you so much dear for all your kind words :)

Please find below the picture of Choc chip cookie, made by Ammu using this recipe. Thanks again dear :)

Btw, that naughty boy in the pic is my nephew Aditya, my Adiboy :). He was a model for this year’s calendar of The South Indian Bank.

Check out the Choc Chip Cookies made by Josphine based on the above recipe. Thank you dear :)

Notes: You can store this in an airtight container for upto 2 weeks.

Recipe source: Cafe Cakes by Australian Women’s Weekly

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Apple and Cinnamon Crumble-top Cake

Maria — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:40:16 +0000

You might have come across a variety of apple & cinnamon combinations before, but for me its a first time affair…yes, this is the first time am eating apple….I can see so many surprised faces out there :) . You may find it hard to believe…I think I should make it clear that I haven’t got anything against the good looking apples, but I generally do not eat fruits, so is it getting too complicated for you guys…let me explain.

I do not eat 99% of fruits in raw form. Some fruits like orange, pineapple, mango…I have it in juice & jam forms…but there are some others which are a big NO in any form and they are jack fruit, guava and before making this cake apple was in this list….but I do not have any plans to try other fruits from that list, I just cannot stand its smell (no offense).

So now you might be wondering what made me try apple now….hhmm I should say my husband’s tireless efforts to make me eat apple one way or other is one of the main reason…and then when I saw the picture of this cake in my favorite cookery book, I took up the challenge of eating an apple cake and here I am…

Do I like apple after trying it?….hhhmm I am not yet sure whether I will eat it in raw form, but the cake version …yes :)

Here is the recipe of the cake that convinced me apples are tasty :)

For the topping

Eating apples – 350gm/12oz peeled
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Self-raising flour – 125gm/4oz
Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
Butter – 75gm/3 oz
Demerara sugar – 75gm/3oz
Milk – 1 tbsp

For the base

Butter – 125gm/4oz
Caster sugar – 125gm/4oz
Medium eggs – 2
Self- raising flour – 150 gm/5 oz

Preheat the oven to 180 degree/350F, 10 minutes before baking. Lightly oil and line the base of a 20.5cm/8inch deep round cake tin with baking paper.

Finely chop the apples and mix with the lemon juice. Reserve while making the cake. For the crumbling topping, sift the flour and cinnamon together into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir the sugar into the butter and flour mixture and reserve.

For the base,cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat the eggs in a little at a time until all the egg has been added. Sift the flour and gently fold in with a metal spoon or rubber spatula. Spoon into the base of the prepared cake tin. Arrange the apple pieces on the top, then lightly stir the milk into the crumble mixture. Scatter the crumble mixture over the apples and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Serve cold with Vanila icecream or custrad.

Recipe source: Everyday cookery,baking series

Chocolate Walnut Bars/Squares

Maria — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:15:17 +0000

Happy valentines day to you all !!

I think chocolate has a special importance on valentines day menu, so here goes valentines special chocolate walnut bars.

Chocolates & nuts are one of my favorite combination and this one is no exception.

Here goes the recipe:

Walnuts – 55gm
Caster sugar – 60 gm
Plain flour, sifted – 110gm
Cold unsalted butter – 85gm,cut into pieces

For the topping

Unslated butter – 30 gm
Water – 85ml
Unsweetened cocoa powder – 30gm
Caster sugar – 100gm
Vanila essence – 1 tsp
Eggs – 2
Icing sugar – for dusting

Preheat the oven at 350 F/180 C. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch(20cm) square baking tin. Grind the walnuts with a few tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor or blender. In a bowl, combine the ground walnuts, remaining sugar and flour. With your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively, process all the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Pat the walnut mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin in an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the topping, melt the butter with the water. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and salt and let cool for 5 min. Whisk in the eggs until blended. Pour the topping over the crust when baked. Return to the oven and bake until set, about 20 min. Set the tin on a rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar (optional). Store in the refrigerator.

Recipe source: Simple Home Baking by Carole Clements

Carrot Cake

Maria — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:39:52 +0000

I was introduced to carrot cake by my friend, Divya. When we were staying in hostel, she used to bring this delicious carrot cake made by her mom. Those days, since most of my concentration was on eating and not about the behind the scenes part of cake making, I didnt bother about the recipe and all :)

Now coming to the present scenario, after I started baking, I always wanted to try out carrot cake and I even bookmarked a recipe in one of my favorite cooking books, “Everyday Cookery, Baking series”. But again, Divya told me she got a wonderful recipe for carrot cake from one of her aunts and told me its a must try and here I am :)Â and I am repeating her words to you guys, IT’S a MUST TRY!!

Recipe for the carrot cake:

Grated Carrots – 3 cups
Plain Flour – 2 cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Oil – 1/2 cup
Ghee – 1/2 cup
Eggs – 4
Nutmeg – 1 tsp
Cinnamon – 1 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp
Caramel syrup – 2 tbsp

For preparing caramel, heat 5 tbsp sugar. Once it turns brown, add 1/4 cup water and let it simmer till it becomes a thick syrup. Remove from gas and let it cool. Please note that the caramel syrup is completely cooled well before adding to the cake mix.

Preheat the oven at 180 degree, 10 minutes before baking. Sift together plain flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep it aside. Beat the eggs well. Add sugar to the beaten eggs and beat again. Add the sifted powders little by little and keep on beating until the whole lot is added to the egg, sugar mixture. Add oil and ghee and mix thoroughly. Slowly add grated carrots and spice powders and fold into the cake mix. Make sure that there are no lumps. Finally add the caramel syrup (ensure that it is completely cooled) and vanilla essence and combine well. Pour the cake mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.

Check out the Carrot Cake made by Josphine, based on the above recipe. Thanks a lot dear :)

Other recipes of Divya:

Queen of Puddings

Maria — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:34:50 +0000

This pudding was made to celebrate a small milestone that I achieved in blogging. This is my 100th cooking post! ~WoW~ When I started blogging… I never thought I’d be able to maintain it for more than a few months. But MariasMenu.com is now more than a year old and am still blogging. I’d like to say a “BIG THANK YOU” to my husband (who inspired me to start this), my family & friends (and blogging friends) and ESPECIALLY my main motivator… YOU, my readers, for your unending support and encouragement.

Speeches apart… now let’s start cooking :)

This is a simple & easy to make pudding. The base is mostly bread pudding and the topping is meringue. You can stop with the base if you like it that way. So here is the recipe for the Queen of Puddings.

Fresh white bread crumbs – 75gm, 3 pieces approx
Granulated sugar – 25gm
Full cream milk – 450 ml
Butter – 25 gm
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Eggs – 2 medium, separated
vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp
Seedless raspberry jam – 2 tbsp
Caster sugar – 50 gm

Preheat the oven to 170 degree/325 F. Oil a 900 ml/ 1 1/1 pint baking dish. and reserve. Mix the breadcrumbs and sugar together in a bowl. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat gently with the butter and lemon rind until the butter has melted. Add the vanilla essence & stir well. Allow the mixture to cool a little, then pour over the breadcrumbs. Stir well and leave to saok for 30 minutes.Whisk the egg yolks into the cooled breadcrumb mixture and pour into the prepared dish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until firm and set. Remove from the oven. ( If you don’t want topping, you can stop at this stage. Once the pudding is cooled, keep in fridge and serve cold)

Allow to cool slightly, then spread the jam over the pudding. whisk the egg whites until stiff and standing in peaks. Gently fold in the caster sugar with a metal spoon. Pile the meringue over the top of the pudding. Return the dish to the oven for a further 20 -25 minutes, or until the meringue is crisp and just slightly colored. Serve hot or cold.

Happy Cooking!

Notes: Be careful to use baking dish of the correct size to get the right thickness for the base.
Recipe source: Everyday Cookery, Baking

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Maria — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:58:42 +0000

Hi All

Wish you all a happy & blessed new year!! I know its a bit late, but as the saying goes, its better to be late than never :). Hope you all had a wonderful Xmas & New Year.

This is my first post in the new year, so I thought of posting something sweet. This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, which my husband gifted me sometime back. This brownie is dense, fudgy and ful of deep chocolate flaovor. So this is for all the chocoholics out there :)

Here goes the recipe :

Unsalted butter – 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus more for pan
Bittersweet chocolate – 8 ounces (220gm approx), coarsely chopped
Sugar – 1 1/2 cups
Eggs – 4 large
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
All purpose flour – 3/4 cup
Salt – 1/2 tsp

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 degree). Butter an 8 inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on two sides. Set aside, Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. remove bowl from heat;let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

It can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for upto 3 days.

Recipe source: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

Meringue….

Maria — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:34:08 +0000

Last week, I wanted to bake something simple and by simple I mean, something very easy, with a few ingredients. At the same time, I also wanted it to be related to the festive season of Xmas. Its a season of joy, happiness and also hopes, because you are ready to welcome the new year and eagerly waiting to know what’s in store for you.

At the end of all these thoughts, I was able to find one such item, which is very simple and at the same time very much apt for the season. Yes meringues….they actually look like snowballs :), so by making it I will get a snowy feeling here in Bahrain also :)

You need the following to make this.

Egg whites – of 2 eggs
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Chopped nuts – 1/4 cup
Icing sugar – for dusting (optional)

PreheatÂ the oven to 140 degree. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and keep aside. Pour the egg whites to a clean bowl. (Please note that the bowl should be completely clean and grease free, for successful whipping). Add some of the sugar to this and start whipping. After sometime add the rest of the sugar and continue to whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.Â If the mixture doesnt stop from the beater, when it is switched off, the batter is ready. Now slowly fold in the chopped nuts.

Drop one teaspoon each of batter spaced 1-1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking tray. Bake until crisp outside and still chewy inside, it takes around 35-40 minutes of baking. Transfer sheets to a wire rack and let completely cool. Dust with icing sugar. It can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.

Notes: The baking time should be adjusted to your respective ovens. This quantity will yield 12 – 15 meringues of medium size.

This recipe is adapted from the book: Cakes, Cookies, Pies & Tarts – inspired recipes from Williams Sonoma TASTE magazine.