once upon a norza

Why would anyone do a homemade oreo when the oreo is already nice? Nabisco oreos are almost perfect until Aisyah saw the oreo recipe in Flour Bakery cookbook (which just which just arrived last month)and asked me to make them.

I made oreos a few days later and it was aweeeeesooooooome! I don't think I will be buying another bag of Nabisco oreos because homemade ones just taste nicer. Besides I have never liked the white cream cos it just tastes too sweet. The husband had bought organic oreos once at Vitakids and I remembered them as horrid. The girls won't even touch them...haha.

The recipe's (get it online here)quite manageable if you follow the recipe closely BUT it's really really long to make. I had to reassure Aisyah that the cookies will be done when she comes back from school the very next day. One thing I will change if I make another batch is to roll the dough smaller cos 2.5 inches is a bit too big (well, not for me but smaller ones will look cuter).

Labels: baking treats

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

Hamlet

I believe that it's all in the mind. The more expectations we have of people, the angrier we become when they don't live up to our expectations. Why not we "relek one corner" once in a while because we're the ones who control how we react. We can't change people, that's for certain.

A weed is only a weed when we don’t like it. Children are only naughty if we don’t like their actions. Life only sucks if you judge it as bad.

The Elements of Living Lightly

When I did cinnamon palmiers last week, I didn't expect anything but the end result was so satisfying that I made another quick batch for teatime. It's a very frugal treat with just ready-made pastry, cinnamon sugar and butter. Very easy to make but you get a fancy-looking treat that uses very little ingredients. I can even make this everyday till I'm bored of it (which of course, I won't!).

Recipe for Cinnamon Palmiers | from Indulgence Petit Fours

Ingredients

4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 x 25 cm square sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
30 g unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar onto a clean work surface, place the pastry on top and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Gently roll over the pastry with a rolling pin to secure the sugar, brush with half the melted butter and slice in half. Use your fingers to gently roll up one long side as tightly as possible to the middle. Repeat with the remaining side and the remaining piece of pastry. Brush with the remaining butter. Wrap the rolls tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 15-20 minutes, or until firm.

Use a small, sharp knife to cut across each roll into 1 cm thick slices. Place the palmiers, cut side up, 1-2 cm apart, to allow for spreading, on the prepared tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until beginning to caramelise. Remove the tray from the oven and carefully flip the palmiers. Bake for a further 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, caramelised side up.

Labels: baking treats

It's hard to say no to creamcheese brownies. Well, at least for me. I have always loved brownies and cheesecake. So when I found the recipe for creamcheese brownies, I knew I had to try it.

It was a very easy recipe because I baked a few hours in the morning before we visited my parents. Besides my mum loves brownies and cheesecake too so I thought I could bring some for her. I made half of it with cream cheese and the other half without because the husband don't eat anything cheese.

It's fudgy and moist and something that you can’t go wrong. If you like fudgy brownie + cheesecake, this is like the best of both worlds!

Recipe from My Kitchen Snippets

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate
1 1/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt

For the topping :
1 (8 oz) low fat cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup of sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 8 x 8 inch square baking pan. Set aside.

Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (4 to 7 minutes). Remove from heat.

Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix just until all ingredients are moistened and brownie mixture is smooth.

Spread brownie mixture into prepared baking pan.

For the topping beat the cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer.

Bake for 25 to 33 minutes or until brownies just begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely and then cut into bars and serve.

Labels: baking treats

We love doughnuts and any recipe with chocolates is a sure factor to get us excited. But the lazy me balked at the thought of making fried doughnuts and would rather buy them if I have a sudden crave.

However I immediately took out my butter from the fridge when I saw the 'Baked Chocolate Doughnuts' recipe by Lara Ferroni. I had some petitmiam strawberry yogurt expiring soon so this recipe is good to finish up the yogurt. The girls had been down with cough and yogurt is a no-no during that period of time.

Based on previous doughnut-baking attempts, this recipe also sounds more delicious and boy, was I right! The doughnuts were a hit! We didn't put any glaze but covered the top with sugar. Even the little-miss-cerewet, Sarah, had 2 of the doughnuts at one go. That's a good sign considering this girl basically survives on breastmilk mostly. hurhur.

Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts
By Lara Ferroni

130 grams (~1 cup) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
75 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used my batch of sourcream because it was near expiry :D)
1/4 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Lightly grease a doughnut (or muffin) tin and preheat the oven to 350F.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda, and then whisk in the sugar, nutmeg and salt.

Add the butter, and using your fingers, rub it into the dry ingredients until it becomes coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, yogurt, vanilla and egg. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix, or your doughnuts may be a bit rubbery.

Fill each cup 1/2 to 3/4 full. You can do this with a spoon, but I prefer using a piping bag to fill each cup more evenly and cleanly. It’s important not to overfill, or as the doughnuts rise, you’ll lose the hole.

Bake for 6 to 10 minutes (depending on the size of your doughnut pan), until the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool slightly on a wire rack before glazing. If coating in powdered sugar, let them cool even a bit more.

Makes about 15 mini doughnuts.

Labels: baking treats