Persimmon Cookies

A friend gave me some ripen persimmons from her tree, and she even gave me a recipe for making these cookies. They are soft and moist cookies with raisins and nuts. Yummy.

Pfeffernusse Cookies

I made these delightful German cookies, a popular holiday treat in Germany. They are small round cookies filled with aromatic ground spices and molasses. If you like gingerbread cookie, you will find this one quite similar in taste. If  you like yours to be spicy, just adjust the spices to your taste.

Kuih Bangkit

Kuih Bangkit is an all time favorite during the Chinese New Year celebration. It is a traditional Nyonya cookie that melts away in your mouth. This recipe is adapted from Nyonya Flavors.

Osmanthus Flower Cookie

Osmanthus is little white flower with a lovely and delicate fragrance. I bought some dried Osmanthus flowers while I was on vacation in Kunming last year from a street vendor. The fragrance is just heavenly! I stumbled upon this recipe online and thought I'd shared it here.

Salted Egg Cookies

Don't let the name of this cookie discourage from making it. If you like the taste of salted egg, you might like this savory cookie. It is actually quite delicious!

Goji Berry, Date, & Pistachio Nut Slices

Here's a great tasting treat to perk up that mid-day at work! These buttery fingers are filled with dates, goji berries, and pistachio nuts. For nutritional purposes, I've added goji berry to the recipe. Goji berry or wolfberry can be found in many health food stores. They are often used in Chinese herbal soups as they are high in antioxidant, help eyesight, improve circulation and boost immune function. I have a goji berry shrub in my garden and it provides me a good supply of plump and sweet berries. Enjoy it with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee.

Pistachio Nut Brownies

The trend in brownies over the past several years is ever gooier creations that seem to overwhelm you with chocolate and sugar. They are really only suitable for dessert. I wanted something that was a bit more versatile and could be enjoyed in the afternoon with tea without ruining your appetite for dinner. This brownie can even be enjoyed mid-morning with tea or coffee. Though I like walnuts, they never seemed quite right to me in brownies, their slightly bitter aftertaste always seems to be what I taste last as I eat a brownie. Instead I‘ve used pistachios, their mild and nutty taste matches this sparingly sweetened brownie and gives it added texture and notes of other flavors, not just chocolate.

Pistachios Wafers with Sesame Seed Crust

I have every other Friday off, and with the weather still a bit to cool to start serious gardening, I've devoted my time to trying some new recipes. The cold weather puts me in the mood for savory dishes, and I have found a wonderful cookbook that has may wonderful and inspiring recipes. I've come up with a variation of one of Mary Cech's wonderful recipes, a pistachio wafer. In asian cooking, sesame seeds are quite common and it struck me that this would make not only a good substitute, but give the recipe a bit of an asian influence. This recipe is not for the sweet-tooth, however it is great to serve plain or paired with other condiments, such as cheese or fruit chutney.

Apple and Raisins Scones

Autumn is apple season! A friend who knows that I love apples shared this recipe with me. It is great  served plain or with jam or crème fraîche. I am making this for a tea party and it isn't complete without a serving of scones. Enjoy with a freshly brewed cup of tea---how delightful!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced finely
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup sugar
¼ cup of raisins
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon granulated brown sugar
Crème fraîche, optional
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking tray.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl. Place the butter into the middle, cut butter into flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the diced apples, nutmeg, sugar and raisins. Mix in the beaten egg until it forms into a dough. If mixture appears too soft, stir in another ¼ cup of flour (approximately) until dough reaches desired consistency.
4. Dust some flour on a wooden surface and gently roll dough into a round shaped disk. Cut into equal sized triangles (like a pizza). Lay each slice onto the baking sheet, sprinkle brown sugar on top of scones.
5. Bake in oven for about 20-30 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve plain or with crème fraîche.
Tips: You can cut the dough into rounds using a cookie cutter.
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Springerle

Springerle is a white anise-flavored German cookie with an embossed design made by pressing into a special mold onto rolled-out dough. The cookies are then left out to dry before baking. This is a hard cookie and stores well for weeks. You can easily find the rolling pin or molds in specialty baking stores. I found mine in an antique store.

Ingredients: (makes about 50 cookies)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. anise extract or oil
4½ cups Pillsbury Softasilk cake flour
Greased baking sheets
Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until fluffy and light. Mix in the anise extract into the egg mixture. Add in sugar gradually and beat in to mix. Fold in the flour and extract. Mix until it forms into a dough.
2. Roll out dough onto a floured surface to about ½ inch thickness. Dust the Springerle rolling pin with some flour, remove excess flour and press the design frimly onto the dough.
3. Cut cookies apart with a pizza cutter between the guide lines and cut each piece out carefully. Place them on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and leave out to sit in a cool place overnight to dry.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place cookies in oven and quickly reduce to 300°F. Bake until cookies turn from pale to light yellow. This takes about 8-10 minutes. Do not let it turn brown.
5. Remove and let cool on wire rack. Store in airtight containers.
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Rugelach

November is the perfect time for baking as the weather is getting cooler and the fall is fully upon us. The heat from the oven keeps the house warm and toasty and fills the room with the wonderful aroma of baking. This reminds me of making these delicious goodies for the holiday season. Rugelach means "little twist" in Yiddish. It is a Jewish pastry that is filled with nuts and rolled to resemble a crescent, like a croissant. A friend's mother who also shared my joy in these pastries gave me this recipe. Thank you, Rhonda!
Ingredients: (makes about 50)
6 oz cream cheese, soften at room temperature
2 sticks or 1 cup unsalted butter, soften
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup raspberry preserve (or any of your favorite preserve)
1 cup raisins or currants
½ cup ground walnuts or pecans

¾ cup sugar, mixed with 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

baking sheet

parchment paper

 Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2) Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed unitl smooth. Gently add in flour, fold until mixture forms into a dough. Divide into 3 portions and flatten and to disk-shaped. Wrap in plastic and refrigerated for about 1 hour or until it is firm enough to roll. (Dough can be prepared weeks ahead)

3) Take one portion of the dough out on a floured board or work surface. Dust hands with flour and knead dough and lightly dust with flour on all sides. Dust rolling pin with some flour and roll dough out into a 13 to 14-inch circle.

4) Brush circle thinly with preserve leaving about ¼-inch border around. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, raisins, and nuts.

5) Cut circle into 16 wedges using a pizza cutter. Separate each segment carefully and roll up from the wide end to the point, tucking point under (resembles the shape of a croissant). Note: I noticed that it is rather messy to handle the dough after it is cut into 16 wedges. The trick to not making a mess is to cut into 8 wedges and work each wedge individually, leaving the raisins to the last step. Remove wedge away from the circle, and cut into half with pizza cutter. Arrange raisins on top and roll up from the wide end to the point.

6) Sprinkle each rugelach with cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough filling. Place them at least 2-inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.

7) Bake for 20-25 minutes until bottoms are lightly brown and tops golden. Remove to cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container or can be freeze for up to a month.

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Biscotti

This cookie keeps well and is great with a cup of hot coffee or cocoa. You can use any variety of nuts of your choice or dipped ends with melted chocolate. It is delicious to the last crumb!
Ingredients:
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ tsp. orange extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 egg white, beaten
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
3 cups flour
1½ cup walnuts, or pistachios (toasted and chop coarsely)
2 Tbsp. instant coffee powder
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2½ tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
handful of chocolate chips
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray if not using a non-stick cookie sheet.
2) Dissolve coffee in vanilla extracts. Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Stir in eggs and egg white gently one at a time, beating on medium speed. Add in coffee mixture and corn syrup. Fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt on low speed until mixture is well mixed, stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
3) Divide dough into quarters on a clean floured board. Roll each portion into a log about 8-10" long and about 1½ inches wide. Place them on cookie sheet 2-inch. apart. Bake for ½ hour. Remove and transfer to cool on wire rack. When it is cool enough to handle, cut each log crosswise and diagonally in ½-inch thickness. Lay each slices flat on cookie sheet.
4) Return to oven to bake further for another 10-15 minutes until the pieces is firm when pressed. Remove and cool completely on wire racks. Store in airtight containers or freeze for up to 2 months.

Printable Recipe

Apple Spiced Cake

A friend mentioned that I don't have many cake recipes. I am not much of a baker, but I can make a decent cake occasionally. This cake is easy to prepare and it is great served warm with whipped cream or just plain. I love this with golden delicious or granny smith apples. It is a moist cake that has a tangy lemon taste and a twist of my favorite spices: ginger and nutmeg--wonderfully delicious!
Ingredients:
1½ lbs apples, peeled and cored
¾ cups sugar
4 eggs
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1¼ cups self-rising flour (or plain flour with 1 tsp. baking powder)
4 oz. melted butter
pinch of salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp. ground ginger
9" springform cake pan
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 springform baking pan
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush baking pan with melted butter and line the base with paper.
2. Slice the apples thinly and add to a bowl, pour lemon juice and ginger on top. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a bowl, beat egg, sugar until it is thick and creamy. In another bowl, mix flour and salt together.
3. Add in half the flour into the egg mixture and fold in gently with a metal spoon. Drizzled in the melted butter from the side and fold into with the flour mixture. Add in the rest of the flour to mix, then add in the apples and fold gently to mix. Use a spatula to level the top surface and sprinkle nutmeg on top.  (This works well if you have a nutmeg grater)
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake in center of oven for about 45-50 minutes until skewer comes out clean. Remove and let it cool down for about 10 minutes and then invert on to a wire rack. Turn the cake onto a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you desired.



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Taiyaki

I remember fondly the first time we had this snack was in a cherry blossom festival at Japan town in San Francisco. The entire square was so alive with exciting colors, music, and traditional Japanese festivities. There were artwork and dance demonstration for audiences young and old.
Taiyaki is Japanese for baked sea bream, it is a fish-shaped pancake-like cake with a sweet filling, generally red bean paste. It is made with a special mold that opens on both sides and batter is pour on the bottom and  cooked on both sides until golden brown.
Ingredients: (make about 8-10)
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 small egg, beaten
200 ml. water
18 oz. red bean paste (rinse lightly to remove sugar and drain)
Method:
1) Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl. Pour in the egg, water and mix till batter is smooth. Leave to sit for about 5 minutes.
2) Season pan with some oil and remove any excess oil. Spoon some batter into the mold and fill with red bean paste, cover the top with another spoonful of batter. Bring the top lid to cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn pan over to cook on the other side until both sides are golden brown. Unmold and serve.

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Coconut Candy

This delicious candy reminds me of my high school days in BBGS (Bukit Bintang Girls' School) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We used to make these candies for the chool fun fair and each year they were a sellout! Each class was given an event to do and participation was mandatory. Weeks ahead, the selected class would busy themselves in making colorful baskets from paper cups, decorated with crepe paper. The fun part was cooking the candies and packing it into the baskets.
Ingredients:
350 gm. grated fresh white coconut (or flaked dried coconut)
500 gm. sugar
150 gm. evaporated milk
40 gm. unsweetend butter
2 tsps. vanilla essence
1 tsp. rum (optional)
food coloring of your choice
greased flat square pan
Method:
1.In a heavy saucepan, add coconut, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla essence and stir to combine over medium heat to dissolve sugar. Stir constanstly to prevent it from burning or sticking to the pan.
2.Add in butter, rum (if used), food coloring and stir until the sugar mixture thickens, about 30 minutes.
3.Pour mixture into a well-greased pan and press until the surface is flat and even. Place in a cool place to set.

4.Cut into squares when it is cool slightly and store in air tight containers.Leave the candy aside to set. Cut the candy into small squares when it is slightly cool.
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Madeleines

   

The last time I made Madeleine was quite some time ago. Instead of the traditional shape, I've decided to use this cute metal pan that I found in a local thrift store. It is a heavy cast iron muffin pan in fish shapes. This weekend we are invited to Jennifer's house for an early Chinese New Year celebration. This would be perfect to bring for the party. Fish has a symbolic significance because the Chinese word for fish, "yu", sounds like the word for abundance. It is believed that eating fish on this auspicious day will bring good luck to the family.

Ingredients:
1¼ sticks unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached flour
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. softened butter (softened for greasing pan)
zest of one lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
powdered sugar for dusting
extra flour for dusing baking pan
Madeleine baking pan
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until brown in color. Strain to remove any solids into a bowl. Set aside to cool.
3. Grease the baking pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Dust with flour and invert the pan and tapping out any excess flour.
4. Put the sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high till eggs double in volumne. Whisk a little longer till the mixture is thick and white in color. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the lemon zest and vanilla.
5. Next gently fold in the flour into the egg mixture and then the butter mixture.
6. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges of the madeleines are golden brown. Remove and unmold imediately. Cool on racks and dust with powdered sugar.
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