The Gorgeous Ginger Spice Cookies

Ginger- Spice Cookies

Hii..
Its been so long that I have actually sat down and put something up on the blog..
Have tried so many recipes in the meanwhile but today somehow got enthusiastic enough to put this one down, maybe because the entire house was smelling so good - ginger-cinnamon-butter woww!!
Coming to the recipe. I have taken this 'Ginger Cookies' recipe from my favourite 'Joy of Baking' website..

GINGER-SPICE COOKIES

Makes: Around 50 cookies

Ingredients1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (210 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) (90 grams) unsulphured molasses or Honey

2 large egg whites (60-70 grams), at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) pure vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups (345 grams) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cloves

Garnish
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

Procedure

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices

Adding the spices to the flour

2. Separate 2 eggs (We will only need the egg whites)

Separating the Egg Whites

3. In the bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes).

Beating the Butter and Sugar

4. Add the molasses/honey, egg whites, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

Adding the Honey, Egg Whites and Vanilla Extract

5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined

Adding the flour to the butter mixture

6. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or until firm.

7.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. When the batter has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch (2.5 cm) (15 grams) balls.

Rolling the batter into balls and covering them in sugar

9. Place about 1 cup (200 grams) of granulated white sugar in a medium sized bowl. Then roll the cookie balls into the sugar, coating them thoroughly.

10. Place on your baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, with the bottom of a glass, gently flatten the cookies slightly.

Flattening the Balls

11. Bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until the cookies are firm around the edges but are still a little soft in the centers. (The longer the cookies bake, the more crisp they will be.)

Right after Baking

12. The cookies will be soft initially..slide them out and Cool on a wire rack. Cover and store in an airtight container.

Hope you liked the recipe, do try and let me know how you find these amazing Ginger Spice Cookies.

The Perfect Brownies for a Lovely Sunday Evening

Perfect Chocolate Brownies

Hii..
Can you believe it I am actually blogging after a gap of a year..My goodness really its been toooooo long..Well what kept me busy..Apart from work and the usual things, planning an amazing trip to Europe last year was one of the High Points of the previous year..It was a gorgeous vacation to Norway, Denmark, Belgium and our family favorite Switzerland. Europe has always been my love..Why ..There is something so different about it..From Old Cities and Architecture to some beautiful landscapes, it has it all. And ofcourse the Food, always makes me smile.
Since I am a foodie I have to just have to mention about this Papiroen Street Food Market in Copenhagen..Its something I have never experienced before..Its a huge area next to a canal with hundreds of people gorging on some amazing food from all over the world (there must be around 200 food stalls)..It is a mind blowing experience and if your are a foodie and happen to visit Copenhagen then this place is NOT to be missed!!!

Now coming back to the Brownies..Initially I wasn't a huge fan of brownies..the primary reason being I mostly found them too dry and also I am not fond of walnuts. Then one fine day 'Theobroma' happened and I found the perfect brownies that I always wanted, they were gooey and moist with a crust, simply perfect.
Since then I had this great urge to try baking a brownie myself. And so I jumped to my favorite website 'Joy of Baking' and grabbed the easiest Brownie recipe available. And Boy o Boy it turned out so so good. Gooey, Moist with a thin crust..a 10/10.. It is an extremely simple recipe with nothing much to do. We don't even need an electric/hand mixer. A simple whisk will do the job.
Note: I have not added any walnuts but you are most welcome to do so


PLAIN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Makes: 16 pieces of 2X2 inches brownies

Ingredients

Ingredients

150 grams semisweet chocolate chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a nonstick cooking spray) an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment or wax paper.

Preparing the Baking pan

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.

Melting the Chocolate and Butter

3. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and sugar.

Adding the Sugar and Cocoa Powder

4. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Finally, stir in the flour and salt

Mixing the Eggs and Flour

6. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it. Do not over bake.

Pre-Baking and Post-Baking

7. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into square pieces. Remove the pieces individually from the Pan. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

The Perfect Brownies

Thanks for Reading!!!

Valentine's Day Special - Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hiii...
So its Valentine's day again and this time its a Sunday.. This day celebrates 'Love' so I think on this day each one of us should do the things we love with the person we love..Yes I know its getting too lovey-dovey here!!
Well since 'Red' is the color of Love, there is nothing more perfect than surprising your loved one/ones with a gorgeous and delicious 'RED VELVET CAKE' with some equally mouth watering 'Cream Cheese Frosting' .
Without wasting any further time and I will jump to the recipe.. (I have adopted this from my favourite Stephenie's Joy of Baking)

RED VELVET CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes: A two layer 9 inches Cake

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour (I made my own cake flour - one cup sifted cake flour (100 grams) can be substituted with 3/4 cup (85 grams) sifted all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

100 grams cream cheese, room temperature

100 grams of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (If you cannot find Mascarpone then just double the amount of Cream Cheese)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

70 grams  confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

200ml cups cold heavy whipping cream


Procedure

1. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

Cake Batter Preparations

2. In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

3. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Red Food Coloring

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Batter ready for baking

5. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. (I baked 1 cake at a time, so I took half of the required vinegar and half of the required baking soda and mixed it and folded it quickly to half the batter, once one of the cakes were baked I did this step for the rest of the batter. If your oven can hold both cakes together then you can do this step once for the entire batter)

6. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cooling off the Cake

7. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Whipping the cream

8. Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

Starting with Frosting

9. In another bowl, take the heavy cream and place the bowl over a ice bath and whip until peaks. Fold this cream with the cheese mixture. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Frosting the cake completely

10. Assemble: Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.  Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with cake crumbles or chocolate shavings (I used Chocolate Shavings). Serve!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and garnished with Chocolate Shavings

Wishing all of you a very very HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Keep Loving!

The Super Quick Indian-style Blackened Chicken

Indian-Style Blackened Chicken

Hii..
On a cold winter evening when you really don't want to do anything else but just snuggle up in your quilt, this is one of the tastiest and easiest things to cook. It matches perfectly with a bowl of hot soup and some bread. The best part it can be prepared in such a short time. I found this one while browsing the net.Its a recipe by Ruchi Airen from her blog Foodfellas. (I have made a minor modification here n there)
So without wasting much time I ll straight jump to the recipe..

INDIAN STYLE BLACKENED CHICKEN

Makes: Around 8 Chicken Legs (Serves 4)

Ingredients

Ingredients

Chicken Legs - 8pcs
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1.5 tablespoons
Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
Soya Sauce- 2 tablespoons
Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoonful
Garam Masala Powder - 1.5 teaspoonful
Black Pepper Powder - 1 teaspoonful
Salt - to taste
Refined Oil - 1 tablespoon

Procedure

1. Prick the Chicken Legs with a fork on all sides

2. Marinate the Chicken with all the above ingredients (Except for the Oil)

Marinated Chicken

3. Keep Aside for 30-35 minutes
4. Heat the Oil in a Wok and put the marinated chicken (along with the left over marinade) into the wok.

Stir Fry

5. Fry for a few minutes, then sprinkle a little water and cover and cook until done (around 20mins)
6. Once the chicken looks done, Remove the cover and stri fry on high heat to dry up all the liquid.
7. Serve Hot (You can garnish with some sliced onions and lemon wedges)

Enjoy the Blackened Chicken

Thanks for taking out time to read this!! Ciao Ciao!

The perfect Home-made Focaccia Bread

Focaccia Bread

Hii..
Bread Baking is extremely addictive, especially if you start getting successful results. After baking the White Loaf successfully a couple of times I was dying to try my hands at something different when I suddenly got reminded of the 'Focaccia Bread' and obviously I jumped at the thought!!
After some RnD on the net I found a a couple of recipes which were easy (yes I always look for easy) and doable so I combined a couple of them. The major part of the recipe was adopted from the 'Herbivore Cucina' with some minor modifications from my end.
Before we start, few of you might be wondering what is Focaccia Bread.Well it is an Italian flat bread with toppings and it is an extremely soft and melt in the mouth kind of a bread. It goes extremely well with some soup. I made some Tomato Basil Soup to go with it.

Few Important Points

I. Proofing the active dry yeast is THE most important thing while baking a bread, you surely need to proof the yeast .

II. While proofing the yeast the water should be just the correct temperature. If its too hot then the yeast will die n if its not warm enough then the yeast will remain inactive. I test by putting a drop of water on the back of my wrist. It should feel warm. (Technically the water should be around 45 degree Celsius or around 110 degree Fahrenheit, if you have a food/kitchen Thermometer you can measure it).

III. After proofing the yeast should rise and foam up (not just bubbles but like a creamy foam)..if it does not then THROW and start afresh.

IV. If you are using INSTANT yeast then I guess it doesn't require proofing but I have never really tried that so can't comment . I have always used Active Dry and proofed it first.

V. The bread dough needs to be kept in a warm place. But never keep it under the sun because the temperatures might go up unexpectedly and the yeast might die due to the heat.

FOCACCIA BREAD (Italian Flat Bread)

Makes: A 11" Dia x 1" height Round Loaf

Ingredients
 
For the Bread
All Purpose Flour/Maida - 3 cups (Around 450gms)
Active Dry Yeast - 2 and 1/2 teaspoonful
Warm Milk - 3 tablespoons
Warm Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
Refined Oil - 3 tablespoons
Butter (at room temperature) - 1 teaspoonful
Sugar - 2 teaspoonful
Salt - 1 teaspoon

For the Toppings
Onions - sliced
Green Capsicum - 1/2 sliced
Red Capsicum - 1/2 sliced
Tomato - 1/2 sliced
Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - 2 teaspoonful (optional)
Black Olives sliced ( I didn't use since I and N are not fond of Olives)
Red Chilli Flakes - 1 teaspoonful
Italian Seasoning’s/ Dried Herbs (Oregano,Basil,Thyme) - 1.5 teaspoonful

Procedure

1. Take a Big bowl and add 1 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon Sugar .Mix Well
2. Add the Yeast and Mix, now Sprinkle 1 more teaspoon of sugar.
3. Cover and keep for 10-12 mins, it should Foam (if it doesn't then throw and start again)

Proofing of the Yeast

4. Add the Oil, Salt, another 1/2 cup of warm water, Milk, Butter in the foamed up Yeast

Dough Preparation

5. Mix in the flour (in batches) in the bowl and keep mixing till it looks like a dough.

6. Take out dough on the counter and knead for 7-8 mins (Not more than that)

Dough ready for 1st Rise

7. Place dough in greased bowl, cover (with food wrap or damp towel cloth and keep in a warm and humid place.
Now since it is winters and its difficult to find a warm and humid place so I do the following. I use a microwave-convection oven so I Heat little water in the microwave (micro mode) and take out the container. Now I place the dough container in the switched off microwave.After 30 mins Take the dough container out and reheat water and place the dough container again.

8. Dough should double in volume in 1 hour or so (more than the time the volume is important)

After 1st Rise ..........................................Toppings

9. Punch Down the dough and knead for another 3-4 minutes

10. Grease your baking dish and flatten the dough and place it on the dish. Cover and keep for second rise for another 45 minutes.

After 2nd Rise

11. Once the flattened dough has risen, uncover the dish and make dimples softly with your finger tips on the top surface

12. Sprinkle the Chilli Flakes and the Italian Seasoning on top.

Adding the toppings

13. Now top it with the slices vegetables (softly press the vegetables)

14. Preheat Oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

15. Once Preheated change the temperature to 180 Degrees Celsius and Bake for 25 minutes.

16. Cool for 10 minutes then slice and serve with some warm soup.

Slice Up and Enjoy with some Soup

Thanks for taking out time to read.

A slice of Fresh White Bread

White Bread Loaf

Hii..
Baking is something which has always intrigued me..Being from a Science background (in fact Physics to be specific Oh Gosh!!), baking always gives me that exciting feeling which we used to have during our lab experiments. Sometimes even when I am extremely tired, the mere idea of baking fills me up with energy.. Well I had tried my hand at Cakes, Muffins, Cheesecakes so it was high time I tried baking a simple White Bread Loaf.. Yes something so basic yet so wonderful. After browsing through quite a few recipes I settled for this one. (no specific reason just an intuitive feeling that this should be good). And Boy it did turn out to be delicious.. One thing is for sure.Once you start baking breads at home, you won't feel buying one from the market!!

Before jumping to the Recipe which is actually very simple I would like to point out a couple of things which needs to be kept in mind while baking Breads!

Few Important Points

I. Proofing the active dry yeast is THE most important thing while baking a bread, you surely need to proof the yeast .

II. While proofing the yeast the water should be just the correct temperature. If its too hot then the yeast will die n if its not warm enough then the yeast will remain inactive. I test by putting a drop of water on the back of my wrist. It should feel warm. (Technically the water should be around 45 degree Celsius or around 110 degree Fahrenheit, if you have a food/kitchen Thermometer you can measure it).

III. After proofing the yeast should rise and foam up (not just bubbles but like a creamy foam)..if it does not then THROW and start afresh.

IV. If you are using INSTANT yeast then I guess it doesn't require proofing but I have never really tried that so can't comment . I have always used Active Dry and proofed it first.

V. The bread dough needs to be kept in a warm place. But never keep it under the sun because the temperatures might go up unexpectedly and the yeast might die due to the heat.

WHITE BREAD LOAF
Makes: One 9X5 Loaf

Ingredients

Active Dry Yeast

Active Dry Yeast - 2 and 2/3rd teaspoons
Water- 1 and half cups - Warm
Butter- 30gms (at room temperature-it should be soft)
Sugar- 3 teaspoons
Salt - to taste
All Purpose Flour / Maida (If you can mange to get hold of bread flour use that)  - 450gms (if using bread flour use 500gms)


Procedure for the bread
1. Take a Big bowl and add 1 cup warm water and 2 teaspoons sugar .Mix Well
2. Add the Yeast and Mix, now Sprinkle 1 more teaspoon of sugar.
3. Cover and keep for 10-12 mins, it should Foam (if it doesn't then throw and stat again)

Proofing

4. Add Butter, Another 1/2 cup warm water, Salt and Mix Well

Mixing the FLour

5. Mix in the flour (in batches) in the bowl and keep mixing till it looks like a dough.

6. Take out dough on the counter and knead for 7-8 mins (Not more than that)

Placing the dough for the 1st Rise

7. Place dough in greased bowl, cover (with food wrap or damp towel cloth and keep in a warm and humid place.
Now since it is winters and its difficult to find a warm and humid place so I do the following. I use a microwave-convection oven so I Heat little water in the microwave (micro mode) and take out the container. Now I place the dough container in the switched off microwave.After 30 minsTake the dough container out and reheat water and place the dough container again.

8. Dough should double in volume in 1 hour or so (more than the time the volume is important)

Cover and Rise

9.. Punch Down the dough and place in greased Loaf tin

Punching DOugh and Placing in Loaf Tin

10. Cover with damp cloth and let it rise (double up) in the microwave(switched off) for 40-45mins

Placing for 2nd Rise

13. Now take out the loaf tin and preheat oven (on convection mode) at 220 C (with some water in the baking dish) over the wire rack.

14. Once pre-heated replace the baking dish with the loaf tin on the wire rack.

15. Bake at 190 C for 30mins

Loaf ready and plced for cooling

16. Once done Cool the bread on a wire rack and then slice using a serrated knife.

Slice up

You can enjoy a fresh slice with some butter or jam. It is soft as a pillow.
NOTE: Best to consume it on Day 1 cause its ultra soft, but if consider having it the next day then you can toast/grill the slices!