Happy Eid-ul Adha!

Happy Eid!

These stunning cookies were done by a super talented friend of mine, did I mention she has a heart of gold? She was so sweet to include a beautiful tea set for my birthday since this year Eid fell on my birthday, double the fun!

Lots of love, blessings and good wishes for all!

Eid!!!

Mum's Basbousa (Egyptian Syrup Semolina Cake)

2/3 cup ghee (not melted)

1 cup sugar

1 cup yogurt

1/3 cup milk

2 cups semolina (fine or coarse)

1 tsp baking powder

Almonds for decor

Syrup:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup water

1 tbsp lemon juice

(orange blossom water if desired - 1 tsp)

Prep syrup by adding the water to a pot then the sugar into the middle of the water in the pot, DO NOT MIX. Bring it to a boil and it will bubble and sugar will dissolve ...continue cooking on medium high then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from burner and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

BATTER: Mix sugar, yogurt and milk, and ghee in one bowl. Mix semolina, baking powder in another bowl. Cream all together

Grease a pan 7x13 with ghee or butter. Pour batter mixture into pan..garnish with almonds and bake 40 to 45 minutes on highest rack.

After the 40-45 minutes set oven to Broil (2 minutes on low broiler) STAY IN THE KITCHEN AND KEEP CHECKING THAT IT DOESN'T BURN. ALMONDS CAN BURN EASILY.

Remove from oven and turn oven/broiler off.

Pour syrup over the basbousa cake using a spoon or ladel to evenly distribute. Place basbousa back into the warm oven (turned off!!) for 10 mins. This will help the syrup absorb.

Let cool then serve, perfect to make the day ahead. Cover and seal cooled basbousa using foil until the next day, plastic wrap unfortunately clings to the top and may remove a layer or some of the almonds.

Double the recipe for large pan

For baklava recipe refer to previous post here 

Ma'moul for Eid

Ma'moul by Najat (From her Youtube video, typed out by me)

3 cup fine samolina (farina or cream of wheat)
1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/8 tbsp salt


2 Sticks of butter, 1/2 pound of butter at room temp. (leave out 4 hours)


Mix soft butter with those ingredients until it's mealy and absorbed between your palms for 5 mins

cover and wrap for 6 hours on the counter, or in the fridge if you're in a hot country, take out an hour before use to become room tempt.


Date filling:

1/4 kilo date paste  (1 packaged block)
 2 tbsp softened butter
1 tbsp ground fennel
1 tbsp groudn anise

1/2 tsp ground mahlab (toasted and ground)

some oil for oiling hands while rolling.

Toast all seeds, cool and grind before use.

Mix all together with hands until it's a dough like consistancy, roll into small balls.

*Optional flavourings to use are cinnamon, cloves, cardimon, or nutmeg.


Pistachio filling:

1 1/2 cup finely ground pistachio
3/4 cup powdered sugar

1-1 1/2-2 cups orange blossom or rose water.. start with 1 tbsp and see how much is needed for it to come together as a dough.

Make little balls like with date paste.


Back to the dough:

After 6 hours leaving the samolina mixture,

Mix 1/2 tsp instant yeast over 3/4 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp sugar and let it sit until it proofs.

Add to samolina mixture:

2 tbsp powdered milk
2 tsp ground mahleb
1/2 tsp ground mystic (mestika)

Blend together well into mixture, slowly pour the yeast mixture into the grainy mixture until it comes together, never over knead the dough.   Once it comes together and you can make a little patty then cover and let it rest for 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Divide the dough into small balls (as many as the fillings you have)

Heat oven to 400 F

Keep everything covered with cling wrap while working.

Fill the dough balls with the filling and shape into desired shapes.

Seperate date and pistachio on seperate trays as pistachio cooks longer.

Bake as soon as they're ready, divide oven in 3rds using oven trays and put the first tray on the bottom rack for 7-8 mins.
Once it takes a golden color remove and put on top rack another 5 mins to finish while adding new tray to bottom.

Remove and cool tray, as soon as cookies are able to be moved move them to cooling rack and once they're cold store away in a tupperware.

Eid Al Adha 2013 - Eid Mubarak!

December 2011 - Cookie Challenge

It's 2012!! Happy New Year everyone.

Somehow it seems that every december I'm either occupied or kept away from blogging... but now I'm back and I brought cookies!! (well recipes :))

It's been a great month, filled with lots of sales, shopping and some baking. I took on this last minute challenge of making a variety of holiday cookies in less than 14 hours straight, it was alot of work but I'm proud of my accomplishment.

Here are some of the varieties I chose and I'd love to share the recipes with you all because not only are they impressive but also very easy!

The pinwheel:

Made one batch of the following but did not divide and add any cocoa.
Then went back and made another batch adding twice the amount of cocoa listed and then rolled out two sheets into equal squares, once they were chilled I layered the chocolate over the white and rolled like a jelly roll firmly. Chill for another hour or so (or up to 2 days in the fridge) then slice into 1/4 inch and bake on a sheet.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 large egg

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl.

Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Sprinkle cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated.

Place each half of the kneaded dough between two sheets of plastic. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.

Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

RECIPE courtesy of Martha Stewart

Chocolate Kissed Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups flour

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I omitted)

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Semi-sweet or dark chocolate disks (I used Trader Joe’s chocolate callets)*

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.

Using a mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press a callet into the center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.

Elfin Shortbread (super easy and always a hit with these melt in your mouth nuggets!!)

Elfin Shortbread Bites

from Simply Homemade Food Gifts

1 1/4 cups flour

3 TB sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 TB red and green sprinkles

Cut chilled butter into small cubes with knife, add flour and sugar then work with hands until resembles coarse crumbs. Gently add sprinkles in the end and bring the dough together. Flatten into a square about 1 inch thick and cover with cling wrap, refrigerate and then slice into small squares and bake for 12 minutes on 325 F.

Piparkakut Cookies by The New York Times

Ingredients

9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Molasses

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Cloves

3/4 Teaspoon Cardamom

1 & 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Orange Zest

1 Egg

Dash of Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 & 3/4 Cups Flour

1 Egg White (optional)

Directions

Heat your Butter, Sugar, Molasses, Spices, and Orange Zest in a small saucepan for about 4-5 minutes, or until your sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and continue to stir for a bit. Leave alone for about 20 minutes or until room temperature. Pour into a mixing bowl and beat in the Egg, Salt and Baking Soda. Combine half of your flour. Now mix in the other half. Mix until just combined. Now form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350, and working in small batches, roll out your dough onto a floured surface. Rolled as thin as you’d like them, really…and then cookie cutter away! Arrange cookies 1/2 inch apart on a parchment lined Cookie Tray. If you would like to , beat one Egg White and Brush on top of each cookie and sprinkle Turbinado sugar on top. Bake for 8- 10 minutes . Shout “I Love Finland!”

All photographs were taken by the man who saved this blog from nasty injected viruses, Evan Lentz…we praise you and your brilliance.

Now for my favourite little thumb print cookies. It starts with two basic doughs, one chocolate and one vanilla and from there you can just go crazy!!

I remember when we were younger we'd make roll the white dough in coconut and do strawberry jam in the centre or roll in chopped walnuts and dot with blueberry jam. This time I rolled in crushed pistachio and went with apricot jam. Also a chocolate dough with raspberry.

Go wild! Maybe try a white dough rolled in crushed hazelnuts and dotted with nutella :P

Follow the instructions below for the basic dough, once it's made and chilled a bit roll them into small balls (bite size)

Next you poke a small hole in the centre with the back of a wooden spoon.

Beat a little egg white until frothy and set aside, then dip the tops of the cookies in the egg white and into the chopped nuts or coconut, it will stick to the top nicely.

Next use a small spoon or tiny piping bag to drop a tiny bit of jam into the centre (the thumb print/hole you made with the wooden spoon) not too much jam or it will over flow.

Bake on 350 for 12 mins or so.

Basic vanilla dough:

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder (omit if making thumbprints, ball cookies, or spritz cookies)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.


Basic chocolate dough:

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking powder (omit if making thumbprints, ball cookies, or spritz cookies)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

(yeilds 4 to 5 dozen, depending on the size you make them)

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

2 tsp (or a little more)vanilla

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Powdered sugar for rolling the dough in

--------------------------------------

-Mix together the sugar, oil, melted chocolate and vanilla.

-Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until blended.

-Stir in the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix until well combined.

-Chill the dough, covered, in the fridge at least three hours, or overnight.

-Heat the oven to 350f

-Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons into the powdered sugar and then shape into balls. Place on parchement lined baking sheets and bake for 8 to 12 minutes until beautiful.