Christmas Cookies!!

'Tis a gingerbread tree ^^

I realise it is a little late but I thought I'd share my christmas bakes with you ghais. (FEEL THE LOVE) High-sugar spiced biscuits seems to be the theme here.. Many apologies to my diabetic mother!!


This is the only gingerbread recipe I have tried that does not contain molasses AND tastes like gingerbread. You see, molasses is just one of those things I can't be bothered buying because it would only ever appear in one recipe...

Gingeybread piig!! (For LAWLtimes)

"Is that all you have done the whole time?", I hear you ask? (Well, that's what the little voices in my head say you're asking) But anyhoo, the answer is NO, THERE IS MORE! Next up are my gorgeous snickdoodles!

I <3 Cinnamon

By the way, I almost forgot to mention, my new year's resolution is to eat more healthily. Which is a complete joke for someone who blogs about cakes. However, I am determined too carry on with my blogging and baking. 'Cos one cookie won't hurt, right?

Tea loves Cake

It was dad's birthday last saturday and I had zero time for cake baking. But I made it the day after so maybe it's not toooo bad?
Making the actual cake was not problem at all. Straight forward stuff after a bit of practice.
Then came the decoration. Bear in mind, I have never made a cream covered birthday cake in my life (or as some know it: a typical chinese birthday cake).
My brilliant idea was to sprinkle cocoa powder over a happy birthday stencil. Then it died on meeee!! So to resolve this problem, I just threw a lot more cocoa powder on top.
Then I arranged the pearl sugar thingies into a "45". One was misplaced. So I thought I'd blow it off the cake. Cue cocoa powder explosion and the rest of the pearls running away. Gah!

But the end result wasn't devastating. The banana tastes just a little strange and browned after about 2 minutes. Plus the whole family loved it (and are definitely not just saying it to make me feel better)!
Here is my experiment with left over cream. Using pre-made pancake batter, I improvised on some cake rolls that we used to buy from the posh bakery in Alderley Edge. Not bad, eh?

My other bake was green tea shortbread (recipe thanks to Martha Stewart). Such a vibrant green. Unfortunately the matcha powder is masked by the strong butter taste... It is basically now green shortbread. Hmmm.


Hello Kitty's head! It was such an awkward cookie cutter to use. Hence the chipped ear and lines across the face. *sigh* I will name you Gangster Kitty.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I thought I'd begin with a classic recipe. As uncomplicated chocolate chip cookies seem, they are deceiving. What is a perfect cookie? There are so many different textures and tastes and ways to bake them.

But it seems the perfect cookie is all down to personal preference. In my opinion, CC cookies should be chewy. None of the crunchy, crumbly business. You know the kind that come fresh out of the oven at bakeries.

For me, this recipe is the definition of chewy cookies. Well, that is certainly the outcome. The only niggling thing was the lack of chocolate chips (although that was entirely my own fault for being stingy). It even got my dad and sister's approval! Now that is not a simple task, my friends.


Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
250g bread flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
170g unsalted butter, melted
200g dark brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
325g chocolate chips (yeh... I just threw a few handfuls in...)

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
2) Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together.
3) Cream the sugars and melted butter.
4) Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix, mix, mix.
5) When combined, add the flour mixture, then fold in the chocolate chips.
6) Using two tablespoons, form balls of batter and place on a lined baking sheet. Make sure you leave room for spreading!
7) Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes. You may want to rotate the baking sheet for even browning.
8) Allow the cookies to cool before storing them in an airtight container.