Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
Extraordinary dishes prepared with ordinary vegetables!!
Potatoes stuffed with paneer and cooked in a tangy chutney gravy, sure to leave your palates tingling!
Clean the potatoes and trim the sides to make barrel shapes. Scoop out the centre to form a hollow leaving ¼ inch around. Deep fry in oil till light brown.
Grate paneer and mix with the chopped chillies and cashewnut pieces. Stuff the potatoes with this filling. Keep aside.
Grind the chutney ingredients to a paste. Whisk yogurt in a bowl. Wash and chop tomatoes. Heat ghee in a vessel, add cumin and finely chopped onions or the ½ cup boiled onion paste and sauté for a minute. Boiled onion paste will give you a smoother gravy. Add the ginger garlic paste with ¼ cup water and stir till fat leaves the masala. Add the chutney masala and red chilli powder, sauté for few seconds. Add yogurt and 1 cup water, mix, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer till fat leaves the masala.
Add the whole stuffed potatoes and simmer for few minutes until fully cooked. Add tomatoes and simmer for a minute, add cashewnut paste and stir carefully. Sprinkle the garam masala and bring to a boil.
2 medium onions, chopped finely or ½ cup boiled onion paste –To make boiled onion paste: Peel, wash and roughly chop onions. Place in a vessel, add 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom and ½ cup water. Bring to boil and cook on low till onions are transparent and liquid has evaporated. Grind to a paste.
2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 cup yogurt
½ cup tomatoes
3 tbsp. cashewnut paste – To make cashewnut paste: Soak the cashewnuts in water for 30 minutes and grind to a paste.
2 tsp. garam masala
Salt
Method
Wash the potatoes and trim the sides to make barrel shapes.
Scoop out the centre to form a hollow leaving ¼ inch around.
Deep fry in oil till light brown.
Mash the paneer and mix with the chopped chillies and cashewnut pieces.
Stuff the potatoes with this filling. Keep aside.
Grind the chutney ingredients to a paste.
Whisk yogurt in a bowl.
Wash and chop tomatoes.
Heat ghee in a vessel, add cumin and finely chopped onions or the ½ cup boiled onion paste and sauté for a minute. Boiled onion paste will give you a smoother gravy.
Add the ginger garlic paste with ¼ cup water and stir till fat begins to separate.
Add the chutney masala and red chilli powder, sauté for few seconds.
Add yogurt and 1 cup water, mix, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer till fat leaves the masala.
Add the whole stuffed potatoes and simmer for few minutes until fully cooked.
Add tomatoes and simmer for a minute, add cashewnut paste and stir carefully.
Sprinkle the garam masala powder and bring to a boil.
Adjust seasoning. Cook in and open vessel, do not cover.
To serve, cut the potatoes carefully in half to reveal the stuffing.
Extraordinary dishes prepared with ordinary vegetables!!
This recipe has been in my book since I was in school in the early 70’s, which was shared by Irene Vaz. In those days “Dalda” a brand of hydrogenated vegetable oil, was an household name for an affordable ‘ghee’ substitute, made famous by Lintas the company responsible for their advertising. One of their vigorous campaigns was a recipe contest and the winning recipes were published. A must ingredient in every recipe was Dalda! Have your ever seen a recipe calling for ‘Parachute’ rather than ”Coconut Oil’? But with Dalda it was the brand that was made famous rather than the product (vanaspati). Vanaspati is a thick vegetable oil NOT Ghee, but was commonly used instead of ghee.
Musallam Phool Gobi is from this recipe contest. Although I had it since the 70’s I tried it only in the 90’s when we invited two of our friends and their families over for Lunch as their parents were visiting Kuwait. The parents were strict vegetarians and wanting to impress them I prepared this dish, but they didn’t believe that it was home-cooked and kept insisting that it was certainly ordered from a restuarant. So that’s how delicious it turns out!
To prepare Musallam Phool Gobi, clean cauliflower and remove the leaves. Wash whole flower well and soak it in warm salted water to 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Immerse in salted water
Wash and cut tomatoes into fours. Slice onions finely. Grind the ingredients from garlic to salt. Heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown, remove and set aside.
While the onions are frying, take a deep broad vessel and add 2 tbsp. ghee, when hot, add the cardamoms, cinnamon and bay leaves. Add the ground paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for five minutes. Then add the whole cauliflower, stem side up.
Cook on low heat till half done. Turn over and cook till tender and light brown. Do add any water. Garnish with the browned onions and serve hot with parathas or chapaties or any Indian bread of your choice.
Extraordinary dishes prepared with ordinary vegetables!!
Imam Bayildi translated The Fainting Imam, the name given to this Eggplant (Brinjal/Aubergine) preparation originates from one of the stories on the origins of this dish. It is said that the Imam passed out when he tasted this simple but flavorful dish, although not certain if it was due to the amount of olive oil or from the delicious taste!
Imam Bayildi (The Fainting Imam)
Blanch, peel and chop tomatoes. Chop parsley/coriander leaves. Remove stems and peel strips of skin lengthwise from the brinjals to get a striped effect. Cut lengthwise stopping short of the edge. Place the brinjals in salted water to avoid turning brown. Cut the onions into wedges. Chop the garlic.
Heat half the olive oil and fry the onion till nearly transparent. Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle parsley/coriander leaves all over.
In a frying pan, heat remaining oil over high heat. Drain the eggplants well and fry until lightly brown on all sides but still firm. Cool the eggplants slightly and stuff the onion mixture as much as possible into the eggplants. Place the eggplants over the remaining mixture. Sprinkle the lemon juice, sugar and ½ cup water, cover and place on medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
Eggs form an essential part of our diets providing us with quality nutrients like protein, iron, vitamins, minerals and carotenoids and is a powerhouse of disease-fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin.
Eggs should also be cooked in the right manner to benefit from the nutrients. For perfectly boiled eggs check out my post on Think you know how to boil an egg.
For those who love eating eggs, here are several options to enjoy this nutrient dense food for breakfast or even as lunch or dinner.
A spin-off on the famous Parsi “Papeta par Eedu”, with the additon of sausages, this is a really simple and quick breakfast bake, albeit in a frying pan! For more Egg-based options check out ‘Eggciting breakfasts’!
Slice the sausages thinly and fry 2 minutes till the edges turn crisp.
Fry the chopped onions & green chilli adding 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the tomatoes and fry for a minute and top with the sliced potatoes. Sprinkle over with salt and pepper. Cover and cook ten minutes.
Spread the fried sausages over the potatoes and break the eggs one by one over the sausages. Cover and cook till done. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
3 Beef or Chicken Sausages (Frankfurters), thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbs. ghee
Method
On a frying pan or skillet, heat ghee and fry the sliced sausages for two minutes or till crisp at the edges. Remove and set aside.
To the same pan add chopped onion and green chillie and saute till onion is light brown, add a spoon of ghee if required. Add turmeric and mix.
Add tomatoes and sauté for a minute, add ½ tsp salt and mix.
Spread the potato slices evenly over the onion tomato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and let cook 10 minutes on low flame, till potatoes are almost cooked.
Spread the sausage slices over the potatoes and then break the eggs one at a time over the sausages. Cover and cook ten minutes or until the top is opaque and the eggs are cooked.
If you like the eggs runny, remove as soon as the whites are set.
Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve immediately.
Cut chicken breasts into 2” pieces. Add ginger garlic paste, salt and pepper and mix well with the chicken pieces. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Break egg in a bowl. Grate cheese and mash. Chop chilles and coriander. Mix cheese, green chillies, coriander and the remaining ingedients with the egg, whisk and rub the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for 3 hours,
Preheat oven. Skewer the chicken and roast 10 mintues. Baste with butter and roast again till lightly brown all over.
Add ginger garlic paste, salt and pepper and mix well with the chicken pieces. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Marination: Mix the egg, grated cheese, chopped chilles and coriander with the remaining ingedients, rub the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for 3 hours.
Preheat oven. Skewer the chicken and roast 10 mintues. Baste with butter and roast again till lightly brown all over.
Chicken Ghee Roast is a popular Tuluva Mangalorean Chicken recipe whose origins go back to a small town, Kundapur, close to Mangalore. Chicken Ghee Roast is fiery red, tangy and spicy with a flavor of ghee roasted spices. Chicken ghee roast is pan roasted with spices and generous use of ghee. Source : Wikipedia
I am presenting the Chicken, Mutton (Lamb) and Prawn Ghee roast recipes. Although the spices are similar but there is some variation in the ingredients and preparation for each of the recipes. Click on the title for the recipe –
A typical speciality of the Bunt community made popular at Shetty restaurants, the first time I had ‘Ghee Roast’ was in Mangalore on our last visit about two years ago, at Guthu Restaurant. We had Kori Roti, King Fish fry and Chicken Ghee Roast. The fiery Chicken Ghee Roast which immediately hit our head on the first morsel and had fire coming out of our ears had our eyes, nose watering and our mouth burning. Although it was exciting, we just could not handle the spice level, with the result we could not enjoy the meal.
Guthu Chicken Ghee Roast
King Fish Fry
Kori Roti
The advantage of creating traditional dishes at home, is you can adjust the recipe to suit your taste to get maximum satisfaction from the meal. Our spice level is always medium spicy, hence the Prawn, Chicken and Mutton Ghee Roast does not have the usual number of chillies. Secondly, Baydagi and Kashmiri chillies are both used, but I have used only Kashmiri as I did not have Baydagi chillies. You may increase the chillies according to your taste.
P.S.: Any leftover ghee roast (if at all any remains of these delicious dishes) can be reinvented the next day. Just add some water when re-heating to make a curry and you have a Kundapur Curry to go with freshly steamed rice!
Consuming foods that are cooling to the body help with heat exhaustion, indigestion, sleeplessness and other ailments associated with hot weather.
Hear are a few desserts made from foods that have a cooling effect on the body, while also providing the essentional nutrients and nourishment.
Pistachio Arrowroot Pudding
Pistachio Arowroot Pudding
Arrowroot powder: Gluten free, has a cooling effect on the body and helps in digestion.
Ingredients
½ cup Arrowroot powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup coconut milk or regular milk
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup Pistachios, shelled
A pinch cardamom powder
2 to 3 drops green food colour
Put the arrowroot powder in a large bowl and mix it with 2 cups of water and leave it aside for 2 to 3 hours. The powder will settle to the bottom. After 2 to 3 hours discard the water carefully without disturbing the arrowroot paste. Meanwhile, soak the pistachios in water for half an hour. Peel the skins and slice thinly. Grease a plate with ghee and set aside.
Add the 1 ½ cup water to the arrowroot paste and dilute it. Take a saucepan and add the arrowroot mixture to the saucepan alongwith the sugar and coconut milk, mix and keep on medium low flame and cook till the mixture thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the green food coloring and mix well. Once thick and glossy, add the cardamom powder and sliced pistachios. (I have added vanilla essence instead of cardamom) Cook, stirring till the mixture turns translucent and begins leaving the sides of the pan. Total cooking time should take 10 to 15 minutes. Overcooking will cause the mixture to thin.
Take off flame and pour into the greased plate and tap the plate so the mixture spreads evenly. Cool completely and refrigerate for atleast 6 hours. Cut into cubes or triangles and serve.
Variations in flavoring: Keep the pudding white and add a i) few saffron strands with chopped cashews or ii) toasted coconut flakes with sliced almonds.
P.S.: Arrowroot powder may be substituted with corn flour.
2. Mango Sago Pudding
Sago Mango Pudding
With mangoes in abundance this season, enjoy the goodness of this nutritious fruit with the cooling effects of sago pearls
Mango: High in Vitamin C, folate & beta-carotene in addition to variety of nutrients.
Sago: Gluten free, cooling and antioxidant, reduces inflammation and improves immunity.
Ingredients
2 Mangoes
½ cup sago
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
¼ cup crystal sugar
¼ tsp salt optional
Bring 2 cups water to boil in a saucepan, add the sago and cook for ten minutes. Switch off the flame and leave covered for ten mintes. Drain and add the sago to a bowl of cold water to rinse. Drain.
Add the sago pearls alongwith the coconut milk, 1 cup water and crystal sugar and salt to a pan and cook on medium flame till sugar dissolves and mixture thickens a little. Remove from flame and leave to cool. Chill till ready to serve.
Chop or slice the mangoes and reserve, before serving top with mango slices or pieces. If you wish, puree some mango pieces and add the puree to the sago pudding and mix, top with chopped or sliced mangoes. Garnish with candied fruit if desired.
Sago Mango Pudding
3. Moong Kheer (Godshem)
Moong Kheer (Godshen)
I remember my mother making this often as an evening tea-time snack.
Moong bean: Rich source of protein and nutrients, cooling effect on the body
Ingredients
½ cup whole moong beans
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
¼ cup jaggery or to taste
¼ tsp salt (optional)
¼ cup cashewnuts, broken into bits (optional)
Flavoring : Saffron or pandan leaf or a large pinch cardamom powder.
Wash the moong and bring to a boil in 2 cups water alongwith the salt and the saffron or pandan leaf (if using). Reduce flame and cook till the moong is tender and fully cooked. The water should be almost absorbed.
Add the coconut milk, 1 cup water, jaggery and cook till the jiggery dissolves and the mixture thickens. Remove the leaf and discard, add the cashewnuts and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with cardamom powder, if using. Serve warm or cold as a dessert. Can also be served hot as a tea-time snack.
The following two recipes have been posted earlier and can be accessed by clicking on the recipe title.
Rose syrup: has a cooling effect and promotes restful sleep as it reduces stress and anxiety and calms the mind, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Sabja (Basil seeds): Also called Tukmaria, they resemble chia seeds. Immunity boosting, rich in anti-oxidants, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids, reduces body heat and relieves constipation.
Souvlaki is a popular Greekfast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually eaten straight off the skewer while still hot. It can be served with pita bread, fried potatoes, lemon, and sauces, but the souvlaki itself is eaten on its own, with the side dishes eaten subsequently. The meat usually used in Greece and Cyprus is pork, although chicken, beef, and lamb may also be used. Source: Wikipedia
Cut the chicken into cubes, blend the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile soak the wooden skewers in water. Use as many as required and the balance can be dried again and stored.
Skewer the chicken, alternating with the onion.
Place on a preheated grill and roast till brown on both sides. Can also be grilled on a pan grill or frying pan. Use smaller sized wooden skewers to fit into the pan and roast on a well greased pan till brown all over.
‘Pole’ for Mangaloreans and ‘Kallappam’ for Keralites, these soft spongy pancakes can be relished with chutney for breakfast or even with jam, butter or eaten just plain dipped in your tea or coffee!! These dosas are quite popular in the South of India.
For lunch or dinner serve with a chicken curry, mutton curry or vegetable stew so the dosa mops up the delicious gravy giving you a succulent morsel of food thoroughly satisfying to your tastebuds and your tummy!
Set dosa can be made with sanna or dosa batter which uses rice and urad dal (black gram dal) as its ingredients.
The following recipe does not use urad dal but uses coconut and rice making the dosas lighter & spongy. The recipe is similar to Appam, but the consistency of the batter should be kept slightly thicker for making Set Dosas. The size is smaller than the Udupi masala or sada dosas. You can use a dosa pan for making them but a smaller cast iron pan or frying pan would give a uniform and perfect circular shape to these dosas.
Idli rice can be used, if available, but I used basmati rice with good results. If fresh coconut is not available, use ½ cup coconut milk or ½ cup coconut milk powder. If the batter is fermenting overnight, do check on it in case you wake up in the night (to drink water or use the washroom) and if it has risen but it is too early to make the dosas, promptly put the risen batter in the fridge and make the dosas once you are ready. You don’t have to worry about having to prepare them at 4 or 5 am just because the batter is fermented. The Batter will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Soak the rice for 4 to 6 hours and grind to a thick paste alongwith the cooked rice and coconut. Mix the yeast with the sugar and warm water and leave to bloom for 10 minutes. Add to the rice paste, mix well and leave to ferment for 6 to 8 hours. Fermenting time will depend on room temperature. If weather is cold, use warm (not hot) water for grinding the batter. In warm weather it will ferment in 4 hours.
When the batter has risen, add salt and mix. Heat a cast iron pan or a frying pan on medium high heat until very hot.
Pour one ladle or 1/2 cup of batter on the hot pan. (Do not spread the batter like you would do for the Masala dosa). Leave as is, cover with lid and cook till underside turns golden and dosa gets spongy and translucent and is covered with holes.
Soak the rice for 4 to 6 hours and grind to a thick paste alongwith the cooked rice and coconut.
Mix the yeast with the sugar and warm water and leave to bloom for 10 minutes.
Add to the rice paste, mix well and leave to ferment for 6 to 8 hours. Fermenting time will depend on room temperature. If weather is cold, use warm (not hot) water for grinding the batter. In warm weather it will ferment in 4 hours.
When the batter has risen, add salt and mix. Heat a cast iron pan or a frying pan on medium high heat until very hot.
Pour one ladle or 1/2 cup of batter on the hot pan. (Do not spread the batter like you would do for the Masala dosa). Leave as is, cover with lid and cook till underside turns golden and dosa gets spongy and translucent and is covered with holes.
If you wish you may turn and cook the other side.
Serve with red coconut chutney
Red coconut chutney
Same as green coconut chutney but substitute the green chilles and coriander leaves with two to three red cillies.
I have been making Foccacia over and over since few years but I don’t know why it did not occur to me to post it sooner. My family just loves this bread and more than half of it gets gobbled up no sooner it comes out of the oven while still warm and crisp.
Top it with chopped olives, roasted tomatoes, roasted peppers, caramalized onions, etc. Foccacia is best eaten alone as a snack, but you can use it for sandwiches or pair it with dips for a delicious appetizer.
Here are the step-by-step pictures and method.
Mix flour, salt and active dry yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and with a wooden spoon or whisk, mix till all the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl and keep in the refrigerator for 8 hours upto 24 hours. Alternatively, if you wish to bake the same day, leave to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
After the dough has risen, add the Italian seasoning and knead the dough to incorporate the seasoning.
Take two rimmed trays 9” x 12” each and pour a tbsp. of olive oil in the centre of each. Divide the dough into two pieces and place each on the pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for two hours or more till the dough spreads and covers most of the pan.
Preheat oven to 220 deg C or 425 deg F. With your fingers make depressions all over the bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Bake for 25 minutes, until tops are golden and edges and underside are brown and crusty.
Mix all the above together and keep to infuse until required. I have used dried herbs, use fresh if available. Secondly, you may omit one or the other as per availability, but increase the quantity propotionately so the bread is well seasoned. You may also use chopped olives.
Method
Mix flour, salt and active dry yeast in a large bowl.
Add the water and with a wooden spoon or whisk, mix till all the flour is incorporated.
Cover the bowl and keep in the refrigerator for 8 hours upto 24 hours. Alternatively, you can also keep to rise for two hours, if you plan on making it the same day.
After the dough has risen, add the Italian seasoning and knead the dough to incorporate well.
Take two rimmed trays 9” x 12” each and pour a tbsp. of oil oil in the centre of each.
Divide the dough into two pieces and place one on each pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for two hours or more till the dough spreads and covers most of the pan.
Preheat oven to 220 deg C or 425 deg F.
With your fingers make depressions all over the bread, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, use more oil if required and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Bake for 25 minutes, until tops are golden and edges and underside are brown and crusty.
This post is inspired by my eldest grandson Rhys, all of four years, who one day very sweetly and shyly requested “Grandma can you make Strawberry cookies”? And very thoughtfully enquired “Do you have strawberries”? This was enough to melt my heart. Not that he loves strawberries or wants them in the cookies but he loves anything red and associated the red strawberry colour with the cookies he wanted. Little does he know that you don’t require fresh strawberries for Strawberry cookies. When he saw the cookies, he asked for Blueberry cookies for his brother! That set the ball rolling……… There’s no way I can turn down my grandchildren!!
These cookies can be enjoyed anytime of year, celebrate them with family and friends!! Click on the title for the recipe page.
Nowadays as we spend more time working from home, teaching from home, learning from home and managing the household, etc, frequent intermittent breaks more from quarantine fatigue, have become necessary and a break with a cup of tea or coffee just makes everything better! Pair that with a couple of cookies and it goes to another level. Children also need their regular breaks from their online classes, tuitions, etc. and what can be more satisfying than some baked cookies or biscuits with a glass of milk for a healthy snack!
I would recommend you bake several types of cookies back-to-back, not only will you have a variety of cookies and biscuits but it just makes it quicker and easier and you would have cookies that your family can enjoy for weeks. They are also perfect for gifting!
Here are some tips as a guide to baking cookies, specifically for making multiple types of cookies at a time:-
Prior to Baking
Read the recipes well, several times if necessary. Many a failed recipe is attributed to having overlooked an ingredient or missed a step. Check if you have all the ingredients. If not, check if it can be omitted (i.e. if it does not affect the basic recipe) or if it can be substituted with ingredients on hand.
2. Baking day
To make it easier on yourself, plan on baking several types of cookies back-to-back on the appointed day and set aside a couple of hours i.e. an afternoon or morning if you prefer. Cookies store very well. Alternatively, just bake a quick batch of ‘fresh from the oven’ whenever you feel like cookies!!
3. Ingredients
Gather all your ingredients and make sure everything is at room temperature, eggs, butter, etc. Hence ingredients that are refrigerated must be kept out on the kitchen counter in advance so that they are at room temperature when you begin mixing the ingredients. ‘Flour’ refers to All purpose flour, unless otherwise specified.
4. Measuring cups/spoons
I have used cup measures in most cases i.e. the actual ‘Cup measure’, not yogurt cup or icecream cup, glass, etc. Use exact measurements for best results. I find it is just easier using a cup rather than the scale but do use the scale where necessary.
5. Mixing bowls
Always use two bowls, a medium one for dry ingredients and a larger one for wet ingredients. Also using separate measuring cups and spoons for dry and wet ingredients will just make it easier to bake back-to-back. Since the main ingredients in cookies are basically the same i.e. flour, butter, sugar, eggs, would be less effort to avoid changing the utensils after each batch. Cookies requiring coloring can be made last, as the bowls would then definitely require washing.
6. Baking trays & parchment
The same baking trays can be used for several batches, just change the parchment and after you have baked two or three batches, you will find you don’t need the parchment as the trays will be well greased by then. Just wipe off the residue, if any.
7. To prevent cookies from spreading too much
Chill the cookies – TO AVOID THIS!!
For cookies other than cut-out cookies (as most cut-out cookies require prior refrigeration) form the cookies by hand or a scoop, place on baking tray and chill in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring to the oven. This will avoid the cookies spreading too much and running into each other.
8. Cut-out Cookies – customization
Some recipes, mainly cut-out cookies, require the dough to be refrigerated for a specified period. After refrigeration work with small portions of the dough and put the balance dough back in the fridge. Begin with such recipes so that while the dough is getting chilled, you can move on to the next recipe. After rolling, cutting and placing on baking sheet, bake directly.
Cut-out cookie shapes can be customised to suit the occasion or festive season. Use regular cutters like round, flower or anyother shape. For festive occasions use the appropriate cutters. Easter bunnies, chicks, eggs, carrots, rabbits etc. at Easter season and Christmas designs like tree, candy cane, snowflake, santa etc. at Christmas and so on. The cookies can also be decorated with royal icing.
9. Oven Temperature
Always heat oven to 180 deg C or 350 deg F and position rack in the centre of the oven. If using multiple racks, rotate the trays on the lower rack to the upper mid-way through baking, if the cookies are browning too quickly.
10. Storing
Make sure the cookies have cooled completely, preferably on a wire rack before storing. In case you wish to store several types of cookies in one large container, put each type in a separate plastic bag, seal well and place in the box, so the cookies don’t lose their crunch. Will stay fresh for weeks!
Tea & cookies, like milk & cookies or coffee & cookies usually go together. The act of drinking tea or coffee is so ingrained in us that consciously or unconsciously it becomes a necessity at the break of day, mid-morning, early evening and several times in between. I therefore, leave you with this beautiful thought, tea and coffee being interchangeable here (as I am an ‘only coffee’ person) –
If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you. -William Ewart Gladstone
I have listed the cookies in the order they are to be made, incase you wish to take up my suggestion of making several types in one go. Just click or tap on the name to access the recipe :-
Cake Toast – Bake the cake, cool completely, slice & toast again in the oven.
My Cooking Diaries "CooklikeCecilia.com" 
Recent Comments