S'mores Cookies

A s'more is a traditional night time campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a fire roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. (Wikipedia)


My elder daughter is a big fan of marshmallows and she was telling me to bake s'mores cookies for a very long time. Searched in net and saw that there are many ways to bake them. The traditional one is much different from the ones people bake.

Couldn't get hold of graham crackers, which is to be used in these cookies. But, it didn't stop me from trying these cookies. Tried baking them with easily available ingredients.... So, these are the ones which I baked for her. Do try out and enjoy!!!

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups All Purpose Flour/Maida
1-1/4 cup Crushed Graham Crackers (I used digestive biscuits)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened at room temperature)
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Grated Chocolate (optional )
Marshmallows
Chocolate (cut into little squares)


Method

• In a bowl, mix together the flour, grated chocolate, salt, baking soda and biscuits. Keep this aside.
• Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together the butter with both kinds of sugar, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. 
• Add the dry ingredients and mix until your dough has come together.
• Preheat your oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• Take small portions of the dough, roll it between your palms and flatten it a bit. Place them on a baking tray, lined with baking paper.
• Bake them for about 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges, remove from the oven.
• Place a small piece of chocolate on top of each cookie, followed by a small piece of marshmallow and pop them in the oven, just for about a minute or until the marshmallows start to lightly brown.
• Remove from the oven and immediately top them with another little piece of chocolate. Allow to cool slightly, before removing from the tray.
• Serve and Enjoy!!!

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Happy Baking!!

Whole Wheat Fruit and Nut Cookies

These cookies are healthy and yummy. Loads of nuts, dry fruits are added to it and moreover, it is made with whole wheat flour. Flax seed added to this recipe makes it even more nutritious and healthy. A perfect snack box goody for your kids.

It has a rustic look, with crispy texture. It remains fresh for days, if kept in an airtight container and moreover, if anything is left :) Try it out and let me know.

My kids are a big fan of these cookies that by now, I have made them two times and each time, it lasted only for a day. I could hear my kitchen cupboard open and close when I was not around....when asked, they would say... "Amma, only one" :) Kids are kids... Didn't stop them for the first time.... "sshhh....don't tell them that it is healthy" ;)

Recipe Source : Full scoops

Ingredients

3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Oats
1/4 cup Flax seed powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Oil
1/3 cup Sugar (add upto 2/3 cup as per your taste)
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Dry fruits and Nuts (chopped)
1/2 cup Choco chips (optional)

 
Method

• Dry roast oats and keep this aside.
• In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, flax seed powder, oats, baking soda, salt, choco chips and chopped nuts and dry fruits.
• In another bowl, beat sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract till everything is nicely incorporated and sugar is completely dissolved.
• Add the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix well using a wooden spoon.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• Take small quantities of the dough and make balls of it. Flatten a bit and place them on a baking tray lined with butter paper.
• Place the baking tray in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes till they are done.
• Once done, take out from the oven and let it cool on the tray for about 10 minutes.
• Later, transfer them onto an airtight container for later servings and Enjoy!!!

Note:

1. I added 1/3 cup of sugar and was satisfied with the sweetness as the raisins added in it gave that extra sweetness. If u have a sweet tooth, add bit more of sugar.
2. I added only about 1 tbsp. of choco chips. I felt, you can totally omit it if you don't have them in hand or don't like them in these cookies.
3. Don't powder the roasted oats. It totally gives a different texture when they are added just like that.
4. I added dry fruits like black raisins, green raisins and nuts like almond, cashew nuts. You can add any dry fruits and nuts you have at your home like cherries, dates, prunes, walnuts etc. Feel free to make these cookies more healthier.

 



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Happy Cooking!!

Whole Wheat Oats Cookies (Egg less)

This is a super easy and healthy cookies which you won't regret enjoying more than one. A perfect snack box item for the kids and yummy to munch-on with tea, coffee or a glass of milk.

It is really a wholesome cookie and you will feel full, after eating just two of them. I have made these twice now. The first batch vanished within 1 day. So had to make it again... on kids demand ;) I did not think twice, as it is a healthy snack for them.

Try it out and tell me how you liked them..

Ingredients

1 cup Oats
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup Sugar (powdered)
1/2 cup Butter
2 tbsp. Milk
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Vanilla essence


Method

• In a bowl, put butter, milk, sugar and vanilla essence. Mix well using  a wooden spoon or an electric beater till it becomes smooth and creamy.
• In another bowl, add oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon powder and baking powder. Mix well using a wooden spoon till everything is nicely combined.
• Put the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and knead well using your hands till it becomes a nice and soft dough.
• Pre heat the microwave oven in convection mode at 175 degree Celsius.
• Place a butter paper on a baking tray. Take a lemon sized dough and roll between your palms. Press gently and place it on the baking tray. Do the same procedure to the rest of the dough.
• Place the baking tray in the pre heated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes for crispy cookies and for about 15 - 20 minutes if you would like a chewy cookies. ( I would prefer the crispy ones as it tastes simply great).
• Once done, take off from the oven and transfer them on a wire rack and let them cool completely.
• Enjoy!!!
• Put them in an airtight container for later use. It remains crispy for more than 2 weeks....if any left ;)

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Happy Cooking!!

Honey Oats Cookies (Egg less)

Since long back, i was planning to make these cookies and somehow forgot about it. Yesterday, when i was going through my to-do list, i came across this recipe and without any delay, i thought to try it out...Moreover, both my kids were at home (elder daughter is having exams, she was having study leave yesterday). Thought to boost her up with these cookies ;)

These cookies are very easy to make and is ready within 10 - 20 minutes. What i liked the most while baking them was that the aroma of the cinnamon added in it, filled the entire house and it was just awesome. These cookies are crunchy and at the same time soft. Try it out friends, and let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients

1 and 1/3 cup Oats
1 cup Maida/All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 pinch Salt
1/2 cup Butter (softened)
1/4 cup Sugar (granulated, adjust as per your taste)
1/2 cup Honey


Method

• In a bowl, put oats, maida, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt. Mix well. Keep this dry ingredient aside.
• In another bowl, mix butter, sugar and honey using an electric beater till everything is nicely combined.
• Pre heat the oven at 190 degree Celsius.
• Line a baking tray with butter paper.
• Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix well.
• Take small portions and roll them into balls between your palms and place them on the baking tray leaving 1 inch space in between.
• Place the tray in the pre heated oven for 10 - 20 minutes, till the cookies turn golden brown colour.
• Once done, take out the tray and let it cool down.
• After some time, when the cookies are still warm, take them from the tray and place them on the wire rack to cool down completely.
• Serve it along with tea, coffee or a glass of milk. Enjoy !!!

Crinkle Chocolate Cookies

Crinkle Chocolate cookies are soft, chewy and chocolaty. These cookies are very easy to bake and can be stored for 1 or 2 days in an airtight container.

I was attracted by the beauty of these cookies. Doesn't it look beautiful? I wanted to recreate this beauty in my kitchen and that's how i started baking them. It was really fun in baking these crinkles. The cool part is that, as these cookies bake, they cracks, showing the cookie underneath and hence giving out a nice pattern. My daughters were amazed to see the pattern and enjoyed the crinkles a lot. This has become their latest favourite :)

Recipe Source: Joyofbaking

Ingredients

115 gms Cooking Chocolate (Dark chocolate or milk chocolate, Chopped)
28 gms (2 tbsp) Unsalted butter
50 gms (1/4 cup) Sugar (granulated)
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla essence
3/4 cup Maida/All purpose flour
1 pinch Salt
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar or Icing Sugar (for coating)


Method

• Sieve maida, baking powder and salt for at least 2 times. Keep this aside.
• In a micro safe bowl, add cooking chocolate and butter. Keep it in the oven in Micro mode HIGH for about 1 minute or till the chocolate is melted. Do not over heat the chocolate, as it tends to seize. ( If not using microwave, you can use a double boiler method to melt the chocolate.)
• Mix well till the chocolate is completely melted and keep this aside to cool to room temperature.
• In another bowl, add egg and sugar. Beat well using an electric beater till the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture turns light and fluffy. When you lift the beater, the mixture should fall down like a ribbon.
• To this mixture add vanilla essence and the cooled chocolate mixture. Beat again till everything is nicely combined.
• Now add the sieved maida mix into it and mix well using a wooden spoon or a silicon spatula.
• When everything is nicely combined, transfer the cookie dough into a cling film or a plastic wrap. Keep this in the refrigerator for about 7 hours or overnight till it is firm to roll into balls.
• Pre-heat the oven in convection mode at 165 degree Celsius.
• Line a baking tray with butter paper.
• Take small portion (about 1 inch) from the chilled cookie dough, roll it between your palms to form small balls. 
• Dip them in the icing sugar or powdered sugar and place them on the baking tray about 2 inches apart.
• Place them in the pre heated oven for about 10 - 15 minutes till the edges are slightly firm and the center would be still soft. 
• As the cookies cook, they spread creating cracks in between giving a beautiful pattern.
• Remove them from the oven and keep aside to cool down a bit. When it is still warm, take them out and place them on a wire rack and let them cool down completely.
• Serve it along with a glass of milk, tea or coffee.

Note:

1. Don't over bake the cookies as it will become dry.
2. Double boiler consists of a bowl placed on top of a pan of simmering water. The bowl does not touch the water, but creates a seal with the bottom pan to trap the steam produced by the simmering water.
3. I made these cookies using milk chocolate...that's why it is light brown colour. If you use dark chocolate, the cookies would look more beautiful.

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Happy Cooking!!

Fruit And Nut Biscotti

This is yet another beautiful challenge from the Baking Partners. There were different varieties of cookies from which we could choose any one of them for the challenge. 

I thought to try out the Biscotti with a slight change. I had already baked cake rusk which is somewhat similar to biscotti. We all liked it so much that i wanted to make a similar type of biscotti, with a different taste. When i saw the recipe for biscotti, i did not think twice......Gave my twist and yea!!! came up with this awesome tasting fruit and nut biscotti. Really, it tastes heavenly with the fruity taste of the dry fruits, the nutty flavour of the nuts and above all the crunchiness of the biscotti...mmm....yumm :)

 

Biscotti is originated in Italy and it means twice-baked biscuits. They are twice baked, so that they are very dry and can be stored for a longer period of time. "Biscotti" is the plural form of biscotto. (wiki)

Ingredients

3 cups Maida/All purpose flour
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Nuts (chopped)
3/4 cup Dry fruits (chopped)
2 tbsp Orange Zest (or Lemon Zest)
1 tbsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Canola Oil (or Vegetable oil)
3 Eggs
1 tbsp Mixed fruit essence (or Vanilla essence)


Method

• In a bowl, add maida, sugar, nuts, dry fruits, orange zest and baking powder. Mix well till all these dry ingredients are mixed properly.
• Add oil, mixed fruit essence and eggs into the dry ingredients and mix well using a wooden spoon. Later use your hands to incorporate everything nicely.
• Mix thoroughly so as to form a soft and not too sticky dough.
• Make two portions out of it and roll into balls. Keep it in the fridge for about 1/2 an hour.
• Later, take out the dough from the fridge and place them on a butter paper lined baking tray.
• Pre-heat the oven in convection mode at 175 degree Celsius.
• Press these two dough balls gently, to make a log shape. Keep them slightly apart from each other. (picture shown).
• Place the baking tray in the pre heated oven for 25 - 30  minutes till the top of the logs slightly changes its colour.
• Take off from the oven and let it cool down completely.
• Cut each logs diagonally into 1 inch thick slices and place them on the butter paper lined baking tray.
• Place it in the oven at 175 degree Celsius for 10 minutes on each sides.
• When done, take off from the oven and set them aside to cool down completely.
• Enjoy with tea, coffee or a glass of milk. Store the rest 'if anything is left' ;)

 Notes:

1. I used cashewnuts and dates for this recipe. You can use any nuts and dry fruits of your choice or a mix of nuts and dry fruits.
2. Instead of orange zest, i used lemon zest.

Dough pressed gently to form logs

After the first bake - straight from the oven

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Happy Cooking!!