Menu




Hello everyone.. I hv not logged into blogger for the past months, and when i did today.. i found out that Mynn of salam dua benua aka LG had decided to blog for the last time a week ago after 6yrs of blogging... it looks like most of us have lost our mojo in blogging... i lost it since last year but hv decided to not privatize my blog cos there are too many recipes that i hv shared in this blog.. i thank you all who keep on checking in and out of my blog just to see if there are any new recipes... sadly to say... i cant possibly share all the recipes that u hv seen in my fb and IG... there are times where i just dont feel like sharing... not that i dont want to but time is not on my side .. sharing is indeed caring but when credit is not given where it is due... it can really make one decide to just keep it simple and post pics in IG instead :o(

Honestly.. IG and FB are great tools for sharing.... but nothing beats blogging for the depth in expressing yourself.. And only those who have actually blogged understand how much work goes into it.


Anyway we are ok... i hv not been travelling at all... hubs is still trying to fit into his new job.. Sonia is growing way too fast and Hairi... well hes all grown up tho at times i still think that he needs our guidance..

Tomorrow is Sonia's graduation day... this will be her third and last year where u will see her performing on stage with her kinder school mates... we hv managed to secure a place in the school that we want her to go.. pending approval fm MOE of cos.. so wish us luck yah..

My baking journey has grown too... i get to play more often with my nozzles and at the same time manage to find time to try out new recipes.. most recipes that i hv tried are fm all the baking books that i hv bought.. i hv also been lucky with all of them cos each time i feel like trying out new recipes.. it works.. yayyy

So ok... i am here bec i want to share some new cookie recipes... each year bef ramadhan.. i will try to look for new recipes which i can serve during Eid... this year is a little special cos i hv decided not to take in any orders for Eid.. am thinking of taking a break during Ramadhan .. so hopefully more new recipes.. Insyallah..


Salty pretzel cookies
by Carey Jones n Robyn Lenzi
Makes 38pcs

125g plain flour
2tbsp malted milk powder ( i use horlicks)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
185 mini pretzels
170g unsalted butter (room temp)
130g caster sugar
130g dark brown sugar
1 medium size egg
170g chocolate chips

- Preheat oven 180C - i bake at 150C
whisk together flour, malted milk powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda
- In a food processor grind 85g of pretzels to a fine powder.. add to flour mixture and mix to combine. Chop the remaining 100g of pretzels into small pieces
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and mix on low speed until just combined scraping the bowl if necessary to incorporate the dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and pretzal pieces and mix it with ur spatula until evenly distributed.. dough shud be smooth dense and somewhat pliable.
- spoon or use ice cream scoop to drop a well rounded balls of dough onto ur baking sheets.. bake it for 9-11 mins rotating the baking trays halfway thru the baking time just until the edges turn golden.


Malted hazelnut chocolate cookies
by Carey Jones and Robyn Lenzi
Makes 30pcs

170g plain flour
30g malted milk powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
115g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
175g dark brown sugar
200g hazelnut chocolate spread (i use nutella)
1 medium egg
1tsp vanilla extract
115g chocolate chips
75g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

- Preheat oven 180C - i bake at 150C
- whisk flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and malted milk powder - set aside
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth. Add hazelnut chocolate spread and mix until combined. Add egg and vanilla .. mix again
- Next add flour mixture to the main bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Add chocolate chips and toasted hazelnut.
- use ice cream scoop or tablespoon measure.. drop well rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets abt 5cm apart.
- Bake in oven between 13-15 mins

All i can tell u is that.. both recipes are keepers... both cookie recipes will definitely be among the hot favs! both are our favs!! bake it ok :o)

Oh bef i go... Alhamdullilah... to those that hv been following my blog .. Bisousatoi turned 5 yrs old last month... yayyyy ... both my dear hubs and i celebrated our 10th year wedding anniversary and guess what... Alhamdullilah... Sonia has met her grandmother twice so far.... you dont want to know how we felt the first time they met... all i can say... praise to Allah.. 




19



Hi peeps.. how is everyone doing? missing me much? hehe.. well to those that are on my IG.. am pretty sure ur not missing me as much lol.. i am on there practically every single day.. u can either see my bakes or pics of our daily routine.. (in case you don't know, you can find me under "bisousatoi" on IG and FB).

So its the time of the year again.. Sonia will be celebrating her 6th birthday in a couple of days time.. yearly without fail i will bake her a bday cake but this year i wont be able to do so on her big day as we will be in Adelaide.. yep.. we are flying there in a few days time.. it has been four years since we last set foot there.. hubs wasnt interested to go back to Australia simply bec the exchange rate was horrible and theres not much to do there.. usually when we fly somewhere its tied together with hubs work and since theres no work involving aussie land.. we ended up not flying there.. not even when we had the time for a short vacation.. places like Thailand.. Indonesia.. Hong Kong have more to offer in terms of a short gateway..

Anywho long story short.. hubs has finally pulled the plug .. after 10yrs working with the same company.. he finally tendered his resignation a month ago.. he wanted to try something new .. he wanted to meet new ppl and two opportunities came knocking at his door.. we were overwhelmed and at the same time excited for him.. this is his year.. year of horse for the horsey ppl hehehe.. so bef he starts working with the new co.. I suggested flying to Adelaide for a week and since we are there.. hubs has signed me up for a cake decorating class with Liz.. do check out her site Takes the Cake.. ty babe for always supporting my interest..

As for the family.. both my kids are doing well.. Hairi has got the travel bug and has been travelling.. he was in Paris and Amsterdam last month for a couple of days and is already planning for his next trip.. hes seeing someone and we couldnt be happier for him.. as for our little missy.. we hv registered her into one of the international schools here as hubs wants her to do the International Baccalaureate (IB).. Will still register her in one of our local schools in July.. i think.. as parents we want the best for our kids and am blessed to be given the chance to do so .. if we get into the local school that we want.. we will go ahead with that .. if not its going to be Chatsworth.. shes a fast learner and we are pretty confident that no matter where she ends up.. she will do well.. Insyallah..

Alrighty.. thats it.. i hv to get going.. this week has been a good rest week for me.. i decided to slow down with orders as my cousin is getting married and come Sunday our hols starts.. so hopefully if i can find time while in Adelaide.. i will update my blog and if not... keep a look out in my IG cos it is certainly much more quicker to upload travel pics there..

Take care and enjoy the recipe below.. alhamdullilah everyone enjoyed this cake.. its not as fancy as my pandan cake with gula melaka frosting that i baked last week but it is definitely one of my fav this week!! cheers!




Ingredients
250g cold salted butter - i used lescure unsalted butter and added 1/4 tsp of salt to my flour
200g of caster sugar - i used 100g muscovado and 100g of caster sugar
300g of flour - i used cake flour
100g of red, yellow , orange cherries - sliced and cubed
300g of raisins - i used mix fruits
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon or orange
1/2 tsp vanilla extract - i added
100g whole almonds

Method
Preheat oven to 150C.. greased and line an 8" round pan..
Cream butter for a couple of mins till creamy.. add sugar a little at a time and continue to cream till fluffy.. add egg one at a time and continue to whisk till blended.. add sifted flour, baking powder in three addition.. fold in ur mix fruits and fold in gently.. add lemon zest and also vanilla..

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread level using the back of a spoon. Arrange the whole almonds close together in neat circles on the top of the cake. Bake in the oven for 60 mins. mine was baked for 75mins

Check the cake after 50 minutes by inserting a wooden or metal skewer into the cake. When it’s done it should have just a few crumbs attached. Check every 10 minutes - it’s important not to overcook this cake so the centre will be a little soft.

9



A zillion apologies will never justify my absence.. am sorry for my lacking in updating my blog.. i had wanted to update my blog while in Paris.. but i didnt.. i took photos.. i took along my lappy but i didnt update my blog.. most of the pics in my IG were taken fm my phone and those that i took using my SLR I made a flipagram video of in my IG.. follow me on IG ok cos i am not too sure if i hv the time to update a travelogue on my Paris trip in my blog.

Bef i go on and on abt whats new with us.. i just want to thank all the lovely ppl in my IG and FB.. the messages that I am getting daily asking me abt my well being.. abt how i am coping right now.. I feel blessed and thankful..

1st Jan was the day my dad was admitted to CCU.. he has been sick the last few months and became very weak on the eve of new year that we decided to take him to the A&E.. found out that his diabetes was at a critical stage.. he was rushed to the CCU unit where he got proper care and medication.. the family is being tight-nit during this period of time (which is important).. both my sisters and my mom took turns to sleep over.. dad was knocked out for the first two days.. he was blabbering and couldnt even remember what he was talking abt.. mom was pretty aware of the situation and was always on guard whenever she saw dad's doc.. after five days in CCU.. doc decided to release him to the normal ward and he has been warded there for the past few days.. hes better now... talking and not falling asleep every five minutes... hes laughing lots too which i hv not seen for over a year.. hes sitting down on his own and eating properly... started to read the newspaper and magazines again which he lost interest many months ago... i am thankful to Allah for this... us sisters were strong and supported each other.. sis Wati has not been back to work ever since dad was admitted and i dont know what i would do without them... love u girls so much!

While dad was in CCU.. my grandma was admited to ICU.. shes been worried sick abt dad that it somehow deteriorated her health.. she was bleeding internally and there is only so much that we can do (she's 89)... she was in ICU and a few hrs ago they pushed her to the recovering unit.. she can still recognize us.. shes still talking eventho she looks weak today.. may Allah gv her strength to go thru this period of time..

Looking back at what is happening right now... it makes me realise how important it is to hv a strong bond in a family.. no matter how tough the situation is... if u hv a strong family foundation.. u will come out on top..

So ok... lets move on.. there are too many new recipes that i want to share but time is really not on my side.. the interest that i once had seems to be going south.. i dont know if i will be able to update my blog as often as bef but one thing is for sure... i will keep my blog running as long as i can.. this blog is after all abt sharing recipes..

.. and abt my family.. Sonia is growing into a young girl.. shes in K2 and will be 6yo in two months time.. Hairi has been travelling and is going to Paris next week.. err i think.. hubs is still travelling and was in Jakarta two days ago and will be in China whole of next week.. i still hate it whenever he has to travel but thats how it is.. am thankful that hes been working hard to provide us well.. overall we are good and settling into the brand new year.. taking one day at a time..

Alrighty since this post is all abt family bonding... i wanna share a few pics taken on my bday.. eve of xmas.. the day Mr Santa give away prezzies hehe



And oh yes.. bef i call it a day.. heres the recipe of my bday cake which i prepared a few hrs bef my family members arrived.. enjoy and pardon for the not so good quality pic of my cake.. took pic using my phone :o)


Ingredients
2 cups / 228g cake flour
1/2 cup/ 27g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz/113g bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
1/2 cup/120ml boiling water
1 cup/242g sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup/ 227g unsalted butter, softened
2 cups/400g granulated sugar, divided
4 large eggs, seperated, at room temp
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Chocolate Frosting
85g bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
1/2 cup / 113g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup / 113g confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

This recipe uses coconut pecan filling but i opted for salted caramel cream cheese frosting .. why? simply bec i didnt hv enough time to prepare the filling :oP

Make the cake
1) Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease the bottom and sides of two 9" round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour

2) Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl, set aside

3) Combine the chocolate and boiling water in a bowl and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool until repid.

4) In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and vanilla extract, set aside

5) In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, abt 1 min. Gradually add 1 1/2 cup of sugar and beat at high speed until well blended and light, abt 3 mins. Reduce speed to medium and add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the rapid chocolate and mix until blended. If ur mixer has a splatter shield attachment, attach it now.

6)Reduce the seed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with sour cream in tow additions and mixing just until blended. Remove the bowl fm the mixer stand and set aside.

7) In a clean mixer bowl, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at low speed util frothy. Add the cream o tartar and mix just until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the whites are fluffy and begin to form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Increase speed to high and whip the whites until they are glossy and smooth and form stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the chocolate batter one third at a time, Scrape the batter into prepared pans and smooth the tops

8) Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 mins, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on wire racks for 20mins.

9) Run a small knife around the edge of each pan to loosen the cake. Invert each cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Make  the frosting
1) Put the chocolate in a medium stainless steel bowl and place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Heat, stiring frequently until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl fm over the pot and set the chocolate aside to cool until repid.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, eat the butter at medium speed until creamy abt 30 sec. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat at high speed unti the repid chocolate at low speed, mixing until blended and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase the speed to high and heat until the frosting is slightly aerated.. abt 1 min. Use the frosting immediately, or cover tightly and set aside at room temp for up to 3hr

Recipe adapted fm The Cake book fm Tish Boyle.. Bake it ok cos hubs said.. the cake is the mother of all chocolate cake hehe

Cheerios!
8

About Me

My photo
Hi.. I am a SAHM to 2 kiddoes..19yr old boy n 2 year old girl.. met my Austrian hubby here in Singapore and hv been living here all my life... my love for baking started when i was 6mths preggie to my daughter, Sonia... my addiction to baking has not stop eversince.. I hope to learn as much as i can abt baking and decorating and then share it with u along the way..