Chocolate Coated Shortbread Cookies

‘Mmmm…Mmmm…Mmmmmm!!!!’ continued as Janc and Annu continued to pop one cookie after the other. No words were actually needed to describe these as the empty tray was telling its own tale :). When it comes to baking, cookies are an absolute delight because of the sheer simplicity of the process and the amount of variations one can bring in. The aroma of butter and cookie dough which fills the house and leaves your neighbors guessing is priceless too. Traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour, these melt in your mouth Shortbread cookies are Scotland’s favorite during Christmas and New Year parties. But as I really enjoyed baking these sweet and salty bites, I am so sure that I won’t wait till Christmas to make these. So it’s no surprise what I’ll have in stock for friends who decide to drop by next week. Ingredients
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Butter - 1 cup room temperature
Confectioners sugar - 1/2 cup
Pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Bittersweet chocolate for dipping
Making the Cookies
Whisk the flour and set aside.
In the bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough until firm.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Christmas Bake Sale (for friends only in Bangalore)

Place your orders atleast 2 days before you require the goodies… you can mail me on FB or on pink.pallo@gmail.com and drop your number for confirmation. I’ll call you back..
I can’t get it delivered though :( so you can pick it up from Bagmane Tech Park, CV Raman Nagar or Banaswadi (my home) or come close to any of these places according to your convenience.

More Goodies coming up soon.. :)

Breads — The Golden Hue of Joy

Dinner Rolls, Chocolate Buns and Apple Cinnamon Buns

“This is ‘The Best’ thing you have baked so far”… these were Annu’s words as soon as he tasted the freshly baked Apple Cinnamon Buns, and I was on cloud nine ;). The second compliment came charging in when we took a set of them to Boney and Dani’s new house. This gave me the confidence that the recipe has been going in the right direction and my experiments with bread making are successful so far.

The best compliment was yet to come… I decided to bake a few Chocolate Buns and Apple Cinnamon Buns for Annu’s Team (Yahoo SCDians) and the response I got from them was very motivating. It was a bit of a disappointment that the buns couldn’t reach them hot out of the oven; the facilities chose the same day to take the microwave on their floor out for repairs. I also don’t know if it was enough for everyone to taste, but I still got the message that everyone loved it and it got over before Annu could even take a few pictures (to give me a firsthand account :P). Thank you all for the lovely compliments. As they say ‘pleasant words are as honey, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones’, I am totally inspired to cook better and will surely be sending in more treats.

I have to admit, given a choice, I’d prefer baking bread compared to cakes. Maybe it’s the satisfaction the end product gives after so much of hard work. Bread baking involves so many things that amateur bakers are often discouraged after a few failed attempts to turn out professional looking and tasting loaves. I have heard so many people complain that it is very tiring to make bread because you need to knead the dough so much, but I don’t really find it as complicated as I was told, rather it is very interesting. Though there is no denying that bread baking is a very delicate process, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread filling your home (and a little bit of the neighbor’s as well J) makes it all worthwhile.

Pasta al forno in Béchamel sauce

It is one of our favorite baked pasta dishes. It is very simple and you can play around and create several variants by just changing a few ingredients. This dish is like money in the bank — you can eat it the same night or deposit it in the freezer. When withdrawn the next day, the taste surely has added interests.

I added boiled shredded chicken along with some sweet corn, tomatoes and olives. You can also use sausages or lamb or simply boiled eggs to change the taste. What makes this dish creamy, cheesy and unforgettable, is the Béchamel sauce (or white sauce). Make sure to patiently deal with the sauce making process, as the consistency of this sauce can easily go for a toss.

Preparing the Pasta

I used regular elbows (Gomito) for the dish; you can use penne, ditali, ziti, mostaccioli, etc.

Add water, oil and salt in a container. Heat it for a minute on high flame. Add pasta to it and heat it for 10 minutes on medium flame (or till tender). After boiling, separate out the pasta and wash with cold water and keep aside.

Béchamel Sauce Ingredients

Butter — 2 tbsp

All purpose flour — 2 tbsp

Milk — 1 cup

Salt

All purpose seasoning (I used oregano seasoning)

Making the Béchamel sauce

In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Blend 2 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter. Add salt to taste. Cook over low heat stirring continuously for 4 to 5 minutes till flour starts to change color. Slowly add 1 cup of milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking slowly until smooth and thickened.

Other Ingredients

Boiled and shredded chicken — 1 cup

Boiled sweet corn — ½ Cup

Fresh tomatoes — 2

Olives — ½ Cup

Regular Cheddar Cheese — 1/3 Cup

Mozzarella Cheese — 1/3 Cup

Plating and Baking the Dish

Place one layer of the cooked pasta in a greased glass baking bowl. Top it up with shredded chicken, sweet corn and some cheese. Place the remaining pasta to create another layer. Add the white sauce on top. Add the remaining cheese mix on top and line the tomatoes and olives over the cheese. Add seasoning and pepper if desired.

Place the pasta bowl in the pre-heated oven and bake it for about 20 minutes on 180 degree (Celsius).

If you have any favorite and different pasta dish (or any other dish), please post it in the comments section. I’m always looking for more ideas.

Chocolate Velvet topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

In the case of this chocolate velvet dessert, the base flavor is chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate. If you’re a chocoholic, you really owe it to yourself to try this. I give you my word that it’s not difficult, and your guests, or your special someone, will be absolutely impressed!

This innovative chocolate trifle like dessert was a mix of chocolate cake, chocolate custard and chocolate syrup along with vanilla ice cream. The name of the dish was Annu’s idea and he drew inspiration from its rich velvety taste. My version of this dish is completely eggless as I had a few vegetarian friends coming over, though you can easily substitute with cake and custard made using eggs.

Eggless Chocolate Custard Ingredients:

Whole Milk — 1 Litre
Sugar — 1 cup
Cocoa Powder — 1/2 cup heaped
Cornflour — 25gms
Vanilla Extract — 1 tsp

Making the Custard:

Take milk in a thick bottom saucepan. Take half a cup of milk in a small bowl. Mix in the sugar, cornflour and cocoa powder, to make a smooth paste and keep aside.

Heat the milk in the saucepan over a medium flame. When it comes to a boil, remove from flame and stir in the cocoa/cornflour/sugar/milk mixture. Set it back on the stove and cook until thick and creamy stirring constantly. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Eggless Chocolate Cake Ingredients

All Purpose Flour — 1 1/2 cups
Baking Powder — 1 tsp
Baking Soda — 1/2 tsp
Powdered Sugar — 1 cup
Cocoa Powder — 3/4 cup
Milk — 1 cup
Melted Butter — 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract — 1 tsp

Making the Eggless Chocolate Cake

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Mix milk with melted butter in a mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract to this. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and put it evenly in a baking tin and bake for approx. 30 minutes at 180 degree (Celsius).

Plating the Chocolate Velvet

Take a dish in which you want to set the dessert (I used highball glasses). Pour in some chocolate syrup and a half inch cake piece which sits in the bottom. Pour over an inch high layer of custard and place in refrigerator for the custard to set. Once the custard is set place another layer of cake on top of it. Cover each glass with cling film and keep in the refrigerator. Take out while serving and top it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate syrup.

I have no authority on calling any recipe ‘perfect’, unless it is tasted and certified. I think calling any recipe perfect has more to do with an individual’s tastes and preferences. However, my friends who came over loved this dessert, as you can clearly see from my friend Athira’s expression.

This dessert is every chocolate lover’s dream.