There is a Cookie shop in Spenser Plaza which makes us aware of its presence the

moment we step into the mall.The wonderful aroma of freshly baked cookies is so
tempting and inviting,and the variety,oh boy!!They have so many mix and match
flavors that you'd really be confused as to which one to buy.Ajay is not much a cookie
fan and I am content with 2 or 3 cookies,so it doesn't make sense to buy a batch for
me and then feel guilty for finishing it off all by myself. 

But whenever we pass by the shop,we have a regular routine.I ask Ajay if we can buy
some cookies and he says,why--you make better cookies!!Ok,I know I know,sounds
very kiddish,but we,I enjoy it a lot!!

It's been a while since i posted a Cookie recipe here,I always fall back on my regular
Cookie recipe and shy out from trying out new ones.I remember bookmarking this
recipe when Ria made it.So whenSweatha of Curry Leaf made it recently for T&T
from Aparna's blog,I decided it was high time I tried it too..and I did.

The crunchy cookie with a strong coffee burst and bite of chocolate chunks in
between..man,to-die-for cookies,I bet!!
Coffee and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Recipe source - Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen,Original recipe by Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients

Instant coffee powder - 1 tbsp

Hot water - 1 tbsp
Butter - 200 gms
Powdered sugar - 2/3 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Milk chocolate -3/4 cup chopped (into small chunks) 
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Method
Dissolve the instant coffee powder in the water and keep aside to cool.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and powdered
sugar till smooth, not light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 
Beat in the vanilla and dissolved coffee.
Turn down the mixer to low speed and add the flour and salt, mix only till the flour is
incorporated into the dough. Overworking the dough is not a good idea as it affects
the texture of the shortbread.
Now fold in the chocolate chunks with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Using the spatula, transfer the dough (it will be a bit sticky) into a large Ziploc bag.
Leave the bag open, place on your work surface and slowly press out the dough with a
rolling pin so it becomes a 9" by 10 1/2" rectangle about 1/4" thick. 
Turn the bag to the other side as well, while rolling, and occasionally lift the bag
from the dough to smooth out the creases. Take care to see no air pockets remain and
gently press out any. Seal the Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least two hours or upto
2 days.

The longer the dough is chilled the easier the dough is to handle, and the better the
cookies hold their shape when baked. So please make sure the dough chills for about
24 hours.
When the dough has chilled enough, take it out. Place on a cutting surface and slit
the Ziploc bag open. Take the chilled rectangle of dough out, and cut into 1 1/2"
squares with a sharp knife after marking them out using a ruler.
Place the squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment (I just placed them on
ungreased cookie sheets) and prick them well with a fork.
Bake at 180C for 18 to 20 minutes till they look golden. The baking time needs to be
judged well, as the dough is already a pale brown, or one might end up with slightly
burnt shortbread squares that no one wants to eat! So keep a watch on them once
they've baked for 15 minutes.

Dust the shortbread squares with powdered sugar while they're hot, if you prefer. 
Cool on a rack. 

Sending this to Srivalli for the Tried and Tasted event which features Aparna's
blog this month!
at 9:00 PM 19 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Events, From other blogs
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010

Coconut Cookies

Ever since I started baking Cookies,I've been looking for that perfect Coconut cookie
recipe,which tastes like real coconut and not the coconut flavoured types.I have tried
incorporating dessicated coconut in my basic cookie recipe but the flavour got lost
somewhere in between.It never ever struck me that I should add real coconut if I
need the real flavour..duh!!

I had some grated coconut in abundance sitting pretty in the refrigerator for some
time and I was looking for recipes with which I could finish the whole batch.Initially
thought of making Coconut Barfi,something which I learnt to make at a very young
age and for the same reason,a very fool proof recipe.But then I remembered this
recipe which I had seen at Anushruti's blog.Had bookmarked this ages ago.

Kept out the butter and measured out rest of the ingredients and since I had the
coconut grated and ready,it got done in a jiffy and was a breeze to make.I wanted it
to be fat and round,since didn't flatten it.The resulting cookie was a mix between
looks of a Nankhatai and tastes of Coconut barfi,yes-surprisingly!!

Loved the coconut burst in each and every bite!!

Coconut Cookies
Recipe adapted from Divine Taste

Ingredients

Flour - 100 gms

Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 50 gms
Sugar - 50 gms [I used powdered sugar]
Grated Coconut - 50 gms
Cardamom Powder - a pinch 
[The original recipe uses Vanilla essence but I think Coconut and Cardamom are a
match made in heaven..so!!]
Milk - 2 tbsp
[I had some condensed milk left over,so I used 1 tbsp of that]

Method

Preheat oven to 150C.

Sift together flour and baking powder-set aside.
Cream the butter and powdered sugar till smooth and creamy.
Mix in the grated coconut,cardamom powder and condensed milk[or milk],beat well.
Now add the flour mix little by little till you get a firm dough.
Make small balls of the dough and place 1' inch apart on a greased baking tray.
Bake for 22-24 minutes.

Makes 15 cookies.
at 8:00 AM 25 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, From other blogs
SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2010

Masala Biscuits
A very simple gtalk conversation with Aparna led me into making these cookies.As I've
mentioned before,many a times the chat is about food and more food than anything
else.Probably the second or max the third query to each other would be -"so what's
cooking"? 

So while chatting she told me she was baking masala cookies and I was intrigued.I've
been meaning to make these since so long and it looked like the perfect time to try.I
was leaving to Ekm on a short trip and was already baking this cake,so thought of
making this too.I had written down this recipe long back from this blog and it looked
simple enough to try.I did and as I was flattening the cookies,I had an idea.I wanted
these to look like biscuits not cookies but the dough was a li'l bit,teeny bit sticky.
I remember seeing this method somewhere[can't remember where] of refrigerating
the dough in a ziplock bag and then rolling the dough inside it.That gives the biscuits
a very even shape and you could easily cut them into squares or any other shape of
your choice without the necessity to add more flour lest the dough starts getting
sticky. 

Update - How to roll the biscuits inside the ziplock bag.

1.Keep the dough inside and lock the ziplock.

2.Start rolling-first to all four corners and then roll evenly till the dough stretches to
all sides.
3.It might be sticky at this stage-so refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes or so.
4.Cut open the ziplock and cut the biscuits into shapes of your choice!!
First time I made these,they were gone in no time and I really did not get a chance to
have it myself.So the first thing I baked after coming back to Chennai was this.I
should say I am in love with savory cookies.Perfect snack to have with a cup of tea.I
can see myself baking this again and again!!

Masala Biscuits - Recipe source Namratha of Finger-licking Food

Changes I made - I added Butter instead of Margarine and reduced the number of
chillies to 4.Substituted Mint leaves for Coriander and skipped adding Curry leaves.
at 8:00 AM 26 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, From other blogs, Snacks
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009

Almond Crescent Cookies(Eggless)

Its strange..whenever I’m planning to

cook for an event[in blogosphere],I always look for baking recipes.Its even more
strange that whenever I chance upon a new blog,the first label I hit is baking..;-).
Sometime back,a friend asked me who eats all the baked stuff I make.I laughed it
off,but when I actually thought about it I felt slightly offended.Same thing happened
when I posted a diet idea,someone asked me did I really lose weight since I post so
many “yummy recipes”[in their words,not mine]in this blog.I got a similar
comment here,asking me how to eat up all those goodies.So,its time for me to
explain.Or so it seems.

Initially,when I started baking,I couldn’t stop myself from opening the fridge
everytime and having “one last slice of cake” or opening up the cookie jar and having
“last cookie,I promise”.Even though it wasn’t much,I did not want to gorge on it
knowing how much ‘flour-butter-sugar” went into it.Its like the chocolate theory-if
you have one chocolate bar inside your fridge,you’ll definitely go for it.So don’t buy
chocolate!!So what did I do,stopped baking..hah,isn’t that the easier way?

But there were so many recipes I wanted to try out.I had to don my apron and start
baking…again!! But this time with a twist.I became a good neighbour,good friend and
good relative etc etc.Don’t get the point?I started sharing my baked goodies.The joy
of sharing became immense,even more when they started looking forward to my next
baking sojourn.Now I bake away to glory,keep aside a very less portion for both of us
and share the rest.It makes me feel so good!!

When I saw this month’s Lets go nuts-Almonds,I again searched for baking
recipes.Mainly because I had some powdered almonds with me and I was wondering
what to do with it.I had to act fast since I missed last months event,when I had a post
ready for it[Cookies,again].I got the recipe from here,but I made it with some
modifications.Crispy,crunchy,melt in the mouth Almond cookies.

Almond Crescent Cookies [Adapted from Simply Recipes]

Ingredients

Maida/Flour – 2 cups
Powdered sugar – ½ cup
Butter,softened – 1 cup
Powdered almonds – 1 cup
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Almond essence – 1 tsp
Icing sugar – for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 150*C.

Mix butter and powdered sugar till it becomes light & creamy.
Add vanilla & almond essence-mix well.
Slowly add the flour and powdered almonds and knead till it forms a soft dough.
Take a big pinch of the dough and loosely shape into a ball-flatten it.
Using the lid of a tin,make it into a neat round shape.
Now take a smaller lid and cut the cookie into two crescents.
So with one round you’ll get two crescents and one almond shaped cookie.

Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or till done.

Dust with icing sugar and let it cool on a

wire rack.

Sending this across to JZ who is hosting this month's Lets Go Nuts-Almonds.

Also to LG of Taste of Mysore for SWC-Meals on Wheels.

at 3:00 PM 25 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, Events, From other blogs, Snacks

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2009

Choco-Chip Walnut Cookies

Few months back,we had our Annual

celebrations in our colony and there were many competitions held as a part of it.One
thing I eagerly look forward to ever since I got the second prize for the cookery
competition held a couple of years back. Last year the main ingredient with which we
were supposed to cook with was Maida.I was jumping with joy when I saw the
ingredient and had many many ideas in my mind.It was during Xmas time and I
decided to bake a cake.I made a Choco-Vanilla Marble cake and was decorating the
plate to serve it when hubby asked me whether eggs were allowed.I got confused,it
was mentioned nowhere that the dishes should be eggless but I didn’t remember even
a single non-veg dish from the last few cookery competitions.Panic struck and I
decided to back out since the registering time was ticking away.

Hubby suggested cookies and I wondered how I never got such ideas.Everything was
done in a jiffy andNutty Butter Cookies were made within less than an hour.A sprinkle
of Icing sugar and the cookies were ready.There were many yummy dishes and I had
absolutely no hopes of winning.My neighbours had made
Murukku,Halwa,Appam,Sooyam,Gulab jamun and many such dishes.Judging time came
and as expected,1st prize went to Butter Murukku[Chakli],2nd prize was for Fruit and
nuts Appam and third prize also went to Sweet appam.I clapped wholeheartedly but
was sad that one of my neighbours who had spent hours to make Maida Halwa didn’t
even get special mention.There was a Q & A session with the judges and they said the
texture was missing and blah blah.Someone asked-what about the cookies[I was
surprised]and they said-anyone can make cookies,make the dough and stash it inside
the oven-cookies would be ready-no effort involved.I mean,how can they say that,I
would be lying if I said I was not sad.Not because I didn’t win,but for his comment.

Anyway-win or no win I will continue making the cookies;-).I had the cookie

dough sitting inside the freezer for over a week.I had shaped some when I made the
dough.The first batch got done and the dough was still hard.I was in a hurry and I
microwaved the dough for 10 secs.Bad move, since the chocolate chips started
melting and didn’t hold shape.But the end product looked cool-kind of swirled
chocolate effect.I loved it;-). 

Choco-chip Walnut Cookies

Ingredients

Maida/Flour – 1 ¼ cup
Butter,softened – ½ cup
Powdered Sugar – ¾ cup
Walnuts – ¾ cup,crushed
Chocolate chips – ½ cup

Method

Preheat oven to 150*C.

Mix butter and powdered sugar till it becomes creamy.
Slowly add the flour and knead till it forms a soft dough.
Add crushed walnuts and choco-chips.
You can add few tbsp milk if the dough is dry and add few tbsp flour if the dough is
sticky.
Make small balls of the mix and flatten a bit.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or till done.

at 11:12 PM 17 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, Snacks

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Cardamom Cookies
 Last week,while planning our trip to
bangalore,I decided to bake some cookies for my two little nieces who love cookies
made by their “deepachi”[Divya pachi-aunt] and eyeing the nuts event going on in
blogosphere,decided to bake one using walnuts.I added some choco chips too and
waited to see them picking those nuts first before eating the cookies;-).As I was
preheating the oven,there was some odd smell coming out and I realized that my oven
had just conked off.I felt really sad and packed the cookie dough in a cling film and
stashed it away into the freezer.

As bad luck would have it,my fridge was also giving some problems and to play it
safe,I transferred the cookie dough to my friends freezer[its still fine btw,so I know I
can freeze the dough too].Everything’s been repaired and to check whether the oven
was fine,I had to bake something.Since my friend was not at home I decided to make
a fresh cookie.I was impatient to check whether the oven was in working condition
and planned to make a simple butter cookie.While powdering the sugar,I
remembered Lakshmi’s Cinnamon cookies,I wanted a small twist and added some
crushed cardamom seeds instead of cinnamon and made a fine powder.Hence am
calling these Cardamom cookies!!

I have added cardamom to both the nankhatais I made and I simply love the distinct
taste of cardamom in any sweet preparation,it instantly peps me up.It also gives me
the sense of having a dessert and I think nothing can beat that feeling!!I totally loved
the cookie and I am planning to add cardamom everytime I bake cookies since it gives
such a nice flavor to the cookies without the dominating taste.
 Cardamom Cookies

Ingredients

Maida/Flour – 1 ¼ cup
Butter,softened – ½ cup
Sugar – ¾ cup
Crushed cardamom seeds – 1 tsp

Method

Preheat oven to 150*C.

Powder the sugar with the cardamom seeds to get a fine powder.
Mix with the butter till it becomes creamy.
Slowly add the flour and knead till it forms a soft dough.
You can add few tbsp milk if the dough is dry and add few tbsp flour if the dough is
sticky.
Make small balls of the mix and flatten a bit.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or till done.

I also revisited my first cookie-Malai

cookies using Amul Cream.It came out better than the first time I made it,this time I
sprinkled some powdered cardamom on top.
at 4:10 PM 22 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, Snacks
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2009

Almond-Coconut Cookies(Eggless)

I was elated and over-the-top when I

made my first cookie.Though I was armed with a cookie cookbook and my fluctuating
confidence,I set about making them and fortunately the cookies came out great.I
came across many wonderful recipes for cookies and have tried many of them
successfully.As I’ve said many times before,the Butter cookies are the best of the lot
and they come out great and taste wonderful each and everytime I make it.

Many of the readers and my fellow bloggers have asked me how I make Eggless
cookies and get good results.I am a beginner baker and have no idea how it comes out
great,but one thing I know,I would always make it eggless.I don’t mind adding/having
cakes/brownies with eggs,but when it comes to cookies,its an absolute NO.

A dear friend,Purnima-one who constantly encourages and appreciates me told me

that the butter in the cookie is what makes it expand.So who needs the eggs..??She
was the one who gave me the link to Pravs and asked me to try out this recipe.Her
encouraging words work like magic and this recipe worked like magic too!!The flavour
of the Coconut and nutty taste of Almonds make this cookie a super-duper HIT!!
Thanks so much dear dearest Purnima..you are simply superb!! 
 Recipe Source - Pravs of
Simply Spicy

Cookies will look mushy straight out of

the oven,leave them to cool on a wire rack and they will become crunchy.
at 4:03 PM 27 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, From other blogs, Snacks
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2008

Atta Nankhatai
 Baking is something which I learnt
recently..though I still haven’t mastered the art.My baking journey started when I got
a Microwave and I was searching forever for Cake recipes..after a few successful
attempts,I started looking for more recipes where I could bake bake and bake.That is
how Malai Cookies came to be.I had bought a book on Cakes & Cookies and that one
was the simplest of the recipes.After the beginners luck,I made Butter cookies and till
date that is the best cookie I have baked so far.

I wonder how I never tried making Nankhatai,the famous Indian cookie or biscuit.I
remember making this with amma in her cooking range(sometime back,gas burners
used to have an oven attachment beneath).I loved those creamy white cookies with a
strong Cardamom flavor.I tried making it once using Shilpa’s recipe and it came out
excellent but it didn’t have the looks that I desired.Can someone please help me with
this??

I am currently in a recipe compiling marathon-the number of magazines(mostly

Vanitha) lying around is just taking up a huge space in my shelf.So I am tearing up the
recipe pages and planning to bind them all together.I came across a wonderful Atta
Nankhatai recipe in one of the old editions and I decided to make it
immediately.Again the same thing,even though it tasted great,I still didn’t get the
looks I desired..Please help!!

Atta Nankhatai

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour/Atta – 1 ¼ cup

Rava/Semolina – ½ cup
Ghee – ½ cup
Powdered sugar – ½ cup
Crushed cardamom seeds – of 2 cardamom
Baking soda – a pinch

Method
Preheat oven to 150*C.
Sift together atta,rava,cardamom seeds and baking soda.
Cream ghee and powdered sugar with a spoon.
Add the sifted ingredients little by little to make a dough.
Make small balls of the dough and flatten a little.
Arrange on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or till the nankhatai turns

golden in colour.
at 7:15 AM 26 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, Snacks
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008

Cinnamon Cookies

It’s a helpless feeling..really.Chennai is

suffering due to heavy rains caused by Cyclone Nisha..there’s knee deep water
everywhere,no electricity and hence water shortage too..things in the fridge are
rotting..I feel terrible.Plus,I don’t feel like complaining when I see the incidents
happening in Bombay..God..misfortunes do come together!!

Electricity has made an entry after 30 hours and I don’t know how long it will
last.Even though I don’t feel like cooking anything,I just baked a batch of cookies to
have with tea.I often remark about the lesser lighting in the kitchen,after cooking a
few meals in darkness with the help of one candle,I feel the kitchen has never looked
so bright!!!

I looked for an easy cookie recipe which I could bake in less than an hour.Had
bookmarked Lakshmi’s Cinnamon cookie and wanted to try that.Though the recipe
says the dough has to be refrigerated,I skipped that step.The butter in the fridge was
a step short of flowing consistency,So I had to make something immediately.Lakshmi’s
recipe yielded me superb cinnamon flavored cookies which we simply loved..I don’t
know whether by skipping the refrigerating part I have lost out on melt in the mouth
cookies..but mine did turn out very crispy and melt in the mouth..;-)

Recipe Marathon - Day 28

Cinnamon Cookies(Recipe adapted

from The Yum Blog)

Ingredients

Maida/Flour – 1 ½ cups
Sugar – ½ cup
Butter – ½ cup
Cinnamon stick – 1’ piece

Method

Powder the sugar and cinnamon piece together to a fine powder.

Cream butter and sugar-cinnamon mix till fluffy.
Add the flour little by little and knead into a soft dough.
If the mix is too dry,you could add a few tsp butter.
Roll out the dough to about quarter of inch in thickness and cut into shapes using
cookies cutters,or shape into circular discs with hand.
Bake at 150*C for 20 minutes(That is the normal baking time for cookies of our taste-
crispy yet melt in the mouth,you can bake it according to the temperature settings of
your oven).
Sprinkle some sugar on top immediately after taking out from the oven(optional).
 Lets peep into our fellow marathoners
kitchen to see what they've been cooking!! 

1) DK 
2) Siri
3) Srivalli
4) Ranji
5)PJ
6)Curry Leaf
7)Medha
8)Priya
9)Bhawna
10)Raaji
11)Ruchii
12)Anu
13)Kamala
14)Roopa
15)Rekha
16)Divya M
17)Lakshmi
18)Raaga
19)Lakshmi Venkatesh
20)Sripriya
21)Viji
22)Kamalika
23)Pavani
24)Karuna
25)Roochi

And a small peep into what our locality looked like for about two days!!
at 7:41 PM 10 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes, From other blogs, Recipe
Marathon
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

Cherry Biscuits/Cookies(Eggless)

Hitting two birds with a stone..?

Yup,that’s exactly what I did today.I’ve been wanting to make something very badly
since so many days,but kept postponing it.But when I saw this month’s AFAM was
Cherry…I just couldn’t stop myself from making it.My joy knew no bounds when I saw
the Update that candied-sugar syrup cherries were also allowed..;-).I couldn’t be
more happy!!

The first time I came across this was during our last supermarket trip.Nilgiris does
have a great array of baked stuff.I came across this cute little packet with white
biscuits with a cherry dot in the middle.I was about to pop it inside our basket and
then…guess what?Hubby asked me why I am buying stuff which I can easily make at
home myself!!OMG…I totally forgot about the packet and kept smiling to myself.I got
an indirect compliment from hubby and that is definitely something to cheer about.I
bought a packet of cherry instead.Planned to make it at the next available
opportunity.But as usual,it got postponed and then I totally forgot about it.

Today morning when I saw the AFAM announcement,I knew this was the time.Took the
plunge and made it…it came out delicious.I followed this recipe and placed a cherry
on top.Even though it tasted great,this is not how I wanted the results to be like
exactly.I wanted petite biscuits which we could pop in the mouth at one go.But my
biscuits started expanding…and became cookies!!So if anyone can give me tips on
‘how to make cherry cookies/biscuits..?Please advice’.

Recipe Marathon - Day 3

Cherry Biscuits/Cookies
Ingredients (makes approximately 25 cookies)

Maida - 1 cup
Cornflour – ½ cup
Icing Sugar – ¾ cup
Butter – ¾ cup(in room temperature)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method

Preheat oven to 150*C.

Sift together maida,cornflour and icing sugar.
Cream the butter with a fork and add the vanilla.
Mix the flour mix to the butter mix 1 tbsp at a time.
Mix well,add 1 tbsp milk if the mix is too dry.
Make small balls of the mix and flatten a bit.
Make a small indent with your thumb and place one whole cherry in the middle.

Place on a greased baking tray and bake

for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Sending this to AFAM-Cherry,hosted

by Rachel of Tangerine's Kitchen,an event originally started byMaheshwari.
Have you checked out what my fellow marathoners have been upto today?

1) DK 
2) Siri
3) Srivalli
4) Ranji
5)PJ
6)Curry Leaf
7)Medha
8)Priya
9)Bhawna
10)Raaji
11)Ruchii
12)Anu
13)Kamala
14)Roopa
15)Rekha
16)Divya M
17)Lakshmi
18)Raaga
19)Lakshmi Venkatesh

at 4:00 PM 29 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Cooking with fruits, Eggless

Bakes, Events, Recipe Marathon
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

Eggless Chocolate Cookies

I can never rave enough about home-

made cookies,the aroma that waffles through the entire house while baking them
can’t be described through writing.I feel so happy and content when they come out so
pretty and tasty too,almost like store-bought ones,but with a home-twist.I proudly
patted myself on my back while these came out of the oven,even if I may say so
myself,they were absolute delights..biting through dark..delightful chocolate cookies
does give you a high..;-)

I have tried out many cookie recipes from all of you dear bloggers and they have come
out great too.One of the first ones I made was this and I always get the same taste
and texture everytime I made it.It really is a foolproof recipe.Even though I don’t
mind adding eggs to cakes and brownies,I have still not come to terms with adding it
to the cookie dough.So mine has to be eggless.I came across this recipe at Nita
Mehta's Cakes and Cookies and have been thinking of making it sometime.I slightly
tweaked the recipe and adapted it to my style.It has come out great and am loving
every bite of it.I think this recipe will work fine for choco-chip cookies too,some
other time maybe!!

Eggless Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies)

Maida/flour – ¾ cup
Cocoa powder – ¼ cup
Cornflour – ½ cup
Icing sugar Or Powdered sugar – 1 cup
Dessicated coconut(optional) – 1 tbsp
Baking powder – ½ tsp
Butter(in room temperature) – ½ cup
Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
Dry fruits – ½ cup(I used crushed walnuts and almonds)
Milk – a tbsp or two,if required

Method

Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy(if using a hand mixer,mix on low speed for
about 30 secs).
Sift together maida,cocoa powder,cornflour,dessicated coconut(if using) and baking
powder.
Mix to the butter mix adding a spoon at a time.
After all the flour mix has been added,you can also hand mix the dough for better
texture.
Add a tbsp milk if the dough is too dry.
Make small balls of the dough and flatten it a bit.
Press cashewnut halves or almond halves on top(optional).

Pre-heat the oven on 150C.

Grease/line a baking tray and place the cookies 1” apart,to leave enough space for
the cookies to spread.
Bake for 18 minutes or till done depending on the temperature settings of your oven.

Yummy chocolate cookies are ready to be devoured!!

at 10:50 PM 15 comments Labels: Baking, Cookies, Eggless Bakes

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008

From your blogs # 2 !!!

Bookmarking is a tool that we bloggers use to the ultimate,at least I do;-).There are
so many recipes that I have bookmarked,I have lost count now!I am always amazed at
the yummy stuff that you bloggers post and tempted to try them immediately.I am
trying to arrange the bookmarked recipes and include them in my daily cooking.I was
very happy when I assembled some recipes and posted it last time.I am back with
some more recipes from your blogs,here they are!!!

Raaga's Cream of Carrot soup - I am an avid reader of Raaga's blog.I like her style of
writing and her posts are more than a recipe,they are more like her way of sharing
her different experiences.In this post,she reminisces about her summer vacation and
how she learnt her basics of exotic cooking with a dear aunt.I simply loved this
soup,mainly because it is healthy,what with adding carrots and potatoes.It is very
easy to make,takes only about 10-15 minutes to whip up and it is tastes simply
superb!!I had it with some shallow fried croutons,yummy!!!

Seema's Mallige Idli - Recipe Junction is a blog which I stumbled upon during my initial
days of blogging.I love the spread she has there and have been tempted a lot by the
variety of goodies that she has posted so far.She's inactive these days,but she has an
array of recipes to last till she comes back with another post!!Do come back
soon,dear blogger!!I tried her Mallige idli last week.I have been tempted her pics and
the softness of the idlis,which she so nicely put across.The idlis were very soft,I
served them with coconut chutney.

Maya's Jam cookies - Now,I don't think I need to give any introduction to the person
behind Konkan world.I visit her blog regularly for amchi recipes and like her no-frills
method of posting.While I was browsing her blog some time back,I chanced upon the
baked stuff that she has posted.When I saw the Jam cookies post,I decided that's the
next cookie am gonna bake.Mine didn't turn out to be as pretty as hers,but tasted
superb!!

Soumya's Eggless banana bread - Blogging has given me many friends whom I feel I
instantly connect with.I think Soumya is one such person.We first conversed about
the Zebra Cake which we both posted and have blog-hopped each others blog ever
since.Made her banana bread during Ashtami,it came out too good.Thanks Soumya!!
Meera's Cucumber Hullel - Another favorite amchi blogger whom I regularly visit.It
won't be fair to call her an amchi blogger,since she posts recipes from a variety of
cuisines.Hullel is a dish which I made often but of late had not made.Her post gave
me the required push and hubby was surprised when he saw this on his plate.Since
both of us enjoy salads of any kind,it was a refreshing addition.

Thank you folks!!!

at 7:31 PM 16 comments Labels: Baking, Breakfast, Cake, Cookies, Cooking with fruits, From other
blogs, Salads,Soups
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2008

From your blogs!!

Blogging has given a new dimension to my cooking.Earlier,it was just regular cooking
and maybe once in a while,during the weekend or so,I prepared something special,but
thats it.Now,if I want to prepare something special,I just have to search the blog
world and Lo Behold!!I am presented with so many ideas that I get
confused.Sometimes,I find myself preparing certain dishes only for the blog and
sometimes I cook keeping the events in mind.I have found out that I am very patient
too,for a person who couldn't care for anything in the world while presented with a
dessert bowl,I have become much more patient.I make sure I have taken proper snaps
before gobbling it up.Why only desserts..anything and everything is first photographed
then eaten!!Hubby has also started asking whether I have taken pictures before
touching his food,poor thing!!

If not for blogging,I don't think I would have ever cooked this,this or this.Somehow,I

feel much more confident now.Especially when I try dishes from your blogs,I feel it
has already passed the test and there won't be any mishap.I feel great to be trying
something which has been tried and tested in your kitchens.

So let me present today,yummilicious dishes I have prepared from your blogs!!

Shilpa's Nankatayi - I've been bit by the baking bug and I am loving it!!First it
was cakes and nowcookies.I have decided to move to healthier alternatives and am
thinking of baked dishes and grilling next.But for now my version of Nankatayi.It was
yummy,but somehow I didn't get the milky white colour.I think I baked a tad too little
more than the specified time,but they were delicious nonetheless!!

Shilpa's Simple egg cake - Another one of Shilpa's masterpieces.The first cake that I

ever tried making was her Dates cake and needless to say its a super duper hit.I
recently tried her simple egg cake and as usual it came out great.I tried it in my MW
using the convection mode.It was over the moment it came out of the oven.So I
couldn't take pictures of the slice as it got crumbled badly.We loved it and I am
definitely gonna make this again.
Srivalli's Ulli Sambhar - Now,I don't think I need to give any introduction to our dear
blogging queen.I am always amazed at her creativity and her passion for blogging.She
blogs daily and its a treat for all of us.Do check out her Dosa Mela,Roti Mela and MEC
cooking series.Also,Curry mela is going on right now and check out her Food blog
list too.I tried her Ulli sambhar with idli and it was superb.Three cheers to you Valli!!

Raaga's Bread pudding - I first came upon Raaga's blog when I saw her blog feature in
Hindu's Foodbytes.I had seen her blog before but started following it religiously after
the feature.I like her style of blogging-bindaas and no frills.She gives a clear cut
picture of the dish and the recipe and she makes the most difficult of recipes sound
child's play.Been thinking of making this pudding,the day it was published but never
got the chance.Me and hubby are both bread fans and we like eating our bread
plain,toasted,with butter/jam or bread usli.Finally chanced upon some bread slices
and made this pronto.Only difference is,I made it in the MW.
Sailu's Tutti Frutti cookies - Sailu has done blogging easier for all of us with TOI.I think
its a brilliant idea and hats off to her for coming up with it.I tried out her Tutti frutti
cookies and they came out excellent.I made one batch and gave it to hubby's friends-
they couldn't believe it was home made,all thanks to you Sailu.Again,my cookies
didn't look as pretty as hers and I didn't get the required colour,but still I am very
happy that I tried and came across such a yummy recipe.

Thank you all of you my blogger friends..!!!

at 5:25 PM 14 comments Labels: Baking, Cake, Cookies, From other blogs, Gravy-Side

dish, Sweets/Desserts
TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2008

Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies

Last weekend was a boring one..hubby was out of station and I was all alone:-
(.Enough of TV watching..enough of reading..I got into something which I can never
get enough of.Yes,you guessed right..blogging.While I was going through my blog,it
suddenly struck me that I am only a few posts away from my 100th post!!Wow..I got
so excited.I started thinking of the special dish to post on my blog for the 100th one.I
badly wanted to try a popular dish doing its rounds in the blogosphere,but was quite
hesitant.Anyway,I had all the ingredients in my kitchen and at the height of my
boredom,took the plunge and made it.It came out beautifully and I just cant wait for
the 100th post now.Can you guys guess what I made???Start guessing..(Update-Check
out my 100th post here!)

I wanted to bake a new batch of cookies ever since the last batch got over in two
days.Hubby said he prefers having cookies rather than a piece of cake because having
a cake often makes one feel guilty because of the calories.I agree cookies too have
enough calories,but still.He does not have a sweet tooth and I am trying to maintain
my diet,so baking a cookie sounded better.After my beginners luck stint in baking in
convection mode on MW,I am all set to try new stuff to bake.Was blog-hopping to
search which cookie to bake which had a healthier tone to it,struck upon Shammi's
blog and saw her eggless cookie series.Bingo!Since I already made these which are
quite similar to these,I wanted to try something different and Peanut butter
cookies sounded very apt.I had some not-easy-to-spread peanut butter in my shelf
which was nearing its expiry date.I put it to good use and baked some yummy
cookies.I tweaked Shammi's recipe a bit and added some oats too,just to satisfy my
guilt pangs;-)
Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

Maida - 1 and 1/2 cup

(I substituted 1/2 cup of maida with half cup oats ie 1 cup maida and 1/2 cup oats-
optional)
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 1/2 cup
Peanut butter - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup demerara sugar and 1/4 cup sugar-I used 1/2 cup normal white sugar.
Cornflour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2-3 tbsp

Method

Preheat oven to 150*C.

Sift together flour,oats,baking powder,salt and cornflour.Keep aside.
Beat butter,peanut butter and vanilla essence in a large bowl.
Beat in sugar.
Stir half of the flour mix.Mix well.
Stir in the other half too and mix well.
Add milk if the dough is too dry.
Roll the dough into small balls,flatten a bit with a fork and make a criss-cross pattern.
Arrange the cookies in a tray and bake for 18 minutes in 150*C,until the cookies are
dry on top.
Remove from oven and let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an
airtight box.
P.S-The temperature for baking the cookies might differ.Shammi's recipe calls for
baking them in 180*C for 15-16 minutes.I pre-heated the oven and kept the cookies
inside,within 5 minutes into baking the cookies started getting burnt on the top.So I
lowered the temperature to 150*C and baked for 18 minutes and they came out
fine.So,set the temperature accordingly.

I had bookmarked this recipe when Shammi posted it and came around making it
successfully.So I am sending these to Ruth for her Bookmarked Recipes event.