Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies, Oh! sugar, sugar

WARNING!!! Do not make these cookies.
Don't even dare to put one in your mouth, or your diet is over at the very moment.
I ate 7 of them and I regret...
I meant to eat only one, you know.

But if you really want to taste the simple gourmet flavor of true vanilla sugar cookies, make a batch by all means.
I don't even like sugar cookies but these are truly good; crisp on the edge yet soft in the center with speckles of vanilla beans.
Irresistible is the exact description of how good these are once you put one cookie in your mouth.

Apple Brownies, another easy apple dessert

Chocolate is not the only dude that can turn into brownies. Apples can, too.

I was invited to a friend's BBQ party, but forgot to think of what to take with.
I urgently needed quick and easy dessert to make with things I already have in my kitchen, so that I don't have to run to the grocery store in the famous afternoon KL traffic.
I looked into my fridge and found some apples, I always have walnuts in the freezer... Aha! the light bulb in my brain just got turned on; 'I am going to make apple brownies!'

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Have you ever tried hot chocolate on a stick?

I had this delicious hot chocolate for the first time in a small bed and breakfast in Brugge, Belgium a couple of years ago.

I've always thought that hot chocolate is coming from the powdered mix where you just add hot water, which, of course, is still good and convenient. 

Then, I had tried this stick version of real chocolate melted in hot milk. It was so good that I would never wanted to go back to one of those packet kinds.

Belsnickle Cookies, so Christmas appropriate...

I was in the serious mood for baking this week.
There is nothing like baking good ginger spiced cookies around this time of the year.
The aroma, the flavor, the texture, and the spirit you feel...

I would like to introduce a very nice cookie recipe this week.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbook, "Cooking from Quilt Country" by Marcia Adams.
Yes, it is Amish cookbook (FYI; I am not an Amish..., but I adore them) and I found this German originated cookies are so Christmas appropriate.
It is soft ginger cookies with orange glaze on top.
Some calls them Belsnickle cookies - I like this name better for the season.

Hotteok, the Korean sweet pancakes

There is something about rain that makes you crave greasy sweet food.

It must be a global phenomenon thing... 

My American friends, Japanese friends, European friends, they all love to eat something sweet, something slightly greasy when there's water falling down from heaven.

It's been raining every single day here and I finally decide to make some Hotteok, the Korean sweet pancakes.

Besides I found a very special treasure the other day to make this sweet Goddess.

Lemon Coconut Crackle Cookies, thing 1 and thing 2

If someone asks me 3 random things that I want to avoid at all cost, that would be;
#1: Public speech --- gives me insomnia.
#2: A drunken man --- don't like the look nor the smell.
#3: Coolwhip --- I know I am weird, but I never had any good experience with this, so called "whipped dairy topping" you can find grocery stores anywhere in the U.S.

One of the worst dessert I ever had was a cake made right out of cake mix (without doctoring up) with Coolwhip as frosting that someone brought to the party many years ago. It was one of those moment that you, sort of, have to finish the plate in order not to offend the person who brought it.

Chocolate Caramel Cookies, where the wild things are

 

Rainy Saturday on February, cold and dreary...

I and my piano man took the kids to New York City to see the Broadway musical, "Mary Poppins".

Wandering around the Manhattan street, blocks after blocks, soaking wet with two munchkins in the winter rain..., not a romantic scene you can imagine before the Valentine's day but we had a great time.

The show was great. It was "SuperCaliFragiListicExpiAliDocious".  My 7 year old boy screamed at the end of the show, when Ms. Poppins was ascending to the theater ceiling holding her umbrella, " I love you, Mary Poppins!"

Time Square, NYC

I like to bake with my kids. They are good at it. This is how I tame my kids... well, should I say how I domesticate them? You know, with any kids, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, medicine go down and medicine go down...

I would like to share with you one cookie recipe that my kiddos adore. It is this caramel filled chocolate cookies from Pillsbury website. 

Ooey-gooey caramels melted in rich chocolate cookies...

Sounds like complicated recipe but quite easier than you would imagine. If my wild munchkins can make them, anybody can.

*****

The most important factor of this recipe...

Gather up your WILD THINGS to help you out!

Wild thing #1                                                 Wild thing #2

Next, put all the baking supplies on your counter. 

I used "Rolo" for this recipe. 

You can use other types of candies that can melt, but I think Rolos works the best.

Sift the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda happily together. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugars until they call the police for domestic violence.
(I mean until they transform into nice and fluffy...  Uh, you know that, right?)

Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time.
Beat, beat, beat...

Slowly add the happy cocoa-flour mixture,
(make sure to lower the speed of your mixer)

combine until they turn into dark side of the force. 
Don't you beat them anymore!
You can chill them for 30 minutes if you want.

Meanwhile, peel the Rolo wrappers to reveal their flesh.
My wild things will do anything if sugar is involved in their diet.

You go and chop some pecans and mix with sugar in a bowl.

 

 Take about 1 Tbsp of dough and squish it.
Put 1 Rolo in the middle,

and cover the Rolo with the dough.

 Have your wild things to play around with the dough to make a ball shape.

Press on to the pecans,



and have them place the balls exactly 2" apart evenly on the the baking sheet.
Teach them a sense of space and distance.

Wild thing #2 is ready to put his sheet into hot oven.
"I will eat you up!"
Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 7-10 minutes.

This made my wild things to become mischievous of one kind...

When they saw the ooey-gooey caramels melted in the cookies, well... 

 they gnashed their teeth and romped around the house with their claws.

I think it just made their life happier.
They are simple creatures, sometimes...

The night when my wild things put these cookies in their mouth,

The forest started to grow in their rooms, 

and they were sailing off to wild-land without eating their dinner.

Who knows how many hours had gone by for them to return to reality,

but when they came back,
well..., the dinner was NOT still hot.

But they, still, will be my Valentines

Happy Valentine's day!

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

(adapted from Pillsbury recipe)
makes 4 dozens

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used dutch processed)
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
48 Rolo chewy caramels, unwrapped

Icing (optional):
1 cup powdered sugar
about 2 Tbsp milk (more or less)

Sift flour, cocoa, soda, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugars until fluffy, add vanilla and eggs one at a time; beat well.
Add the flour mixture and blend well until it gets incorporated. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375º F (190º C)
Mix pecans and sugar in a bowl. Take 1 Tbsp of dough and flatten. Place 1 Rolo in the center and cover it completely with the dough making a ball. Press the ball into pecan sugar mixture.
Place the balls onto parchment papered cookie sheet, 2" apart. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove them from the sheet and cool on the wired rack.
Combine powdered sugar and milk until you get the desired consistency, drizzle icing over the cookies.

Printable recipe

Gingersnap Cookies, do you believe?

"Mommy, Santa is not real, isn't he?" My 10 year old girl asked me the other day while I was driving to take her to the dance class. I knew that this moment will come someday and I have to give an answer at some point of her young life, but never come up with a good way to respond.

Some might tell their children that Santa is not real and his existence is all made up by grown-ups, but I hesitate to say that to mine. Of course I've never seen Santa myself but I do believe in him, in my heart.

Believing in something can bring miracles. It is not important seeing with your own eyes to believe. It is about how pure your heart is, and follow what it tells you. Children have pure hearts like blank canvas. They believe the power and the spirit of Christmas even without seeking the sign or going into intellectual logistics. Because of their pure innocence it cures their aching hearts, brings them smiles, and delivers them hopes for the future. I somehow lost some of that pure heart in me a long time ago.

I answered to my daughter that evening in the car, "I've never seen Santa myself so I can't not tell you whether he is real or not. But I can tell you this. I got older and distracted with many things in life. I started not to believe him anymore and that's when I lost my magic in Christmas. I think Santa never visited me ever since. If I have believed him I bet he would still have visited me." My girl did not say any word after that.
Do you BELIEVE?

I like to make gingersnap cookies holiday season. There is nothing like smelling the fragrance of spice coming out of oven during holiday. This is one of my favorite Christmas cookies and my kids love them. It is not that spicy compared to other spiced cookies and you can variate cooking time depend on the texture you prefer. This is not the chewy kind of cookie recipe, although it is not too dry either. Somewhat crunch on the outside and soft inside.  This recipe is from the Joy of baking.

You know what? When you carry the the spirit with you, everything turns out better somehow. So turn on your favorite Christmas music and let's get in the mood!

Grab the supplies for this recipe.

First sift flour with ground clove, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside.

Dump butter and sugars in a mixer.

Beat them in a medium speed until fluffy scraping the bowl once.

Add this sticky gooey molasses, the vintage form of sweetener. Be careful not to drop this jar on the floor. It will be a red alert natural disaster if you do.

Add vanilla and an egg. Can't imagine baking without the help of chicken, can you?

Beat until mixed.

Reduce the mixing speed to low and slowly add flour.

Mix until they get incorporated.

You need to chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge, or put it outside somewhere cold if your fridge is full of stuff.

Roll the dough into 1" balls, coat them with granulated sugar. I used organic granulated sugar this time. I sometimes use turbinado sugar and it gives nice crunch.

Place them on the parchment papered baking sheet, spacing 2" apart.

Using the flat bottom of glass, press down each balls to make disks about 2" in diameter. You want to dip the glass bottom in sugar each time to avoid sticking.

Ready to bake in preheated 350º F oven for 12-15 minutes.

I like mine baked for 12 minutes. It was just right texture for crispy outside and soft in the middle.

Cool them on the wired rack completely. These gingersnaps freeze beautifully which I love, so I can always take some out to put in a pretty gift bag to handout whenever I need.

My 7 year old wrote a letter to Santa with his wish list. He is a believer and no one can tear down his world of wonder and magic. I want him to keep his world as long as he can.

"Mommy, how can Santa come in to our place, we don't have chimney and we live on the 11th floor?" he asked.
"I am sure he will find a way. Do you remember he came to our house in Hong Kong last year? We lived on the 40th floor, you know." I replied.
"Oh! I hope Santa knows that we moved... Can you email him?"

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Gingersnap Cookies

recipe from the "Joy of baking"

makes about 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (105g) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (100g) white granulated sugar

1/4 cup (60ml) unsulphured molasses

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups (260g) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground clove

1 cup granulated white sugar for coating

Sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and salt in a bowl, set aside.

In a mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Turn the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pour 1 cup of white granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. When the dough is chilled roll into 1" balls, then roll the balls into sugar to coat them thoroughly. Place them on the baking sheet, spacing 2" apart. With the flat bottom of a glass, flatten the ball to make disks, about 2" in diameter.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the cookies feel dry and firm on top. The longer the cookies bake, the more crisp they will be. Cool on a wire rack.

They freeze beautifully for longer storage.

Printable recipe

Pecan Balls, wishing for a white Christmas

I have to admit that I am a little Christmas fanatic.  I collect old world European vintage ornaments, nativity sets around the world, Christmas villages, etc. I love to decorate my house for holiday, bake cookies and sweet breads, enjoying Christmas craft with my kids, entertain friends for a special meals, or bringing endless dishes to parties, and etc... I just love to feel the spirit of giving and share the love with people I adore or even ones whom I hesitate to adore.

Although I don't have access to those Christmas treasures of mine this year (all in the storage somewhere), it doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the spirit of Christmas. In fact I find myself focusing more on the true meaning of Christmas rather than all the bells and whistles that I often put more weight on. This is a season we celebrate, the joy and peace on earth, the spirit of giving.

Every year I bake cookies to give out as presents. I often look for new recipes for fancy holiday cookies. However there is one Christmas cookie that I always make. It is the pecan balls. It is an old classic, melt in you mouth cookies. My kids call them "snow ball cookies".

This buttery soft cookies with pecan bites will melt you like snow in the sun. They are easy to make and not overly sweet, which I like. The only weakness of this type of cookies is that you can't freeze them due to the powdered sugar coating. But who cares? They will be gone by the end of the day.

 Simple cookies, simple ingredients. I don't need to name them, do I?



First, you need to chop your pecans finely. I wouldn't use food processor for this job because it will ground them. You want tiny pieces to bite on. Set them aside.

Dump butter sticks (room temperature) and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a mixer.

 Beat them until creamy on medium speed.



Add vanilla and beat even more until real creamy.

 Sift flour and 1/4tsp baking powder together.

 Add flour into creamed butter mixture. Make sure your mixer speed is on low.

 Just mix until they get mingled each other. Do not over mix!

 Add the nut of your labor, the chopping job of the day. I mean the pecans.

 Stir them until all mixed. Done!

 Make 1" balls with the dough, put them on the parchment papered pan or greased pan, 1 1/2" apart.
 I can fit 30 ball on a half sheet pan as you see. Bake for 25 minutes on 300ºF preheated oven.

 They puffed just a little. Perfect! Let them sit in the pan for 1 minute.

 When the cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar. Put the first ball in your mouth and savor. You deserve it.

Let them cool on a wired rack completely. I dusted with more sugar on top. You can keep them in an airtight container for a few days.

♪♫

 "Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..."

My kids haven't seen the snow for a few years,

Everyday they wish for it so they can build a snowman,

And I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.

Enjoy the cookies.

Pecan Balls

makes 4 dozens

1 cup (1/2 lb) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla 

2 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup finely chopped pecan 

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 300ºF, place parchment paper or silicon mat on your baking sheet.

In an electric mixing bowl beat together butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until very creamy.

In a separate bowl sift flour and baking powder, add to the butter mixture on a low speed, mix until well incorporated. Stir in pecans.

Make 1" balls with the dough and place on a baking sheet, 1 1/2" apart from each other.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let them rest for 1 minutes in a sheet and roll in the powdered sugar when the cookies are still warm. Store the cookies in the airtight container for a few days.

Printable recipe