PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

These  Peanut Butter Cookies are perfect dessert that can be prepared ahead of time and kept on hand for surprise guests.

Everyone's favorite cookies gets a double hit of peanut butter. Peanut butter is added to the dough and the balls of cookies are sprinkled with peanut before they are flattened.

Have used only 1/4 cup of brown sugar since I prefer a not so sweet cookies but add more if you want it sweeter.

You  can also omit the cherries by shaping the balls of dough then flatten them using a fork in a crisscross pattern.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Makes  20 cookies

1/4 cup butter/margarine
1/4-1/2 cup brown  sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup peanut roughly chopped
red  cherries for decoration

METHOD

Cream butter, peanut butter  and sugar until creamy.

Sift plain flour and baking powder together.  Preheat oven @ 160 C.

Combine dry ingredients and butter mixture.

Shape into small  ball , lightly press a few  peanuts on each cookies.  Place them on baking sheet and dot each cookies with red cherries..

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

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BANANA HONEY CAKE

I've been looking at these poor bananas getting more and more ripe every day for the last week.  Obviously baking banana bread came to my mind. Hmm.. this comforting Banana Honey Cake was the answer to what to do with those  banana.

I have used melted butter but it  can be substituted with vegetable  oil for healthier option. If you're allergic to milk,  soy milk, almond milk or rice milk  can all be     easily  replaced   for dairy  in  most recipes.

Am not keen on dressing up my bakes with frosting but you can go ahead to use your favorite frosting if desired.

In case you have overly ripe banana,  peel  the skin then  wrap in plastic individually, again keep them sealed in a zip lock bag before putting them in a freezer.  If you want to use,  thaw them in your refrigerator overnight.



BANANA HONEY CAKE
Serves :  12

230 g self raising flour
30 g corn flour
1/2  cup  brown sugar
3 medium banana mashed
1/4  tsp salt
1/2 cup oil/melted butter
3/4 cup milk or non dairy milk
2 tablespoon  honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease 7 in cake pan.

Sift together self raising flour and corn flour.

Combine mashed banana, sugar, salt, oil, honey and milk.. Whisk until well combined.

Add in banana mixture to the dry ingredients, add in vanilla extract, stir until well incorporated.

Spoon mixture  into prepared pan, bake for  30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pan 5 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

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KUIH BAKAR KENTANG (BAKED POTATO CAKE)

It is baking  time again in my kitchen. We had this traditional kuih called  Kuih Bakar Kentang (Baked Potato Cake)  a long time ago. This is a simple dessert using coconut milk and mashed potato.

Am using milk but it would be  much tastier if you're using coconut milk.  For smoother and well mixed batter, a blender/food processor  is highly recommended..

Normally Kuih Bakar Kentang (Baked Potato Cake)  uses egg but my version is totally egg free.  You can bake the with or without sesame seeds but  I love the contrast of color it gives.

Make sure to grease the pan generously  to avoid sticking  since there isn't any fat in the recipe. Over all, they are awesome for breakfast or tea time snack.

MICROWAVE BREAD PUDDING

If you're looking for quick and delicious treat, this Microwave Bread Pudding for one is what you need. You can use any type of bread you have in hand, torn in pieces or cubed.

Look easy right but wait, you'll end up spending more time for cleaning if you don't follow these golden rules:

1.  Sugar
     Use less sugar if you're using sweetened bread

2.  Bowl size
     Make sure it is microwave safe,  only half filled your bowl with the pudding otherwise overflowing will  occur and  you need extra  time for cleaning the mess

3.  Microwave wattage
     Mine was  800 W. Remember microwaves vary in power so your pudding might need  less or more time

Regular milk can be replaced with non dairy milk if you have a problem also you can add  other fruits of you choice.

EGGLESS COFFEE BROWNIES

Another brownies for you all. I just can't get enough of them at the moment. Not only because I happen to have a pantry full of their ingredients but also they are so easy to make and taste so delicious. This Eggless Coffee Brownies certainly take the cake.

There are so many brownies recipes out there and everyone has a favorite. I'm sure you have one that suits your taste. All these brownies have enough chocolate flavor but varying the amount of chocolate, butter, sugar and flour, the texture of each brownies is quite different.

I did minor changes to regular brownies recipe by adding  strong coffee. The contrast of flavor of this Eggless Coffee Brownies is extremely good.

DAIRY FREE AND EGG FREE ORANGE CAKE

When I bake a cake, I make sure to incorporate fruits into the batter, in this case I had used orange juice.  This Orange Cake is a dairy  free and egg free recipe.

It's amazing how this Dairy Free and Egg Free Orange Cake looks 'normal'. The texture is perfectly moist. There is a hint of orange that adds a mild   tanginess  to  the cake. I love how the orange juice perfectly compliments  the  flavor of cake.

The Dairy Free and Egg Free Orange Cake is  darn easy to make, you  don't need a mixer at all, simply combining the wet and dry ingredients to form into  thick but pouring  batter.

Make sure to preheat the oven prior to baking and  lightly grease  the cake pan.  Fill  only up to half  to give room for the batter to rise.

RICE FLOUR PUDDING

I always love pudding especially made with coconut milk. It has a special sweet flavor that you can't get with whole milk. After long time, my son requested to make corn pudding this weekend. So have sent him to purchase the most important ingredient for making the pudding,  sweet corn.

I'm aghast and extremely disappointed when he brought home  a can of  corn, guess what?  It's cut young corn. So I have to devise my plan for making another pudding.

This Rice Flour pudding comes into my mind. Have other obstacle, no fruit is available to add in, so go ahead making Rice Flour Pudding without any fruit.

So glad my son really enjoyed having this soft, sweet and creamy pudding.  We completed them in one sitting.

You can make this Rice Flour Pudding firmer by reducing the amount of liquid so as to facilitate easy slicing. Have used one cup of coconut cream or thick coconut milk but if  much creamier flavor  is required, do add more coconut  cream but cut down the water used.  For healthier option, white sugar can be replaced with palm sugar.

PUMPKIN GALETTE

A galette is a free  form pie, baked on cookie sheet instead of pie pan.  It is so versatile, you could actually filled with any seasonal fruit  or make it savory,  the  possibilities are endless.

Pumpkin Galette is made by rolling out pastry dough into large round. The filling is placed in the center of the pastry. The dough is pulled up around the filling and folded over to create a rustic looking tart.

My crust was hand made but it could also be made using a food processor. Another thing, if you are pressed for time, you can always buy ready made crust from your supermarket.

A really good tasting galette  -  the pastry must be light and the filling must not be too overly sweet. Try this Pumpkin Galette and you will see that sometimes simple is indeed the best.

KUIH SAGO / SAGO CAKE GLUTEN FREE

Most South East Asian cakes or kuih as we call it are bite sized dessert or snack,   mostly made with rice flour, glutinous rice flour, sago, tapioca flour or mung bean flour. They are usually steamed than baked or fried.

Kuih Sago is a traditional Asian dessert that was chewy in texture, made of pearl sago. I chose a different method to prepare  instead of steaming it. My cooking style requires constant stirring until the sago turns translucent  after adding them  to the sugar syrup. After cooking it was leave to cool until set. When completely cool, they are sliced and rolled in grated coconut.

Most desserts made with coconut will turn rancid  really  fast so it must be consumed on the same day other wise stored them in a refrigerator.  A jar with resealable lid works perfect to keep shredded coconut fresh and handy  in a fridge.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE SLICE

Who can resist Chocolate Fudge Slice? This recipe was foolproof and pretty darn simple - just basic ingredients and egg free. It's better than any fudge I've ever tried.

I used 11 x 7 in rectangle pan, lightly buttered. The Chocolate Fudge Slice was easy to cut and remove from the pan. It's chocolatey and sweet enough to satisfy my cravings.

Meanwhile, a lot of vegetarian cookery books rely heavily  on eggs, especially for cakes, pastries and pudding. These recipes can be replaced  and the following should provide some ideas.

Eggs are used to bind a dish, when whipped, may  also incorporate air  making a cake very light. Many recipes can be adapted using one of the suggestions below.

Instead of one egg, you can use::

1 medium  mashed banana
1/4 cup apple sauce or pureed fruit  (avocado, pumpkin, squash)
1 tablespoon ground  flax seed + 3 tablespoon of warm water. Let stand 5 minute before using
1/4 cup pureed tofu

COCONUT CAKE

In the weekend, I set aside some personal time and baked this Coconut Cake. It is egg free recipe and truly fabulous. It is moist and smells so good loaded with shredded coconut.

In case  you  have self rising flour in hand, you can use it but omit the baking soda and baking powder also you can add an egg, lightly beaten  if you're not a fan of banana.

My sons took a bite and declared this Coconut Cake as  our delightful  new favorite.

There is no reason why you're not baking this cake. It is super easy, all you need was to throw the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well then  fold  in mashed banana, milk and vanilla extract. Stir to combine and  pour into prepared pan and it is ready to be baked in a preheated  oven for 20-25 minutes.

SPICED COOKIES

For most of my friends, cookies were served  during festivals  (Eid,  Lunar New Year or Christmas) but not in my household. We are serving them regularly as our tea time treat.

I  recently bake these Spiced Cookies  and my family raved about them because they are unusual and delicious.  However this cookies is my to go. Simple, easy and loaded with warm spices.

Would  definitely prefer to bake in a smaller portion to maintain freshness but you can easily double up the quantity if needed.  I also make use of orange colored sugar  instead of white one.

To speed up the process, you can leave the butter on your counter  for few hours prior to baking or else use your microwave oven to soften it a little.

Another combination of spices could be added to the dough are nutmeg, cinnamon or mixed spices.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA BITES

                                    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my first ever post of 2014.  Although none in my family has issue with gluten but I always love to venture into something new. This time trying out Gluten Free Banana Bites.

A gluten free diet strictly excludes gluten in all of its obvious and disguised forms. Gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, rye, barley and spelt.

As usual I had chosen a recipe that  uses less sugar and   egg free.   If you need to clear your blackened banana, this recipe fits that purpose too. This  gluten free and wheat free bites use corn flour and white rice flour with option to use either whole milk or coconut milk.

Gluten Free Banana Bites  was wonderfully tasty with  moistness from  mashed banana  and sliced beautifully when it was completely cool.  Above all  it is really quick and no fuss to prepare.

APPLE OATMEAL CAKE

My family loves  dessert.

Am on a look out for a much healthier version of dessert  but still comforting and delightful. This moist,  not too sweet  Apple Oatmeal Cake which is satisfying falls into that category. Everybody enjoyed this treat and nobody even thought that it might be on healthier side.  Not only it is lighter but also quick to put together

Made with rolled oat, buttermilk and apple that contains no egg at all. Have it for breakfast or as a nutritious snack. This  Apple Oatmeal Cake  is delicious on its own.

MINI PUMPKIN TARTS

This satisfying Pumpkin Mini Pie is the perfect size to snack on by itself or enjoy as an elegant finish to any meal.

I love making pie dough from scratch. It's really not that hard. This  crust was easy to handle and tastes good too. You can use canned pumpkin if you like the traditional thick texture and sweetness but I like  using fresh cooked pumpkin. It is not overly sweet and much lighter. You can freeze cooked pumpkin for many months so you can still make this pie whenever you want.

MACARONI PAYASAM

This South Indian dessert is always served during festivals and special occasions. Macaroni Payasam was delicately flavored with cardamom and nuts. A great dessert for anytime of the year that anyone can cook at home.

Made with macaroni, sauteed in ghee and milk,  it can be customized to your palate by adding more or less  sugar.  Using stove top, the delicious payasam will be ready in a matter of minutes  by simmering the macaroni in a pot of milk.

The flavor of this dessert improves with time, dilute it with a little warm milk before serving since it thickens as it sits. I'm using a seashell shaped macaroni but it is great with other type of pasta too.

MACARONI PAYASAM
Yield     :   8 servings

1 cup macaroni  (seashell shaped)
1 tablespoon ghee
1 liter milk
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon chopped almond/cashew

METHOD

Heat the ghee in a deep pot, add in the nuts, fry until light brown.  Transfer nuts onto a plate.

Using the same pot, fry the macaroni for 1 minute.

Add the milk, simmer until the macaroni turns aldente, stirring in between.

Now add the sugar, stir well.

Add in ground cardamom and fried nuts, stir well.

Serve hot or cold.

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EGGLESS PEACH CAKE

It's time for a treat that won't make you feel guilty, lightly sweetened, this dessert looks as good as it looks.

I'm using canned peaches but if you can get hold of the fresh ones, it would be much better. Make sure you drained the peaches pretty well before adding it to the batter.  If any of you want to switch out the peach slices for some other fruit, this cake would work with pears, plums and apricots.

An incredibly moist and light cake baked  without  egg. Everyone who has eaten it, loves it!

APAM PISANG BAKAR (YEASTED BANANA CAKE)

Banana is quite a common fruit available in most kitchen. It is my habit to turn those ripened banana into a delicious, quick week day dessert.

This recipe yields a moist Yeasted Banana Cake that will make those banana cake haters into big fans.

It combines the sweetness of ripe mashed banana with yeast minus the butter or fat. This  traditional cake is also suited to be steamed.  Like anything baked  with yeast, this requires about an hour to rise.


APAM PISANG BAKAR (YEASTED BANANA CAKE)
Serves  :    8

1+1/4 C  all purpose flour
1 C  mashed banana
1/2 C  castor sugar
3/4 C + 1 TB  warm evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1+1/2 tsp instant yeast

METHOD

Grease 8 in deep cake pan. Whisk together milk, yeast and sugar in a small bowl.

In a mixing bowl, put in flour, banana and salt. Stir well.

Now add the milk mixture to the flour, stir to combine.

Pour mixture into greased  pan and let sit for 1 hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @  170C.

Bake for 40-45  minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Let sit in the pan for 10 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

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HOMEMADE APPLE ROLLS

We are having Homemade Apple Rolls for warm breakfast food in our home. I like to make them from scratch.

As with yeast, for this Homemade Apple Roll, you will need to plan ahead but it's so worth it. The apple filling can be well prepared a day before and keep refrigerated. It is cooked using microwave but could be done on stove top by combining all the filling ingredients, let cook for 10 minutes with  constant stirring. Leave to cool completely before use.

Unlike regular rolls, these rolls are baked as a log then equally slice after baking.

This dough works up beautifully, it is easy to do and they are so good.

SUJI COOKIES

This is the cookies I used to buy from Indian tea stall stored in a glass jar but much bigger in size. Suji Cookies is  pleasantly buttery and  slightly crunchy  biscuit.

Made of clarified  butter (ghee), flour and baking soda, it is quite simple to prepare. The only time needed is rolling them into tiny balls.

If you want softer cookies shorten your baking time and they will remain white even after baking. Feel free to  roll them to your desired size but place them  1 in apart since they will expand a little while baking.