PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD ROLLS

There are so many version of Portuguese Sweet Bread found on the net. Some used a starter but now I had baked them using straight forward method from King Arthur Flour. Originally a bread machine recipe but made slight changes to suit my taste.

This  dough is easy to work with and not so wet. You can easily shape them into a loaf or as a roll. They turned so  fluffy and smell so good while baking. Even my son can't resist to taste them. Incredibly delicious!

OATMEAL ALMOND COOKIES

Oatmeal cookies is always a favorite with both kids and adults. This cookies is so easy to make and  a delicious treat for everyone.  In fact you can add chopped nuts, chocolate chip, sesame seed or cranberries to the basic recipe and it always turned out great.

For this recipe, chopped almond and raisin are added along with rolled oat. These have a  wonderfully chewy and flavorful cookies you enjoy biting into them.

OATMEAL ALMOND COOKIES
Yield    :    40 cookies

1/3  C  fine sugar
1/3  C  brown sugar
1/2  C  softened butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4  C  all purpose flour
1  C  rolled oat
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C  raisin
1/4  C  toasted chopped almond/nuts
1-2 TB  milk if needed

METHOD

Beat butter,  fine sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until well blended using mixer or by hand..

Mix in flour and oat, beat well.

Hand stir in raisin and walnut,  Preheat oven @ 160 C.

Shape into 1 in ball, flatten slightly and place onto baking sheet. If still crumbly add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.

Bake for 20 minutes, let sit in the pan for 5 minutes.

Cool on rack, when completely cool, store in an airtight container.

SEMOLINA COOKIES / BISKUT SUJI

Since Eid is just around the corner, most of my neighbors have started baking for this special occasion. It is so intoxicating with pleasant aroma  of baked goodies came from their oven.

One of my favorite cookies or biscuit is Semolina Cookies. These cookies can be done with or without semolina, both are additive and delightful.  In fact I had shared this suji cookies  earlier which is done without semolina. Both have the same shape, soft  and buttery but this one is a bit sandy since semolina is added to the dough.

The dough is so easy to work with and mixing is done manually. These are  not so sweet yet delicious. Prefer to make my cookies in small batches but you can double or triple the recipe according to your need. Semolina Cookies is really easy to prepare so there is no excuse for not making them.

SEMOLINA COOKIES / BISKUT SUJI
Yield     :   50 cookies

200 g  butter melted
200 g  self raising flour
200 g  semolina
100 g  fine sugar
Glace cherries for decoration

METHOD

Combine butter and sugar, beat well.

Now add the flour and semolina to the butter mixture.

Forms into soft dough, shape into small balls and place an inch apart on baking sheet. Preheat oven @ 160 C.

Bake for 15-20 minutes and transfer onto rack to cool.

When completely cool, store in an airtight container.

YEAST BANANA BREAD

This banana bread is totally different from your regular quick bread since it contains yeast and takes a little bit longer time to prepare.  Yeast Banana Bread  is worth to wait, this yeasted bread produces a more flavorful and beautiful bake.

Yeast Banana Bread  is so moist  but importantly contains no egg, milk or nuts so is great for kids with allergies. Instead of adding chopped nuts to the dough, I have scattered silvered almonds on the base of the cake pan.

REAL COCOA DRINK

A refreshing but nourishing drink. Cocoa has nearly twice the anti-oxidants of red wine and up to 3 times those found in green tea. Cocoa has about 1/3 of a gram of fat per one cup serving compared with 8g of fat in 40g chocolate bar.

So it is time to enjoy this healthy drink from your own pantry and skip those pre-packed mixes  from your supermarket . They're laden with too much sugar and other additives your body does not need. You can also use low fat milk for this recipe.

REAL COCOA DRINK
Serves      :       4-6
Adapted from  Chocolate Chocolate
by Mary Norwak

4  TB  cocoa powder
3  TB   sugar
150 ml  boiling water
900  ml  milk
pinch of salt

METHOD

Mix cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Add water and mix to a paste. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Add milk and heat slowly to just below boiling point. Whisk well and pour into hot mugs/glasses.

Serve hot or cold.

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