M&M COOKIES SLICES

Was thinking about what to make for tea time treat then my kid suggested to try this colorful and pleasing M&M Cookies Slices.

He makes a right choice.  It turned out fantastic!   These  bound to be big hit with kids and adult alike.   My visitors are very pleased too, they even  ask me for the recipe.

Since I love my slices to be not so sweet, I had used only 3/4 cup of brown sugar but you can add more if want it sweeter.

These  M&M Cookies Slices  are  super  quick to prepare, no mixer required and using  only one bowl so you save your time washing up so many dishes.

BROKEN GLASS JELLY

A very blessed Eid  to  you and family,  to those celebrating.  May you be showered with joy and happiness!

This year am not making any heavy preparation since I had just recovered from my illness.  I picked up  agar agar powder to prepare this Broken Glass Jelly.

This is the simplest dessert you can make without much effort but still looks terrific.  What I did was mixing the agar agar powder with sugar in a deep pot  until the  agar agar is dissolved.  Bring to boil  over low heat, stirring  all the time.

And now this is a fun part.  Divide into 4 parts.  Mix 3 parts with your favorite color and leave the balance as it is.  Let them set , now you can cut the colored parts into cubes and place them in a  9 in tray.  Mix them altogether.

Heat the non colored part over low heat, add  milk.  Remove from heat, pour this mixture over the tray filled with colored cubes.  Cool slightly, place the tray in a refrigerator to set fully.

BROKEN GLASS JELLY

10 g  white agar agar powder
250 g white sugar
1 liter water
3 tablespoon condensed  milk
3 different color of food coloring

METHOD

1.  Dissolve agar agar powder in one liter of water, stir well.

2.  Add sugar, stir and bring to boil over low heat.

3.  Remove from heat, rinse 3 containers, place 1 1/4 cup of agar agar on each container, add coloring to each, stir until well mixed.  Chill in a refrigerator..

4.  Rinse  9  in tray, cut into cubes for the colored parts.  Place them in a tray, mix altogether.

5.  Heat the plain part, add the condensed   milk.  Remove and pour this over the colored cubes.

6.  Cool slightly and let it set in a refrigerator.  Cut into desired sizes to serve.

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CHOCOLATE MARBLE BREAD

This  week  I ventured into baking a yeast bread called Chocolate Marble Bread.  It has two contrasting flavor and the marbling effect looks so pretty when sliced.

This Chocolate Marble Bread is super simple but the only disadvantage was time  consumed  to  proof the dough before and after shaping.

But, I have no regret  it turned great in taste and appearance!   Make one today to  surprise your family and friends..

CRUNCHY SESAME COOKIES

Hello friends,

Thanks so much for your wishes and prayers,  am now getting better but once in a while I still cough.  I have completely stopped taking  any medications but  feeling drowsy after few hours  staying

awake.

After about more than a week, there was no activities in my kitchen but am so eager to continue my baking.  So I have chosen to bake this simple Crunchy Sesame Cookies especially for all my readers.

This recipe requires you to roll the cookies into small balls and lightly press down to flatten.  They smell fantastic while baking.  They are crunchy and tasted so good with a glass of milk or coffee.

CRUNCHY SESAME COOKIES
Yield :  30 cookies

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
125 g butter softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
4 tablespoon black sesame seeds

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 170 C.  Sift together all purpose flour, cornflour and baking powder.

Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla essence.

Add sesame seeds and dry ingredients, mix until well combined.

Roll 2 tsp of mixture into small balls.  Transfer onto baking sheet.

Press down lightly with fork, bake for 15 minutes.

Leave on pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer onto rack to cool completely.

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CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE PUMPKIN BREAD

Hi Everyone,

I am not feeling well right now and am sick with high fever, cough and other minor things. Sorry for not replying to your comments but will do so as soon as I feel better.  Please keep commenting and I will catch up with you soon.
.
Are you a fan of pumpkin bread?  When deciding on a dessert to  make,  consider this Chocolate Sprinkle  Pumpkin Bread recipe.  It was super easy and much healthier.

Have you thought for a minute what a whole loaf of pumpkin bread would cost you if you purchased from a bakery. I can show you how to make delicious Chocolate Sprinkle  Pumpkin Bread with a few simple ingredients and egg free too.

This is a quick bread recipe so need to mix your wet and dry ingredients together but don't over mix a quick bread, just enough to get the lumps out.

CHOCOLATE ROLLED OAT COOKIES

Cookies are always a favorite to accompany a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. This sweet treat  has numerous different and amazing varieties that are love by children and adults.

Chocolate Rolled Oat  Cookies has a healthy combo of ingredients,  loaded with oat which produces a crunchy on the outside but chewy in the middle.  Despite its simplicity  with bursting flavor, it is one of the most delightful desserts you can make in no time

They are delicious without any add on but you can add half a cup of chocolate chips or chopped nut if desired.

Chocolate Rolled Oat Cookies are so delicate to handle, make sure you leave them for 5 minute on pan before transferring them onto rack to cool.

ABOK ABOK SAGO

Abok Abok Sago is a traditional Asian dessert normally wrapped in banana leaf made with pearl sago, grated coconut and palm sugar.

This time this dessert is undergoing a makeover by adding 2 different color, one with green food coloring while other portion was orange (I got this after adding the orange colored sugar) and using small tart mould.

You can also make use of jelly mould and changing the color according to your choice. It's fun to see the transformation.

These Abok Abok Sago have  special  coconut aroma and slightly chewy texture

KEEMA MATAR (MINCED MEAT WITH PEAS)

This hearty meal of Keema Matar  is normally a rich and heavy dish but here we keep it light and fresh by using very little oil and leanest meat either minced beef/lamb or mutton.

My son loves to scoop it up with some naan or chapati but it would also be good over rice.  Normally it uses various spices such as coriander, turmeric, cumin and chili powder individually  but now am using ready made meat masala powder  that was available from local market or supermarket.

I'm not a big fan for green peas but they were absolutely perfect in this dish.  They lend a slight sweetness among the spicy  meat and juicy tomatoes. Cubed potato is also included in this Keema Matar.

GREEN BEAN BROWNIES GF

Have you tried making brownies with beans? This might not sound appetizing but give it a try, you'll not be disappointed!

Mostly they used black bean but this isn't available in my pantry so make use of dried green bean aka mung bean. You have to soak the bean overnight, they will expand in volume and easily get 1 1/2 cup of green bean after soaking.  Rinse and drain then process them into thick paste.

Since this Green Bean Brownies is gluten free, have used chick pea and ground rolled oat but if you have no issue about wheat  in your diet,  half cup of plain flour and  1/4  cup of corn flour can be used.

Also mashed banana can be replaced  with  1/3 cup of pumpkin puree or mashed  sweet potato.

These Green Bean Brownies are rich in fiber and protein but surprisingly no one can tell that  it was made with green bean.

My family loved them and wanted more after eating them.

GREEN BEAN BROWNIES GF
Servings  :   10

3/4 cup dried green bean soaked overnight
1/2 cup chick pea  flour
1/4  cup rolled oat ground
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 medium banana mashed
3/4 cup sugar or palm sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4.5 tablespoon oil or melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1.  Rinse green bean then drain.  Process in a food processor to become paste.

2.  Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease  8 In cake pan.

3.  Whisk together  both flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.

4.  Add in green bean paste, banana, oil/butter and vanilla extract.

5.  Stir until well incorporated.

6.  Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly  Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

7.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.


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COCONUT BARS

Looking for something indulgent to satisfy a sweet tooth?  Look what I have baked today, this is what you might need. These homemade Coconut Bars are filled with soft and chewy coconut topping are a sheer delight.

You have an option to add an egg to the dough or go egg free, the choice is yours also for the jam you can choose whatever fruit jam you  love.

You'll know it is done, when the edges and coconut topping  turn slightly brown.  Let cool in the pan before slicing into bars.

These Coconut Bars will bring a smile to the face of whomever you serve them for sure. Enjoy!


COCONUT BARS
Yield  :     16 bars

1.5 cups  plain  flour
125 g melted butter
2 tablespoon sugar
1 egg or 4-5 tablespoon milk
5-6 tablespoon fruit jam

TOPPING
1.5 cup  grated  coconut
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoon condensed milk

METHOD

1.  Grease lightly 19 x 29 cm slice pan.  Preheat oven @ 175 C.

2.  Combine topping ingredients, keep aside.

3.  Add sugar, egg or  milk  to melted butter, stir well.

4.  Pour butter mixture over dry ingredients, mix until it forms into soft dough.

5.  Press dough into prepared pan  using  a plastic sheet.

6.  Spread liberally with jam.

7.  Cover base evenly with topping.

8.  Bake until  slightly golden for 20 minutes.

9.  Cool completely in pan.  Cut into squares to serve

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BLACK SESAME SEEDS CORNFLAKES COOKIES

Kids love to bake cookies. Young kids can practice to measure out ingredients used and stirring them. So tag them along when baking, it is a great learning experience and let them understand the basic kitchen rules.

This is a new batch of festive cookies that I baked every year. It has a slight crunch to it and buttery too. In fact they are suitable to be eaten anytime, all year round!

These Black Sesame Seeds Cornflakes Cookies were the first one to disappear from my  cookies collection, my whole family can't stop gobbling these little treats whenever it was laid on the table.

I have made slight adjustment and turned  the recipe  into egg free version.

CAULIFLOWER & PUMPKIN CURRY

To all my Muslim readers, HAVE A BLESSED EID!

Get bored with your stir fry vegetables?  You might just change your mind, when you discover this simple and healthy  Cauliflower & Pumpkin Curry.

This is an easy recipe but make sure you have all the spices on hand before you try this Cauliflower & Pumpkin Curry.  A combination of Indian spices transforms this simple vegetarian dish into a delight for the senses.

Here is my tips for perfect Cauliflower & Pumpkin Curry

1.  If possible cut the vegetables almost the same size and thickness. This to ensure uniform cooking time

2.  Do not add water, the veggies will ooze out water while cooking.  This is sufficient to cook the vegetables

3.  After you cover the pan, stir in between and check for tenderness. Don't overcook, the pumpkin will lose the shape and becomes mushy

EGG FREE FRUIT CAKE

This holiday season why not give this fruit cake a try by whipping one that is egg free and alcohol free. Just follow the simple directions and you'll have the best Egg Free Fruit Cake.

If you're looking for Egg Free Fruit Cake, this recipe is ideal for people who  prefer a lighter version. It's quicker and does not involve soaking of the mixed fruit for days or months but tasted as delicious as the traditional fruit cake.

For those who are allergic to dairy, replace yogurt with  soy milk, unsweetened apple sauce or pureed tofu.

EGG FREE FRUIT CAKE
Serves   :    6-7

1 1/4  cup plain flour
1/4  cup corn flour
1/2 cup melted butter or oil
3/4 cup  fine sugar/powdered sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup mixed fruit
2 tablespoon raisin
4  red/green glace cherries  sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C and lightly grease your baking pan.

Beat melted butter with sugar until well mixed.

Whisk together yogurt  and baking soda. You will some bubbles appear on top.  Leave for 5 minutes.

Sift together both flour with baking powder and salt into mixing bowl.

Combine mixed fruit and glace cherries with 2 tsp flour, keep aside.

Now mix together flour mixture with wet ingredients, add the vanilla extract.

Fold  in mixed fruit and glace cherries. Stir to mix.

Pour mixture into prepared pan, bake for 40-50  minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean @ 180 C.

Leave in pan for 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto rack to cool.

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CRUNCH DROPS

Do you have friends or family coming to visit? Treat them to some delicious and relatively healthy Crunch Drops  Cookies for dessert. These cookies are made with rolled oat and breakfast cereal (cornflakes). This recipe is very simple and not time consuming to whip up.

These are healthy, fiber packed, indulgent and delicious! Another tip, you must let them sit about 3 minutes in a pan after baking since they tend to break and still very soft before transferring them onto rack to cool. They are crunchy outside but chewy inside, great for morning tea or afternoon snack too.

COCONUT CREAM AGAR / AGAR2 SANTAN

With the temperature rising, it's time for a refreshing dessert. made of agar agar.   This  low calorie agar2 is derived from  natural water soluble fiber with no fat or starch.

Coconut Cream Agar  is simple to prepare and much healthier than the egg and cream type. What you need is to stir the mixture of agar2 powder, sugar and coconut milk until boiling and thicken, pour into your favorite mould and once it comes to room temperature place them in a refrigerator to chill.

Beside coconut milk, you can add canned fruit, corn, cocoa or even fruit juice to the jelly, the choice is endless, just use your imagination to explore this versatile dessert.

ALMOND CHOCOLATE COOKIES

These Almond Chocolate Cookies are deliciously simple to make yet are elegant and tasty dessert.

The dough of these cookies can be prepared in advance, keep refrigerated for use the next day. Substitute your choice of nuts for the almonds if needed.

As we grow older, we tend to be more health conscious and avoid taking overly sweet desserts. This is the reason why I resort to make my own rather than buying the ready made cookies that are way too sweet.

BUBUR SUJI / SEMOLINA KHEER

One of the most popular desserts during Ramadan is this Bubur Suji that was made with semolina, milk and sugar.

It is fairly simple to make  but care should be taken once you've added the semolina to the hot milk. You need to stir constantly to avoid lumps and sticking to the bottom of the pot.

If you're not keen to use the ghee. just dry roast the semolina  until  you get nice aroma also you can bake  the almond  instead of frying.

Bubur Suji is individually served in a small bowl/cup and garnish with raisin and nuts.

It tends to thicken up  as it cools down. No worries, just add some milk or hot water to get the pouring consistency again.

Bubur Suji  can be served either hot or cold.

3 INGREDIENTS OATMEAL COOKIES

Am looking for something healthier for my breakfast/snack  and bumped into various recipes using oatmeal.   That's where this  3  Ingredients Oatmeal Cookies can be a wonderful treat not only for me but for the whole family.

This is darn easy and the last ingredient  is variable according to your preference. The suggested add in are:
raisin/dried fruit, coconut, peanut butter chips or chopped nuts.

I love my cookies to be super cute so have shaped them into 1/2 in  tiny balls but this entirely up to you.

Banana adds sufficient sweetness and moistness to this healthy cookies so we can avoid those fat and sugar from our diet.

3 INGREDIENTS OATMEAL COOKIES
Yield :    18 cookies

1 cup rolled oat
1/2 cup mashed banana (2 banana)
3-4 tablespoon chocolate  rice (sprinkles)

METHOD

1.   Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease your cookie sheet.

2.  Combine oat and mashed banana in a bowl.

3.   Add in chocolate rice (sprinkles), mix to combine.

4.   Pinch mixture into small balls, flatten slightly.

5.  Place cookies onto baking sheet.

6.  Bake until  firm  for 15 minutes.

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

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EGGLESS SEMOLINA CAKE

A fantastic recipe and my family favorite that you can make anytime of the year.  This Eggless Semolina Cake  is a different version of semolina cake that was low in  fat and egg free.

Eggless Semolina Cake  has  a lovely texture that is distinctly different than cakes made with flour. Although it wasn't super soft as a normal cake but it was moist due to the addition of mashed banana.  I will make this again for sure only next time and  will  double this recipe.  I hope others find it delicious too!

Had used canola oil instead of melted butter. If you're allergic to dairy products, soy milk, almond milk or rice milk is a great substitute.

ROTI BOYAN

Roti Boyan (Bawean) is a popular snack made with flaky pastry and stuffed with mashed potato.  It is a sort of cross between a samosa and empanada. It is most probably created by Baweanese  -  they are from an island in East Java, Indonesia.

It is either shaped into round or square, deep or shallow  fried  until crispy and golden. Roti Boyan  is usually found and sold at roadside stalls.

Like most pastry recipes, the quantity of liquid is very important so take care  to add the water gradually until a pliable dough is formed.

Another important factor, heat the oil  to the proper temperature and maintain it throughout the cooking process.   If it is not hot enough, it will soak up extra oil.

If you're  allergic to eggs, simply omit them but sprinkle some water to the mashed potato just to bind them.

Also sprinkle some salt when heating the oil.  I noticed  my Roti Boyan   does not absorb excess  oil.

EASY TOMATO RICE

There  are various ways to cook Tomato Rice either using fresh/canned tomatoes or  tomato puree. Even I have shared  another  recipe  that were differ slightly from one another due to the ingredients/spices used. If you want to check the recipe click here. .

Easy Tomato Rice  is one of my favorite weekend meal. It uses tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes. Please take note. different brands  of tomato puree produce extra  sour  to this dish. So  use your own  judgement as to how tangy  you want the rice to be.  Am using a concentrated tomato puree of Italian origin  but for other brand, highly recommended to add more than 2 tablespoon.

A blend of tomato puree, onion, garlic and spices are used to create a bed of delicious fluffy rice. Easy Tomato Rice goes well with spicy chicken, lamb or vegetable gravy if you're a  vegetarian.

CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAD

This Chocolate Swirl Bread surprised my family and friends, it tastes so good. Don't be intimidated by the process of making the yeast bread, it's surprisingly  easy if you follow the basic steps.

If you have to choose a perfect time of the day to eat Chocolate Swirl Bread, it's probably snack time -  time when you come home from school or work and your  mom/wife   prepares  something warm and sweet to revive your fatigued  day.

For smoother spreadable filling, I strongly  suggested that you use icing sugar but this time had used castor sugar  since that was available in my pantry.  If you're pressed for time, opt for ready made chocolate spread for the filling.

BOTTLE GOURD DHAL CURRY

Bottle Gourd or sorakkai (Tamil) or lauki (Hindi) was found in every Indian kitchen. Not only it was inexpensive but easily available in the market.

In fact this Bottle Gourd Dhal Curry is loaded with fiber, vitamin C, zinc, iron and magnesium but low in fat. It is great for treatment of acidity, weight loss and constipation.

The combination of bottle gourd and mung beans produce a delicate and awesome flavor that you can consume it by itself but equally great with steaming hot rice and freshly baked chapati.

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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