Cranberry Bliss Cookies

Hohoho! Merry Christmas to all! Christmas is here and we definitely did not forget to do our Christmas baking! We specially chose a recipe for this festive season and this was what we picked!

Ingredients for Cookies

• 3 cups flour (375g)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar (250g)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (200g)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (175g)
• 1 cup dried cranberries (125g)

Ingredients for Frosting

• 1 (8 oz.) bar cream cheese, room temperature (225g) 
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave or double-boiler (87.5g)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar (250g)

Ingredients for Topping

• 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped (125g)
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave or double-boiler
  (we used much more than that cause Big Sis was really generous with her chocolate topping :P)

Method for Cookies

1. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt until well-blended. Set aside.
2. Using an an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add in vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
4. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between to incorporate.
5. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in dry ingredients.
6. Increase the speed to medium, and continue beating until well-combined.
7. Fold in the white chocolate chips and cranberries, and mix until just-combined. (Do not overmix.)
8. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. 
9. Place dough by rounded tablespoon-fulls onto a baking sheet that has been prepared with parchment paper, at least 2.5-inches apart.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges.
11. Remove pan, and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack until cool.
12. Repeat with remaining dough until all cookies are baked.

Method for Frosting

*Wait until cookies reach room temperature before adding frosting and toppings.

1. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and melted white chocolate until combined. (**Be sure that your cream cheese REALLY is at room temperature before adding the white chocolate. Otherwise the chocolate could seize up.) 
2. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined. 
3. Reduce speed to low and add the powdered sugar. Mix until incorporated. 
4. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat once more for 1 minute on medium speed until the frosting is smooth. (You can add more powdered sugar for a thicker frosting.)
5. Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies. Then immediately sprinkle the frosted cookies with the chopped dried cranberries. 
6. Use a fork to drizzle on the frosting, swishing it back and forth over the cookies.
   
   Recipe adapted from: gimme some oven

The cookies are a success! Our cookies were not really the same as the pictures from the adapted recipe though, most probably cause of the brown sugar. Despite that, the cookies are really tasty! The recipe actually makes a lot of cookies and it took us hours to finish the whole baking process cause we could only bake three at a time (the cookies can really expand!), but we are very happy with them! (:

Mint Chocolate Cookies

It's been a loooooooooong time since the last time this place is being updated. Sorry for neglecting here ): The past few baking sessions had all been on mooncakes, mooncakes, mooncakes, and still, mooncakes. But! The last weekend, we tried something new! Oink had been asking for the recipe of the mint cookies that girl guides sell, and so lil' sis started looking for the recipes and we've decided to try this!

Ingredients for the cookies

• 8 ounces butter (~227g)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (~118g)
• 1 cup powdered sugar (~125g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour(~187.5g)

Ingredients for peppermint chocolate coating

•  10 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate (~283g)
•  1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (~175°C)
2. Cream butter until light and fluffy, then add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Stir in the salt, vanilla and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter resembles a thick frosting. Add the flour and mix just until the flour is combined, making sure to not over mix.
3. Form dough into a ball. Knead a few times to bring together, then flatten into a disk between half an inch and one inch thick, cover in plastic wrap then place in freezer for 15 minutes.
4. Remove dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin on a floured surface, about 1/8-inch. Cut cookies using 1 1/2-inch cutter.
5. *Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. While the cookies bake, make the peppermint coating. Chop the baking chocolate into very small, thin pieces. Place in a glass measuring cup or similar container and microwave in short 15-20 second bursts. Stir in the peppermint extract.
6. **Gently drop the cookies, one at a time, into the coating. Turn to coat entirely, then lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan until the extra coating drips off. Place on a parchment or plastic wrap-lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set.
   
   *We used a double boiler to melt the chocolate instead of microwaving it.
   **The chocolate that we used for the coating isn't able to melt to a state such that it will drip. Hence, instead of dropping the cookies into the chocolate to coat it completely, we spread the chocolate on top of the cookies.
   
   Recipe adapted from: The view from Great Island

The cookies were a huge success!  We used lesser chocolate for the coating when we first baked it (cause lil' sis took the wrong measurement), and the taste (as well as smell) of the peppermint was overpowering. The next day, we coated another layer of chocolate (without the peppermint essence) and the taste was perfect. This is definitely going to be something that we will always want to make (like the banana muffins haha!)!

Traditional Mooncake

<Photos will be uploaded soon>


Traditional Mooncakes are harder to make not as simple as snowskin. There are more procedures to follow. Baking time in oven is very important.

Traditional Mooncake 

Ingredients for Skin

Sift together into a big mixing bowl:-

• 300g Bun Flour or Hong Kong Flour
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp Salt

Mix together and combine well:- 

• 210g Mooncake Sugar Syrup
• 60g Oil
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 tsp Alkali Water

1. Sieve the flour in a mixing bowl
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture
3. Pour in sugar syrup mixture and mix well till it forms a dough using a spatula
4. Cover the mixing bowl with a wet towel and rest the dough for 30 to 45 minutes

Ingredients for Eggwash

• 1 Egg Yolk
• 5g Mooncake sugar syrup
• 1tsp Hotwater 

Mix together without beatin and sieve it to get a smooth glaze

Method

1. Knead the rested skin dough till it firms up
2. Flatten skin dough on palm of your han
3. Put the ball of paste onto the flattened dough and enclose paste by gently pressing edges until is sealed
4. Dust the filled dough with flour, put into lightly floured mooncake mold and press in gently
5. Knock or piston out the molded mooncake depending on the mould used
6. Place on baking tray lined with baking paper
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 175°C to 180°C for 10 mins till light brown
8. While baking, prepare the eggwash
9. Remove from the oven, rest for 10mins and brush the top with eggwash
10. Return to bake at 175°C to 180°C for 10 mins till golden brown
11. Leave mooncake to cool completely and store in air tight containers. 
12. Wait for 1 ~ 3 days for the mooncakes to 回油 (for the skin to soften) before serving.

Oven Temperature: 175°C to 180°C
Time to Bake: bake 10mins till light brown, rest 10mins then apply egg wash, then bake 10mins till golden brown

Recipe adapted from: Fatboo

Snowskin Mooncake

 <Photos will be uploaded soon!!>


Successful attempts of snowskin mooncake. It was easier then expected. We followed the receipe on Redman snow skin premix from Phoon Huat as follow:-

Snowskin Mooncake

Ingredients

• 1000g of snow skin premix
• 400 to 450g of water
• 200g of Shortening 
• 2g Pandan flavour
• few drops of colouring

(please alter the receipe accordingly - 500g is about 60 small square ones)
No Baking required!!
Method

1. Mix the premix flour with water
2. Add shortening, flavour and colour to the mixture
3. Rest for 15 to 50 minutes
4. Time to make mooncake and once done put in fridge

Small Square mould: 16g Skin and 32g Paste
Small Round Cartoon: 21g Skin and 42g Paste

*Add* 19.08.2019
Small circle mould: 10g Skin and 20g Paste
KCT Snowskin Premix: 600g
Paste: 2kg, ~ approx 100 pieces
Total cost: approx. $45

Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

We have a packet of black cookies that was going to be expired, and thus we went to look for the different recipes on the Internet that requires Oreo cookies and we finally used up the black cookies! (:

Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

Cupcake Batter (For 24 Cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
• 2¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup (330g) sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped  or quartered

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.  Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
4. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Scoop the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe frosting decoratively on top of the cupcakes.  Garnish with Oreo cookie halves.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of salted butter
• 4 cups of confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of crushed Oreo Cookies (~7 cookies)
• 3-5 tablespoons half and half

Method

1. Place the Oreo cookies in a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin (or water bottle, etc..).
2. Using a mixer, beat butter until it is fluffy.  Add 3 cups of sugar - one cup at a time - mixing until it's completely incorporated.  Add vanilla, half and half, and cookie bits along with the last cup of sugar and mix together, adding more half and half until the icing is the desired consistency.

Recipe adapted from: Cooking With Karen (for batter), Life is Sweets (for icing)

It was a success! The cupcake is not sweet while the icing is sweet, so they are able to complement each other! (: