Rum and Raisin Brownies

I was thinking its been a really long time I have not tried a chocolate recipe as I was using more of fruits and other stuff in my baking. I have tried a lot of recipes of which I have posted the pictures on my FB page but somehow couldn't post the recipe here on the blog. Something or the other just kept me away from writing the recipe and posting it on the blog lately. I promise all of these would get archived on the blog by end of next week. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The day has been very packed for me as I was in the kitchen all day baking some homemade granola muffins to participate in a healthy cooking competition at the Golds Gym being hosted. I was excited about my first ever participation in any cookery competition. I didn't win, but enjoyed just being a part of it.

Once I came back from the competition, Mr. SD was waiting for me to go to the Volkswagen showroom to test drive the new car he finalised for us. By the time we came back from home, it was already 7 in the evening and I was completely exhausted. And that's when Mr. SD tells me that we would be leaving in precisely an hour for his friend's birthday dinner and wondered if I can make "something" for the birthday boy.
I was awestruck!

I realised cake was not an option considering the amount of time I had. I thought of something boozy as it was going to be an all adults dinner and something chocolate as that is the choice of anybody for a birthday no matter what the age. Hence, I thought of Rum and Raisin Brownies as it takes no time to whip up everything and much less time to bake and once baked you are done. I was good to go...Exactly what I wanted at the occasion.

And for this, I completely involved Mr. SD to whip things up. (Yes, he is very supportive of me...Lucky me!!!) I started off by melting butter, chocolate and brown sugar in the microwave...less than a couple of minutes. While Mr. SD was breaking the eggs and whisking them up with some caster sugar I added the melted chocolate butter mixture while continuing to whisk the eggs. I then got the bottle of rum and measured it to half a cup while Mr. SD was staring at the quantity of rum I was adding to the mixture. I know, it was in excess, but that's exactly what was required to make these brownies decadent and full of flavour!

These brownies were packed with the flavours and all the main ingredients i.e. chocolate, rum and raisins mingled so well with each other giving it a great dark dense taste and a gooey fudgy texture. I made 24 brownies and took half of them over to the dinner of 7 and was surprised to see that everybody took 2 helpings of the brownies and all of it was over even before we finished the dinner.

Such a success!!! Yayyy!!!

Lets get you the recipe of these decadent brownies so that you can also make and savour some boozy goodness with your dear friends this upcoming festive season..:)

(Print this recipe)

Rum and Raisin Brownies

Preparation Time: 10 minutes   

Baking Time: 25 minutes


Makes: one pan of 9' X 13' or
24 brownies 

Adapted minimally from: www.mabletan.com



Here's what you would need to make Rum and Raisin Brownies:

300 gms dark chocolate, chopped

200 gms unsalted butter

110 gms/ ½ cup brown sugar

120 ml/ ½ cup rum (I used 40% alcohol content rum)

4 eggs

½ cup caster sugar

½ tsp salt (ignore the salt if using salted butter)

130 gms/ 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted

110 gms/ 1 cup raisins/ dried cranberries (I used a combination of both)

For frosting:

Cocoa powder to sprinkle on the brownies

Here's how you can make it:

Preheat your oven to 350 F /180 C. Line a 9X13 inch baking pan with some parchment paper hanging out on the sides so that you can pull out the brownies very easily once they are baked.

• In a bowl, add all purpose flour, salt and raisins or cranberries and whisk it to mix it all together. The reason we are adding raisins in the flour is to get raisins properly quoted in flour so that they don't sink in the bottom of the pan while baking.
• In a microwave or on a double boiler, add dark chocolate, butter and brown sugar and melt it until nice and smooth. Stir it continuously after every 20 seconds. 
• In another bowl, whisk all the eggs with caster sugar until eggs become pale in colour. Do not over mix the batter as we don't want a cakey brownies. Mix just until the ingredients are combined nicely.
• Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture while continuing to whisk the egg mixture.
• Add the rum to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. It will be a very runny mixture at this in time.
• Add the flour mixture and mix it well using a plastic spatula or a wooden spoon just until all the flour are combined in the wet ingredient and you don't see any flour in the mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool on the wire rack for 10 minutes before taking out from the pan.
• Once cooled enough, take the brownies out from the pan by lifting the parchment paper overhanging on the sides and transfer to the wire rack to cool.
• Cut the brownies and sprinkle them with some cocoa powder passed through a sieve. 

Note: we consumed these brownies when these were slightly warm and everybody loved it. You will like them even when cooled I bet.

Hope you would also enjoy making this recipe as much as I did.

If you like this recipe and if want to be updated with the new recipes updated on the blog, don't forget to subscribe on email or like me on FB or simply post a comment about the blog below.

Happy Baking!

Tres Leches Cake for Hubby's Birthday (#Daring Bakers September 2013 Challenge)

Pastel de Tres Leches – Three-Milk Cake is very popular in Central and South America. It is a super moist, light, airy and super delicious sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk (evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream). Tres Leches is a very light cake (especially if made without butter), with many air bubbles in its crumb. This distinct texture is why it does not have a soggy consistency, despite being soaked in a mixture of three types of milk.

This month's daring baker's challenge, hosted by Inma from La Galletika, Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy...just plain delish!

September is very special month for me as this month is my Husband's birthday. I was searching for something new to try for his birthday which he or I have never tasted before. Hence, when I saw this month's Daring Bakers Challenge, I sort of immediately made my mind on what to make for his birthday...a Tres Leches Cake!

I made this cake a day before my husband's birthday and the day was so busy as I baked another cake for a friend who was leaving the town and made some Nutella Cookies for her cute l'il nephew Ayan. All of it, in the middle of the week juggling myself between some office work and some baking at home. While this cake was baking in the oven, it gave me some solace as the house was smelling so fresh and so festive that I really forgot all the crazy stuff going around. This cake was enough to calm my senses down.

I poured the three milk syrup over the cake and left the cake in the refrigerator to let it soak the syrup and went to watch the movie; The Lunch Box, a movie with the moving performance by Irrfan Khan (Life of Pie fame). The movie was set in the city I live, Mumbai and depicts the life of people in Mumbai very minutely. When I was back home, it was midnight of September 26 and my husband's birthday. I checked on the cake kept in the refrigerator and saw that the cake had completely absorbed the milk syrup and then I whipped the cream and kept the cake ready for his birthday with some cherries on top.

I wasn't sure if I would get good reviews about the cake as it was a special day and I tried something I never made or tasted before, but my hubby was really impressed with the cake. Once again, thanks Inma for sharing the wonderful recipe with all of us!!!

(Print this recipe)

Tres Leches Cake

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 25 minutes for the cake

Soaking Time: 2 - 6 Hours (you can also leave the cake to soak over night)

Prepares one 9x9 inch cake

Serves - 12 people

(Source: Daring Bakers)

Here's what you would need to make the Tres Leches Cake

For Vanilla Sponge Cake

5 large eggs (separated)

1/2 cup (100 gms) granulated sugar)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup (130 gms) all purpose flour (sifted)

For three milk Syrup

1 can (400 gms) sweetened condensed milk

1 can (340 gms) evaporated milk (see below to substitute store bought evaporated milk)

1 cup half and half or milk (I mixed 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup cream)

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp rum

Topping and Filling

1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream with about 30% fat (I used Amul cream with 25% fat content) 

1/4 cup (75 gms) icing sugar

fresh/ canned fruits for decoration

Substitute for Evaporated Milk
1 cup milk powder
3/4 cup water
Add the two and stir it until well combined. Now, measure and use only the quantity specified in the recipe above.

Here's how you can make it:

Vanilla Sponge Cake

Preheat your oven to 180 degree C/350 degree F. Line a 9x9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

• Separate the egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are cold. Let it sit for 1 hour to come to room temperature before preparing for the cake.
• Beat the egg whites on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until soft peak comes.
• When soft peak forms, start adding sugar 1 tbsp at a time while continue to whisk.
• Whisk the egg whites till it forms stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Set it aside.
• In another bowl, beat egg yolks, at medium speed for about 5-6 minutes, until the egg yolks becomes pale in colour, creamy and puffy. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Add the egg yolks over egg whites and fold it gently using a rubber spatula until well combined. Try not to lose any volume from the mixture.
• Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold it very gently just until combined. DO NOT over mix the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin. DO NOT knock the cake tin when containing batter.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Once, the cake is baked, let it cool in the cake tin for 5 minutes and then transfer onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely before proceeding on to the next step.

• Once the cake is cooled, invert the cake to a dish having high edges, see the one shown in the picture above. Using a fork, poke all over the cake (on the sides too) to better absorb the milk syrup evenly across the cake.

Three Milk Syrup

• In a saucepan, add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, half and half and cinnamon stick and bring it to a boil. Once the milk mixture is boiled, reduce the heat and simmer it for 5 more minutes. Remove it and let it cool completely.
• Add rum on the cooled milk syrup and pour it all over the cake. Let the milk syrup drop over the sides of the dish. 
• Let the cake rest in the refrigerator over 2 to 6 hours (best if left overnight) and the cake will magically absorb all of the milk syrup from the sides. 

Assembly

• Once the cake absorbs all the milk syrup, you are good to serve it
• Whip the cream until soft peaks, add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time and whip it as best as you can. My cream did not whip to the stiff peaks as it contained lower fat %. For better results, you can whip the cream by placing the cream bowl over a bowl containing ice. 
• Layer the whipped cream on top of the cake and decorate it with fresh/ canned fruits of your choice.

Hope you would also enjoy making this recipe as much as I did.

If you like this recipe and if want to be updated with the new recipes updated on the blog, don't forget to subscribe on email or like me on FB or simply post a comment about the blog below.

Happy Baking!

Vanilla Cupcakes and How I got my First Commercial Order

Last week I got a message on my mobile that a female saw my FB page and wanted to contact me if I can make a birthday cake for her daughter who will turn 1 next month. I was intrigued... someone somewhere is noticing my work!!!

Being skeptical, thinking this could be a spam message, I finally dialed the number I got the message from. The other side was a mother from my locality planning her first kid's first birthday party and saw some photos from my FB page and wanted me to bake the first birthday cake for her cute little daughter. Her name was Meenakshi and she was planing to make fondant cake for her daughter Samara. She asked me if I can give some samples of different flavours for her to taste.

Until now, I have always made delights for my home or for my friends but never for unknown people in a professional way. And fondant cakes... that's really professional. I have made a  fondant cake once before but that was in a class and someone was there to correct me for any mistakes. I was soo nervous! But I kinda liked the challenge and wanted to see if I was good enough to be judged by some unknown person. Hence, I told her that I would send her some vanilla and chocolate cupcakes for her to decide the flavours for her daughters birthday cake.

Here it is, what I made for her taste samples, some vanilla and some chocolate cupcakes. For the recipe of Chocolate cupcakes, see the link here. 

I frosted these cupcakes with some strawberry butter-cream frosting. What would you think, would she liked the cupcake??? Sure she did! She simply loved it and wanted to me to make the birthday cake for her daughter. And that's how I got my first commercial order.... (Yayyy!!!)

I am sure you would also want to know how did I make these yummy looking cupcakes. Don't you? So, here is the recipe for you...

Do you have any such "first" stories to share with me??? What did you make for your kid's first birthday??? Don't forget to share it with me...

(Print this recipe)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Butter-cream Frosting

Here's what you would need to make Vanilla Cupcakes:

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Prepares - 12 cupcakes

For Vanilla Cupcakes

1 cup/ (200 gms) granulated sugar

1 stick/ (115 gms) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt (ignore if using salted butter)

1 1/3 cup (175 gms) all purpose flour

1/3 (80 ml) cup whole milk

Strawberry Butter-cream Frosting

1/2 cup/ (115 gms) butter (at room temperature)

2 cups/ (230 gms) confectioner's or icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp strawberry preserves/ jam

2 tbsp milk (optional)

Here's how you can make it:

Preheat your oven to 180 degree C/ 350 degree F. Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

• In a bowl, add all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and whisk it all together.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer or in another large bowl using your hand held mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. 
• Add in eggs, one at a time, beating continue at a medium speed until nice and combined.
• Add vanilla extract and beat it to incorporate in the batter
• Add all the dry ingredients and mix it just until all the dry ingredients are combined in the batter using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERMIX THE BATTER!
• Scoop out the batter in the pre-lined cupcake tin till 3/4 full. Do not fill the liner to the full as the batter will rise during baking.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of one of the cupcake comes out clean.
• Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the cupcake tin kept over cooling tray before taking them out from the tin. Let the cupcakes cool on the cooling tray for atleast 1 hour before frosting the cupcakes

Strawberry Butter-cream Frosting:

• In the bowl of your electric mixer or in a large bowl using your hand held mixer, cream butter until smooth.
• Add vanilla extract and whisk
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the icing sugar. Scrap down the sides of the bowl 
• Add strawberry preserves and beat on high speed for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy
• If the butter-cream is too thick, add more preserves or milk, if needed
• Pipe the frosting in a disposable piping bag using star tip nozzle and frost the cupcakes making swirls of frosting
• Decorate as desired.

Hope you would also enjoy making these cupcakes as much as I did and also liked its flavour just the way Meenakshi liked it!

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Butter-cream Frostng

Have you checked my recent post on Vanilla Cupcakes?? If yes, then you would know that this post is in continuation of that post as I sent two choices to Meenakshi for choosing the flavour for her daughter first birthday and how I got the first commercial order. Don't miss the full story here.

This was the second thing I made the same day! I made vanilla cupcakes first and while that batch was baking in the oven I whipped up another batch of these chocolate cupcakes. By the time these chocolates cupcakes baked, my entire house started to smell soo heavenly with the magic of how the buttery - sugary goodness turned into soft and moist cupcakes. I can spend all my days to live in this smell of freshly baked buttery goodness. This kinda gives me therapeutic treatment to my mind. 

Once i put my chocolate cupcakes in the oven, I got into making some chocolate decorations for the cupcakes by simply tempering the dark chocolate and putting it in the decorating molds and kept in the refrigerator to set.

The cupcakes were soo soft and moist and just melts in the mouth leaving behind the buttery crumbs that lingers in the mouth for a long time. These cupcakes are a MUST TRY for the chocolate lovers!

(Print this recipe)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Butter-cream Frostng

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Prepares - 16 cupcakes




Here's what you would need to make Chocolate Cupcakes:

For Chocolate Cupcakes

1-1/3 cup/ (175 gms) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup/ (115 gms) butter, at room temperature
1 cup/ (200 gms) caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup/ (50 gms) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup/ (240 ml) boiling hot water

For Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting

1/2 cup/ (115 gms) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups/ (230 gms) icing or confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk or heavy cream

Here's how you can make it:
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degree C/ 350 degree F. Line the cupcake tin with cupcake liners

• Add cocoa powder into boiling hot water and stir it until smooth. Keep it aside to cool.
• In a bowl, sift all purpose flour, baking soda and salt together and give it a good whisk to combine all the dry ingredients together
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, or in another bowl using hand held mixer, add butter and sugar and beat it until creamy and fluffy
• Add one egg at a time and beat until combined
• Add vanilla extract and beat to incorporate into the batter
• Add all the dry ingredients into the batter and mix it using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon just until combined.
• Add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir it in until smooth.
• Scoop out the batter into the cupcake tin filing 3/4 to the top. Do not fill the batter to the top as the batter will rise during baking and will develop cracks on the top surface if the batter is overfilled.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the top of the cupcakes feel spongy to the touch and a tooth pick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Once baked, let the cupcakes cool in the tin kept over a cooling rack for 10 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Let the cupcakes cool for about an hour on the cooling rack before frosting them.

Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting;

• While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Start with creaming butter using a hand held mixer until smooth.
• Sift together icing sugar and cocoa powder in the butter and beat on a low speed until sugar and cocoa powder are absorbed by the butter
• Scrap down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla beat it in.
• Turn the speed to medium and milk/ heavy cream and beat for 4-5 minutes. 
• Add more milk or sugar, if needed.
• Pour the buttercream into the disposable piping bag fitted with star tip nozzle and frost the cupcakes making swirl patterns
• Decorate as desired.

Hope you would enjoy making these cupcakes as much as I did!

Happy Baking!

Eggless Plum Cake

I know most of you would surprise to see this post at this time of the year as this cake is generally made during the Christmas time when the dry fruits have been marinated for days, weeks or even months to make the Plum Cake. 

My husband is a huge fan of plum cakes and he's been complaining ever since that I do a lot of baking and have never made things he likes the most like plum cakes, chocolate walnut fudge and fondant cakes. Although I did make a fondant cake which I have not yet updated on this blog. 
Here I am with freshly baked plum cake. 

Since we are just the two of us at home, I made a boozy version of this cake but booze is totally optional. The cake is very good on its own and does not need any frosting but still if you would like to frost this cake, reduce the amount of sugar from the recipe. The softened dry fruits makes this Eggless Plum cake very dense and moist. The good part, you don't necessarily have to marinate the fruits for days for this version of the cake.

Do I need to say that hubby just loved this cake?? :D He finished the entire loaf in just 2 days.

(Print this recipe)

Eggless Plum Cake 



Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 50 minutes 

Makes one 9X5 loaf 
(Source: www.cookingandme.com)

Here's what you would need to make this Eggless Plum Cake:

160 gms/ 2/3 cup of water 

105 gms/ 1/2 cup of brown sugar

110 gms/ 1 cup of mixed dry fruits (I mixed raisins, prunes, dates, dried cherries, tutti fruity)

2 tbsp brandy (optional)

1 tsp of baking soda 

1 tsp of vanilla extract 

115 gms/ 1/2 cup of butter 

295 gms/ 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour 

2 tsp of baking powder 

1 tsp of salt 

1 tsp of mixed spices like cinnamon, nutmeg etc 

2 tbsp of finely chopped cashew nuts/ pistachio nuts (I used cashew nuts) 

2.5 tbsp vegetable oil

Here's how you can make Eggless Plum Cake:

Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease and line a 9"x5" load pan or 8" round cake pan, whatever you prefer. 

• Bring the water to boil in a pan and add the dry fruits (leave out the tutti fruity if using them), brandy and the sugar. Simmer for about 7-10 mins until the dates have softened but not mushy. 
• Turn off the flame, remove the pan and set aside for 5 mins to cool slightly. 
• Add the butter, vanilla (or zest) and baking soda. The mixture will foam a bit. Set aside to cool. 
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the spice powders and mix well to combine. 
• Add the cashew nuts and tutti fruity (if using) to the dry mixture. You can also add some chopped preserved cherries at this stage. 
• Add the cooled fruit mixture to the flour mixture and add the vegetable oil. 
• Gently fold until the batter has no flour streaks left in in it. 
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 50 mins. If the top seems to be cooking too quickly, loosely cover the pan with aluminium foil.

Hope you would also enjoy making this recipe as much as I did.

If you like this recipe and if want to be updated with the new recipes updated on the blog, don't forget to subscribe on email or like me on FB or simply post a comment about the blog below.

Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been spending a lot of time at my office lately as there are some projects which needs completion asap. I know...too boring! Also, Mumbai has witnessed some heavy rains lately making the weather so beautiful and also making it even more difficult to concentrate on work. My time away from my oven coupled by the weather is making me so uncomfortable to work at office flipping through the various excel spreadsheets, reviewing the work of my staff. 

Gosh!!! I need some comfort. 

I need some cookies at my office so that I can collect my brains to concentrate on the work I have been trying to finish while sipping the hot cuppa tea and looking at the clouds pouring down heavily and heavenly. 

Talking of comfort, nothing has given me more comfort in my life than having Peanut Butter on toast for breakfast and rush for office for over 6 years now. That's the way I go whenever I am running late and there is always a jar of Peanut Butter sitting on my kitchen counter to save me from hunger. 

This is the first time that I have used PB in my baking and I am completely smeared by it. I loved the PB in cookies as much as I like it on my toast. Not only me, everybody in the house enjoyed these cookies so much as the jar of cookies was over the next day it was made and I had to bake the second batch of cookies the next day, the dough for which I had kept in the freezer. Yeah, these cookies are perfect for freezing and you can enjoy freshly baked cookies any time you want. 

Lets not wait more and have a look at the recipe I used.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 45 cookies approx.

Here's what you would need to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:-

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup/ 170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup/ 105 grams light brown sugar
1/2 cup/ 100 grams caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup/ 185 grams peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) (I used Smooth)
2 cups/ 260 grams all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you using salted butter)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Here's how you can make it:

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

• In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). 
• Beat in the peanut butter. 
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. 
• Add flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. 
• Fold in the chocolate chips. (If the batter is too soft to form into balls, place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until firm.)
• Roll the batter into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern.
• Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. 
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before transferring to an air-tight cookie jar. 

How to freeze the cookies to bake later

• Place the ready to bake cookies on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet into the freezer to for 20 minutes to chill the cookies.
• Once chilled, transfer the cookies into a ziplog bag and write the date of freezing on the bag.
• When you want to bake the cookies, take out from the zip log bag. Let it come to room temperature and bake as described above.

Hope you would also enjoy baking these cookies as much as I did.

Happy Baking!

Coconut Macaroons (#Eggless)

Have you ever got into a situation where you were flipping through a recipe book and your eyes struck on a recipe which is perfect for the season, involves the use of bare minimum ingredients you already have in your pantry and is super quick. What would you do? 

Would you still flag a post-it on the recipe to fall under "to-make" list or would you go to the kitchen and start preparing for the recipe? What did you say? You want to start preparing for the recipe...Yeah, that's what I did! And see in less than half an hour I have my first batch of these coconut macaroons out of the oven. Its Yummmm.... still warm from the oven, crisp on the outside and perfectly chewy on the inside and the coco-nutty smell. Ahhh! Nothing can beat this.

All this needs is just 4 ingredients. Yeah, you heard me correct, just 4. The good part is no butter... I don't even feel guilty after having 4 cookies by the time I write this part of my post and the second batch is still in the oven.

Hey, where are you planning to go? What...you also heading to the kitchen to make these cookies. Atleast wait to see all the ingredients.

Here's what you would need to make these Eggless Coconut Macaroons:-

Makes: 24 cookies

1/3 cup/ 40 gms all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups/ 225 gms unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup/ 170 ml sweet condensed milk

Here's how you could make it:

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them with butter.

• In a bowl, sift all purpose flour and salt and whisk it.
• Add shredded coconut and whisk them until it gets mixed properly into flour and salt.
• Add condensed milk and whisk it until it becomes a thick paste. That's it, we're done!
• Using 2 tablespoons, drop the cookies into baking sheet keeping a gap of 2 inches between each cookie.
• Bake for about 15-18 minutes until the cookies turn golden from the sides.
• Let it cook completely on the baking sheet placed on a wire rack. 

Variation:-

Temper the chocolate. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies making zig zag pattern or simply dip the cookies in chocolate and place them on the parchment paper to cool.Enjoy the chocolate coconut macaroons.

Hope you would also enjoy making these cookies as much as I did!

Happy Baking.