Oatmeal cookies

I hardly ever prepare much, especially bake cookies, for CNY. However, when the oatmeal raisin cookies I ordered arrived, it was not quite what I had in mind.. And that's how triggered the great oatmeal cookie chase ^^||

Oatmeal raisin cookies (recipe adapted from david lebovitz)
227g unsalted butter
185g brown sugar
65g caster sugar
2 eggs
245g all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking soda, sifted
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder, sifted
1/2 tsp sea salt
175 g rolled oats
250g raisins
* for oatmeal choc chip nut cookies: replace raisins with 200g choc chips and 100g toasted chopped walnuts

1. Beat butter and sugars till light and fluffy.

2. Add in eggs and mix till well combined.

3. Fold in flour, baking soda, cinnamon powder and sea salt. Lastly mix in the rolled oats and raisins (or choc chips and nuts).

4. Roll cookie dough into balls, or drop it freestyle into a lined baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven of 175C for 20-22 minutes, or till golden brown, and depending on how chewy or crunchy you want your cookies to be. If you want chewy cookies, do not overbake. I baked for about 22 minutes. as I wanted mine crunchy ^^

Now these cookies are exactly what I imagined oatmeal cookies to be ^^ Perfect!

Millionaire's shortbread

What could possibly go wrong when there's chocolate, caramel and sweet crust? ^^

You never know......

Millionaire's shortbread (recipe from deliciousmagazine)
~ use a 20x30cm / 9x13inch baking tray
175 g unsalted butter
75g caster sugar (50g is good enough for me)
250g plain flour

Caramel
100g unsalted butter
50g muscovado sugar (used raw sugar instead)
50g golden syrup
2x397g condensed milk

200g bittersweet chocolate
50-80ml heavy/whipping cream, own preference 

* Get the instructions at deliciousmagazine.

So, what went wrong...

1. I did not check out other recipes, and just followed this recipe on blind faith because it looks so easy and doable. Mistake.

2. I had decided to just make half the caramel recipe. Wise decision. 'Cos I later messed up the caramel.. twice! Note: KEEP STIRRING THE CARAMEL AT ALL TIMES!!! This is not mentioned in the original instructions. Lucky for me, I had some leftover caramel from a previous bake, so I used that. I recommend using your own favorite caramel recipe, lest you waste 2 good cans of condensed milk like I did ^^||

3. Melting the chocolate.. The minute I put the chocolate over the pot of simmering water. I realize it was not going to work. How do you spread such a thick paste? So I recommend adding some heavy/whipping cream for a more spreadable ganache. It's also a whole lot yummier when the chocolate is a bit ooey-gooey (even after it's set from chilling).

4. BTW, don't be a duh like me. "Leave to set" means chilling in the fridge, unless you live in the artic.

Ok, the shortbread did make it to the Sultan, in time for supper last night. And it's delicious, even with all the modifications! Phew! ^^

Ya, ya, how could one not love chocolate, caramel and sweet crust? Well, when you mess up big time, there is that moment when you don't!

p.s. Here's a shout out to you, mel (@melspantrykitchen)! Thank you! Spot one of your "thoughtfulness" in this post ^^

Perfectly cracked gingernut cookies

perfectly cracked cookies! ^^ ^^ ^^

Woo-hoo, I'm back!

Not that I went anywhere ^^ just that my wifi went bonkers, and it's so inconvenient to post anything. Of course, the I'm-so-lazy bit comes into play too, haha.

I'm not a cookie person. But if there's one cookie/biscuit that gets me, it'd probably be gingernut cookies. And I don't even like ginger! Once in a blue, blue moon, I'd suddenly have this crazy urge to have some gingernut cookies. I'd buy a pack, take a bite and meh, that's it. I'd not want anymore. It's really weird.. and I really can't explain the craving. I really don't like it all that much!

So when that blue moon came, there was no way I was going to waste money on a pack of biscuits that I was only going to have a bite. So I googled, and found a most wonderful, wonderful recipe! ^^

Gingernut cookies (recipe from poiresauchocolat)
~ makes 16 cookies
105g flour
1 scant tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp baking soda
1.5 tsps ground ginger
40g brown sugar
50g unsalted butter, cold, diced
1 tbsp + 2 tsp golden syrup

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Sift flours and ground ginger together. Add in the brown sugar till combined.

3. Mix the diced butter into the dry ingredients till it resembles breadcrumbs.

4. Fold the golden syrup into the mixture, by using a knife. And form the mixture into a dough with your hands.

5. Divide the dough into 16 balls and squish them to flatten them a little, and place them on a lined baking tray.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or till cookies turn golden brown and cracked.

I really enjoyed these gingernut cookies shared by poiresauchocolat, so do check out her link! Well, I've already made them twice, and even doubled the recipe, so you can tell how much I love them. They are so crisp and crunchy, gingery good! And they taste exactly like in my blue moon cravings! And a hundred times better than the store-bought "branded" cookies. Absolutely perfect over a cup of coffee, tea or dipped in milk! ^^

And I'm finally cured from the one-bite love-hate relationship with gingernut cookies! ^^

Kumquat jam ~ nastar rolls and tarts ^^

Kumquats are in season again ^^. And buoyed by kumquat lady, mel's enthusiasm, I couldn't resist and bought 2 tubs of kumquats late December. But before I knew it, they were getting over-ripe and I had to do something about it. That's how this open-faced jam tart (using shortcrust pastry + salted butter) came about.. ^^||

Of course, I also took the opportunity to perfect the kumquat jam in anticipation of a possible attempt at kumquat nastar rolls. And discovered that the jam is somewhat more balanced and yummier with the addition of cinnamon! Trust me on this ^^

Kumquat jam (adapted from melspantrykitchen)
Kumquats, halved and deseeded
Water
Sugar
Cinnamon powder, to taste

1. Weigh kumquats. Then weigh the same amount for water and half the amount for sugar. ie. kumquats:water:sugar ~ 200g:200g:100g

2. Boil kumquat halves, water and sugar till kumquats turn soft and glossy.

3. Remove and puree kumquat, drained of syrup.

4. Cook kumquat puree with a few pinches of cinnamon powder till nice and dry, or till jam doesn't stick to the sides of the pan.

5. Refrigerate overnight before use.

Well, that practise and mel's advice sure helped in getting the right texture and taste in my 2nd attempt in perfecting kumquat jam for making kumquat nastar rolls. I could actually roll it  into rounds just like with pineapple jam.

Here's my maiden attempt at kumquat nastar rolls ~ not so nicely shaped, but the taste.. delish! And the kumquat jam/filling stayed nicely intact ^^ I'm sorry but I'm too lazy to re-write the wonderful kumquat nastar rolls recipe shared by mel@melspantrykitchen.. so hop over to mel's. ^^

And this is what you make with leftover jam ~ kumquat jam tart.. again, haha! ^^ Just use your favorite shortcrust pastry, and use salted butter for best match with kumquat jam! Because I love lots of buttery, flaky crust, I made a closed jam tart this time ~ just the way I like it! ^^

Btw, I'm serving those oddly-shaped nastar rolls for cny.. fingers crossed no one would notice how "uniquely" shaped it is! ^^

Delicate coconut crisps

I'm starting early.. clearing the fridge, that is. ^^

I never prepare much for CNY.. but clearing the fridge is a must. Why, to fill up with more goodies, of course, haha! ^^

And that's how some egg whites ended up as coconut crisps ^^

Coconut crisps (recipe from alan ooi "new year cookies")
~ makes about 100 pcs (or more ^^)
100g unsalted butter
120g icing sugar (reduced ~ 100g ^^)
100g egg whites
100g plain flour
20g coconut cream powder
20g dessicated coconut
extra 20g dessicated coconut, for decoration

1. Combine butter and icing sugar together, and beat till light and fluffy.

2. Add egg whites and mix till combined (don't worry if it looks curdled). 

3. Fold in flour, coconut cream powder and dessicated coconut into batter.

4. Place mixture into a piping bag and pipe small rounds onto lined baking tray/s. Use the back of a spoon to flatten the rounds by spreading them into thin cookies. Sprinkle generously with dessicated coconut.

5. Bake in a preheated oven of 170C for 10 minutes. Cool and store immediately in airtight container/s.

This is a pretty easy recipe, but it does require a little more effort than the usual cookies.

Lest you think 100 pcs is a lot, it's not! That's because they are so addictive! These delicate crisps are so yums! ^^

And as pretty as the sesame seeds look on the crisps, the original recipe with just dessicated coconut sprinkling tastes best! The sesame seeds kind of overpower the delicate fragrance and flavor of the coconut crisps. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the original yummy coconut crisps.. ^^||

Well, so much for my "pretty" idea.. just stick to the original recipe, ok. ^^

Updated: I did have a pix of the original coconut crisps after all ^^

Almond cookies for CNY ^^

After much drumming of how delicious these cookies are by mel, coupled by the fact I had some almond meal to get rid of.. I finally made my first batch of CNY cookies!

Just so you know, I don't "do" cookies, especially CNY cookies! So this is kind of a "first".. plus I'm early too! ^^

Almond cookies (inspired by mel@melspantrykitchen, recipe by alan ooi "new year cookies")
~ makes about 80 pieces (or more ^^)
120g almond meal
180g plain flour
120g sugar (reduced ~ 100g ^^)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
120ml neutral tasting cooking oil
1 egg yolk, beaten (for glazing)

1. Combine all the dry ingredients and oil together and mix to form a dough.

2. Divide and weigh 7g of dough, and form rounds/balls. Arrange on lined baking tray/s and brush/glaze with beaten egg yolk.

3. Bake in preheated oven of 180C for 15-20 minutes till crust turns golden brown. Cool before storing.

Yup, it's that easy! It's basically a one-bowl mix all! I like ^^

And the taste ~ DELICIOUS! Perfectly crunchy yet melt in the mouth soft! ^^ I can now understand why these cookies are your favorite, mel! ^^

Believe me, these are good! And that's coming from a not-so-big-on-cookies-person like me! Even the last person I expect to like these cookies, baby pig, loves it! I just brought a few pieces for piggies to sample, and they popped them all in a blink! And they, especially baby, were looking for more! ^^

Look no further for the best almond cookies recipe ever! ^^

Cranberry n pistachio biscotti ^^

" No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth ~ Robert Southey "

Cranberry and pistachio biscotti (adapted from susan russo@npr.org)
~ makes about 22pcs (or 2 containers for 2 good friends ^^)
2 scant tsps baking powder
2 cups flour
3/4 scant cup sugar
1 cup pistachio, toasted
1 cup dried cranberries
3 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange

* extra beaten egg, for brushing

1. Sift baking powder and flour together. Mix in sugar, toasted pistachio and dried cranberries.

2. In another bowl, whisk eggs till well mixed. Add vanilla and orange zest, and mix till blended.

3. Add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold till well combined. 

4. Place batter on a lined baking tray. TIP: use a spoon to scoop batter onto tray and shape it like a log. Doesn't matter how long it is (or how many logs you make), just remember that it should be just 2 inches WIDE and 3/4-1 inch high! And remember to space the logs out as the batter will spread! Brush the logs all over with lightly beaten eggs.

5. Bake in a preheated oven of 170C for 35 - 40 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and cool for about 20 minutes before slicing into 3/4-inch thick slices, with a serrated kinfe.

7. Place slices back on baking tray and bake for 12 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake for 8 minutes. Remove to cool.

** Biscotti tastes best after 2 days ~ it's true! ^^

It's wonderful to meet good friends again ^^. So what if we've been separated for a decade (and more! ^^).. chums will always be chums! 

Happiness is.. knowing nothing has changed.. ok, maybe the odd wrinkle or 2, haha! I missed you, friend! ^^

Very danish butter cookies ^^

This bake is very much for fatty hubby, a butter cookie lover.. And of course, I fell for the "throw everything in and mix" by travellingfoodies, hook, line and sinker!

When I bake, I never think too much, especially if it's a straightforward recipe (I'm more than happy it's simple ^^!). But if you like, there's an in-depth post by travellingfoodies to perfecting these butter cookies. I recommend that you not think too much. Just follow the simple instructions and enjoy the bake ^^!

Klassiske vaniljekranse, danish butter cookies (posted by dreamer'sloft, original from travellingfoodies)
1 egg (60g)
200g butter
130g icing sugar

320g flour

2 tbsp vanilla paste (I used 2 tsp vanilla extract.. no prob ^^)

1. Place everything in a mixing bowl and mix on the lowest speed possible.

2. Pipe wreaths onto lined/greased baking tray. Use an open star tip ie. Wilton 1M.

3. Bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 7-8 minutes.

4. Leave to cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet/tray.

Really, that's it. All butter cookies recipes are really this simple and straightforward! ^^ 

I used my precious Lurpak unsalted butter and my 11 months old homemade vanilla extract for this bake. And piped wreaths for the first time in my life ^^! It's a wonder I got any right! ^^

Well, fatty hubby and piggies sure enjoyed these cookies fresh from the oven ^^. I didn't.. well, not at first bite. I thought they were rather plain and not quite buttery enough ^^||. HOWEVER, these cookies were ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL once perfectly cooled/rested/next day ^^!!!

They taste just like kjeldsens butter cookies! Full butter flavor and aroma! ^^ I must remember patience is a virtue when it comes to most bakes! Ooh, yums! ^^

Parmesan, cheddar and caramelized shallot crackers

When I saw Parmesan and Caramelized Shallot Crackers at authenticsuburbangourmet, I knew I had to give them a go! It has big pig's name all over it! ^^

So I decided this was going to be his valentine, baked in advance.. I can come up with all sorts of excuses just to bake.. and feed my piggies ^^.

And these crackers really taste as divine as they sound! They smell incredible too! Think quiche in the oven! It's an amazing treat ^^!

They taste and smell so good and robust that you'll think there's ham (yes, you read right.. ham! ^^) in the crackers. ^^ There's none!

Parmesan, cheddar and caramelized shallot crackers (recipe found on authenticsuburbangourmet and lemonsandanchovies)

2 shallots / medium red onions, sliced thin

Olive oil

8 tbsp / 115g butter, room temperature
4.5 oz parmesan cheese, grated (I used 2.5 oz parmesan + 2 oz cheddar ^^)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup flour
1-2 tsp water

1. Saute shallots in olive oil (medium heat) for about 10 minutes, or till shallots are soft, caramelized and golden brown.

2. Add butter, cheese/s, flour and salt in a processor or mixer, and pulse/mix till combined. Add water till the dough comes together. Roll dough into a log with a diameter of 2 inches. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3. Slice log into 3/8 inch or 1 cm rounds. Bake in a preheated oven of 350F/175C for 18-22 minutes or till lightly browned.

These are so easy and delicious, you just have to try them yourselves ^^. Big and baby just couldn't stop munching on them! Big loves these and thinks they'll be great for the next get-together ^^. Baby though, says gougeres are still his preferred savory snack ^^.

They were more excited about these crackers than my 8 1/2-hour pineapple tarts! ^^||

Ong (-lai) aka lucky.. or not??!!!.. pineapple tarts

Why did I ever think making pineapple tarts, the enclosed version, is do-able???

Because it looks and sounds easy.. as in all you have to do is roll, wrap and shape them into rounds/balls?? So simple, right?

That's what I thought.. and boy! was I WRONG!

I've never attempted nor seen anyone make pineapple tarts in my life. In my mind, they're a lot of work and difficult to make. However, when I saw the enclosed version in nasilemaklover's blog, I thought how easy she makes it look.. no fancy shaping required, just shape into rounds/balls! How difficult is that? My interest was piqued. And when dearest mel of melspantrykitchen made this recipe right after, I was convinced I should make it one day.. when I find ready-cut pineapples.

So guess what I found at the mall last night? Tubs of ready-cut crystal pineapples! Whoa! Must be my lucky day!.. Or not?!!

Now why didn't anyone warn about how difficult the enclosed version is???!!! Wait, mel, did say it's easier to make nastar rolls.. but I didn't realize/understand what she meant ^^|| I've never used a nastar mould (don't own one either!) nor have I ever done any "enclosed-version" of anything! So I couldn't tell ^^||.

Of course, I totally get what you mean now, mel! after spending 8.5 hours making these pineapple tarts!!! I was working on it from 12.00am to 8.30am!!! That's 1.5 hours of making the filling and 7 hours of trying to shape those balls!

Ok, my point is, this pineapple tart (enclosed version) recipe is NOT for novices!!! And I'm an ignorant novice ^^||!

Well, now that I've shared my thoughts on the difficulty of this bake ^^, I must tell you that this recipe makes a most AWESOMEly beautiful melt-in-the-mouth buttery (real butter ^^!) crust and a most-perfect filling.. every bit worthy of the word "BEST" ^^ I LOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!

There have been times (I hope to keep this rare ^^) where I unwittingly trap myself into doing a bake that looks and sounds easy, but it's actually not. This recipe, however, takes the cake for that. It's the longest and most difficult yet.. I only finally got the hang of folding/wrapping the dough over the filling after the 66th tart! But it could be just me ^^.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, sonia@nasilemaklover.. and thanks, for the advice, mel.. ^^

Oh, guess what I found at the mall too? A cotton cheongsam that fits! yay! ^^.. makes me look kind of slim when I'm actually not so.. haha! Guess it's true what they say about the cheongsam/qipao ~ it has a slimming effect with the right cut! Happy Chinese New Year! ^^

p.s. i like baking at night.. but didn't expect this would be an all-nighter! ^^

Buttery galette bretonne

* I had posted this earlier, but took it off for a few days as I felt that my timing was off ^^||.. considering the sadness that prevailed over the weekend.. but here it is again.. 

The first galette au beurre I ever had many, many years ago, left such an deep, incredible impression, that all I had after, never measured up.

I've given up hope of ever finding that particular perfect cookie again. I do wonder sometimes if I had imagined it all? ^^|| 

When I came across this interesting recipe for galette bretonne, I knew I had to give it a shot with my precious lescure butter ^^.. it's the next best thing to butter from brittany ^^! And let's just pretend this is galette bretonne instead of just plain ol' galette au beurre ^^!

Galette bretonne (recipe found at yummyindulgences or check out yuehandicrafts)

100g butter (if I make this again.. I'd use salted butter ^^)

1g (??) salt *

60g sugar

1 egg yolk

10g rum
100g flour (cake flour is preferred)
40g almond flour
1g (??) baking powder
1 egg yolk, for glazing

1. Cream butter, sugar and salt till light and fluffy.

2. Add egg yolk, followed by rum and mix well.

3. Mix in flour, almond meal/powder and baking powder into batter till well combined.

4. Wrap in cling wrap and rest in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Roll out dough on floured surface and dust cookie cutter with some flour. Roll out dough 5 mm thick, and use a 58 mm cookie cutter. I forgot to dust with flour and couldn't handle the extremely soft dough, so I just dump pieces of dough onto the baking sheet and pressed to flatten them down ^^||

6. Glaze cookies with egg yolk, and score them as you like. Bake at 170C for 25 minutes. 

* my weighing scale couldn't do 1g ^^|| of anything.. so I may have under-dosed on salt.. I vaguely remember a slightly salty-ier (first and perfect) galette au beurre ^^
  

I really find it fascinating that there's rum and almond meal in this cookie recipe. Wonder if this could be a modern interpretation of the galette bretonne? Whatever it is, the results are pretty good! Buttery, crumbly good! with the slightest hint of almond meal, but nothing of the rum (?!) ^^ 

While the cookies were baking in the oven, the smells were so heavenly, that fatty hubby actually stopped to say so and kept asking when he could have one! He really loves buttery cookies! And I love lescure butter ^^

Well, I'm truly sorry that I didn't do a good job at making this galette bretonne look the way it should ~ uniform, elegant and attractive.. I couldn't quite handle the very very soft dough (I forgot to dust with flour ^^||).

Though not quite the galette au beurre big pig and I remembered, and looks aside (me no good and impatient ^^||).. this is a good galette ^^ not the best, but good nevertheless. (^^)

New York Times best chocolate chip cookies

It's not easy being patient.. ^^

And I'm still not sure resting cookie doughs does anything.. ^^|| But after a 48-hour wait, we finally tasted new york times best chocolate chip cookies! (^^)

Noticed the back-to-back chocolate chip cookie bakes? It's deliberate ^^.. I'm on a quest to compare our favorite and a "best" chocolate chip cookie recipe. There's even a "kinda" mention of the "best" recipe by david lebovitz in his book, ready for dessert, and lynna ~ heartsinmyoven made this not too long ago too ^^!

New York Times best chocolate chip cookies (nytimes.com and heartsinmyoven)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 oz/240g) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 oz/210g) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups/285g) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar (I used 220g ^^)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar (I used 200g ^^)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds/560g bittersweet chocolate disks, at least 60% cacao (I used my usual choc chips ^^)  
some sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, till well incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix til just combined. Fold in chocolate pieces. Divide dough into 3-4 batches, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours. 

3. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick baking mat.

4. Scoop 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes, or slightly longer, if you like them crisp ^^. 

These cookies actually turned out thicker and didn't spread as much compared to david's cookies. They are almost as light/fluffy/aerated as david's cookies (which are quite like famous axxs cookies in texture, cooled/the next day, if you baked them crisp ^^). But fresh out of the oven, these cookies tastes kind of "cakey-cookie", as baby pig puts it ~ and he can be so spot-on sometimes ^^!

So are they good? Yes, they're very good ^^!

Would I make this again? Most unlikely.. ^^||

Why? Bread flour+cake flour vs just all purpose flour.. no brainer, right? ^^

David's chocolate chip cookies' still our FAVORITE!!! (^^)

p.s. 1 "best" recipe down ^^.. 1 "perfect" recipe to go ^^
p.p.s. a rainy and gloomy afternoon.. pics looks just as sad ^^||.. luckily, cookies taste nothing like the weather ^^

David Lebovitz chocolate chip cookies.. again ^^

I've been a very good girl this year and not bought magazines (one kunang2 doesn't count, ok ^^), cook books and baking books in a long while ^^. But I couldn't resist David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert (soft cover), released just last month ^^

I love david's blog ^^. I love the way he writes ~ he's engaging, witty and (quite often) hilarious.. I love his take on life, food and travel, as well as the recipes he shares.. but most of all, I'm envious of his wonderful food adventures of the sweet life in paris! (^^)

Ready for Dessert is a wonderful read. I've read through it like twice now.. ^^. Hopefully I'd be able to try out some of the recipes, especially the chocolate ones, real soon. It's really not easy to get good quality chocolates where I live. And when I do, it's so pricey that I think why bother??

So I'm really, really, really sorry, david.. for using chocolate chips instead of chopped good quality bittersweet/semisweet chocolates ^^|| Forgive me? ^^

David Lebovitz's chocolate chip cookies (this time from his book, ready for dessert)

150g granulated sugar
215g brown sugar (I used 200g)
225g unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used 2 tsp)
350g all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

340g/3 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped coarsely (a million sorries, david ^^)

225g/2 cups nuts, toasted and chopped (I didn't ^^ just used a handful of raisins)

1. Beat sugars and butter till light and fluffy. Mix in egg one at a time at slow speed till well incorporated. Fold in vanilla extract till combined.

2. Mix in sifted flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts/dried fruits if using. I added my handful of raisin to only half the choc chip dough.

4. Divide the dough into quarters, and shape them into 9-inch logs. Cling wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably 24 hours.

5. Preheat oven to 175C.

6. Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Place on baking tins, well spaced apart.

7. Bake for 10 minutes, for soft, chewy cookies. And a little longer if you like them crisp (^^)

In our past bakes of his recipe based on smitten kitchen's post, I've never bothered to ever refrigerate the dough. The cookies still turned out AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS ^^! But since david picked up an article that says that the cookie dough may improve with resting before baking, and he ALWAYS has cookie dough in the fridge anyways, I thought I'll give resting a shot ^^. 

Patience has never been my virtue.. just so you know ^^||. So these cookies are the result of a long two-day wait.. I mean rest ^^. Verdict? We can't tell the difference!!! ^^||

So to rest or not? That, is up to you ^^! David's chocolate chip cookies still RULES in our household! (^^) 

Our favorite choc chip cookies from David Lebovitz

Had a fun bake with baby pig last week.

And this is our version of David Lebovitz's crispy chewy chocolate chip cookie.. yum-yum! Check out recipe in previous post or smitten kitchen's post.

someone's been stealing my cookies

Now that I have the pictures of our previous bake, I can see that the cookies are darker than the pale ones baked yesterday. I wonder if it could be due to the butter, or because of the baking time? I don't remember baking that much longer last week. But I did use Anchor unsalted in last week's bake, and Ballantyne unsalted yesterday.. hmm... Would that make a differrence?

hello, my precious.. to eat, or not to eat...?

Doesn't matter, I guess. They were both awfully good! And I had a great time baking with my little helper, baby pig (^^)

cookie monster at-large

That's Baby "helping".. to eat the cookies (^^)

David Lebovitz's crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies

Everyone in the family loves chocolate chip cookies.

More specifically, famous amos chocolate chip cookies! In fact, all our (piggies and me) cookie bakes have been geared towards getting the same flavor, taste, texture and smell of the great famous amos cookie. We are still no closer to the chase (> <)..

But I must say David Lebovitz's choc chip cookies are absolutely delish! This is a very american version of choc chip cookies - the crispy, chewy kind. And piggies really like it. So do I. I've never had choc chip cookie cravings before.. I'm not that big on cookies. But I actually wanted some yesterday!

David Lebovitz's crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies (adapted from smitten kitchen)

100g caster sugar
120g brown sugar (I used 100g)
115g unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
200g chocolate chips
100g of nuts or raisins or dried fruit (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celcius.  (I baked mine at 165 degrees)

2. Beat sugars and butter till light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract till combined.

3. Fold in flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Mix in chocolate chips, nuts/dried fruits if using.

5. Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. (I baked for 22 minutes)


Baby and I tried this recipe last week but I didn't get the chance to post the photos as the camera had to take a trip to Germany. But since I baked another delicious batch today, I just had to share how yummy this recipe is.. without the photos taken earlier.

The cookies are really not big on looks. They are kinda pale due to the short baking time. But the taste is really, really good - crisp on the outside, chewy soft inside. It's a change from the usual all-crisp cookie that I bake. But like all american cookies, they are excruciatingly sweet! I don't recommend halving the sugar, maybe just a little, if you really must. Because if there's anything we learnt from our many "famous amos" cookie experiments, is NOT to reduce the sugar too much and use ONLY white sugar if you want crisp cookies! This recipe is a KEEPER! (^^)

Crispy, chewy soft yummy-licious good!