Almond flour blondies

Blondies are like the cousins of brownies. Though without the cocoa or chocolate used in brownie batters. blondies are every bit as rich and delicious as their chocolatey counterpart.

These unintentionally gluten-free blondies turned out to be one of my favourite blondies-brownies recipe! I usually like my brownies fudgy-chewy, and these almond flour blondies fulfil the requirements of being dense, moist and chewy. Almond flour has been used frequently in baking as a gluten-free flour substitute. With its reputation of being high in protein, low in carbohydrates and sugars, almond flour has been a popular alternative to wheat flour.

As mentioned, there is no special reason why these blondies are gluten-free or grain-free; it just happened that I have almond flour sitting in the baking pantry. And I guess it wouldn't hurt to have seemingly healthier treats! :p 

The almond flour made the blondies more dense and grainier than it would be if I had used plain flour. If you are using plain flour in this recipe, just substitute almond flour 1:1 with plain flour. For a little extra crunch, walnuts or pecans can be added.

Slice the brownies into bars/squares to serve, or into bite-sizes as I prefer. Or if it's just for your consumption, go ahead and eat it out of the dish!

What?

• 50 g butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips ( I used a mix of dark, milk and white)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired (e.g. walnuts, pecans)

How?

1. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix until light and fluffy.
2. Add in the almond flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
4. Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and smooth it out. 
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 20-25 minutes until golden. Leave it to cool (or not!) before serving!

Adapted from: Meaningful eats

Lemon macarons

I'm not particularly good at facing up to the hard times. But I know I have to quickly come to terms with failure to overcome it.

In my down moments, I am heartened to have people who continued to believe in me and assured me that it will all be okay. And I'm okay. :)

"When life knocks you over, roll over and look at the stars."

Since I've been thrown some lemons, here are some sweet and tart lemon macarons for dessert.

What?
Lemon macaron shells

• 100 g almond flour
• 100 g icing sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Yellow gel colouring (optional)

Lemon buttercream

• 30 g butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How?
Lemon macaron shells

1. Sift the almond flour and icing sugar together and set aside.
2. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high. Gradually add in the sugar and beat until stiff peaks start to form. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat for another minute. 
3. Pour the almond flour mixture into the beaten egg whites. Fold the mixture gently until incorporated. If desired, add yellow gel colouring at this point. Continue folding until batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon. Be careful not to over mix it as the batter will get thinner as you fold.
4. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe out 1-1.5 inch rounds about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tap the baking sheets on the counter top a few times.
5. Let the macarons sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch.
6. Bake the macarons in a preheated oven at 150 degC for 15-20 minutes. The macaroons should have risen slightly to form "feet".
7. Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon buttercream

1. Beat the butter. Add icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
2. Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons - or just spread it onto the shells and pop it into your mouth!

Coconut macaroons

Sometimes I find it difficult to "get the engine started" again after a hiatus of several months. My inactivity in the kitchen has rendered me a little helpless when I had to prepare my own meals again. I found myself lacking when I had to make dinners - this stems from being home long enough to get used to having Mom do all the cooking. As much as I love cooking, I miss that so much!

To address the issue with my cold start, I decided to make something real simple this weekend. As a treat, I made macaroons - with the double O! In contrast with the touchy and high-maintenance French macarons, these double-Os were much easier to make and handle.

In spite of having contrasting temperaments and looking obviously very different from each other, the two cookies are made with a base of egg whites and sugar. However, macaroons do not require the extreme delicacy and painstaking efforts involved in the making of its more elaborate "cousin".

It took no more than 30 minutes to make these coconut-ty goodness with a toasted crunchy outside and soft chewy middle. I'll try adding some dried fruits or/and nuts for a little extra crunch the next time!

What?

• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How?

1. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, salt and vanilla extract together until mixture is frothy.
2. Pour in the coconut and stir until evenly moistened.
3. Shape the coconut mixture into small balls of about 1 inch in diameter, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
4. Bake the coconut balls in a preheated oven at 180degC for 10-15 minutes, until the macaroons are golden.
5. Let the macaroons cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely. For a more chocolaty flavour, you can drizzle (or simply dip them!) the cooled macaroons with chocolate!

Cinnamon raisin muffins

It's finally the weekend - finally time all to myself, for myself, to reboot my brain and unwind. The work week has given me a literal headache. I wonder if every profession faces the same frustration of waiting to rush, and rushing to wait. This really gets on my nerves. I wish I have a time locket which can be used to store all the time "wasted" while waiting, and release them for good use when the sudden load of work arrives.

After a tiresome week, I just wanted a fuss-free, sweet treat. These cinnamon raisin muffins are for a lazy day, when you simply just want an oven-baked dessert with the least amount of effort. You can almost never go wrong pairing raisins with cinnamon!

These muffins don't have to be cooled completely before serving. Best when slathered with butter when warm!

What?

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk

How?

1. To plump the raisins, place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Leave for 5-10 minutes, drain well and set aside.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugars together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, egg, vanilla and milk together until they are blended.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and fold in the raisins.
5. Fill muffin cups with the batter up to 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degC for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
6. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Best served warm with some butter and jam!

No-knead white bread

Touted as the easiest bread to bake, this no-knead bread is of artisan quality with minimal effort. It does take a long time to rise; I left it overnight. This seemingly unsophisticated plain bread quietly does the job on its own, rising ever so slowly that it's almost unnoticeable if you just sit there and watch it.

It's hard to take credit for the soft inside and crusty crust - it did it all on it's own.

This unassuming white bread is good for making savoury sandwiches or simply with butter and jam.

This recipe is much simpler compared to the cinnamon swirl raisin bread I made a week ago, and would be a good start to try making your own bread (without a bread making machine!) for the first time. Try it, it's therapeutic!

What?

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• Olive oil to grease

How?

1. Stir flour, yeast and salt together.
2. Pour the warm water into the flour mixture and stir thoroughly. The dough will look rough at this point.
3. Lightly coat the entire surface of the rough with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a cling film and a towel on top. Leave it to rise for about 8 hours.
4. The dough will look risen, smoothen out and slightly bubbly after 8 hours. Turn it out onto a lightly oil countertop fold it over once or twice. Shape the dough into a rectangle shape and place it in a greased loaf pan. 
5. Cover the loaf pan with cling wrap and let it sit for another hour.
6. Before baking it in the oven, cover the top of the loaf with a piece of parchment paper. Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 200 degC for 30 minutes. (You can slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife if you want to!)
7. Remove the bread from the oven and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel if you want to keep it warm for serving. Slice and serve!

Cinnamon swirl raisin bread

There has always been something therapeutic about baking, about making bread. Baking isn't all about the frivolous; research has shown that this activity can be a crucial therapy that helps thousands of people suffering from depression.

It is more than just indulging in the final product - there is something reassuring and soothing about the entire ritual.

Some people think it is in the kneading process. I like watching the dough rise and getting all poofy.

Try it on one of those "down" days, maybe this will make you feel better. :)

What?

• 1/2 cup milk, lukewarm 
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 7g easy bake yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 40 g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 3 cups plain flour  

For the cinnamon filling:

• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

How?

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Mix in the egg, brown sugar, caster sugar, salt, butter and raisins. 
2. Stir in the milk.
3. Add the flour gradually until a dough is formed. (It will be a little sticky!) Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes.
4. Lightly grease a mixing bowl (I used olive oil) and turn the dough around in the bowl to coat the dough surface with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise until doubled - this takes about 1-1.5 hours.
6. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 thick (and roughly the 9" length wise). This can be done on a lightly floured surface. (I used a cling film instead!)
7. Prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing together the caster sugar and cinnamon. Spread a tablespoon of milk onto the rolled out surface of the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on the top. 
8. Roll up the dough lengthwise tightly and pinch the bottom together.
9. Place the loaf into a greased loaf pan (pinched end facing down). Leave to rise, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degC for 30 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.
11. Leave the bread to cool before slicing. 

Easter egg cakes

Did you know that eggshells are really strong? If you try squeezing the ends of an egg between your palms, you'd notice that it'd withstand considerably greater force than expected. Or you can try the following below...

From: And Today's Idiom Is...

From: Scientific American

Besides using eggshells for supporting weights, you can use them for baking in place of the usual muffin cups/tins!

Happy Easter everyone!

What?

• 3 eggs
• 150 g butter
• 150 g sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

How?

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Prepare the eggshells to be used during baking. Carefully crack the eggs at one end. Peel a small hole at the top of each of the eggs. Pour out the contents of the eggs into the butter mixture. I used a chopstick to help empty out the eggs. Soak the emptied eggshells in salt water for 30 minutes (to rid of bacteria). When done, rinse them with cold water and put them to dry hole-side-down on a kitchen towel.
3. Add the vanilla essence to the butter mixture as well and stir to combine.
4. Mix in the plain flour and baking powder until just combined.
5. Place the prepared eggshells onto muffin tins. Use aluminium foil or parchment paper to help stabilise the eggshells.
6. Put the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe batter into prepared eggshells until about 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 180 degC for 20 minutes.
8. Cool eggs before crackin' and enjoy!