Matcha & Chocolate Shortbread

Hmmm… how long I have not made chocolate? Maybe 1 or 2 year!

I like making chocolate when I am free from everything: washing dish, cooking a meal, cleaning the house, doing my hobbies, etc. For me, the making of chocolate is like an art, so it deserves time, attention and you have to let yourself go with it!

Usually when I am at home, I like doing a lot of things, Paolo and his mom always ask why I cannot just do nothing and relax!! I’m kind of hyper!!!
I have been thinking so many times to make chocolate and last week I told myself that If I don’t make it now maybe I have to wait till next year and yesss I do not have enough patience to wait so long!




When I saw this recipe, I just oh….I gotta make it as we like shortbread but I have some doubts because it’s green tea shortbread. Not everyone like matcha green tea and Paolo is one of them as he seldom chooses green tea cake or green tea ice cream.




I was quite sure that he would have liked it because he’s mad about shortbread and chocolate!

Recipe adapted from “ Couture Chocolate”

185 g. all-purpose flour

125 g. unsalted butter, cut in cubes, at room temperature

60 g. caster sugar

1 ½ tsp matcha (green tea powder) plus extra for dusting

300 g. tempered dark chocolate to coat

Shortbread

1. Sift flour and matcha powder together.

2. Put all the ingredients, except the tempered chocolate, into a bowl and mix unitl the ingredients come together in a dough.

3. Remove from the bowl. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick on a lightly flour surface.

4. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares and transfer to a baking sheet and leave to rest for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

5.Preheat the oven to 160° C.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.

7. Leave to cool on the rack and dip in the tempered dark chocolate and dust with matcha powder.

Tempering chocolate.

1. Place 2/3 of the chopped chocolate into a double-boiler or over a bain-marie (water bath). Do not boil the water, as it may scald the chocolate.

2. Stir regularly until the chocolate has completely melted and reaches 45-50° C.

3. Gradually add the remaining chocolate, stir vigorously and continue to stir until all of the chocolate has fully melted and the chocolate cools and thickens to 32° C –keep checking using a thermometer. If the temperature drops below this, simply warm it up over the bain-marie again.

It’s very tasty and it’s also a good idea for Christmas gift.

Enjoy cooking and baking ^O^

Chocolate sugar cookies

One of my closest friends came to visit me 2 weeks ago , so I took the chance to bring him for a city tour on Saturday afternoon; walking along the streets I found that there were already all the lightful Christmas decorations, and for sure I could not miss to show him the famous Christmas market.

I like going there although I seldom buy stuff there, but I love the atmosphere and the passion in this fest: the stalls, people walking from one stall to another and the murmuring of chit-chatting. One thing I enjoy so much is sipping vin brulè, a seasonal beverage made of red wine, sugar and spices. It drives me mad especially when I am sharing it with friends under a snow fall.

Even if I am a Buddhist, I love Christmas very much: this is the celebration when families spend time together, eating, chatting, laughing and playing bingo (it reminds me of Thai New Year because we celebrate almost the same way).




I like my time in the kitchen; when I am at home I spend most of the time there: I cook, listen to the radio, surf the net on my computer. With Christmas approaching I am there even longer.

In one month it will be Christmas, as every year I prepare various cookies to present to family and friends. Our favourites are ginger bread decorated with icing sugar and sugar cookies with jam.

As chocolate is a must for us , this year I want to make chocolate cookies and I’m sure that I will make Paolo happy with this.

180 grams all purpose flour
40 grams unsweetened Dutch processes cacao powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
115 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
175 grams granulated white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Rasprose jam or other jam (as I made rasprose ,raspberry+rose, on summer and I think it will go well with this cookies)

1.Sift together flour, cacao powder, salt and baking powder.

2.Beat the butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes)

3.Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4.Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

5.Dived the dough in half and wrap with plastic wrap. Put the dough in the fridge for about one hour.

6.Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.

7.Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut out the dough using cookie cutter shapes, I used round and flower with a hole of star in the middle and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets in the cool place for 10 minutes (to prevent the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking).
8.Bake cookies for about 12 minutes (depending on size and oven) or until they are firm around the edges.

9.Let cookies cool on baking sheet a few minutes before transfer to a wire rack.

10.Put the jam in the middle of the round cookies and put the flower cookies on top and finish it with icing sugar.

Enjoy cooking ^o^

Chocolate biscotti

One cloudy day in the middle of autumn, I was at home sitting on the couch looking through the window, thinking how cold it is going to be. I felt like wishing to warm up and fulfill my house with a great scent from my oven.

We are big fan of chocolate, especially Paolo (he’s absolutely a chocolate monster) . Normally I make chocolate cake and dessert more often than other cakes, but I realize that I seldom make chocolate cookies, how come? I love biscotti, so this time I went for them, and I crossed my fingers that Paolo will enjoy them as well.



Since then, I have made them twice already as we are crazy for their nutty crunchy and full of chocolate flavor. I will make them again and again as they become one of our favourite biscotti.


Recipe

120 grams of all-purpose flour
30 grams of unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 tablespoon of instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/3 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
45 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
90 grams of sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams chopped almonds
50 grams chocolate chips

1.Preheat the oven to 175° C
2.Sift together the flour, cacao, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3.In a large bowl using a hand mixer beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale,about 2 minutes,the mixture may be crumbly.
4.Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
5.Reduce to low speed and mix the dry ingredients in 2 additions (or using a wood spoon to combine to dough), mixing only until a dough forms.
6.Mix in the chopped almonds and chocolate chips, then turn the dough out onto a work surface.
7.Divide the dough in half, working with one half at a time.
8.Roll the dough into 9-inch-long logs, flatten both logs with the palm of your hand, so they are about 1/2 - 1 inch high, 1 1/2 inches across.
9.Carefully transfer the logs onto the baking sheet, sprinkle each log with a little sugar.
10.Bake the logs for about 20 minutes or until they are just slightly firm.
11.Remove the baking sheet from the oven and put on the rack and let them cool for about 15 minutes. (leave the oven on)
12.Using a long serrated knife cut each log into slices between ½ and ¾ inch thick.
13.Stand the slices up on the baking sheet and bake them again for 10 minutes.
14.Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool.




Enjoy ^o^

Macaron

I seldom make macaron because we do not fancy it too much as it's too sweet for us. I used to make it from the recipe which needs to let the top of the macaron to be dry before baking.





But, I do want to try to make this from P'Thip, Bonbini blog; I'm convinced by her recipe because it can bake immediately once we piped the batter.


The 1st time I made, it did not turn out as macaron, so I tried again and this time they turned out better for the second bat.





I tried for the 3rd time; and finally I was satisfied.


Thank you so much ka P'thip for listening and for your help ^O^

Please check here for her recipe http://www.namthip.com/2009/06/i-heart-u-french-macaroon.html.

Thumbprints ... Christmas Cookies

Lately, I enjoy making cookies as Christmas gift which I usually do every year. Apart from gingerbreads, chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies..I also made thumbprints as well.



The recipe is taken from "Baking from my home to yours" by Doris Greenspan, I chose this one because we love shortbread and the texture of this one is similar to shortbread. But I made some changes by using almonds and strawberry jam instead of hazelnuts and raspberry jam.




1 3/4 cup finely ground almonds
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
Confectioners'sugar for dusting
about 1 cup strawberry jam

* I used vanilla sugar so I did not put the vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together ground almonds and flour.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. Add the extract and beat to blend.

4. Reduce to low speed and gradually add the nut-flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated into the dough.

5. Working with a teaspoonful of dough, roll the dough between your palms to form small balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

6. Steady each cookie with the thumb or the end of a wooden spoon to poke a hole in the center of each cookie.

7. Bake for 15-18 mins, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point.

8. When the cookies are baked, remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest on the sheet for 2 mins before transferring them to the rack and sifting confectioners'sugar over them.

9. Repeat with the remaining dough, remember to cool the baking sheets before baking the next batch.

10. Bring the jam to boil in the microwave then fill it in each cookie's hole.

11. Cool to room temperature.

Let's enjoy the Christmas cookies.

I also think to send this Thumbprints Cookies to Susan of Food Blogga for season 2 of Eat Christmas Cookies (If I can because I just noticed that today is the last day I can submit) - a nice event Susan organizes,Announcing Eat Christmas Cookies, Season 2, http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2008/11/announcing-eat-christmas-cookies-season.html

Enjoy swirling ......

I got the inspiration to make these cute swirly macaroons from Tartelette blog http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/03/swirly-macarons-and-birthday.html ; when i saw her fabulous and perfect swirly macaroons i could not take my eyes off and kept telling myself to try to make them once.

I'm not expert in making desserts especially macaroon, the one I have heard it's not easy to make them turn out good and perfect. To be honest, I have failed once in doing these swirly but I'm lucky to get the good suggestion from Helen, Tartelette (thank you Helen!). Finally I can make it and I enjoyed swirling each of them.

In the matter of my husband, he doesn't fancy too much this kind of biscuits so i just filled them with Nutella and brought all to my friends in the class. I was happy to see them enjoying when they saw and tasted them with pleasure. You might want to know how they taste..... i can say that they should be delicious as my classmates finished them very quickly.

Le palle di nocciola

Questo biscotto è facile da fare e ci vuole poco tempo specialmente per qualcuno che ha nocciole o mandorle già grattugiate (meglio se molto fini).

Devo dire che questi biscotti sono davvero profumati e buoni.