Walnut Shortbread

I came across Macadamia shortbreads in The Modern Bakers cookbook, instead of macadamia I used walnut and it turned good.

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:
Sugar	½ cup
Walnut crushed	1 ½ oz or 50 gms
All purpose flour	2 ¼ cup
Baking powder	½ tsp
Unsalted butter (cold)	1 ½ stick or 12 Tbsp
Topping:
Unsalted walnut crushed	¾ cup
Sugar	⅓ cup
Yields: 24 2" square cookie

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven for 325ºF; line a 9ˣ13 inch pan with butter foil. For dough, combine sugar and nuts in food processor and grind finely.
2. Add baking powder and flour and pulse several times to mix, add butter and pulse until butter is finely mixed in. The mixture should be powdery.
3. Transfer the flour mixture to prepared pan, distribute it evenly all over the bottom of the pan and use the palm to press it.
4. Use a brush to sprinkle the top of the dough generously with one tablespoon of water.
5. Mix sugar and nut for topping, scatter the nut mixture evenly on the dough and use the palm to press them.
6. Bake the cookie until they are golden and firm, about 30 minutes.
7. As soon as you remove the pan from oven, grip the foil and lift the baked dough onto a cutting board.
8. While the dough is still hot, use a sharp and long knife to cut them into 2 inch squares.
9. Let the cookies cool and they will become crispy.

 

Note:

• For crushing the walnuts use heavy bottomed pan.
• If you find your cookie is not crispy after cooling return them to pan and bake them for another 10 – 15 minutes at 300ºF.

Linking to : Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

 

 

Eggless Berry Tiramisu

For this month Eggless Backing we got an interesting challenge, need to thank Gayathri and Sowmya for choosing tiramisu. Instead of mascarpone cheese I have tried this with cream cheese. For soaking used berry sauce, came across this recipe from here. Since I used cake flour the biscuits turned very soft and almonds gave a crunchy feel for this berry Tiramisu.

Ingredients:

Cake flour	1 cup
Sugar	2 Tbsp
Unsalted butter	¾ cup
Coarsely ground almonds	¼ cup
Vanilla extract	½ tsp

 

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients and add ground nuts finally and mix until it blends well.
2. Transfer the batter to piping bag with a ¾ inch round tip or cut the edge.
3. Pipe the fingers about 3 inches long at one inch intervals on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until slight brown at 300° F.
5. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes and transfer to airtight container until you need.

 

Ingredients for Berry sauce and Cream Mixture:

 

Mixed berry	1 cup
Brown sugar	2 – 3 Tbsp
Lemon juice	½ medium size
Cream Cheese	4 oz
Whipped Cream	1 cup
Vanilla extract	2 drops
Sugar	3 Tbsp



 

Directions:

• Heat a sauce pan, add berries, lemon juice and brown sugar stir until brown sugar blends and dissolve. When it start to boil turn off the stove and allow it to cool.
• After it’s cooled, drain the sauce using a spoon. Warm it lightly.

 



• Mean time in a large bowl, add cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Finally add whipped cream and mix gentle until it blends well.
• Soak the lady fingers in warm berry sauce and arrange in the dish, then top it with cream cheese mixture until its covered (like a thick coating), next top it with berry mixture.
• Repeat the process until you reach the top of the dish.
• Refrigerate for about 4 – 6 hours. After it sets cut and serve.

 

 

Eggless Dinner Rolls

This is my second challenge for Baking Eggless Group, this month its dinner rolls. These dinner rolls turned soft and appetizing one. I tried with different fillings the best turned was nuttella.

Ingredients:

Warm Water	⅓ cup
Active dry yeast	2 ¼ tsp or 1 ¼ oz envolope
Sugar	⅓ cup
Milk	1 ⅓ cup
Butter (room temperature)	¾ cup
Powdered flax seeds	1 Tbsp
Water	3 Tbsp
Salt	1 ½ tsp
All purpose flour	4 ½ cups
Yeilds: 2 Dozens

 

Directions:

 

In warm water add yeast and sprinkle ¼ tsp sugar on top and give a gentle stir then let it rest for 15 minutes until it’s foamy.

 

In an electric stand mixing bowl add this yeast mixture, sugar, warm milk, 5 Tbsp butter and salt and whisk them for 1 minute. In a separate bowl mix flax seeds and 3 Tbsp of water add this to mixing bowl and continue to whisk for another one minute. Add 2 cups of flour and whisk until it blends well.

 

Now switch to dough hook and slowly remaining flour and knead well for 4-5 minutes until smooth and elastic dough.

Grease a large bowl and place the dough covered with a plastic wrap.

 

Allow it to rise in warm place, until double in size about 1 ½ hours.

 

 

Punch the dough and divide it to two equal parts. Take one portion make smooth ball and roll it on a clean surface (use flour for dusting) to a 13 inch circle with ¼ inch thickness.

Spread 2 Tbsp of butter on the circle and divide that to 12 wedges (use pizza cutter for this just and divide like cutting pizza).

 

 

Spread 1 tsp nuttela on each wedge and roll, beginning on wide edge, as shown in picture.

 

Transfer the rolled one to greased backing tray, continue same for remaining wedges. Cover this using a cling wrap, and allow it to rise until it doubles again.

 

Preheat the oven for 375 degrees and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with 3 Tbsp of butter and allow it to cool.

 

 

 

 

Hershey's "Perfect Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

This is my first challenge in Baking Eggless Group, which is taken care by Gayathri. This month challenge is Hershey’s “Perfect Chocolate” Chocolate Cake suggested by Gayathri of Guju’s Kitchen. Take this opportunity to thank both Gayathri’s for accepting me in this group and also for suggesting wonderful chocolate cake.

Coming to today’s recipe, this is the first time I am trying an egg substitution. Before I start blogging I haven’t worried about this egg, we use to take egg almost all day so no worries for substitution. After starting this blog, most of my friend circle here are pure vegetarian they requested me to post few eggless recipe by the same time came to know about this group joined to explore something new.

Again I went to past story ok now back to recipe. I tried two versions for this same cake and both came well but taste wise I like this method.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

All purpose flour	1 cup
Baking powder	¾ tsp
Baking soda	¾ tsp
Salt	½ tsp
Cocoa powder	¼ + ⅛ cup
Sugar	1 cup
Milk	½ cup
Butter milk	½ cup
Boiling water	¼ cup
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
For Frosting:
Butter	½ cup
Cocoa powder	⅔ cup
Powdered sugar	3 cups
Milk	⅓ cup
Vanilla extract	1 tsp

 

 

Direction:

1. Grease an 8 inch cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
3. In another bowl mix all the liquid ingredients except boiling water, beat well until it blend well.
4. Add this liquid mixture to flour mixture, beat for couple minutes. Now add water and again mix well for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour this to prepared cake pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
6. Cool for another 10 minutes.

 

Frosting:

Beat butter and cocoa powder. Alternatively add sugar and milk, keep on beating until the consistency occurs. If needed add another teaspoon milk.

Decorate your cake as per taste and enjoy.

 

Note: For this ratio you will yield 15 cupcakes