I MOVED MY BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ME HERE: https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/

https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/

White chocolate and macadamia cookies

I MOVED MY BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ME HERE: https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/






This is one of my favorite combinations if not my favorite. White chocolate and macadamia nuts. They should marry really, that's how good they go together.

If only macadamia weren't so expensive, the price is crazy! But worth it once in a while so better make something good of them! I think they have the highest fat content among the nuts, about 70%, that's probably why they are so good.

I went crazy for white chocolate and macadamia cookies when I tried one, big, soft, sweet and delicious one in Dubai last year. We were walking around in their biggest shopping center and I was already stuffed but when I saw this cookie stall I had to stop and get one. There were many different flavors and they all looked delicious but the one that caught my eye the most was, well you already know which one. It was really big, like 3 cookies in 1 and it was a little under-baked (on purpose of course) so it was very soft, ah, it was perfect, except maybe I would like at least the edges to be a little more crisp.

Here is the picture of the cookie stall.

So I tried to come as close as possible to that cookie. And I am very pleased with this recipe, makes delicious, soft cookies with a crunch. Quick and easy to make.

Ingredients
(makes about 25 cookies)

230 g room temperature butter
100 g sugar
200 g brown sugar
1 egg1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
350 g flour
1 1/4 baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
150 g macadamia nuts
200 g chopped white chocolate/choc chips

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 190°C. In a bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. In another bowl mix together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat for 1 min. With the mixer on slow speed start adding flour and  mix just until it is incorporated and you can't see any dry bits. Now add in macadamia nuts and white chocolate and blitz the mixer for 3 seconds so the pieces are evenly distributed. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a tablespoon o the dough and form balls with it and place them on a baking sheet about 3 cm apart. Bake for about 12 min and transfer them to a cooling rack. If you want really soft cookies bake them for 10-11 min (they will hardly have any color on them, and will seem too soft but when they cool down they will be just right). Baking time also depends on how big you make your cookies but basically they are baked when they develop a slightly golden color on them.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate and walnut cookies

I MOVED MY BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ME HERE: https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/

You could really use any kind of nuts here and you would still get delicious cookies but I had walnuts at home so I used them. The same goes for chocolate. Do you prefer milk chocolate ? White chocolate ?  Go ahead and use your favorite !
These cookies are soft, have a great crunch from roughly chopped nuts, a hint of cinnamon flavor in the background and well, chocolate.
Easy and quick to make. And so good!

Ingredients
(makes 25 cookies)

150 g room temperature butter

100 g sugar

175 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

150 g toasted and roughly chopped walnuts

100 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

For topping 

+ 50 g milk chocolate

   50 g dark chocolate 

Instructions

First toast and chop walnuts if your don't know how, I describe it in my previous walnut and chocolate cookie post. Then roughly chop 100 g of chocolate. 

In a bowl mix together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. In another bowl mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 min. Add the egg and vanilla, mix for 1 min. With a mixer on low speed start adding your dry ingredients from the first bowl and mix just until they are incorporated. Don't over-mix. Now add the chopped chocolate and walnuts (leave some walnuts for the decoration at the end) and mix for 2-3 second so they distribute evenly. Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour (as I am making these cookies in the winter I just place the covered dough outside on the balcony). 

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take some dough with a spoon and make balls as big as a walnut. Place them on a baking sheet about 3 cm apart so they don't touch when they spread in the oven. Bake for 10 min, take them out of the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Before baking another batch wait for the baking sheet to cool down (doesn't take long).

For the topping chop both of the chocolates and melt them over a double boiler. Put a teaspoon of melted chocolate on a cookie and sprinkle over some chopped walnuts. And you are done! Okay maybe you should wait for the chocolate to harden and then eat them (if you can wait any longer)!

Enjoy ! ^^

Flourless and fudgy chocolate walnut cookies

I MOVED MY BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ME HERE: https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/

These cookies have a really chewy and fudgy texture so if you like that kind these are perfect for you. Flavor is really chocolaty with a hint of walnuts which also give them the bite and crunch. This recipe only makes about 10 big cookies because I got walnuts from home and I don't want to use them all for just one recipe. And walnuts can be pretty expensive. So if you have an abundance of walnuts go ahead and double this recipe, you won't be sorry.

Ingredients 
(makes 10 big cookies)

130 g toasted and roughly chopped walnuts 
180 g powdered sugar
50 g cocoa powder
2 egg whites
tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt


Instructions

Toasting nuts
If you are confused on how to make toasted walnuts just preheat the oven to 180°C. Place walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them for about 5-10 min until they are golden brown, they will also smell different but be careful not to burn them. Stir or shake the pan during toasting so the browning is even. 
You can also do this on a stove top. In a hot pan, toast walnuts for 1-2 min or until they are golden brown.
After you toasted the nuts you can chop them.

Making cookies
Preheat oven to 180°C. Put toasted, roughly chopped walnuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Give them a little whisk so all the ingredients are combined and then start adding the egg whites and vanilla. Mix all the ingredients with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture starts to get thicker, about 3 minutes. Don't over-mix it or the egg whites will thicken too much.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop about 10 cookies that are 8 cm in diameter, at least 3 cm apart so that they don't stick together when they spread. Don't worry if they look very flat, they will puff up. When you put them in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 160°C. Bake them for about 15 min or until small, thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. I know I say this every time but it is so important not to over-bake or your cookies will be unpleasantly chewy.  When they are baked pull the parchment paper off the baking sheet and let them cool.

Enjoy ^^

Follow me on instagram : FreakyBlond

Recipe adapted from: François Payard

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES

I MOVED MY BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ME HERE: https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/

It's one of my favorite months of the year and I think you can understand why without me explaining. Something happens when December comes because I am not particularly fond of cookies. They are usually easy to make, with a non-complex flavor. Not interesting enough for me to make them except in December when almost all I bake are cookies. Just happens. And since nobody complains when they receive a cookie or two, it's all good. Let's make the most of it!

I am starting this happy month with a batch of soft, white chocolate and cranberry cookies. 

These cookies have a soft and fudgy texture with white chocolate that gives them the perfect sweetness while the dried cranberries give you tartness so you don't taste only sugar. If you are wondering why there is pudding mix in cookies it is because it gives them the softness that we are looking for.

Easy and quick to make. 

One more thing. The absence of me writing recipes here is just the lull before the storm.

And maybe because it becomes dark after 4 pm so there is only little time for me to take pictures of the things I bake. No, I can't wake up early. And yes, I could bake in the evening and then take pictures right after I wake up but... Do you really think a baked good in my house will last untouched all night?

Here is the recipe :)

Ingredients 

170 g room temperature butter

150 g brown sugar

30 g sugar 

1 egg

250 g flour

2 tsp vanilla pudding mix/powder

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

140 g white chocolate chips / chopped white chocolate

100 g dried cranberries

Instructions 

In a bowl whisk together flour, pudding mix, soda and salt. In another bowl beat together butter and both of the sugars with a mixer - until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and blend them in. When everything is nicely incorporated start slowly adding the mixture from the first bowl (with the mixer on a low speed) and mix just until both wet and dry ingredients are combined. Don't over-mix! Then add your white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and quickly blend them in so they are evenly distributed.

Cover dough in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 180°C, take your cookie dough out of the fridge, scoop some dough (about 1 tbsp) and roll it into balls. If the dough is too hard let it sit on room temperature for 10 min. Place cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them for 8-10 min. They will look very soft when you take them out but they will harden when they cool down so it's important to not over-bake them. Let them cool on a baking sheet for 5 min and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely. Before baking another batch let the baking sheet cool.

Keep baked cookies in an airtight container. 

Yum!

Recipe adapted from: Anna Olson

DAIM AND MALTESERS CHOCOLATE CAKE

I MOVED MY BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ME HERE: https://prettysweetblog.wordpress.com/

What... In my 5-6 years of baking I have never made a chocolate cake. Yes, I made chocolate mousse, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate cookies, chocolate brownies, chocolate this and that. But never a simple chocolate cake. I think it's because you can find it everywhere and it is nothing special really, it just doesn't excite me.
And then my boyfriends birthday came up, I mean, what better opportunity than that to make something deadly chocolate!

I said to myself, okay, great, let's just make a simple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. And caramel maybe, he would like that. And then I need some crunch, maybe incorporate some candy in the frosting. But then the cake is too sweet, I need something to balance it out, like cream cheese or fruit (but I didn't want to have fruit in this cake). My mind just went on and on, fantasizing about the additions to this cake and what more can I do to make it amazing, there was nothing stopping me. Until I had to stop myself.
Helloooo, I said simple.. Can't I just make a normal chocolate cake?? I guess not. It's so hard to bring myself to do something so basic. I am just not a fan of making something that I already know how it will taste. I love to explore new flavors and combinations and textures and getting excited about how will this dessert I just thought about turn out. That's the reason why every time I bake it's probably something I have never made before.

Okay, back to the chocolate cake I have yet to make. Then I made a deal with myself that I can add a crunch element because I remember when we were little kids that I only loved the chocolate birthday cakes that had little chocolate drops or pieces in chocolate frosting, others I just liked :P.
Random fact: Growing up, every year since I first tried it I had a walnut-rafaello cake for my birthday. It was so good. Then one year they just stopped making it or it wasn't the same anymore I don't really remember but it was gone. So this is a note to myself: make a walnut-rafaello cake.
Back on track.
Then I remembered a blackout chocolate cake I have been eyeing for a while. I searched for it, went through the recipe and everything look good except the filling. Oh was I suspicious of a filling (it's actually a pudding) that is made of water, cocoa powder, sugar, starch, glucose and butter. And that's a LOT of cocoa powder if you ask me, I used 2 whole packets. I guess it was weird to me because I've never made anything similar but that also meant good news! Something new, something exciting! So I decided to give it a try and make another frosting in case that pudding turned out not so good (or maybe it was an excuse just to make something extra, who knows).

At that point I didn't know what an adventure awaits for me. But the pudding. IT WAS SO GOOD.
I was blown away by how good it was (well, my expectations were below 0 so the surprise was even bigger). Rich, dark, and decadent were the words that came to mind. Best chocolate pudding I ever ate. The fact that I haven't eaten many puddings in my life doesn't matter! I will definitely use this pudding in many other recipes. ATTENTION: when making the pudding I was standing right there and whisking it the whole time but just in a moment the thing boiled and poured all over, I was looking around searching for something that I could hold and move the pan because it was hot hot hot. I couldn't find anything so I quickly just grabbed the pan with both hands and move it over on the counter. This whole thing happened in one second. So guess what. The whole kitchen was a MESS. Chocolate everywhere. Who would've thought that could be a bad thing. So my little adventure was a half an hour of cleaning up this mess. Still worth it.
This post is already too long so I will stop it here. I ended up making a chocolate cake with chocolate pudding, chocolate cream cheese frosting, maltesers and mini daim chocolates.
I put crushed maltesers on the first layer of filling, crushed daim chocolates on the second one and nothing on the third one. But after trying the cake I found out that maltesers melt in the filling but daim pieces don't so there wasn't as much crunch as I would want it to be. I suggest you put daim pieces on top of all the layers of filling and use crushed maltesers on top of the cake for decoration.
You can of course any other chocolate candy instead of daim and maltesers but I'm not responsible for their disappearance in the filling :).

Ingredients

Chocolate sponge

170 g butter at room temperature

350 g sugar

3 big eggs 

2 tsp vanilla extract

280 g cake flour

80 g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

240 ml buttermilk (can substitute for milk)

Chocolate pudding

700 ml water

430 g sugar

1 tbsp glucose/corn syrup (can substitute for honey but it will affect the taste)

155 cocoa powder

85 g cornstarch

85 g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt 

Chocolate cheese frosting

200 g chocolate

150 g butter at room temperature 

50 g powdered sugar

15 g cocoa powder

1 1/2 tbsp boiling water

100 g cream cheese at room temperature

+ crushed up maltesers and mini daim chocolates 

300 ml of milk

1 tbsp of rum (optional)

Decoration

100 g white chocolate

50 g whipping cream

additional daim and maltesers

Instructions 

Chocolate sponge

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Butter and coat lightly with flour two 23 cm cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Because I don't own two cake pans I first baked half of the cake batter and then the second one. In a bowl mix together cake flour, cacao powder, baking soda and powder, salt and set aside.

Mix butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time then add vanilla extract.

At low speed add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in 3 separate alternating batches starting and ending with flour. Just to be clear. Add a third of dry ingredients, quick mix, half of buttermilk, quick mix and so on just until the mixture is fully incorporated.

Divide the batter in half. In my case I put half of the batter in a cake tin and baked it, then repeated with the other half. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 min or until a toothpick/clean knife is inserted to the center of the cake and comes out clean with few moist crumbs attached.

Chocolate pudding

In a large saucepan combine sugar, 600 ml of water, cocoa powder and glucose. Bring to a boil whisking constantly!! In a bowl mix the remaining water and cornstarch, mix until smooth then add to the cocoa mixture. Cook on medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 3 min or until the mixture is very thick. Put off the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla extract and salt. Scrape the filling into a bowl and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling. Let cool, then refrigerate until firm, 45 min.

Chocolate cheese frosting

Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and set aside to cool. Mix together water and cocoa powder.

In another bowl beat the powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the chocolate, cocoa mixture and cream cheese until fluffy.

Assemble

Warm up the milk with a tbsp of rum. Crush up the maltesers and daim into small pieces (not too small). Cut the tops of the cake to make them even. You can eat the top of the cakes or make them into crumbs and decorate the cake with them. Then cut both cakes in half horizontally. Place the first layer of the cake on a cake plate and soak it with 5 tbsp of milk. Spread with half of the pudding and sprinkle with daim chocolates. Cover with the second sponge layer, soak with 5 tbsp of milk and spread with half of the chocolate cheese frosting. Again sprinkle with daim chocolates and continue with third sponge layer. Soak with 5 tbsp milk and spread with the remaining pudding (leave some pudding for the decoration of the cake) and daim chocolates. Layer the final sponge layer, soak with 5 tbsp milk and frost the whole cake with the remaining chocolate cheese frosting. Put in the fridge to set for a few hours or over night. For the white chocolate ganache: break the white chocolate to pieces in a heat proof bowl, in a pan heat up the cream until boil and pour over chocolate. Wait a minute then mix together. Wait until it cools a little bit and then use for decorating.

I decorated the cake with white chocolate ganache, chocolate pudding, maltesers and and chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoy :)


Recipe for blackout cake adapted from: Food and wine
Recipe for chocolate cream frosting adapted from: Passion for baking

Follow my blog with Bloglovin