Tiramisu

Hello my dear ones!! :)
One more day till New Year's Eve...One more year left behind...And it's time for that tiramisu recipe..Mmm..yiammeee...I made this for Christmas and everyone loved it..;)
The original italian recipe of tiramisu has eggs inside. I made it without them, firstly because i'm a little afraid of eating raw eggs, because of salmonella and secondly because i thought it would be healthier and even people with cholesterol problems could eat it!!
So, we'll need:
A pack of savoiardi or lady fingers
250 gr mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp coffee liquer (you can also use brandy or black rum..I used the second).
150 ml espresso in room temperature
150 lm cream milk
4 tbsp icing sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting
Preparation:
Beat the mascarpone with the sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, the brandy and 50 ml of the espresso until well blended.
In another bowl beat the cream until smooth and fluffy and fold in the mascarpone mix.
Pour the remaining coffee with 1 tbsp of liquer in a small bowl. Take one sponge finger at a time and dip it in the coffee for just 1 second.
Line the fingers on one side in little bowls (break them if you need), or in martini glasses or in a pan.
Spoon the mascarpone mix on top. Repeat one more time, so that you'll have two lines of sponge fingers with cream in between.
Refrigerate.
Before serving dust the cocoa powder.
Hope you enjoy!! :)

Good luck!!
xoxo
B.

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Ho ho ho!!!! Meeerry Xmas!!!

Good morning everyone!!! I wish Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones and I hope you had a wonderful and joyful Christmas day!!! :)
Be back with a stuffed turkey recipe and tiramisu for dessert...Mmm..yiammeee..
Stay tuned..;)

xoxo
B.

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Walnut Chocolate Cookies

Lazy Sunday afternoon...Shops were open today...So, after some window shopping and a little rest, I'm getting ready for my coffee time with good friends..:)
And what's better than warm home baked cookies to accompany a hot cup of cappuccino??
Ingredients:
50gr. milk butter
190gr. butter
200gr. brown sugar
3 medium eggs, preferrably bio
450gr. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
30gr. cocoa powder
1 full tbsp honey
150gr. chopped chocolate (i put half bitter and half white)
100gr. chopped walnuts
Preparation:
We beat the sugar with the butter until fluffy.

We add the eggs, one at a time, and keep beating. We add the flour, the soda, the cocoa and the honey and mix well. Then, we add the chocolate and the walnuts and fold the mixture with a spoon. (You can do it with clean hands too).

We put small spoonfuls on a baking sheet (size of a walnut), and bake in preheated oven at 160C for 8-10mins.

Mmmm...enjoy...:)

Good luck!!
xoxo
B.

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Devil's Food Cake - Chocoholic's heaven!! :)

allyou

Temperature's dropping and i'm in mood for some chocolate!! So..what's better than a devil's food cake?? :)
Recipe from Golden Book of Baking
I know that it might seem too difficult to you, but trust me..it's not and the result is absolutely rewarding!!! ;)
You can make as many layers of cake and frosting as you like!!
Ingredients:
For the cake
3/4 cup(120gr) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup(125ml) boiling water
2 cups (300gr) all purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (180gr) butter
2 cups (400gr) sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 tbsp chocolate or coffee liqueur
2 large eggs
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
For the frosting
250 gr chopped dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups (375gr) butter
6 large egg yolks
1 cup (200gr) sugar
12/ cup (125 ml) water
2 tsps vanilla extract
Preparation:
Stir the cocoa and water in a bowl until smooth. In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and liquer in the mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended. With mixer in low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk and the cocoa mixture. Spoon the batter into two buttered 23cm round cake pans, lined with buttered parchment paper. Bake for 30-40 mins to preheated oven at 180 C. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 mins. Turn out onto racks. Carefully remove the paper and let cool completely.
Prepare the frosting. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Let cool. Beat the butter until creamy. Beat the egg yolks in another bowl until pale in color. Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is boiling. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Cook, without stirring, until the syruo reaches 112 C or the soft-ball stage. Remove from heat. Beat the syrup into the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream until cool. Gradually beat in the butter. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla. Place one cake on a serving plate. Spread with one'-third of the frosting. Top with the remaining cake and spread with the remaining frosting.

Good luck!!
xoxo
B.

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Christmas Tree

Yayyyy!!! I finally decorated my xmas tree! :) I wish Merry Christmas to u all!!!
xoxo
B.

Christmas Tree 2010

Mr.Santa

Golden Fairy

Mrs.Reindeer

Mr.Reindeer

Little Angel

Cute angel with chubby cheeks!!:)

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Christmas sugar cookies

marthastewart

Mmm..let's bake some delicious little xmas sugar cookies!!! :) Hope you enjoy!!
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (230gr) all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (113gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150gr) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the royal icing:
1 large egg white
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (165gr) confectioner's sifted sugar
Preparation:
In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.
In another bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.
Divide in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour until firm enough to roll.
Preheat the oven to 177 C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Remove one half of the dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 cm. Cut out cookies with lightly floured cookie cutters of whatever shape you like and transfer cookies to the baking sheet. Put the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape.
Bake for about 10 mins or until they begin to brown around the edges.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with royal icing if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry before storing.

For the royal icing, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transfered to an airtight container as it hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Good luck!!
xoxo
B.

Source: joyofbaking

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Xmas decoration 2010

Dad's out of surgery and everything is working out quite fine..:)
The weather's soooo cold and it's snowing..So it's time for some xmas decoration!!!

xoxo
B.

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Little heart

Hello world...
I hope you all are having a nice time decorating and shopping and getting in the xmas spirit...
My dad is going to the hospital tomorrow..He's having an open heart surgery...Make a prayer for us pls...
It's weird how your life can change from one minute to the other...You never know when the people around you are going to just stop being there...So...cease the days, the moments, the seconds...tell your loved ones that you love them, show them that you care for them, talk to your forgotten friends, do all the things that you want to do and always say "later"...Don't let life flow out of your hands...cause you never know when it's going to be "too late"...
And for all of those who have done or are going to do an open heart surgery, I found a very interesting and enlighting article at heartsurgeons.com, about life after open heart surgery. It gives advice and what you should and shouldn't do after you get out of the hospital!!
To all the people who are sick...you are all in my prayers and may God make you well...

xoxo
B.

Here's the article : http://www.heartsurgeons.com/ed5.html

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Gingerbread People

MarthaStewart.com

Christmas baking wouldn't be complete without a batch of these cute Gingerbread Men. They are fragrant with ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; the amount of which can be adjusted to suit your own individual taste. If you like your Gingerbread Men on the soft side, bake them a little less than the recipe states as the longer they bake the harder they will become. There are a few ways to decorate your Gingerbread Men; one is to press raisins into the dough before baking, or you can frost the baked and cooled cookies with confectioners' frosting. You can also use Gingerbread Men as decorations for your Christmas tree or as gift tags. To do this, pierce a hole in the top of each unbaked cookie using a straw or end of a wooden skewer. Bake the cookies and then thread a pretty ribbon through the hole and hang on your tree. 

Ingredients:

3 cups (390 gr) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses (To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.)

Confectioners Frosting:

2 cups (230 gr) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup (113gr) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

Preparation:

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 177 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.  With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. 

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles.

Confectioners Frosting: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended.  Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 mins). Add a little more milk if too dry.

Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired. Tint portions of frosting with desired food color.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used.

Store in an airtight container.

Source: joyofbaking.com

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Mmmm….marshmallows…

It's a festive season...so marshmallows and candies are a must!! :-)

Besides..they are sooo easy to make!

We’ll need:

400 gr. Sugar

400 gr. Water

4 gelatin leaves (20gr.)

Confectioner’s sugar for coating

Preparation:

We boil the sugar with the water for 5 minutes. We add the gelatin leaves after we have softened them in cold water, we stir and take off the fire. After the mixture cools down we beat it in the mixer until becomes white and tight like meringue.

On a baking paper we spread confectioner’s sugar and on top our mixture 1-2 cm thick. We sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, let it for a few hours outside the fridge to become stable (a whole night would be preferable), we cut into small squares and coat with sugar again.

If we want, while we beat the mixture in the mixer we can color it with a few drops of candy color!!

Slourp!! Hope you enjoy!!

Good luck!

Xoxo

B.

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Sorryyyy...(blush)

Hello everyone!!! Today is 1st of December and I wish to all of you a wonderful, cheerful, loving, creative month!! :-)
Just wanted to say I'm sorry for the inconvenience my constant change of templates might cause you...I'm still trying to find one that suites...
Hopefully I'm close in managing it!! ;-)
Take care!!

xoxo
B.

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