Mocha Viennese Swirls

November is finally here... Not cold enough though, but i really need to get in a little Christmas mood. What's better than some divine mocha cookies, that just melt in your mouth!!!! Trust me.. u're totally gonna love these ones!! ;)
Ingredients:
120 gr plain chocolate broken into squares
200 gr softened unsalted butter
50 gr confectioners' sugar
30 ml strong black coffee
200 gr all purpose flour
50 gr cornstarch (cornflour)
For decoration:
about 25 blanched almonds
150 gr plain chocolate
Preparation:
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie (bowl over a pan of hot water). Cream the butter with the sugar in a bowl until pale and smooth. Beat in the melted chocolate and then the black coffee.
Sift the flour and cornflour over the mixture. Fold in lightly and evenly to make a soft mixture.
With a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle, pipe about 25 swirls on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Allow room to spread during baking.
Press an almond into the centre of each swirl. Bake for about 15 mins in preheated oven at 180C.
Leave the cookies to cool a little, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate until coated. Leave to set.

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee..;)
Good luck!
xoxo
B.

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Easter Cookies

And since greek orthodox Easter is just around the corner..it's perfect time for baking some cookies too..:)
Ingredients:
500 gr. milk butter at room temperature
500 gr. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 water glass of fresh orange juice
Grind of 3 oranges
10 gr. baking powder
1 tsp. not full baking soda
2 vanillas
1 pinch mastic crushed
1 pinch salt
1.350 gr. all purpose sieved flour
Preparation:
Beat the butter with the sugar, the salt, the mastic, the grind and vanillas for 6-7 mins until fluffy. In a bowl we beat the eggs and add them in the mixer bowl. We add the baking soda well mixed with the orange juice. We slowly add the flour with the baking powder. We must have a fluffy and easy to mould dough.

We cover it and let it rest for at least 30 mins.
We shape the cookies in whatever we like and add them in pans covered with baking paper. We beat an egg yolk with a little sugar in a bowl and spread it with a brush over the cookies.

We bake in preheated oven at 180C for 20-25 mins, until golden brown. We let them cool in a rack and keep them in airtight box.

Good luck!!
You should definitely try them!! They are mmmm....delicious!!! :)

xoxo
B.

P.S. Stay tuned for Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki) recipe!!! ;)

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Chocolate and almond cookies

And since I had the oven warm, I decided to make another kind of cookies as well..;)
Ingredients:
125 gr. softened butter

100 gr. light brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 egg lightly beaten

200 gr. all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

100 gr. coarsely chopped almonds

125 gr. chopped dark chocolate

Preparation:

Beat the butter with the sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the egg. With the mixer at low speed add the sieved flour and baking powder.

Fold in the almonds and the chocolate.

Roll in small balls and bake for about 15 mins at 180 C.

Good luck!!!

xoxo

B.

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Prune cookies

Helloooo everyone!!! :)
I like staying in on Sundays and getting involved with the kitchen..So, I decided to try some new cookies..Ths ure thing is that the house smelled amazingly!!!! Yiammee...
Start preparing ladies...and gentlemen..;)
Ingredients:

115 gr. softened butter

200 gr. light brown sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla essence

200 gr. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 cup raisins

1 cup coarsely chopped prunes

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preparation:

We beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. We add the eggs one by one and the vanilla beating until well mixed.

In another bowl sieve the flour, the baking soda, the salt and the spices. Add to the butter mixture and keep beating at low speed until well combined.

With a spoon fold in the raisins, the walnuts and the prunes.

Put small spoonfuls on baking pans (prepared with parchment paper) and bake for about 10 mins at 180 C.

Leave about 5 cm distance between the cookies cause they tend to spread..

Good luck!!

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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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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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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Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

With the opportunity of my mum's birthday i baked some delicious, tasty cookies from "The Chocolate Cookbook" of Christine McFadden and Christine France!! Mmm..yiammee!!! The whole house smelled wonderfully!! :-)
We'll need:
115 gr softened butter
115 gr light brown sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla essence
150 gr self-rising flour
75 gr rolled oats
115 gr plain chocolate chopped
115 gr white chocolate chopped
Preparation:
Beat the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla essence and beat well.Add the flour and fold in lightly with a spoon, then add the oats and the chocolate and stir until evenly mixed. ( I prefer doing this with my hand..I believe it mixes better and you can fill if the mixture is right with your hand)
Place small spoonfuls (like little rocks) on a baking sheet. Be careful to leave space between them cause they will spread.
Bake in preheated oven at 190 C for 12-15 mins until they turn pale golden.
Cool on the baking sheets, then carefully lift on wire racks to cool completely.
Enjoy with a glass of hot chocolate!! :-)

Good luck!!
xoxo
B.

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