Month: December 2013

Maple Snickerdoodles #fbcookieswap

Maple Snickerdoodles1

Third & final recipe of the cookie swap! These were the other two recipes if you wish to check out. My third match was Himanshu of The White Ramekins. He has such an amazing blog. Scrumptious recipes accompanies beautiful photography. His blog is a delight to see and read.

The recipe of these snickerdoodles is unbelievably simple, made with simple ingredients which I always have handy. I am sure you will too. I love everything cinnamon and these cookies fit the bill perfectly for all the cinnamon lovers! Perfect for the holiday season!

Maple Snickerdoodles2

These snickerdoodles are soft, thick and pillowy with a subtle hint of maple syrup. I like my cookies soft so I baked them for just about 10 minutes but if you don’t then extend the baking time to 13 minutes.

To be honest, they are too good to be shared. Really, they turned out so awesome that I was tempted to eat the whole batch myself and not ship them at all! Best cookies ever!! You have to have to have to make these! Believe me & add it to your holiday baking list. ☺️

Happy Christmas baking all of you!

Enjoy!

{UPDATE} 10/09/2017 : I am updating the recipe to provide whole wheat flour and eggfree option. I baked these snickerdoodles recently with these 2 substitutes for my nephew and he was a happy camper!

Maple Snickerdoodles3

Recipe inspired from Recipe Girl

Print Recipe
Maple Snickerdoodles
These maple snickerdoodles are soft, thick and pillowy with a subtle hint of maple syrup and high on cinnamon.
Course Cookies
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Passive Time 30-60 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Topping
Course Cookies
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Passive Time 30-60 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Topping
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy on a medium speed for about 1-2 minute. Beat in maple syrup and egg/flaxseed-egg.
  3. Gradually add dry ingredients to the bowl and beat at slow speed until no flour pockets remain. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do not skip this step as the dough is unmanageable at the room temperature.
  4. Preheat the oven at 180ºC / 350ºF. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  5. In a small flat dish, sieve together the topping ingredients. Take about 1 Tbsp of dough and form it into a ball between your palms. Roll the ball in the topping mixture making sure they get coated thick and even.
  6. Arrange the dough balls on cookie sheet 2-inch apart from each other and bake for 10-11 minutes. Do not overbake if you want soft cookies. The sides should be golden and center may seem soft but it will set once cooled. Bake for 2-3 minutes more if you prefer crispy cookies to soft. Let the cookies cool on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Once cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container. Cookies keep fresh for about 7 days at room temperature.
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#fbcookieswap : Zesty Whole Wheat Pumpkin Seeds Oatmeal Cookies

Zesty Whole Wheat Pumpkin Seeds Oatmeal Cookies1

 

This is the second recipe that was made for cookie swap and these were shipped to Deeba of Passionate about baking. When I received her as my match I was ecstatic. It was a pure fan-girl moment! She and her blog is truly an inspiration for me. She captures mouthwatering food-pics and if you haven’t already, you must subscribe to her blog NOW. It was a difficult task deciding what to bake for her and I finally came up with these simple cookies. I hope she enjoyed them as much as I did 🙂

 

Zesty Whole Wheat Pumpkin Seeds Oatmeal Cookies2

 

These oatmeal cookies are made with whole wheat flour. Magic ingredient involved – Cornstarch! It has been added to the cookies which keeps them thick and puffed after baking. Each bite is orange-y and filled with pumpkin seeds. Do not skip the dough chilling step. It is absolutely mandatory for the ease of handling dough. Another important tip is to not over-crowd the cookie sheet. Arrange only 9 dough-balls for each batch.

Happy Baking!

Zesty Whole Wheat Pumpkin Seeds Oatmeal Cookies

Makes: 20 cookies | Prep time: 10 minutes | Chill time: 30-60 minutes | Bake time: 8-9 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup + 2 Tbsp oats
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp orange extract (optional)
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted
  • 2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy on a medium speed for about 1-2 minute. Whisk in orange zest. Add egg and continue to beat for another minute. Whisk in vanilla and orange extract.
  3. Carefully add dry ingredients to the bowl and beat at slow speed until no flour pockets remain. Add 2 Tbsp milk to bring the dough together.
  4. Fold in the pumpkin seeds to the dough. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do not skip this step as the dough is unmanageable at the room temperature.
  5. Preheat the oven at 180ºC / 350ºF. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Take 1 Tbsp of dough and form it into a ball between your palms. Arrange the dough balls on cookie sheet 2-inch apart from each other and bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake. The sides should be golden and center may seem soft but it will set once cooled. Let the cookies cool on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer it to a cooling rack. Once cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container. Cookies keep fresh for about 7 days at room temperature.
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#fbcookieswap : Oatmeal-Apricots White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal-Apricots White Chocolate Chip Cookies1

I am sure you all remember this amazing cookie swap I told you about few blog-posts earlier. This was my first year participating and I was over-enthusiastic! I mean why not? I get to experiment with new cookie recipes this holiday season and get to support a great cause as well.

I baked 3 different cookies in 1-dozen batches and shipped them on the same day way before the deadline. Yes, I did make 3 different recipes and not 1. (Yes, I’m crazy like that!) To my amazement, all the cookies reached withing 48 hrs of shipping them. Now it was time for me to wait for my 3 cookie packages. I waited waited waited.. Unfortunately out of 3, I received only 1 cookie package from Sangeeta of healthfood desivideshi 2 days before today which was shipped to me almost 2 weeks back 🙁 Crazy courier guys! Thank you Sangeeta for sending some awesome tasting Gluten Free cookies my way and saving me from complete disappointment. 🙂

Well, today I am going to post recipes for all those cookies so bear with me as there will be three recipes for you to enjoy as opposed to one.

This particular cookies were sent to my dear friend Rosh from The Vanilla Bean. Remember I guest posted once on her blog? Yes, the very same and talented blogger. I was so happy to get her as my match as she was the reason behind my participation in the swap. She received my package very next day and I was over the moon as the cookies reached her in one piece! 🙂

Oatmeal-Apricots White Chocolate Chip Cookies3

Let’s talk about these cookies. They are deliciously chewy, these oatmeal cookies. Each bite is bursting with the goodness apricots and white chocolates. I added them in abundance. Apricots and white chocolate pair beautifully together but feel free to experiment with other dried fruit of your choice. I can’t wait to make these with dried cranberries soon! Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Apricots White Chocolate Chip Cookies2
Chilling the dough prebaking for 30-60 minutes is a MUST.

Oatmeal-Apricots White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 16-18 cookies | Prep time: 10 minutes | Chilling time: 30-60 minutes | Bake time: 9-11 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy on a medium speed for about 1-2 minute. Add egg and continue to beat for another minute. Whisk in vanilla extract.
  3. Carefully add dry ingredients to the bowl and beat at slow speed until no flour pockets remain. Add 2 Tbsp milk to bring the dough together.
  4. Fold chopped apricots and white chocolate chips in the dough. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This step is a must as the dough is too sticky to handle at room temperature.
  5. Preheat the oven at 180ºC / 350ºF. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Take 1 Tbsp of dough and roll it into a ball between your palms. Arrange the dough balls on cookie sheet 2-inch apart from each other and bake for 9-11 minutes. Do not overbake. The sides should be golden and center may seem soft but it will set once cooled. Let the cookies cool on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer it to a cooling rack. Once cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container. Cookies keep fresh for about 7 days at room temperature.
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Skinny Zucchini & Mushroom Soup

Skinny Zucchini & Mushroom Soup1
I am so stressed nowadays.. And the reason for all the stress is not real life.. But internet life.. I know I haven’t been posting much but I have been lurking around and appreciating what all the food bloggers are up to. All over the internet I am seeing incredibly delicious holiday food..
Christmas IS actually upon us!!! Oh my gosh! I mean where DID November go?! I mean where did the year 2013 go? I am still trying to wrap my mind around this reality and meanwhile December is already slipping away at a lightening speed. Looks like everyone is ready for it but me. Web is getting bombarded with countless uhh-mah-zing fudge and truffle recipes. Peppermint and chocolate is in the air! Red and green are ruling! And all I have got to post today is SOUP!
I mean don’t get me wrong… I totally adore soup! The temperature is fluctuating constantly around here so it is perfect for the season! This light and skinny soup is so easy to make just like all the other recipes I post over here. One pot meal = happiness!
I know zucchini season is over for most of you out there but we’re still getting enough of it here. Pair it with earthy mushrooms and you get a thick, silky, creamy consistency soup without even adding any cream to it. Thyme lends a beautiful depth of flavor. And another advantage is that no vegetable stock is required for this soup! Yes!! Water works just fine & you won’t even miss the stock.. win-win 🙂
Give me a mug of this cozy soup with garlic bread and I am in heaven!
Skinny Zucchini & Mushroom Soup2
Skinny Zucchini & Mushroom Soup
Serves: 3 | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 15-20 minutes | Total time: Under 30 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp margarine (Olive oil can be substituted)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 300 gm (2 small) zucchini, roughly chopped
  • 200 gm / 7 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • Few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups water

Directions:

  1. Heat the skillet on a medium heat and add margarine to it. Sautè onions and garlic cloves on a low heat till pink and translucent.
  2. Add zucchini, mushroom and thyme sprigs to the skillet and sautè till cooked for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of water to it and let it boil. Turn off the heat.
  3. Remove the thyme sprigs and puree using a hand blender/food processor. Add this puree and another cup of water to skillet and let it come to boil. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more water if needed. Serve hot!

*Serve it with shredded Parmesan for a cheesy kick!

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