Cook N Bake

Sprout Roundels - Oil or ghee?? No way!!

Use any one sprout or preferably mixed sprouts available in the supermarkets.

Wash well, drop in boiling water, switch off stove & keep covered for 5 mtes.

Drain & cool. Crush coarsely with salt & masalas of your choice. Can be ginger-green chilli garlic minced or red chilli powder+dhaniya powder+ garam masala.

Make small round discs.

Mix little curds with a pinch of salt + chopped coriander leaves.

Dip each ball in this & roll in bread crumbs.

Keep on a greased baking tray.

Bake in a pre heatd oven at 180 deg C for 10mtes.

Flip & repeat the same.

Serve with tomato sauce.

 

Eggless Apple-Cinnamon Muffins - very aromatic!

Chopped/grated apples - 2 cups

Maida - 1 cup

Baking powder & Cooking soda - Each, ½ tsp

Soft butter - ½ cup

Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Chopped walnuts - ½ cup

Milk 2-3 tbsp

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C & grease the muffin moulds.

Sieve flour, baking powder & cooking soda.

Cream butter & sugar till soft & creamy.

Add apples, cinnamon powder, essence & mix well.

Slowly fold in flour & walnuts.

Add 2-3 tbsp of milk & mix gently.

Spoon 2 tbsp batter into each muffin mould

Bake at 200 deg C for 20—25 mts.

Cool & remove.

Sprinkle powdered sugar+cinnamon powder on top.

 

Kaju Magic - you will no more buy a commercial product!!

Powder cashews, pulsating, to avoid them from becoming oily. Or use a nut grater.

Cashew powder - 1 cup

Finely powdered sugar - ¾ cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2- tsp (optional)

Milk - 2-3 tsp, if necessary.

Knead cashew powder & powdered sugar,adding milk only if if necessary.

Make small discs. A small bangle, used,as shown in the photo, helps make perfect circles of uniform size. Use a tomato slice / fork to draw lines on them to give a professional look!!

Arrange on a well-greased baking tray & sprinkle pistas – optional.

Bake at 160 deg C for20-25 mtes till aroma comes.

Remove from the oven & remove from baking tray immediately. Cool & store airtight.

 

Ragi Biscuit - the latest entrant in the market is here!!

Ghee gives very flavourful biscuits.
Ragi flour is roasted dry on a low flame in a kadai & cooled thoroughly.

Ragi flour - 100 gms

Ghee (not butter) - 50 gms

Powdered sugar - 50 gms

1-2 tsp water

Beat together all ingredients except water to a dough.

Add water in spoons to get a soft (not very!) dough.

Pinch small portions & flatten to a circle by keeping inside a bangle.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 160 deg C for 20mtes or tilldone.

cool & store airtight.










Breakast - papaya, ragi biscuts, multigrain laddu, hocolate milkshake!

 

Oats Biscuits - new entrant in the local market along with ragi biscuits!!

This is an everyday biscuit & very simple to make.

Mix together:

Butter - 1/3 cup

Powdered sugar - 1/3 cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

To that, mix the following & make a dough:

Powdered oats (in the mixi) - ¾ cup

Maida - ¾ cup

Spread the dough with a roller, between plastic sheets to ½ cm thickness.

Cut into desired shapes.

Transfer to baking sheet & bake in a pre heated oven at 200 deg C for about 12-15 mtes, till golden.

Remove, cool & store airtight.

 

Brown sugar – chocolate chip cookies - biting texture!!

This is a restaurant recipe.

Make a crumbly mixture so that the cookies are crunchy.

I feel,wheat flour may give hard biscuits only.

Mix with hand:

Soft butter - 100 gms

Brown sugar - 50 gms

Honey - 1 tbsp

Maida-100gms + baking powder-1/2 tsp sieved together

Chopped walnuts - 2 tbsp

The dough should be thick.

Finally add chocolate chips -50 gms & mix gently.

Pat into discs, slightly uneven & spread on greased baking sheets.

Bake at 140 deg C for 10-12 mtes.

Cool completely & store airtight.

 

Kesar Nankhatai - Ghee & saffron combine!

Maida - 100 gms

Fine rava - 100 gms

Powdered sugar - 100 gms

Ghee - 100 gms

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Nutmeg powder - ½ tsp

Thick curds - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1 tbsp

Cooking soda - ¼ tsp

Saffron - ¼ tsp ( warm & powder)

Cream ghee & sugar till light & creamy. Add all other ingredients one by one, kneading gradually.

Make small rounds.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg c for 15-20 mts till light brown.

Makes about 4 dozs.

 

Chocolate-walnut Nankhatai - less common!

I made up this recipe myself!!

Maida - 80gms ( after measuring, I removed 1 tbsp & replaced with cocoa poder.)

Rava - 20 gms

Powdered sugar - 50 gms

Ghee - 50 gms (vanaspathi gives best results & is used commercially)

Baking powder - 1/8 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Curds - 1 tbsp

In a big plate, rub ghee & soda with your palm till white & creamy.

Add sugar & rub further.

Add the dry ingredients (maida, rava, baking powder etc) & vanilla essence.

As you knead, add the curds till you get a nice dough If (at all) still very stiff add, milk in tsps.

Divide into 12 balls.

Do not flatten. Roll with a tiny dent in centre. Keep a piece of walnut in that.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg C for 25-30 mtes or till one.

Cool & store airtight.

Since I replaced maida with cocoa, it was not very sweet. So, if you like dd 60 gms sugar & less curds /milk to get a correct dough.

 

Coconut Fingers - sheer magic!

Sweetened condensed milk - half of 400 gms tin

Finely grated desiccated coconut - 120 gms

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Few glace cherries & split almonds

Mix together condensed milk, coconut and and essence.

Spread over half of a greased swiss roll tin ½ “ deep.

Cut into fingers.

Place a cherry or a split almond on each.

Bake at 375 deg F for 15 mtes until golden brown.

 

Hide & seek cookies - looks very attractive.

Beat together:

Butter & powdered sugar - each, 50 gms

When creamy, add:

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Maida - 125 gms

Soda - ¼ tsp

Baking powder - 1/8 tsp.

Mix & add a little milk to get a soft dough.

Roll between plastic sheets & cut into desired shapes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mtes or so.

Remove & cool.

Melt 100 gms dark cocolate . Cool for a few mtes. Dip one side of each biscuit in that & take out. Drain. It will dry on its own..