Vegan Flourless Oat Cookies

I made oat cookies yesterday - and they were delicious and crunchy. Today, I felt like making something healthier and I decided not to add any flour to the batter. Since I was already going this far, I decided again to go the extra mile and make it vegan. These are the ingredients, or what you would need:

• 50g Rolled Oats
• 1 Tbspn Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Tspn Sea Salt (pinch)
• 15g Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Tspn Vanilla Essence

Simple and healthy, I made this in also about 50 minutes. All the ingredients, put in a food processor and then pulsed a second each time for three times. Scrape down the sides and pulse again if required. Now, what you want to do is to sprinkle some water, stir it up with a spatula/spoon/your hands and then refrigerate for half an hour so that it is easier to work with. 

After refrigeration, they should be easier to shape. Divide into several portions and put them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. With a fork, gently press down so as not to make the dough crumble too much.

Bake in an oven preheated to 160'C or 300'F for 10-12 minutes. When this is done, put them on a rack to cool, and then serve.

So there you have it, vegan flour-less cookies

Thank me later!

• Kii

Oat Cookie Recipe

I am Kii, and this is my take on crunchy delicious oat cookies. These are what you will need to make fourteen cutesy bite sized cookies.

• 45g Plain White Flour
• 1 Tbspn Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbspn Rolled Oats
• 1/4 Tspn Sea Salt (I used a pinch, not sure if that amounts to 1/4 tspn)
• 30g Butter
• 1 Tspn Cold Milk
• 1 Tspn Vanilla Essence

As a rule of thumb, I love to find the simplest way to do things, and so this recipe will show you how to bake these crunchy delights without taking too much time. I made this in 50 minutes.

What you want to do is to measure the flour, brown sugar, salt, rolled oats, butter and vanilla essence (Basically all the ingredients except milk) and then put them into a food processor. Pulse them three times for one second each. I use Thermomix, so there was no real need to scrape down the sides and pulse again, but if necessary please do so. Once this is done, empty the processor and you should get a mixture that looks like this.

So what you want to do now that you have this mixture is to mix in one teaspoon of cold milk, and that should be enough to hold these crumbs together. Bear in mind that if you want to make double the amount to be served, just use double the ingredients. Roll with cleaned hands and you should get a cookie dough as such:

Perfectly round and serene, like the moon. Now roll them to make them like a small rope (like what you normally would to when making Challah bread, but not to that length). Use a knife or a spoon to divide them into balls of dough to be rolled of size to your liking (I made fourteen!). Decorate the top of the mini balls with rolled oats and press down with a fork on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet as such:

Notice how uneven the cookies are - I can't be bothered to make them even so I just went with the flow. You want to press the rolled oats into the cookie dough and not just sprinkle them on top. Now Bake in a preheated oven of 160'C for about 12 minutes.

And there you have it, beautiful crunchy oat cookies.

Thank me later!

• Kii

FIRST TRY! APPLE ALMOND TART

So I was feeling kinda adventurous today

Not. I was scanning my laptop for malware and viruses and it was taking freaking long and so I thought; why not make something while waiting?

I looked into the fridge and saw a slab of butter and two apples. And then there was a packet of flour under the sink. I was like - why not make an apple tart?

What I used:

• 120g Plain White Flour
• 60g Butter
• 1 Tsp Cold Milk
• 2 Apples
• A few Almonds
• Cinnamon Powder
• Brown Sugar

I poured the flour into the processor and it weighed 120g. I then cut up the butter into a few pieces at 60g and processed them together. They processed real nicely (pulsed just three times for one second each) and then it's time to make the dough. A teaspoon of cold milk was enough to hold them together to make a pretty dough. I then added a tablespoon of sugar and packed them together into a ball and froze the dough for half an hour while I prepared the apples.

Once the dough was cold enough, I took out the tart tin and pressed them down evenly. This I poked holes around to prevent rising, and then baked for 15 minutes at 180'C. While waiting for that, I started to poach the apples in sugar and cinnamon (some water as well).

I thought that it would taste good as well, so I added some almonds I soaked in water for about a few minutes. When the apples have caramelized, the tart shell was done baking, and so I took it out and poured these naughty boys in em.

Then, it was time for baking. I baked them at 160'C for 15 more minutes. Removing the tart from the tin was hard, cause it was really - really hot.

Then, it was done. It tasted so wonderful and majestic with yogurt. I noticed, however that the middle of the crust was a little raw (from the image) even though they taste normal to me. Reminder to self to bake the crust longer maybe around 25 minutes at 180'C before pouring the apples and almonds in. All in all, a very educational session!

My Second Shakshuka

I am a lazy person

Yeah, second time mentioning that.

When I cook stuff, I prefer it to be fast (especially when I am hungry). Today, I made Shakshuka for dinner. I know that there's the traditional way of making it properly, but I just couldn't wait. I had all the right ingredients so I was just like you know: "Bring it!".

Hereby starts the journey of Shortcut Shakshuka

I prepared the most basic of ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion (big ones)
• 1 tspn cumin (the seeds, cause I didn't have the powdered ones)
• Pinch of salt
• Some pepper
• Heinz tomato paste
• Chilli Sauce (I used Life Chilli Sauce)

I do also know that paprika should be essential to the Shakshuka, but unfortunately I don't have them with me.

1. So I light up the stove, throw all the ingredients into the pan and begin to stir fry.
2. When the onions turn slightly golden, I pour in the tomato paste, sprinkle some basil and add in the chilli sauce.
3. It begins bubbling, and so I turn off the flames, pour the mix into a baking bowl (Pyrex) and then preheat the oven to 160'C (320F).
4. I then make two wells and add in two eggs and then stash it (the bowl) into the oven for 20 minutes.

• Inspired by Joy of Kosher; Jamie Geller
• Shortcut Shakshuka

Homemade Matzoh Ball Recipe

Easy to make. There are only three parts to it:

a) The Matzah

b) The Matzo Meal

c) The Matzo Balls

a) You only need to make the Matzah if you do not have Matzo Meal. The only two ingredients in Matzah is water and flour. The trick though, is you have to make it fast.

Prepare a cup of all purpose/ plain white flour (about 60g) and a cup of water. Pour the water little by little (you don't need to use up all the water) and mix with a fork until a dough is formed. Knead the dough on a clean floured surface until smooth. Quickly preheat the oven to about 230'C and start rolling the dough until thin. You might need to turn the rolled dough over a few times and dust the underneath. Once done, quickly poke holes into the flat dough to prevent rising (front and back). Bake for 7-10 minutes and let cool.

b) To make the Matzo meal, you only need to grind the Matzah. Use a food processor (I used thermomix and pulsed a few times).

c) For the balls, crack open an egg and check for any blood particles carefully. If clean, add some kosher salt to the egg and pour in about a tablespoon of virgin olive oil. Pour in 60g of water mixed with two teaspoons of baking powder and mix with a fork. Now, pour in the Matzo meal slowly and mix in until there a consistency is reached. Cover with a plastic foil/ a plate and let set in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Now, bring a pot of water to simmer (add a pinch of salt to the water). Wet your palms with a sprinkle of virgin olive oil and begin rolling the balls. Add them to the pot right after you roll them. Let boil and then serve with any soup of your choice.

Inspired by Jamie Geller (A wonderful lady, respect!) - to get more Kosher recipes from her, go to JoyofKosher.com



Matzo balls are the Jewish penicillin (like the panadol) or something like that. Good for sicknesses probably :) had that really warm vibe when eating it. I hope it's supposed to taste that way or I will be reallly sad.

Anyways, I recently met an Australian who I mistakenly (I am a horrible horrible person) assumed to be Jewish because of his surname (Vaisman). He is a very interesting person, I was curious so I asked a lot. Turns out he isn't Jewish because Judaism is passed down by the mother. I asked too about Kosher dishes because I like how Kosher food looks and tastes (there is this amazing concept behind the different techniques like knotting to make Challah and the use of Matzo meal that is essentially grounded from unleavened bread or Matzah). He isn't actually really into the concept of Kosher - but he knows the basics. Also, when I showed him the Matzo balls I made he was actually quite surprised at how well it turned out and I got a few compliments. I'm not actually very used to compliments because as an Asian you don't really get that very often UNLESS U DOCTOR OR U ENGINEER AND U EARN THE MONEY (please read with strong Asian accent) so I think I might have a little crush on him now shit, am I gay!?  that inspires me to continue doing what I love most. 

Valentines Special ( Meringues on a bed of Poached Apples ) Recipe

Backstory

• Since I will be on the plane for the whole day tomorrow, I made this today for an early valentines. I like to think that each half of the meringue linked together by the double cream symbolizes human relationships, and since compote means "mix" in some language - I would like to represent mixed feelings in relationships. So deep I can't even see myself anymore.
  
  Happy Valentine's! (Belated)

What to Expect

• A trio of meringues with double cream on top of unsweetened refreshing apple compote. Since meringue is technically baked sugar and egg white, the sweetness is balanced by the double cream and the apple compote. Yeap, the simpler the better. Not too much technicalities involved.

  
Ingredients
Part A : The Meringue
a) Two Egg Whites
b) Pinch of Salt
c) 125g Castor Sugar

Part B : Plating
a) Double Cream ( Half a teaspoon to a teaspoon per two meringue sides )
b) Apples
c) Cinnamon (Powder)
d) Water and Vanilla Essence (1 drop) mixture

•  You can make either Poached Apples (Diced) or an Apple Compote. To make the apple compote, simply add more liquid to make the final product more syrupy. The poached apple (if you are making it) should be crunchy and unsweetened to complement the texture of the meringues. 

Procedure

a) Pour the egg whites into a mixing bowl and add in the pinch of salt. Start beating (it is easier to use a machine mixer since you will take years to beat it to stiff peaks. Make sure that there is no other impurities in the egg yolk or else it will not stiffen.

b) When the mixture is stiff and forms peaks, gradually add the sugar whil mixing at high speed until the mixture is glossy and stiff. 

c) Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and then begin piping on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

d) Preheat the oven to 120'C for about 20 minutes, and then bake for around an hour until the meringues are pale golden brown.

e) Now, dice the apples and put in a pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the diced apples and then pour in the water and vanilla essence mixture. Stir fry until you can smell a heavy aroma of apples and cinnamon (like that of apple pie)

f) Put them on a plate and separate into as many factions as you want. Spoon half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of double cream and put on the flat side of a meringue. Take another and clamp them together. Serve on the poached apples (diced) 

 

Croquembouche Recipe

Backstory

So after watching MasterChef Season 5 and seeing Courtney, Christian and Jaimee making the incredibly beautiful and stunning profiterole tower, I took a liking and kept a mental note about how ONE DAY, I WILL BE THE ONE MAKING THE SAME TOWER OF YUM. And I did.

What to Expect

Expect freaking profiterole tower covered with delicious toffee. In the profiterole, you will have beautiful tasty freaking cream yaw. And if you are expecting to make this, be prepared to risk two hours or more, since it took me about the same time. A complex yet fulfilling dish.

Ingredients
Part A: Profiterole

Part i : The Puff
a) One finger of butter (About the size of two fingers width - I would say around 70g)
b) Milk (200 ml - yeah, I freaking measured, Yay me.)
c) Plain White Flour (I used around 100g - YES I MEASURED)
d) 3 Eggs

Part ii : The Cream
a) Double Cream (The whole cup)
b) Milk (1/3 of the double cream cup)
c) Icing Sugar (I used two teaspoons)

Part B : The Tower of Sauron ( I mean the tower of profiteroles)
a) Profiteroles from Part A
b) One cup of Castor Sugar
c) Half a cup of water

---

Procedure
Part A : Making the Profiteroles (The torturing part)

Part i : The Puff
a) Pour the milk and put the butter in the pan and stir with a wooden spoon until it boils. Sift the flour into a bowl and pour it into the mixture after it boils and stir until it has the consistency of soft dough. BRING AWAY FROM FIRE to cool.
b) Bring back to the fire, and beat in eggs one by one while stirring constantly. You do not want the eggs to be fried. To make the process easier, pour cold milk into the pan while doing this. Stir and mix until the mixture has a soft consistency.

When you hold the mixture up with a wooden spoon, you can technically see the batter falling. Its like the consistency of wet mud.

c) Prepare a piping bag and fill the piping bag with the batter. Pipe the batter onto a prepared baking tray lined with baking paper.

How to pipe the profiteroles? Start at the bottom, pipe a little - when you see the batter forming a circle around two inches wide, adjust the height of your pipe higher and pipe again. Then, stop piping and remove the pipe. You do not need to create any pattern by rotating nor piping in a circular motion, the only motion you need to move is upwards from earth. Your piped batter should look like poo, if that is easier to note.

d) Preheat the oven at 190'C double fan forced for around 10-15 minutes and start baking the "to be" profiteroles. It should take around 25 - 35 minutes to be ready. Note the color of the top of the profiteroles should be brown.
e) Take out the profiteroles from the oven when ready, and with a skewer (I used a chopstick coz I asian yo) poke a hole at the bottom of each profiterole. It is easier to do it while it is hot, so get used to enduring the heat.

To know whether you are doing it right, remember that a profiterole is a cream puff. The puff should be just filled with air. It shouldnt have the consistency and texture of bread. So when you poke the bottom of the puff, you should realize that the middle is basically empty.

f) Set aside to cool

Part ii : The Cream
a) Pour everything into a mixing bowl and whip until it has the consistency of cool whip.

If you are lazy, you can just whip the double cream until it is soft instead of using milk and icing sugar. It won't taste as good, but on the bright side it is easier and healthier - NO DIABEETUS YO

b) Fill in a piping bag (I used an icing bottle and a funnel so imagine my pain) and pipe into each profiterole by using that hole you made in its bum. Gonna make more dirty jokes but too lazy to think.
c) Leave the profiteroles bottom side up for the cream to set.

Part B : THE TOWER OF SAU.. Profiteroles. (But hey, tower of god, babel, druaga, saviors etc would work too)
a) Pour the castor sugar in a pan with the water and spread everything evenly.

Don't stir the mixture please. During caramelization you should not lay one finger on the mixture. Just let it boil and caramelize.

b) Boil until the mixture bubbles and turns brown. (Yes this is the caramelization process)
c) Remove from heat.
d) Now, prepare your profiteroles. Dip the bottoms of each profiterole and build them on each other to form a tower.

Croquembouche - the tower of profiteroles should be hollow in the middle. If you are new or is lazy, then you can just make one in which the middle of the tower is also profiteroles. A little less traditional but hey, it is nice to be lazy.

e) After the tower is done, with the remaining caramel/toffee - use two forks. Dip one fork into the caramel, press one fork on the other for a few seconds and separate to form a string of toffee. Weave it around the tower to form a web.
f) Repeat the toffee weave several times.
g) Weave several more times around the freaking tower.
h) FREAKING WEAVE IT BABY
i) Serve

During this process, it is important to construct the tower fast - or else the toffee will cool down and harden. Of course you can leave it be under a small fire, but you risk burning your delicate fingers when the mixture is bubbling. I burnt mine several times doing this even after removing the mixture from the fire.

Cheese Crackers

Backstory

Once upon a time, I was at home after eating crazy sweet desserts all day. I needed something to nibble on, but I didn't want it to be too salty etc. I was also craving the flavor of cheese spread and so I just ran into the kitchen and started to bake

What to Expect

If you are looking for junk food, this recipe is only half fitting. Its healthier than junk food ( self proclaimed ) and you can taste subtle cheese.

Ingredients
a) Stick of butter as long and wide as your index finger ( yeah it also worked for my friends )
b) Two tablespoons of cream cheese
c) One teaspoon of salt
d) One teaspoon baking powder
e) One cup of plain white flour
f) Whipping cream
g) One egg
Procedure
a) Melt butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with the salt. Crack in one egg and whip until mixed.
b) Sift in flour and baking powder, fold and then knead until the consistency of dough.

Like bread or cookie dough, check if it tends to be springy when using a rolling pin. If it isn't, then its more of a pastry dough.

c) Cut shapes of your preference with a cookie cutter and a rolling pin. Smoothen surface with flour for ease.

I am not skillful, so I tend to use lots of flour just to do this. Flour on surface, rolling pin and both side of the dough.

d) Line on baking paper on baking tray and spread whipping cream on top so that it retains its shape when baking.
e) Preheat oven to 200'C, and bake for 5 minutes.

Consumption

Eat when binge eating or eat with dips. I know I made two sizes, the smaller one is for when I want to binge and the larger one is for dipping. Yeah, I binge eat when I am depressed 

Not overly crispy. Texture is unique. A must try.

A different rendition is also available: Spicy Cheese Crackers. A video tutorial is up on Youtube, but instead of giving you the link, I will try to put it up here.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz3W-eBIclI

Video

Savory Tiramisu ( One Layer )

Back story

I saw Cho Ahran making Savory Tiramisu on Master chef, and then I thought to myself that it would be nice to start making savory dessert instead of the normal desserts I usually make. Also, I didn't follow Ahran's recipe but rather tried to innovate and build as I go along.

What to Expect

If you don't like the taste of Pasta Sauce, then I will tell you straight up that you will freaking hate this. Expect something different and unique!

Ingredients
a) Lady Fingers ( Or as my Aussie friends say, sponge fingers )
b) Two cans of diced tomatoes
c) Brown Sugar ( I used three tablespoons )
d) Minced Meat of your choice
e) Ketchup ( Half a cup mixed with water )

You can use any sauce you like for the taste

f) Thickened cream
g) Sour Cream ( Sprinkle some salt)
h) Spices ( Oregano and Basil )
I) Big Onions ( Add garlic if you love them )
j) Olive Oil

Procedure
a) Slice Big Onions and fry in pan with olive oil till golden brown. When golden brown, throw in the minced meat and fry until cooked.

Season the minced meat with a little salt and pepper first. I usually add a dab of oyster sauce but yeah, I'm Asian. "What the heck is Fish Sauce, and why does it taste like death?" Quoted from Monti, Masterchef Season 3.

b) Pour in the diced tomatoes, Ketchup water mix and the sugar and stir. Taste along the way and improvise if you need to.
c) When done, separate the liquid and the other things in the pot. The liquid will be used to dip the lady fingers in.
d) Dip the lady fingers and build the base of the Tiramisu.

I know people who soak the lady fingers. Their Tiramisu becomes soggy and quite scary really. Just dip and take it out. Count to three quickly if it helps.

e) Spread the solids separated from the liquid mixture on top of the lady fingers evenly.
f) Whip the thickened cream and sour cream together and then pour on the base of the Tiramisu.

People tell me they hate this part cause its hard. I tell them just concentrate on covering all gaps, the unevenness will fix themselves later in the oven.

g) So preheat the oven to 160'C and wait.
h) Now, sprinkle the oregano and basil on the Tiramisu.

If you are a fan of cheese, you can sprinkle some mozzarella on top before baking.

I) Bake for around half an hour while constantly checking on the Tiramisu. This will allow the cream to even themselves out and let them give a better aroma while the lady fingers absorb the sauce.
j) Serve hot or warm.

My friend tried my recipe but used mascarpone instead. He said it tastes better. But I don't know.
Sure, my recipe goes against the conventional rules ( I mean baking a Tiramisu? Seriously ) but you know what, YoLo. 

Baking - My Approach to Serenity

So I am embracing my newfound love for cooking. It started early last year in 2014, when I have just moved to a new house. There was no internet, no fixed line (yeah, you could have seen how disappointed I was and how much I ranted, just on and on for the past few blog posts).

With nothing to do (I just do not want to imagine what my parents do in those days when the weather wasn't so hot, crimes weren't occuring as often in Malaysia etc) except jogging to spend my evening, my holiday mornings became boring. I started watching a few shows on TV like Masterchef and Hell's Kitchen. When I saw some leftover ingredients in the pantry at home, ideas gushed into my mind and for the very first time - I cooked my very first dessert; The Panna Cotta.

The Panna Cotta is a very simple dessert. You just needed to mix together Milk and Whipping Cream in a pan and heat it until it simmers. Bloomed gelatine is then stirred in until mixed well and then the mixture is poured into ramekins and put in a refridgerator to set. When set, the sauce is made by caramelizing sugar and then adding some milk to give a praline taste to it.

From then on, I started baking more and more. I made Sponge Cake, Swiss Rolls, Cookies, Tiramisu, Cheese Cake etc.

I even moved on to making savory food - for example; Macaroni, Curry, Steak.

Every time I cook, I gain the confidence to cook the next dish. In the kitchen, I actually felt tranquil. This is where I felt I could enjoy my life. 

Baking is my new hobby - borne from the emptiness of having nothing to do.

Soft Fluffy Almond Cookies

Ingredients
a) 1/3 Piece of a 200g Slab of Butter (Melt it first!)
b) Half a cup of castor sugar
c)  Flour (Self Raising Flour + Plain White Flour - Mind the ratio!)
- I used 1/3 Self Raising Flour to 2/3 Plain White Flour by measurements of a cup, this makes the cookies soft and fluffy on the inside, but crispy and crunchy on the outside!
d) Ground Almonds (Half a cup)
e) One Egg (Both white and yolk)
f) 2 - 3 drops of Vanilla Essence

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Procedure (Very simple!)
a) Beat the Egg, and mix it with the melted butter and castor sugar until mixed. Drip in the vanilla essence and whip the mixture again for a few seconds. Also preheat the oven to 200'C
b) Now, carefully sift in the flour mixture while folding in the batter. After all the flour is folded in, the texture should be similar to wet mud. Now, pour in the ground almonds and fold again.
c) Line a baking tray with baking paper and prepare a spoon. Put one tablespoon of batter, and separate them (about 3 to 4 inches every one tablespoon of batter)
- Half a tablespoon makes small cookies as compared to a normal cookie for one tablespoon of batter
d) Bake for around 6 to 8 minutes (watch the cookies , they should spread and become wider in diameter - hence the separation distance)
- When the edges of the cookies become golden brown, it is time to test whether the cookies are baked through
     > Prepare a toothpick and poke the cookies. If there are no batter sticking onto the toothpick, then it is baked beautifully
     >The texture should be similar to a muffin at the middle, so do not be surprised. The edges should be crunchy :smile:


A different rendition


>> Extras: Cocoa Powder and didnt grind almonds



>> Extras: Smarties Chocolate instead of almonds.


>> Extras: doTERRA peppermint supplements - 10 drops of it instead of Vanilla Essence. Baking Choco chips added