Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I wanted to try making some healthy cookies and looked up different recipes online. Finally, when I saw some untouched breakfast oats lying around , I decided to try oatmeal raisin cookies.

When my husband tasted these freshly baked cookies, he immediately asked me what I had put in it. He figured out it was a healthy recipe! I guess a whole wheat cookie isn't going to taste the same as one made with all-purpose flour, but I would prefer snacking on these any day over the more unhealthy version!

RECIPE -

Serving Size -

Makes 30 cookies

INGREDIENTS - 

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Nutmeg - powdered - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 2 pinches

Sugar - 1 1/4 cup brown sugar (or agave nectar/stevia?)
Orange Juice - 1/4 cup (or applesauce) - The OJ gives it a really nice fresh flavor. Maybe some lemon/orange zest also might be a good idea.
Eggs - 2 egg whites only
Butter - 2 tablespoons - You could try margarine also (maybe vegetable oil?)
Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsps
Raisins - 1/2 cup  - Or you could try cranberries instead & add in some almonds.
Oats - 1 1/3 cups - I used quick oats, I guess rolled oats also can be used, also you can powder it if you want a smoother texture to your cookies.

Optional - Flax seeds, other seeds/nuts/bran...

PROCEDURE -

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.

2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Mix the dry ingredients - flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar.

5. Now add in beaten eggs, vanilla & orange juice.

6. Add in the dry ingredients mixture and mix well.

7. Finally stir in the oats and the raisins.

8. Drop balls of this mixture onto the baking sheet and put it in the oven (preheated). You can flatten it a bit if you like or let it take its own shape as it bakes!

9. Cook for 14-15 or until golden brown.

10. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack/plate for 5 mins before trying them.  They get crispy in those 5 mins.

The original recipe asked for 10-12 mins of baking time, but mine weren't done by then. I kept it for about 15 mins and it had a crunchy top with slightly soft insides and I liked this texture. Also, original recipe asked for brown sugar,  I used white since I didn't have any brown sugar which turned out fine. The main thing was 1 cup of sugar according to original recipe wasn't enough at all, the cookies weren't sweet enough. So, I have changed the quantity to 1 1/4 cup. Also, the cookies could do with a little bit more grease, so maybe add in a little extra butter.

I am planning to give this one another try with the modifications and this time I'll try almond/cranberries with the oats instead of the raisins...

I put them in a box and carried them to work...they all became soft and mushy! Defly not a good experiment this one! I think I'll try them at a higher temp and give it a try apart from all the above modifications I want to make...sigh...






Notes - Some changes I would make
1. Try with a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat flour next time
2. Try with brown sugar and add enough quantity
3. Add more butter/oil
4. Figure out how to make them crispy and how to make them remain so until eaten!

Pineapple Coconut Cake

I closed my eyes on my first bite....

Well this cake is actually a recipe by Paula Deen (from Food Network) and it's called "Is it really better than sex" cake (and its going to be really hard to answer the question)!

The comparison reminds me of what I read in a chocolate shop at Pier 39 in San Francisco about top reasons why chocolate is better than men! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it. Google it! 

I made this cake first time for my husband's Birthday and then I tried it again for a holiday party.  Both times, it turned out well and every bite is just soo satisfying...

Anyway, I made some minor variations to the original and here is how I made it.

My husband pointed out how this recipe is kind of cheating on baking because you don't have to make the cake from scratch...true, but it's heavenly!

RECIPE -

Serving Size -
Serves about 18-20 people

INGREDIENTS - 

Yellow Cake Mix -1 box (around 18 oz)
French Vanilla Pudding Mix -1 box (3.4 oz)
Canned Crushed Pineapples  -1 20oz can + 1 10oz can
Whipping cream - 1.5 cups
Sugar - 1 1/3 cups
Vanilla Extract - a few drops
Sweetened Coconut Flakes - 1 cup



You will also need whatever the instructions say for the boxed mixes. Based on what I got, the cake mix will call for oil(1/2 cup), eggs(3) and the pudding will need cold milk (2 cups).

EQUIPMENTS - 

Electric Mixer - Stand or Hand held, either will do, but it's better to have an electric mixer especially to make the whipping cream. If you do it by hand, it's going to take forever. Also, a lot easier to make the pudding with this.

Cake Pans - 2 round 9-inch cake pans

PROCEDURE -

The cake is basically going to have 2 round yellow cakes stacked with pineapple sugar mixture and vanilla pudding in between as well on top. This will be covered with whipped cream and some toasted sweet coconut sprinkled on top.

1. Preheat Oven to 350F

2. Prepare the cake batter as per instructions. Add in the small can of crushed pineapples into it, this will give you little bits of pineapple pieces in the cake as well. I also added a teenie weenie bit of vanilla flavor.

 

3. Pour into two 9-inch non-stick greased round pans.

4. Bake as advised on the box, I baked it for about 30 mins.








5. While the cake is baking, prepare the pineapple sugar syrup. Add the big can of pineapple and 1 cup of sugar and bring it to boil.
 
6. Prepare the pudding. Add the milk and the pudding mix into a bowl and whisk it with an electric mixer for about 2-3 mins. Leave it for 5 mins and the pudding will set. (Follow the instructions on the box as the procedure could vary for different mixes).

.

7. By now, the cake should be all done. Let the cake cool for a bit and remove the cake from the pans by inverting it onto a plate. Take one of the cakes and poke holes in it. Pour half the pineapple mixture onto the cake. Now, add half the vanilla pudding onto this and spread it evenly.




8. Pace the other cake on top of the first cake. Now, repeat the same thing on the top cake. Refrigerate this for 2-3 hours atleast.

9. Prepare the whip cream by beating the whipping cream and 1/3 cup sugar (you can add some vanilla/pineapple flavor to it as well) until you see stiff peaks.

10. Spread the coconut flakes on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven to toast it. Be careful, they can get burnt very fast.

 10. Now, take the refrigerated cake and spread the whip cream all over the cake, on top and on the sides. Sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes on the sides and top as well.

Keep it chilled until ready to serve! 

Sugar Cookies

Cookies were something that I had never tried before. I had about an hour after I came home from work to make these for a dinner party at a friend's place. I picked them only because I thought this would be the fastest thing to bake.

They turned out ok, I think I can make improvements to these.  I like multiple flavors and nuts in anything I eat, so I doubt I'd put in more effort into improving this recipe!

RECIPE

SERVING 
About 30-35 cookies

INGREDIENTS 


All-purpose flour - 2 3/4 cups
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 1 cup
White sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Egg - 1
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon

Parchment paper
Cookie Sheet

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together - flour, baking soda, baking powder

3. Mix the butter and sugar well.

4. Beat Egg and add in the vanilla.

5. Now mix the egg and the butter-sugar all together and mix well.

6. Add in the dry ingredients slowly and blend in.

7. Take spoonfuls of the dough and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

It's amazing how a blob of the dough slowly spreads in the oven and becomes a flat cookie. It's fun watching the cookies bake and each one is unique!

8. Bake for about 8-10 mins. Let it cool before storing.  

  

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

When chocolate melts...

The very first thing that I tried was the absolutely sinful chocolate molten lava cake that my husband loves! We used to visit Chilli's Restaurant often for this dessert and I always wondered if the chef infused all the chocolatey gooeyness with a syringe after baking the cake! Apparently, its only about the bake time for this one to get all the gooey goodness inside.

This one is calorie rich, but I like it that u can make individual portions and so you don't have to feel guilty about eating a lil bit of it everyday! You can now decide which day you want to sin :P Moreover a little chocolate always brightens up the mood...





RECIPE

Serving size -
Makes 2 individual cakes

INGREDIENTS -

Chocolate - Semi-sweet/dark baking chocolate - 2 squares
Butter - 1/2 stick unsalted (or 1/4 cup)
Eggs - 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk only
Sugar - Powdered- 1/2 cup
Flour - 3 tablespoons

Optional - Whipped cream/Ice-cream (for serving on the side)

EQUIPMENTS -

1. Oven safe cups - to bake the cake in
I got the Anchor Hocking Clear custard cups with lids.  What I love about them is they are oven/microwave/freezer/dishwasher-safe and I can use them for various other purposes, like serving desserts, storing leftover chutneys in fridge or to carry some yogurt as my mid-day snack at work. Well, you can also bake the molten cake in ramekins if you have any.

2. A glass/stainless steel bowl - to mix everything.
You will be melting your chocolate in this bowl in a double boiler, so don't think plastic ones would be a good choice.

3. A cookie sheet - to place the cups on inside the oven. I don't think the small cups will balance well on the wire racks inside the oven, so if you don't have a cookie sheet, maybe you can try a 3-4 layered aluminum foil sheet?

4. A whisk/egg beater. If you don't have one, just a plain old big spoon will do too.


PROCEDURE -

1. Prep your equipment. Grease the custard bowls with cooking oil spray/butter.

2. At some point, start your preheating of the oven to 425F.

2. Melt butter and chocolate - Melt them in a bowl over a double boiler (just place bowl over a saucepan of boiling water).  You can also do this in a microwave. Don't overheat it!

3. Add Sugar - Take it off the boiler, add in the Sugar and mix well.

4. Add eggs - Next part is adding the Eggs. You can break them into the bowl and mix or do that in a separate bowl and beat it first and then add it in. I like doing the latter just coz I feel they mix better this way (at this point, feel free to add in orange/lemon zest if you like some fresh flavor in chocolate).

5. Add flour - Finally add the flour in, don't beat the heck out of the mixture now...I think almost everyone will tell you to mix 'gently' after the flour has been added :-)

6. Pour the mixture into the 2 cups equally (fill only about 1/2-3/4 of the cup).


7. Place the cups in the oven (if the oven is preheated by now)

  8. Bake for 13-15 mins.

9. Let it cool for a bit and then hold a plate over the cup and invert it. It should slide out pretty easily. You can dust some powdered sugar on top and also serve with whipped cream/ice-cream if you like.

10. Most important thing - eat it when its warm. Tell me if you don't close your eyes for atleast one of the bites of this warm melting chocolate cake!

I think for molten cake, the timing makes all the difference. If you bake it for too long, there wont be any molten part in your cake! And for too less, obviously undercooked, unstable lava is what you will get (if you can ever get it out of the custard cups in one piece)! I experienced both :) - 17 mins in first case and 13 mins in second.  I am planning to try it again and hopefully will get it right this time, hopefully with exact 15 mins.



I guess another way of knowing is to use your fingers and see if the edges of the cake are firm and the middle portion is still soft. It should feel like a soft membrane sitting on top of something liquid.  So a light touch will do.

Enjoy! 

The goodness in life called food

'Baking'...a word that fills me with warmth and memories of apple pies! When I was younger, I was obsessed about baking apple pies. It's funny now to think that not one person in my family (except me) liked apple pies, but they all ate it when I made one.  Well, I was 17 then and my parents were probably happy that I was experimenting in the kitchen and not elsewhere!

After apple pies (lots of them), didn't do much until about 3 years ago when it was the health conscious era in my life and I tried a few healthy banana nut breads.  My biggest problem with baking is the time in the oven. I am terrified of a burnt product and hence I almost always take it out just before its done.

Recently we moved and a new clutter free bigger kitchen that makes me want to try so many different goodies. This time, I want to pen down the recipes along with my experience and the outcome. So, this blog is my online recipe lookup place plus I can go back and make improvements. My plan is to get them right with the original recipe (which I am getting off internet - different sources) and then make up a healthier (and hopefully yummy) version of most recipes. 

Food is as much about the smell as the visual or taste. What I love about baking is how it fills up the entire house with this happy feeling aroma!

My source for recipes is the whole wide world of Internet. I read through a few recipes, pick the one with a simple procedure and with lesser 'special' ingredients. I don't like buying a whole lot of special things for one dish and then waste them coz they will lie in my cabinets until they expire. Also, I think when you start out, its important to pick a simple procedure. The fewer steps, the lesser chances of messing things up. :)

And yes...I only bake when I am in a good mood...it's so important to add in some love into ur recipe, else its never going to taste the best!