Minced turkey puffs

Ingredients:

1. Minced turkey - 1/2 pound
2. Puff pastry sheets 
3. Onion - 1 medium
4. Ginger minced - 1 teaspoon
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Tomato - 1 small
7. Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
9. Red chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Salt to taste
11. Milk - 1 tablespoon for brushing puffs
12. Oil - 1 tablespoon

Method:

1. Defrost the puff pastry sheets as per the instructions in the package.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add minced ginger and curry leaves.
3. Add finely chopped onion and saute until onions turn translucent.
4. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, and garam masala and mix it for 30 seconds.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn soft.
6. Add the minced turkey and mix it all together. 
7. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the turkey is well done.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line the baking tray with parchment paper. 
9. Cut the puff pastry sheets into rectangular pieces(4 inches x 5 inches). Place the turkey filling on one side and fold it. Press the sides with a fork to seal the edges. Repeat for a required number of puffs.
10. Place the prepared puffs on a baking sheet. Brush with milk to get a glossy texture.
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Turn over halfway through. 

Notes: 

• Minced turkey can be replaced with minced chicken. 
• Baking time varies with the brand of puff pastry sheet you use. Always refer to the instructions on its packet.

Linking this recipe for the "Sshhh cooking secretly" event on Facebook. This month's theme is "Christmas Bakes" chosen by our group admins Renu and Mayuriji. My partner for this month Seema gave me onion and curry leaves and I gave her whole wheat flour and salt as her secret ingredients. Seema came up with beautiful Fruit mince pies which make perfect gifts for Christmas. She also has a detailed post on how to make fruit pies. Do visit her blog to check the recipe. 

Lebanese Chicken Seekh Kabab

I got the recipe for Lebanese Chicken Kofta Kabab from YouTube. It was made by Mark Weins himself, a Youtuber who got the recipe during his travel to Baalbek, Lebanon. This authentic recipe is made using ground lamb, but here tried using chicken. Parsley is one of the key ingredients in this dish. I have tried with both Curly parsley and Falt leaf parsley and both taste equally good. The Lebanese 7 spice seasoning is a mixture of black pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. If you cannot find one, you can replace it with garam masala. 

I have had this recipe of Lebanese Kofta kabab on my to-do list for a long time. Incidentally, the group which I follow on Facebook, "Sshhh Cooking Secretly" had a kabab theme for the month of August, and no doubt I wanted to make this dish. 

This month's theme was chosen by Sujata Roy who blogs at Batter Up With Sujata. I can't wait to try her Veg Galouti Kababs. My partner for Aug 2021 is Narmada from Nam's Corner. She gave me onion and lemon juice as my secret ingredients. I gave her cumin powder and beans and she made Veg Seekh Kabab. Do check her blog for the recipe. Also, I cant wait to try her whole wheat bhatura recipe. 

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 pound/1/2 kg
2. Onion - 1 large
3. Garlic - 4-5 cloves
4. Parley - 1 bunch
5. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
6. Lebanese 7 - spice seasoning or garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Salt to taste
9. Olive oil - 1 tablespoon for brushing 

Method:

1. Wash the chicken pieces and drain off the water completely by placing it in a colander. 
2. Use a food processor to mince the chicken. 
3. Add the minced chicken to a large mixing bowl and add finely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, garam masala, pepper powder and salt.
4. Mix well until everything is well combined. 
5. Roll and place the chicken mix around a skewer and grill them.

Note:

1. If you think the minced chicken mixture is not holding well on a skewer, add a little chickpea flour/besan to make it thicker. 

 

Paska - An Easter Bread from Ukraine

Paska bread is commonly made during Easter in countries of Eastern Europe. Paska is made with flour, milk, butter, egg, and sugar. The name Paska(Ukrainian) comes from Pesakh or Passover from Hebrew.

This bread is very soft and mildly sweet. The cardamom powder turns the bread very aromatic and flavorful. We enjoyed eating it for breakfast and as a tea-time snack.

Ingredients:

1. All-purpose flour - 2 cups + few tbsp more
2. Milk - 1/2 cup
3. Unsalted butter (softened)- 8 tbsp + 1 tsp (for brushing on baked bread)
4. Sugar - 1/4 cup
5. Egg - 1
6. Instant Yeast - 1 tsp
7. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Raisins - 1 cup
9. Salt - 1 tsp
10. Oil for greasing the baking dish

Method:

1. Microwave the milk for few seconds to make it lukewarm. Care should be taken not to overheat the milk. 
2. Add yeast and sugar to the milk and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
3. Take softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Add an egg and mix well. 
4. Add the activated yeast mixture to it and whisk well till everything is well combined.
5. In another bowl, mix in the dry ingredients - flour, cardamom powder, salt and raisins.
6.  Add the dry ingredients to the yeast-butter mixture and fold it gently. 
7. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. 
8. Grease a round baking pan(6 inches) with little oil and transfer the dough into it. Allow it to rise for 3 hours.
9. Bake it at 350° F(180°C) in a preheated oven for 45 minutes. 
10. Cool the cake for 15 minutes and remove it from the baking pan. Apply a teaspoon of butter on baked bread to keep it moist. 

"Shhhhh Cooking  Secretly" is a monthly challenge in the Facebook group. At the beginning of the month, a theme is chosen by one of the participants and all the participants are grouped in pairs. The participants will exchange 2 secret ingredients with their partners who are supposed to prepare a dish that matches the theme of that month. 

This month's theme was "Easter bread" and it was chosen by Renu who blogs at Cook with Renu. Do check her blog for a wide variety of healthy and guilt-free dishes. Even Renu made Paska bread, and then she decorated them with white chocolate and sprinkles. Do check her blog for the recipe.

 My partner for March 2021 was Pavani Gunikuntla. She gave me cardamom and yeast as my secret ingredients and I made Ukrainian Bread. I gave her egg and yeast. She made a sweet braided Easter bread. Do check out her blog- Pavanis Kitchen for the recipe.

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paska_(bread)

http://www.aashpazi.com/paska

Oats Chocolate Cookies

    

Oats Chocolate Cookies are gluten free cookies made using oats flour. These cookies were a hit in our home and it vanished as soon as I baked them. As a sweetener, I used honey and brown sugar but we can substitute the brown sugar entirely with honey. If you like chewy textured cookies, I suggest you bake it for 15 minutes and if you wish for a little crumbled ones, bake it for little longer (3 minutes more).  

I made this dish as part of the "Shhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge".  As part of this challenge a theme is selected at the beginning of the month by one of the participants. All the members are grouped in pairs. The participants will exchange 2 secret ingredients with their partners who are suppose to prepare a dish that matches the theme of that month. 

This month's theme is Chocolate and it was suggested by Mayuri Patel from Mayuri's Jikoni.  

Mayuri's blog has a wide variety of cuisines from all over the world. I have bookmarked a couple of  her desserts to try soon which includes "Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp" and "Coffee and Walnut Cake".

My partner for this month is Narmadha and I gave her milk and cashew and she made Biscuit Truffles. She gave me butter and salt and I made these oats chocolate cookies. Narmadha blogs at Nam's Corner and she has a wonderful blog with wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. I am in love with her Fish Popcorn recipe and would love to try them very soon. Also do check out her Butter Murukku recipe. 

Let us take a deep dive into the oats chocolate cookie recipe now.

Makes - 15 medium sized cookies 

Ingredients:

1. Oats flour - 1 cup
2. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
3. Salt - 1/4 tsp
4. Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
5. Butter - 2 tbsp
6. Egg white - 1
7. Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Milk - 1 1/2 tsp
9. Honey - 3 tbsp
10. Brown sugar - 3 tbsp

Method: 

1.   To make oat flour, use either quick cooking or rolled oats and powder it in a blender.

2.   Take 1 cup of the oat flour in a mixing bowl along with baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Sieve them all together twice to remove all the lumps and to mix them together.

3.   Beat a egg white in a different bowl and add melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, honey and brown sugar. Give it a good mix. 

4.   Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix gently.

5.   Preheat the oven to 325 deg F.

6.   Line a parchment paper on baking tray and scoop a tablespoon of cookie dough on the tray and gently press them with the back of a spoon.

7.   Bake for 15 minutes for chewy cookies or 18 minutes for crisp ones.

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
2. Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Baking powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
5. Oil - 1/4 cup
6. Egg - 1 
7. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
8. Coffee powder - instant - 1 tsp (optional)
9. Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and coffee powder and set aside.
2. Take the mixing bowl and add egg, sugar, oil.and vanilla essence. Beat well till everything is well combined.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix gently to form a dough.
4. Preheat oven to 350 deg F(180 deg C) and place a parchment paper on the baking tray.
5. Take small portion of the dough and make a ball. Place the ball in baking tray and flatten it using a fork. Makes around 15 medium sized cookies.
6. Bake for 12 min and allow it cool for 10 minutes.

Delicious chocolate cookies is ready to serve.

Banana Walnut Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour - 1.5 cup
2. Baking powder - 1 tsp
3. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
4. Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
5. Salt - 1/2 tsp
6. Banana - ripe - 3
7. Sugar - 1/2 cup
8. Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
9. Butter (melted) - 1/3 cup
10. Egg - 1
11. Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon
12. Walnuts - 1/4 cup chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F(180 deg C). Line muffin tray with muffin cups or grease with butter.
2. Sift all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder and salt and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mash the ripened bananas. Add sugar, brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla essence and combine them together.
4. Fold in flour mixture into wet ingredients in small quantities. 
5. Add in half of the chopped walnuts and mix well.
6. Equally distribute the batter in muffin cups.
7. Sprinkle little walnuts on top of the batter. 
8. Bake for 25 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Cool for couple of minutes and serve.

Banana Bread

Recipe Source: Grandma's Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1. Ripe Bananas - 3 large
2. All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup
3. Butter (melted)- 1/3 cup
4. Egg - 1
5. Sugar - 1 cup
6. Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
7. Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg C. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

2. Combine salt and baking soda to flour and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together melted butter and mashed bananas.

4. Add sugar, egg and vanilla extract.

5. Add flour mixture and mix well.

6. Pour the batter in greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Lemon Pound Cake

Recipe Source: onceuponachef.com

Ingredients:
9x5 Loaf pan

For the cake:
1. All purpose flour - 1.5 cup
2. Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
3.Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Buttermilk - 1/2 cup
5. Butter unsalted at room temperature - 1/2 cup
6. Egg - 1
7. Sugar - 1 cup
8. Lemon zest grated - 2 teaspoon
9. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

For the syrup:
1. Sugar - 1/4 cup
2. Water - 1/4 cup
3. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

For the glaze:
1. Confectioners' sugar - 1/2 cup
2. Butter(unsalted) - 1 teaspoon
3. Lemon juice - 2 teaspoon
4. Water - 1 tablespoon

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg F and grease the loaf pan with butter and sprinkle little flour over it.

2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda and keep them aside.

3. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice and keep it aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter using a hand mixer until light and fluffy(medium speed for 5 minutes). Add the egg and beat again.

5. Change the mixer speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour and 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture and mix well.  Repeat with rest of the flour and buttermilk mixture by adding only 1/3rd of the portion each time. Do not overmix the batter lest the cake becomes dense.

6. Carefully spoon the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by boiling 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar. After the sugar melts, turn off the stove and add a tablespoon of lemon juice.

8. Once the cake is out of oven, place it on a wire rack and pour the sugar syrup all over. Let it cool completely before we apply icing on the cake.

9. For the icing, mix together the ingredients specified in icing section and apply on top of cake.

Italian Biscotti

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour - 1.5 cup

2. Sugar - 1/2 cup

3. Egg - 1 medium

4. Oil - 1/4 cup

5. Baking powder - 1/2 tablespoon

6. Almond extract - 2 teaspoon

7. Almond slices - 1/4 cup (optional)

8. Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F and grease a cookie sheet or line them with parchment paper.

2. Combine all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and keep them aside.

3. In a bowl, add egg, oil, sugar and almond extract and beat well using a hand mixer. To this add the flour mixture and almond slices and knead into a dough.

4. Divide the dough into two and roll them lengthwise along the cookie sheet with 1/2 inch thickness(see figure 2 below). 

5. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until the surface turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack for around 10 minutes. Slice the cookie widthwise into 1 inch slices. Place the slices back into cookie sheet with cut side facing up and bake for 5 minutes on each side.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy with a cup of tea.

Figure 2- Before baking

Homemade Bordeaux Cookies

Bordeaux cookies are crispy and best enjoyed with a glass of cold milk. These cookies taste very similar to Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux Cookies.

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble” of the 18th century. Bordeaux is also an upscale place- a city for luxury shopping, drinking, and eating. (Info from http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/france-travel-tips/bordeaux/). 

Adapted from: Grandma Bees Recipes

Yields - 20

Ingredients:
1. Flour - 1 cup (I used whole wheat white flour, but you can use all-purpose flour)
2. Unsalted butter - 1 stick/8 tablespoon, softened
3. Brown sugar - 2/3 cup or white sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
5. Whole milk - 2 tablespoon

Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter until smooth.

2. Add milk and baking powder and mix well.

3. Slowly add flour and combine together to form a dough.

4. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

6. Meanwhile roll the dough into 1/4 inches thick and cut into desired shape using a cookie cutter.

7. Place the cookies in parchment lined baking tray with at least 3 inch distance between each cookie. The cookies are going to spread while baking.

8. Bake for 7-9 minutes until the top of the cookie turns golden brown. These cookies are soft just after baking but they harden once they cool down. Store in an airtight container.

Submitting this recipe to "International Food Challenge", an event by Saraswathi of Sara's Yummy Bites.

Palmiers | Little Heart Cookies

Palmier is a French pastry made from puff pastry sheets. These cookies are also known as Elephant ear cookies or butterfly cookies. 

Ingredients:

1. Puff pastry sheet - 1 sheet

2. Sugar fine granulated - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Thaw the puff pastry sheet.

2. Sprinkle little sugar on a clean working counter and place the pastry sheet on it. Use a rolling pin and roll the pastry sheet until it is 1/8 inch thick.

3. Sprinkle sugar on the surface of pastry sheet. Start rolling from two opposite sides of the pastry sheet until they meet in the center.

4. Press gently and cover this cylinder with a plastic wrap. Keep it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Grease the baking tray with butter or line it with a parchment paper.

6. After 15 minutes, take the rolled dough from the freezer and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Place these on a baking tray. Make sure to give some space between each cookies as they are going to expand while baking.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes. Flip the cookies and bake for another 7 minutes until both sides turn golden brown.

8. Cool them in wire rack before serving.

Note: For flavouring, you can mix cinnamon powder/vanilla powder/cardamom powder along with sugar.

Whole wheat Banana Chocolate Muffins

Serving: Makes 8 medium sized muffins

Ingredients:
Set 1:
1. Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
2. Unsweetened cocoa powder- 1 tablespoon
3. Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
4. Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Set 2:
1. Ripe banana - 1 large
2. Sugar - 4 tablespoon
3. Oil - 2 tablespoon
4. Milk - 1/2 cup

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F(180 deg C). Line the muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Sift together the dry ingredients in set 1.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add peeled banana and mash it with a fork. Then add sugar, oil and milk and mix well.

4. Then add dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon.

5. Pour the batter in muffin tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Foochow Bagels | Kompia | Whole Wheat Bagels

Recipe adapted from here.

Serving: Makes 6 bagels

Ingredients:

1. Whole Wheat flour - 1  2/3 cup and 1/4 cup more for kneading and rolling surfaces

2. Lukewarm water - 3/4 cup

3. Active dry yeast - 1 teaspoon

4. Salt - 1 teaspoon

5. Sugar - 1 tablespoon

6. Sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon

7. Milk  - 1 tablespoon

Method:

1. Take 3/4 cup of lukewarm water in a mixing bowl and add active dry yeast. Stir in yeast and let it rest for 15 minutes.

2. Add 1 cup of flour and mix well for couple of minutes.

3. Add salt, sugar and 2/3 cup of flour and knead for 3 more minutes.

4. Sprinkle little flour on a clean kitchen counter and place the dough on it. Continue to knead for 10 more minutes adding little flour if needed. 

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and rest in warm place for around 2 hours for the dough to double in size.

6. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll into balls. Flatten each of the balls and make a hole in the center.

7. Place the dough pieces on a lightly floured surface and cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. 

9. Meanwhile, boil around 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Boil the dough pieces for 4 minutes turning once. Drain off the water completely from dough pieces and place them on baking tray lined with parchment paper. 

10. Brush the surface of bagel with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds.

11. Bake in oven for 12- 15 minutes until the surface turns golden brown color. 

12. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. 

Linking this recipe to "International Food Challenge", an event by Saraswathi of Sara's Yummy Bites

An InLinkz Link-up

Whole Wheat Chocolate Brownies

Adapted from: Jenny Can Cook

Serving: Makes 9x9 inch brownie

Ingredients:
Set 1:
1. Whole Wheat flour - 1 cup (I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour)
2. Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
3. Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Set 2:
1. Vegetable oil/Canola oil - 5 tablespoon
2. Yogurt - 6 tablespoon
3. Sugar - 1 cup
4. Eggs - 2
5. Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon
6. Instant coffee powder - 1 teaspoon dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

Set 3:
1. Nuts of your choice - you can use walnuts/almonds - 1/4 cup
2. Chocolate chunks/chips - 1/4 cup(optional)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line parchment paper in 9x9 inch baking dish.

2. Sift the ingredients in set 1 and keep it aside.

3. Combine all the ingredients in set 2 in a large mixing bowl. Add the ingredients in set 1 in mixing bowl and combine everything together with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the nuts of your choice and chocolate chunks and mix well.

5. Transfer the batter to the baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes until the toothpick inserted at the center of the brownie comes out clean.

6. Cool on a wire rack and cut into small pieces.

Enjoy these delicious healthy chocolate brownies with a glass of cold milk. 

Egg Puffs

Serving: Makes 4 puffs

Ingredients:
1. Puff Pastry Sheets - 1 pack
2. Hard boiled eggs - 2
3. Onion - 1
4. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
5. Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Garam masala powder - 1/4 teaspoon
10. Oil - 2 teaspoon
11. Salt to taste
12. Milk - 2 tablespoon

Method:
1. Puff pastry sheet needs to removed from freezer and kept in the refrigerator atleast 1 hour before making the puff.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degree F (230 deg C).

3. Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a pan and saute thinly sliced onion and salt to taste until onions turn light brown in color.

4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for couple of minutes.

5. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pepper powder and garam masala powder and fry for a minute. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down.

6. Meanwhile cut 5x5 inch square pieces of pastry sheet.

7. Slice the boiled eggs in half and keep them aside.

8. Take each of the square piece of pastry sheet, fill a tablespoon of onion masala and place one half of the boiled egg over the masala. Press the diagonal ends together and seal by applying little water.

9. Brush the top of the puffs with milk to get a golden color after baking.

10. Place the prepared puffs in baking sheet and bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until the surface turns golden brown in color.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup. 

Boterkoek | Dutch Butter Cake

Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/boterkoek-dutch-butter-cake/

Serving: Makes 1 8 inch round cake

Ingredients:
1. All-purpose flour - 1 1/4 cup
2. Butter, softened - 1/2 cup
3. Sugar - 3/4 cup
4. Egg - 1 beaten
5. Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Almond extract - 1 teaspoon
7. Almond slices - 1/4 cup

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Grease a 8 inch round cake pan.

2. Mix together all-purpose flour and baking powder and keep it aside.

3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add beaten egg, reserving a teaspoon of it to brush over the top.  Stir in the almond extract.  Add the flour and baking powder mixture and combine well with a wooden spoon.  The dough will be stiff.

4. Press evenly into the greased pan.  Press almond slices into the top and brush the top with reserved egg.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Linking this recipe to "International Food Challenge", an event by Sara.

An InLinkz Link-up

Shortbread Cookies

Its Christmas time and its time to bake some cookies. Shortbread cookies are rich, flavourful and have crumbly texture. These just melt in your mouth and are a huge hit in my family. 

These cookies have originated in Scotland. The traditional way of making shortbread cookies includes 1:2:3 proportions of sugar, butter and flour(Source: wikipedia). 

Recipe Source: JoyOfBaking

Yields: 24 small cookies

Ingredients:

1. All-purpose flour- 1 cup

2. Unsalted butter at room temperature - 1/2 cup

3. Powdered Sugar -  1/4 cup

4. Corn Flour - 3 tablespoon

5. Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon

6. Salt - 1/8 teaspoon
7. Raisins/Candy Sprinkles - for decoration

Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar until smooth using a hand mixer.

2. Add in vanilla essence and beat again.

3. Add in all-purpose flour, corn flour and salt and mix well to form a soft dough.

4. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Place parchment paper in baking tray.

6. Roll the dough on working surface, cut into desired shape using a cookie cutter and transfer into baking tray.

7. You can decorate them with either raisins or candy sprinkles or just leave them plain.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges turn light golden brown in colour.

9. Cool on wire rack and store in airtight container.

Submitting this recipe to Priya's "Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge". For this month's challenge I paired with Niloufer Riyaz who gave me raisins and corn flour as my secret ingredients.

Naan

Naans are leavened Indian bread. I never ever imagined I could make naan at home. I followed the recipe from vahchef and my naans turned out just perfect.

The leavening agent used in this recipe is instant active dry yeast. Since these are instant, you don't need to have any resting time for dough. These are baked under broil settings for 2-3 minutes.

Naan can be served with vegetable kurma or chicken curry or any paneer dish.

ANZAC Biscuits

ANZAC Biscuits are sweet and chewy cookies popular in Australia and New Zealand. The coconut in them give a unique taste to these cookies.

For this month's International Food Challenge event, Saraswathi challenged us with 3 Australian dishes namely Lamingtons, ANZAC biscuits and Damper. I decided to try ANZAC biscuits.

The original recipe insist on using golden syrup, since I couldn't find it here, I replaced it with maple syrup.

Recipe Source: allrecipes.com

Serving: Makes 15 cookies

Ingredients:

1. Rolled oats - 1 cup

2. All-purpose flour - 1 cup

3. Shredded coconut - 1 cup

4. Sugar - 1/2 cup

5. Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

6. Golden syrup/maple syrup - 2 tablespoon

7. Butter - 1/2 cup

8. Baking soda - 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg F. 

2. Mix oats, flour, shredded coconut, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

3. In a saucepan, add butter and golden syrup/maple syrup. Heat on medium heat until butter melts and turn off the heat.

4. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of hot water with baking soda. Mix well and add it to melted butter.

5. Pour the butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix well. Shape them into small disc and place on greased baking tray.

6. Bake for 25-30 min until cookies turn golden brown in color.

7. Place on cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. 

Enjoy these cookies with a glass of cold milk.

Whole Wheat Oats Banana Muffins

Serving: Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Set 1:

1. Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

2. Old fashioned oats - coarsely ground - 1/2 cup

3. Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

4. Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon

5. Salt - 1/8 teaspoon

Set 2:

1. Over ripe bananas - 2

2. Sugar - 1/3 cup

3. Egg - 1

4. Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Lightly grease the muffin tray with oil or place the paper liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl mix the ingredients in set 1.

3.  Lightly beat the egg and combine all the ingredients in set 2 in a separate bowl.

4. Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold gently using a wooden spoon. Over-mixing will make the muffins dense.

5. Pour the batter equally in 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle little oats on each of the cups.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown.