Date Cookies

I got a big batch of dates recently and the first thing that I wanted to try was a cookie that can be sweetened with dates alone😀
So I have come up with this recipe..the results  might vary depending on the dates used. Anyway my cookies came out firm but not crisp. I added a tablespoon of quick cooking oats too.

Ingredients
130g pitted dates
120g unsalted butter room temperature
A pinch of salt
1/4  teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Make the dates into a paste.(I used soft dates blitzed in a processor so did not need to soak or cook.) Add the butter and beat well. Add the salt and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in one cup of flour first..followed by another half cup..try to bring the dough together without kneading.  It shouldn't be sticky but soft. The entire 2 cups may not be used. Cover with a cling film and allow to rest for 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 175deg C with both rods on.
Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick sheet and cut out the cookies with a cutter.
Lift them with a flat utensil as they might break . I used a spatula. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for **20 mins. Flip the cookies after 10 mins. They are a bit soft when out of the oven.
Cool them down..and enjoy.

Notes:
* I added a tablespoon of quick cooking oats to the first cup of flour. Not necessary if you don't like.
* I also added about 6 almonds when I made the date paste. It is also optional.
** PLEASE don't follow baking time in any recipe blindly. You need to know your oven, because what works in my oven may not work for you.
If you already use certain settings for cookies follow that. Keep an eye on the result when you are following a new recipe. The cookies get a toasted look..a bit darker than the unbaked one.
If you don't know your oven settings, try as I have mentioned and keep an eye on it after 10 minutes.
Happy Baking 😀

Pinwheel cookies again

 Made these cookies again.. completely with all purpose flour. They do take a bit of time..rolling..freezing and slicing..:) but pretty enough to make it worthy of a festive bake. This time I have made a video of how I sliced and shaped it up..

Recipe is same as the earlier one..but with APF...

 

Slicing the log

                                                      
                                                            Arrange it on a baking sheet..

                                                                   Bake until done.

 

Almond Cardamom Cookies

 Remembering the flavour and texture of the soft biscuits which were immensely enjoyed during my childhood days, I tried to mix up ..substitute..and finally tailor the nankhatai recipe to this one..
I have almost managed, I believe, to recapture the essence of those lovely bakery cookies.. :)
Don't think they might have added the gram flour.. but I feel it gives a nice nutty warmth to the cookie.  

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tblsp cornflour
2 tblsp gram flour
a pinch of Salt
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup powdered sugar,
6 cardamom pods powdered


Powder the almonds with a tblsp of cornflour. Mix all the dry ingredients except sugar in a bowl.
Take ghee and powdered sugar in another bowl and beat well.

                                                              Add dry ingredients.

                                    Mix well and bring the dough together using your hand.
                                                                       Do not knead.
                                       Rest the dough in a cling film wrap for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven (both heating rods ) to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Centigrade) for at least 10 minutes. Divide dough into 15-18 equal portions and make round shaped balls from it. Line a baking paper over the baking tray. Take each ball and press a little between your palms to flatten and place it over baking tray. Keep enough space between each cookie because it will expand in size during baking.
Bake for about 20 mins.. or till light golden.. keep an eye on it after 15 mins.
Remove the tray from the oven and cool on a wire rack and enjoy...:)
(Cookies will be soft at this stage but they will harden as they cool down.)

Nankhatai / Indian Butter Cookies

My Nankhatai are done. . :)
Tastes like mysore pak cookies. .as I added besan.. After all there is no fun in making a plain butter cookie with ghee .. so the gram flour. :P.. Have given a close up of the crumb. . :) a nice crunchy texture. . Tried Vanilla flavoured.. next time will give it cardamom. .:)

Ingredients
1 cup Maida (all purpose flour)
1/4 cup gram flour
a pinch of Baking Soda
a pinch of Salt
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup Sugar, powdered
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sieve 1 cup maida in a bowl, add gram flour, baking soda and a pinch of salt.Mix them with a spoon.
Take ghee and powdered sugar in another bowl and beat them. Add vanilla.
Add sieved dry ingredients.Mix well and make a dough using hand. Do not knead much.
Rest the dough in a cling film wrap.
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Centigrade) for at least 10 minutes. Divide dough into 12-15 equal portions and make round shaped balls from it. Line an aluminum foil over baking tray. Take each ball and press a little between your palms to flatten and place it over baking tray. If you want, you can make a criss-cross cut using a knife over top surface of each cookie. Top each one with a little bit of finely chopped pistachio or any nuts of your choice and press gently with your finger. Keep enough space between each cookie because it will expand in size during baking.
Bake for about 20 mins.. or till light golden.. keep an eye on it after 15 mins.
Remove baking tray from oven. Cookies will be soft at this stage but they will turn crispy and hard as they cooldown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy...:)

Pinwheel Cookies

There is something cute in an alternating spiral of chocolate and vanilla that draws us to these festive, self decorated biscuits... Pinwheel cookies... the goodness of chocolate and vanilla in one bite...:)

Ingredients

For cocoa paste
3 tblsp cocoa
a tablespoon of sugar
3 tblsp hot milk
a dab of butter

For dough
160g butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2.5 cups of APF(maida)
1/4 tsp salt.

Make a COCOA paste* of 3 tblsp cocoa, a tablespoon of sugar, 3 tblsp hot milk and a dab of butter .Keep aside covered.

For the cookie dough ......Beat 160g butter with 3/4cup granulated sugar till light and add an egg and a tsp of vanilla extract and beat again.

Mix 2.5 cups of APF(maida) and 1/4tsp salt... (I used 2 cups of atta and rest APF) then add to the butter mix to combine and form a dough. Halve the dough equally and add one half to the COCOA paste* and mix well.

Roll them out in between 2 sheets of baking paper

 Refrigerate or freeze till firm.. and place the cocoa dough on the vanilla one.

Trim the sides and allow it to soften a bit. .lift one end of the sheet and bend over a little

Press firmly.Continue rolling by lifting the paper gently. . You might need to run your palm over as you roll to warm the dough and smoothen.

Freeze the log till firm.

Preheat oven to 175°C . Take the log out and cut into 1/4inch thick rounds..Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper. . Allow to come to room temp. And bake for about 10-12 mins

The base will be a bit brown.. leave them on the tray to cool completely. .

                                                                           Enjoy!!! :)

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

My 5-year old is a chocolate fan....(and so am I).. So he asks me (every time I say I'm going to cook something special) ..Is it chocolate **** or chocolate ****.????.. :) it is always something that starts with chocolate. What can you do..:) when your own heart is singing the same song......but to yield to the whims of a young chocolate lover. This time I made him some chocolate cookies, the recipe from joyofbaking.com, which was very easy. I got a lovely chocolate flavoured biscuit,  after eating which I decided to say goodbye to my favorite Bourbon biscuits... It is a 'must try' for all the chocolate freaks who would like to try their hand at baking a cookie...(it is very easy) So here it is....

                   Chocolate Wafer Cookies

•  1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed) *I used just 1/4 cup cocoa and added additional 1/4 cup of flour*
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
•  6 tablespoons (90 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (140 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large (30 grams) egg white

In a bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until light. Add the sugars and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg white. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Place the dough on your counter and, using your hands, evenly form the dough into a log shape that is about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Carefully wrap the dough in parchment paper or wax paper and fold or twist the ends. Try not to flatten the log. Refrigerate until firm. This will take several hours or you can even chill it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife, slice the log into about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick wafers. Place the wafers on the baking sheet spacing, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake for approximately 10 - 12 minutes or until the the cookies puff and the tops of the cookies have cracks (ripples). Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 days. They can also be frozen.

My cookies were cut using different cutters at my son's insistence.... :) 

In the picture below are some cookies I made by adding some crushed cashew nuts to a little dough. They are not crisp but chewy as the contain nuts. 

The cookies with nuts

snack