my Our creations.

Decided yesterday before Mass that we should spend Monday in our cosy home and I badly wanted to try my hands on baking using our oven (not sure if it's toaster over, but looks too big to be one). So manage to physo hubby to do that. Baking! After all, we had so much fun in Wiselyn's house the other day and I think we can manage that at home too.

So, after mass, we went off to "Poon Huat" in search of our ingredients. We had a small tiff yesterday as we were both not sure of the way and typically, we both pointed in 2 different directions. Since there were droplets from up there, I was keen to go under some blocks and walk underneath. Hubby on the other hand, want to walk along the main road....But finally, we manage to get there.

And look at all these! Just from Poon Huat alone ok! Maybe coz we spent so much, there was a free gift.
A box of Curry Powder. *fwah!* Big deal lor.

Which I promptly gave to my mom. Since I'm not going to cook curry chicken in the near future.

Reasons being:
1) Kitchen is open concept, don't want the smell to linger
2) Hubby says my curry is probably and most possibly not nice.

So finally, with all the ingredients on hand, I pulled out THE blender which we received as a weding present (from Trina and her bf) FOR THE FIRST TIME and set to work.

There are enough ingredients to make 3 different kinds of cookies and that's what we did. Our first attempt and we made 3 kinds! Adventerours hor?! *hiak*hiak*

Well, there were instructions to follow and ALL the things were listed down. Hence, I thought, it's gng to be easy as ABC to do it. Well, baking with hubby who seems to be as excited as a small boy seems to be fun. He helped me wisked the flour, eggs, butter, margarine and whatever else that needs to be wisked and also to measure flour. While on my part, I prepare the rest of the ingredients. Like chopping of almonds? Measuring butter? And most importantly, reading instructions and giving instructions!

We made Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients wise, it's quite simple.
(A)
100g sugar
110g brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
100g butter
60g margarine
1 tsp liquid glucose (which I replaced with honey)

(B)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

(C)
200g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

(D)
100g pecans, chopped (which I replaced with almonds)
100g chocolate chips (being a lover of chocolate, I added more of this!)

Method
Cream (A) lightly. Then add in (B) and cream till smooth.
Add in the sieved (C) & mix till well blended.
Lastly add in (D) and mix till well incorporated.
Drop a teanspoonful of dough into a greased baking pan.
Baked at 170 degrees for 15-18 mins.

And if it's successful, it should look like this. Now, minus the plate and add in some virtual lighting and compare it to our end product. Does it look remotely similiar? I think it does bares some similiarites even though you got to use your imagination lar.

We also tried making the "Nutty Slice Biscuits".
Ingredients call for
(A)
4 egg whites
130 sugar
pinch of salt

(B)
120g flour
30g rice flour

(C)
50g pistachio
100g walnuts
100g almonds
60g glace ginger (I only used almonds, but lots of it!)

Method
Whip (A) till stiff. Add in (B) & mix till well blended.
Add in (C) & mix till well in corporated.
Pour into a greased & lined loaf tin. Make 2 loaves of 17x8x6 cm.
Bake at 175 degrees for 40 mins
Let it cook and then keep in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
Cut into thin slices about 2mm thick and then bake it again at 150 degrees for 15 mins or till crisp.

The end result should look like the pic on the left. While ours looks burnt and definately not right! Don't know where we went wrong too!

Of course must remember that the photo was taken professionally and with perfect lighting. But having find those excuses for myself, the cookies is really erm... 100% not right.

Will try this again another time but this time, I will use loaf tin instead of the baking tray!

And lastly, we also tried our hands on this Almond Coffee Macarooms. The picture on the book looks so good, just like some cream cookies and since hubby love coffee, I thought we must try this.

The ingredients and method looks easy enough.
Ingredients for the coffee flavoured cookies
(A)
85g ground almonds
125g sugar
1 tbsp rice flour

(B)
1 egg white

(C)
1 tsp instant coffee
2 tsp water

Coffee butter cream
150g icing sugar
40g butter
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp water

Method for cookies
Mix (A) till well blended. Then add in (B) and mix till well combined.
Lastly add in (C) & mix till well incorporated.
Placed into piping bag fitted with plain nozzle. Pipe inot tray lined with baking paper.
Baked at 170 degrees for 15-20 mins or till golden brown.
When cookies have cooled, sandwich coffee butter cream in between 2 cookies and serve.

Method for coffee butter cream
Mix icing sugar and soft butter till well blended.
Add in coffee powder and water.
Mix till well blended.

Well, we managed the coffee butter cream without a hitch. It was so easy. Especially with the help of the blender, everything that needs to be wisked, blended or mixed is done within minutes. But we had problems with the coffee cookies. And I know why.

I mis-read the instructions. I added too much water! What a boo-boo..
*sigh*

No coffee cookies for hubby this time, but since the instructions are sooo simple, I shall attempt it once again when I am free.

Then after all these baking, it's the washing up and cleaning to do.. what a day.

But it was fun! I can vouch that my oven is working fine too. Next time, we shall try our hands on cupcakes. There's this nutella cupcake that I got from my friend's blog that looks very very interesting!! I wanna try soon..

Sometimes, baking is addictive!