Chocolate-drizzled praline cookies

“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand”

The husband and I love 'Crossword' bookstore. We always tend to chance upon some great bargains. One such was 'The Little Guide to Cookies'!

This book contains over 60 recipes, all absolutely fabulous and all at Rs. 125! The best part of the book is that is gives detailed illustrations and techniques (written & pictorially depicted) on how to put these cookies together. The book is divided into 7 sections: drop, bar, cutout, sliced, shaped & molded, pressed and special cookies with ingredients (or atleast close substitutes!) that can be found in stores.

Look at the some of the fabulous stuff one can find in this book!

I decided to start with the very first recipe, Chocolate-drizzled praline cookies. The recipe starts with this note, "Be careful not to over bake these pecan-laden (here walnut) treats: they are best when nice and chewy. Begin to check for doneness after about 5 minutes.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

125 gms butter, softened
220 gms brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
185 gms flour
125 gms toasted pecan or walnuts (which is what I used)
90 gms semi sweet chocolate chips (this was only for the chocolate-drizzle, I added about 2 tbsp into the batter)
1 tsp shortening (I had none)

Method:

1. In a medium bowl beat the butter with an electric beater on medium or high speed for 30 sec
2. Add the brown sugar and baking powder beat till combined
3. Beat in egg and vanilla
4. Stir in flour with a spatula or wooden spoon
5. Drop dough with a rounded spoon 2 inches apart and bake in a preheated oven for 8-10 mins.
6. Remove cookies and cool.
7. In a plastic piping bag, add the chips and shortening, and melt over warm water.
8. Snip off a small corner and pipe over cookies.

Now, I'm not used to the luxuries of using chocolate chips for the purpose of melting, simply for the purpose of convenience! Oh no! I chop up the chocolate into bite sized morsels and melt away. Chips are strictly for decoration! Its sacrilege to melt them, especially when not so freely available! So when I saw chips in the list of ingredients I naturally assumed they were for the batter and happily started adding tbsp after another - until I read what the method bit of the recipe said. Regular dark chocolate was used for the drizzle.

Also, I halved the recipe.

Give us today our daily bread

I loooove the smell of freshly baked bread! Home-baked bread disappears faster than one can spell b-r...Continuing all the wonderful times of my baking classes, decided to make a cannelloni (which by the way my help at home has learnt to perrfection!) with garlic and cheese bread was made for dinner.

The yeast is still at home in abundance, so much so that naans (also perfected by my help!) are now becoming part of daily fare!

To add a bit on break-making, important to follow. The process of letting the dough rise is known as proving. During the whole proving of the dough the yeast are multiplying, feeding on the sugar that is present. Carbon dioxide is produced, and this fills up the tiny gas pockets generated during the kneading of the dough

Once the dough has doubled in size it is important to knock the dough, this is similar to kneading. The dough is punched after which it is kneaded gently for a short time. The aim is to remove any air pockets which have might formed in the dough, create an even texture in the bread and redistribute the yeast, allowing fermentation to continue. The dough can then be proved a second time.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
Flour - 250 gms
Yeast - 15 gms (1 tbsp - fresh yeast)
Warm milk - 50 ml
Sugar - 10 gms (2 tsp)
Butter - 15 gms
Salt - 5 gms
Water - as required
Cheese - 75 gms (8-0)
Garlic - 10 flakes

Method:

1. Disperse yeast along with sugar in a little warm milk and keep aside for 2-3 mins


2. Sieve flour into a marble top (preferably) and make a well in the centre


3. Pour yeast mixture , add water as required to make a soft dough (do not knead)


4. Mix butter and salt and ix it into the the a smooth dough


5. Cover the dough with a wet cloth (e.g. muslin) and leave till it rises to almost double in size ('proving')


6. Take the dough and knead it on the marlble top again - add in chopped garlic and half the cheese


7. Shape into loaf and place on well greased baking tray and prove again till it doubles in size


8. Once done brush with egg wash (I use a milk walk which is 50 ml with 1 tsbp of sugar)


9. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in oven at 200 degrees celcius


10. When done sprinkle with melted butter!
    

The cheese and garlic can be replaced with almost any filling you wish, mushrooms, olives, herbs, paneer etc.

All ready to be served for dinner!