Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My son, Julian, asked me to bake some chocolate chip cookies for him to bring to school to share with his friends. I gladly agreed. All along I had the impression that chocolate chip cookies are one of the easiest thing to bake. Just mix up the dough, drop them onto the baking sheets and just pop them into the oven, right? Wrong! I search through my cookbooks and decided to give these chewy chocolate chip cookies a try. I followed the instructions on the recipe closely, but I ended up with a batch of very flat and unattractive looking cookies. Determined to perfect these cookies... I searched the internet for more recipes and tips. I found a pretty similar recipe here. I fired up my oven again today, and make another batch of chocolate chip cookies. There were a few things that I have done differently this time round. I used a new bottle of baking soda, and I chilled the dough in the fridge for 30 mins before baking them. This time, the result is more satisfactory. I hope the kids in school will enjoy these cookies!

Easter Cookies

I was in the mood for cookies today, so I baked some easter cookies for friends and relatives.  These are just simple vanilla sugar cookies, but I added some whole wheat flour to the recipe for additional nutrients and texture.  Happy Easter everyone!  

Macarons: First Attempt

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Macarons

I love everything French, therefore I thought I should try to figure out how to make the traditional french pastry, macarons.  This delicate dessert is made up of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar.  Although the ingredients are simple and few, the techniques and skills involved in making a perfect macaron, are not.  I have yet to taste an original macaron from its native country, thus I do not actually know what exact texture I am aiming for in this project.  I did some reading up from the internet on this subject, and after gathering all the information and tips I needed, I proceed to make my first batch of macarons based on a recipe I got here.  I did not have much of an expectation on the final outcome.... in fact I had even mentally prepped myself for a possibility of total failure.  Thank God that that didn't happen.  I managed to produce more than 2 dozens of macarons, and non of the shells collapse/crack in the oven.  However, I do not think I did a very good job still...my shells are not in a smooth dome shape, and they all have a little peak that do not fall back down after I pipe them on the baking sheets.  My guess is that I have under-mixed the batter... so I will try to make adjustment on that for my second attempt.  Taste wise, they are crisp on the outside but tender on the inside.  The dark chocolate ganache compliments the sweetness of the shells, and even my husband who does not have a sweet tooth says he likes them.  And for that reason alone, I give myself a pat on the shoulder!  LOL.  

Lemon Curd Tartlets

I made some tartlets today and filled them with lemon curd topped with candied lemon zest.   Lemon has always been one of my favorite flavors when it comes to baking.  I like it for its appealing color, aroma and tangy taste.  In fact, I usually have a lemon or two in my fridge all the time.  For the tartlet shells, I used a sweet tart pastry (recipe adapted from carolwalter).  Lemon curd can be store bought or you can make some yourself.  I used this recipe.  Refrigerate the tarts overnight or 8 hours before serving.