Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Great Cookie Swap – Wandering Spice



As I promised you in December, I would blog both of my received cookies from http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2011/12/the-great-food-blogger-cookie-swap-recipe-roundup-part-1.html. I have finally received my second cookies due to a teensy mix up.

These deliciously scrummy cookies came from Yasmeen at http://www.wanderingspice.com/2012/01/wholemeal-orange-and-hazelnut-biscotti.html, she baked and sent me Chocolate and Orange Biscotti.  I have never tasted Biscotti in Chocolate and Orange and being a jaffa lover, they were delicious!  Why have I never tried this combo in cookie before?? With the hazelnuts it added a lovely crunch to them also and I had to stop myself eating the entire dozen in the first day.  The cooler rainy nights I’ve had in Sydney lately have meant I could curl up on the lounge with my fav hot chocolate and dunk them.

So I will post a photo for you to drool over and wish you were in the swap, and if you love your baking, get out the mixer and pop on over to Yasmeen’s blog and whip yourself up a batch.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

No 1 Challenge - Caramel Apple Cheesecake Slice

Month 1 - January
Blog 1 - BAKE IT, CREATE IT, LOVE IT at http://www.bakecreatelove.com/?m=1
Recipe 1 - http://www.bakecreatelove.com/2012/01/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html?m=1


Well here I am at the starting block, having just completed my first Monthly Kitsch’n Challenge. And it was definitely a good one. I accidently fell into this recipe through a cute little site called http://www.sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com.au/ where I was contacted to link up my Mini Rainbow Cheesecakes in January. And next to my post a photo caught my eye, if was from a blog http://www.bakecreatelove.com/2012/01/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html?m=1. She had posted a scrumptious looking recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars.

My first hurdle was getting hold of a box of Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix (but you can just mix up the dry ingredients of a recipe. The slice is pretty much made in 3 separate parts and then layered. You need to be mindful, after preparation and baking, it needs to cool and then set in fridge, allowing an additional 4 hours to cooking time. Something I didn’t read in advance. But I can assure you, this slice is well worth the time that it takes to make. It is delicious! If you like Cheesecake and you love apple pie, then this is your perfect match!

If you live in Australia like me and you want to buy fantastic American ingredients and products, check out http://www.usafoods.com.au/ (based in Melbourne, Australia).

Recipe
Ive broken this into 3 easy parts to try to simplify it for you, because it appears more complicated then it actually is. 
  1. Bottom Layer
1 x Packet of Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix including the Cinnamon Sugar (or the dry ingredients of a cookie recipe)
125g Butter - melted
1 Tbsp water
1 Egg

  1. Middle Layer
2 x 250g Packets of Cream Cheese (2x8oz)
½ cup Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

  1. Top Layer
2 x Cooking Apples – peeled, cored and sliced into ½ peices
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Castor Sugar
1 cup Plain Flour (All Purpose)
½ cup Oats
½ cup Brown Sugar
½ cup Butter – softened and cubed


Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Line tin with foil and grease with butter or oil. You can use 1 tin that is 13 inch by 9 inch, or 2 tins that are 11 inch by 7 inch.

Place the packet of snickerdoodle mix and cinnamon sugar sachet into a large mixing bowl, add the egg, water and butter and mix well. The mix will become a gluey mixture. This is normal. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin or tins and spread it out evenly to the sides.

Place tin/s into the oven and bake for 25 minutes on middle shelf. Remove to slightly cool. Turn oven down to 180 degrees.

In the electric mixer place cream cheese, castor sugar, eggs and vanilla, and commence mixing, until you have a smooth and runny mixture.  When the base cookie in your tin/s has cooled down, pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the warm cookie.

Peel, core and slice your apple and place into a large bowl, measure out the cinnamon and castor sugar and then toss through the apple until all the apple pieces are coated evenly.  Spread the apple pieces over the top of the cheesecake mixture (there will be gaps between apple pieces).

In a food processor place all remaining dry ingredients and butter, pulse the processor until your have a combined but course crumbly mixture.  

Cover the top of the slice/s with the crumb mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and then refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Slice and serve with a caramel sauce and an optional scoop of ice cream.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Red Velvet Pancakes



I have a personal favourite to share with you all, and you can thank my Little Miss Two, who this week has declared Pancakes for breakfast each morning, and given we have gone through a few months now of a refusal to eat anything for breakfast, Im happy to oblige to this sudden craving. Lucky for me we have been away and so the Pancakes til today were provided courtesy of the Qantas Business Club Lounge Pop-cakes Machine and the Hotel room breakfast (which I deemed the best pancake breakfast Ive eaten EVER and that is a HUGE call – I sneaked in a pic of it below so you can drool and by totally jealous) at The Prince St Kilda in Melbourne Australia.

So anyway back to breakfast, Missy declared pancakes and then immediately whipped out her apron and pushed in her chair. So with my Handy Helper all ready with whisk in hand I had no choice but to roll out the bowl and pan myself and start dishing out the ingredients to her!

Recipe
1 1/3 cups Plain Flour (All purpose)
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Bi-carb Soda
1 Tbsp Castor Sugar
1 Lrg Egg
200g Yoghurt (any – I used strawberry kids yoghurt)
200ml Milk
40g Butter – melted
Sprinkle cinnamon, or Vanilla, or Emulsion (I used Red Velvet Emulsion by Lor Ann)

Using a large mixing bowl and hand whisk (even a kids size whisk or fork), measure and place in all the ingredients. And whisk til you have a runny mixture.

Place frypan on low heat for 3-4 minutes and then using paper towel or greaseproof paper grease with butter.
WHOOPS! Thats not mean't to happen!

Using a ¼ measuring cup or spoon place mixture in 2 or 3 lots in your frypan. When pancake/s become covered in air bubbles it is ready to flip over. Do this and wait approx another 3 minutes, check and if golden remove from pan. My suggestion is to keep your cooked pancakes on a dinner plate covered with a tea towel to keep them warm and soft.  Grease pan with butter between each batch of pancakes.

Cover with chopped strawberries and drizzle with maple syrup for best results!
Serves – 4 people (2-3 pancakes each)
Verdict = DELICIOUSLY STRAWBERRY!!

Friday, January 27, 2012

It’s a New Year – Year of the Cookie!


Happy New Year to my beloved readers! 
I am not a person that makes New Year Resolutions, ever! And this year will not be the exception. However I do have a To Do List. An extensive To Do List.

  • Year of The Cookie – I mean Business
  • Get Blog onto 3 collated pages
    - Home : Everyday Baking
    - Batter Up Kitsch’n Challenges (12 months, 12 Blogs, 12 Recipes, 12 Challenges – 1 Result)
    - Cookie Queen Kitsch'n - Cookie Business Promotion
  • Commence and stick to monthly Kitsch’n Challenges
  • Increase Market Sales
  • Get a Kitchen Cupboard just for cookie & cake decorating supplies
  • Organise Cookie Cutters so I know what I have
  • New Blog Header

In November I have started attending a Market and have a regular stall, the Market is the Artisan Fair, it took over from the Hide & Seek Market in Kellyville, it doesn’t appear to get alot of traffic like it use to, location seems to be a main factor as its a little off the main drag. So from February it is being relocated to the Castle Hill Showground the 3rd Sunday of every month, much better position so we’ll see how that goes in Feb and March.

Well January has kicked off a few orders already, I love new orders for new things, its so fun.

Here is this week’s Ballet Pointes for SJ Dancers for Registration Day for the Dance School at Moorebank, Sydney.

I should have some fabulous new recipes up in my coming posts, I just received a box of goodies from http://www.usafoods.com.au/ and with boxes of snickerdoodles, confetti cupcakes, canned caramelised apples and toasted marshmallow crème there are some wonderful treats ahead for you all.

Also I have lots of new cookie cutters, including :
  • Cinderella
  • Crowns & Tiara
  • Moustaches
  • Monkey head
  • Ballet Pointe
  • 3 different Ice Cream Cones
  • Mickey Mouse (2 profiles)
  • Chip and Dale
  • Macaw
  • 2 gorgeous sitting cats
  • Diamond Ring
  • Milk Bottle

And now I have started making my own unique cutters, can’t wait to try out some more. Here is one I just made:


Here are some of my latest cookies in the past month, take a sneak peek, any Christmas cookies can be adapted with different colourings eg ladybirds, Elves into clowns or gnomes, High heels in any colours sparkle or plain, Ballet Slipper to any colour to suit Dance School, Babushkas in any colour and of course Monograms on circles, squares, rectangles, hearts or plaques.












ORDER YOUR COOKIES NOW FOR 2012 - YEAR OF THE COOKIE!