November 18, 2011

chocolate cookies and honey and spices cookies

These are really easy to make, the recipes are super simple! The dough can be prepared in 5 minutes if you prepare the butter earlier - it has to be soft! The chocolate cookies are rather cruchy and not really sweet. The honey ones are soft in the middle and rather flat - due to the honey added, it makes the cookies soft and moist, if you can call a cookie moist!
Chocolate cookies:
(adapted from www.marthastewart.com) 

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies, more or less)
  • 150g plain flour (1 cup)
  • 30g cooca powder (4 tablespoon)
  • 250g brown sugar, 70 g caster sugar (1 cup total)
  • 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
  • 110g butter
  • 1/2 teaspon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 175*C.
Line a flat tin with baking paper.
Mix butter and both sugars until uniform and fluffy. Beat in the egg, add vanilla and salt. Mix until well-combined. Sift cocoa, flour and soda to the mixture. Mix until just combined. 
Make balls of dough of 1 tablespoon each.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how crisp you want the cookies.

 
Honey and spices cookies
(heavily adapted from www.marthastewart.com) 

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies, more or less)
  • 150g plain flour (1 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1-2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2-3 tablespoon honey
  • 250g brown sugar, (2/3 cup)
  • 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
  • 110g butter
  • 1/2 teaspon salt
  • 1 egg
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 175*C.
Line a flat tin with baking paper.

Mix butter and both sugars until uniform and fluffy. Beat in the egg, add vanilla and salt. Mix until well-combined. Sift all the spices, flour and soda to the mixture. Mix until just combined. 
Make balls of dough of 1 tablespoon each.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how crisp you want the cookies.

November 11, 2011

November 7, 2011

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting


I had this real need to bake these cupcakes ever since I found the recipe - which was yesterday. My family normally loves peanut butter and a chocolate cake, so I though it would be great!
But my brother and dad both declared that they are trying to cut down on fats and sugar,
and my mom was perfectly happy eating the unfrosted cupcake. Which is kind of bad, because now I have an excuse to eat them all.
They came out lovely. The cake is soft and moist, and the frosting isn't too sweet - there is something salty to it from the peanuts, which is great.


Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting:
(adapted from www.browneyedbaker.com) 

Cupcakes:
Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)
  • 100 g butter
  • 55g dark chocolate
  • 40g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 100g plain flour 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 1/2 pocket vanilla sugar
  • 110g sour cream 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180*C.
Line a muffin tin with paper cups.
Put butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a bowl, place the bowl over a pan with simmering water. Heat, mixing, until completely combined. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
Now, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. 
Take a yet another bowl, whisk eggs until combined. Than, add both sugars and a pinch of salt. Whisk, until you get an almost white, fluffy mixture. This should take about 5 minutes. Add cooled chocolate and whisk carefully. Now, sift in 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Whisk quicky. Add the sour cream, whisk it in. Add the rest of the flour and mix until the batter is thick.
Divide the batter among muffin paper cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. You may want to rotate the tin after 15 minutes.
Cool the cupcakes for an hour before frosting.





Peanut butter frosting:
Ingredients (makes enough for 12 muffins + surplus for enjoying on its own. Or you can just frost with more than I did)
  • 3/4 cup well-sifted confectioners' sugar
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 tablespoons soft butter (unsalted)
  • 3-4 drops of vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tablespoons salt (but you may want to taste the peanut butter - they come quite salty sometimes)
  • 1/3 +  3 tablespoons cup heavy cream 
Directions:
Mix everything but the heavy cream until smooth and well combined. This should take about 5 minutes. The longer you whisk, the smoother the frosting gets. Scrape down at least once. When the frosting is satisfyingly smooth, add heavy cream and whisk for another 2 minutes.
Frost the cupcakes in whatever way pleases you: I find using spatula (or a knife) the easiest. Piping isn't quite my thing (yet!). Sprinkle with specks of chocolate and dust with some cocoa powder.


Keep refrigarated, or eat right away.




November 6, 2011

5 days with parka

sources: polyvore, mango, rag&bone.
 
I love a parka! I am currently searching for the perfect one, and that one from Mango is quite nice. Really warm. To me, it looks great paired with anything, but mainly: ankle boots, lace, patterns, and smart things, like the collared shirt or silky dress.

listening to Kavinsky, Drive official soundtrack.