Wordless Wednesday

Cookies Season – courtesy of my kids

Coffee Butter Cookies

Sometimes you just want to eat your coffee.

This is a variation of my butter cookie recipe.  I threw in a small handful of chocolate chips coz coffee and chocolate go together.  But not too much as this a a coffee cookie, not chocolate chips cookie.

Coffee Butter Cookies

250 g butter (softened)

250 g sugar

2 Tbsp desiccated coconut

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp instant coffee granules

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

pinch of salt

handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until well mixed.  Add in everything.  Mix well.  Dough should not be sticky.  If it sticks to your hands, add in a bit more flour.

Chill dough for at least half an hour.  Scoop teaspoonfuls on a lined cookie sheet.Press lightly at the top to flatten them a bit.

Bake in a 180C oven for about 15 min.  Turn off the oven and let it dry out for another 15 min.  This makes it more crunchy.  It’s optional of course.

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I have collated a list of FAQs that people have asked me.  Hope it helps.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where do I buy softened butter?

Just leave it on the counter top for a little while and it should soften.

2. I chilled my dough like you said and now it’s all hard!  What do I do?

Just leave it on the counter top for a little while and it should soften.

3. My cup is bigger/smaller than yours.  How?

I use a standard measuring cup.  Please get one from the baking shop.

4. Must I dissolve the instant coffee in water first?

No.

5. Must I use the electric mixer to cream my butter and sugar until light and fluffy?

This step is not necessary for cookies.  I just use a wooden spoon and whisk the butter and sugar till well mixed.

6. Can I freeze the dough?

Yes.

7. Why are you so inconsistent? You use cups to measure flour and grams for measuring sugar and butter??

Because it’s faster and less messy for me.  Butter is pre-measured in grams; sugar I usually eyeball using a Tbsp (usually 25g per Tbsp); measuring so much flour in cups is less messy than on a kitchen scale.

8. Can don’t chill the dough?  So troublesome!

Yes.  It’ll still work.  But it probably won’t taste like mine.

9. Your blog is always about baking/chocolate/coconut/sweet potatoes/muffins/cookies.  Don’t you know/make anything else, like real food?

Yes.  But I LOVE baking/chocolate/coconut/sweet potatoes/muffins/cookies.

10. How do you invent/come up with recipes?

I am not afraid to substitute and experiment.  I encourage you to do the same. *wink

 

 

 

Chocolate Coconut Waffles

Chocolate a day keeps the frown away. 8D

 

Chocolate Coconut Waffles (makes about 8)

250 g plain flour

150 g sugar

1-2 tsp instant yeast

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

200 ml coconut milk

200 ml water

6 Tbsp coconut oil

Mix everything together and leave to proof in a warm place for about 45 min.

Cook waffle as usual.  Flavorful enough to eat it on its own.  Or with chocolate ice cream!

Lavender Butter Cookies

Lavender cookies haven’t exactly hit the market here yet.  Most of us can’t imagine it coz we only get lavender in our soap, perfume and talcum powder.  So when they think of lavender cookies, they will picture a sickening soap-flavored cookie instead.  I have tested my lavender cookies on my friends.  Most of the guys will balk at flower-flavored cookies whereas the women love it. I like it.  The cookie is crunchy, buttery (I use cultured butter) and it’s got a pleasant, mild lavender smell that is nothing like soap.

In this recipe, I made my own desiccated coconut. I do it because I want to avoid sulfur dioxide which is used to preserve color in food that tends to turn brown. For example, dried fruits like apples, mangoes, yellow raisins and coconut contain sulfur dioxide.  It’s just not good for people with eczema.  It’s extra work but it’s not hard work.  Just get skinned grated coconut from the market or grocery store.  Spread it out on a baking sheet and bake it on low temperature in the oven until dry.  Store in fridge or freezer.  Of course if you have no issue with sulfur dioxide, then just buy desiccated coconut from the store and make your life easier.

Lavender Butter Cookies (about 50 bite-sized cookies)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 sticks butter

250 g sugar

1 Tbsp desiccated  coconut

2-3 Tbsp lavender flowers

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugar until well mixed.  Add in the rest of the ingredients.  The dough will be soft but not sticky.  If it’s sticky, add in more flour.

Chill for a few hours.

To bake, preheat oven to 180 c.  Bake for about 15 min.  Turn off oven and let it dry out and crisp in the oven for about 15 min.

Lavender

 

Did you know that 1 lb of lavender is A LOT? Haha….I did.  So I split a bag with my friend. Did you know that 1/2 lb of lavender is STILL A LOT? I never actually visualized the massive amount of lavender… just that 1/2 lb is better than 1 lb! haha. Oh well, think of the endless possibilities, only limited by my imagination! Well, turns out not many share my passion for the little purple flowers.  I triple bagged them and put them in a container.  Now my container permanently smells of lovely lavender.  And when I use it to store my bread, i get lavender scented bread! Aren’t we so clever.

Lavender cookies recipe coming up soon! That would reduce my stash to 1/2 lb minus a whopping big 2 Tbsp.