Whole Wheat Atta Cookies

These are home baked whole wheat cookies, we can enjoy these with a hot cup of tea. These cookies can stay for a week in a air tight container. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Ghee

 1/2  cup Powdered Sugar 

 1 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour 

 3 tablespoons fine Semolina 

2 tbsp Milk powder 

 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp Baking Powder 

1 tbsp  or more Milk 

 1 tbsp Almond flakes 

Some Kesar strands 

Method 

Add the ghee, sugar, salt and cardamom powder in a bowl and beat it well. Add the whole wheat flour, semolina, milk powder and baking powder into the bowl and mix it together till crumbs are form. Add the milk very little at a time until a dough is form. Take a baking tray. Make small lime size portions of the dough. Take a portion and slightly flatten the dough and create a small cavity in the centre. Please the cookies on the tray leaving little gaps in between the 2 cookies. Garnish with almond flakes and Kesar strand. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes depending upon your oven temperature. Cool the cookies in the same tray until the cookies cools down completely before eating it. Keep it in a air tight container.

Ratafia Biscuits

This are small light textured, round, almond flavored biscuits similar to Italian Amaretti biscuits.

Traditionally Ratafias were made from the kernels of apricot, almond or peach instead of a flour. 

They are light and crispy but chewy. They are served after dinner with coffee or as snacks. They are also used making cakes, puddings and trifles. They can be stored for a month in an air tight container. 

I have adapted this recipe from epicurus.com. 

Ingredients

2 Egg Whites

1/2 tsp Almond Essence

30 grams Butter 

1 tsp Butter for Greasing 

120 grams Almond meal

1 tbsp Rice Flour

175 grams Caster Sugar

Method

Place a baking paper on the baking sheet, grease the sheet with butter and keep it aside.

Beat the egg whites until it begins to form peaks. In a different bowl add in sugar and butter, beat it till the sugar forms soft crumbs. Add the essence, beat it until its softens further. Gradually add the rice flour and almond meal,continue to beat till the all the ingredients incorporates well. Add the egg whites and beat it again till it forms a sticky dough. Take a normal round nozzle. Use a piping bag for piping out the biscuits into small balls. Another alternative is that you can wet your palms and take small portions of the dough and form round balls. Keep a distance between the 2 balls. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees celsius in an pre heated oven till it becomes light brown in colour. Cool it completely before removing the biscuits from the sheet.

Date Jaggary Cookies

Date Jaggary Cookies..
Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour
3/4  cup Ghee
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp Date Jaggary grated
1 cup Water
1/4 tsp Salt

Method
Take a pot, add water, 3/4 cup date jaggary and salt. Boil the water till the date jaggary dissolves. Take it off the flame. Take a mixing bowl, add the flour and ghee. Mix it well. Gradually add Jaggary water and knead the dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 5 equal portion. Roll each portion into same size sheets. Brush ghee on the sheets. Place the sheets on top of the other sheet.Start rolling the sheets from one end so that one is layered inside the other. Now there will be a long roll, cut this roll with a knife about one inch each. Keep all the pieces aside. Take one piece at a time and press it a little sideways with your finger and flatten it with a rolling pin. Cut the roll into half. Repeat the process with the other rolls. Place the cookies on the baking tray. Take 1 tbsp Jaggary and make small balls out of it, place the balls on the cookies. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes in a preheated oven. Cool it completely before having.

Shrewsbury biscuits

Shrewsbury biscuits....

Shrewsbury biscuits
Ingredients
150 gram flour
120 gram butter
75 grams sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
Method
Beat the butter well then add sugar and beat it again until the butter becomes fluffy. Add baking powder, flour and milk and beat the batter. At this stage the dough is very soft so keep it for 20 to 45 minutes.( If the climate is hot then keep it for 15 minutes in the freeze and 15 minutes out). After 20 to 45 minutes take the dough and make equal balls and keep the balls at a distance on the baking tray. If you have the mold then use the mold and stamp the balls so you will have Shrewsbury stamped on the balls. If not just flatten the balls with your hand. In a preheated oven bake if for 15 to 20 minutes at 160 to 170 degrees depending on your oven. Please keep checking after 15 minutes and turn the tray to keep browning. Keep the biscuits in the same tray till it cools.

Honey ginger chocolate cookies

Honey ginger chocolate cookies

Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp castor sugar
1 egg
45 grams butter
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 slab melted chocolate

Method
Preheat the oven at 170 degrees. Take a pan and melt the butter, honey and sugar. Stir the liquids till Luke warm. Add the egg and mix it well. Now add the grated ginger and flour. Mix it till it forms a soft dough. Knead the dough gently. Sprinkle flour on the platform and roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. With the help of a heart shape cookie cutter cut out heart shape cookies. Put it on a baking tray and bake it for 10 minutes to 15 minutes at 170 degrees till light brown. Cool the cookies completely. Now take the melted chocolate and dip half the cookie in the melted chocolate and decorate it with cherries.

Karachi Biscuit , Savoury Biscuit and Whole Wheat Cheese Biscuit

Karachi Biscuit
Ingredients
150 grams Butter
4 grams Baking powder
10 grams Cardamom powder
15 gramsMilk powder
50 grams Custard powder
250 grams All purpose flour
150 grams Mixed dry fruits
150 grams Sugar powder
1/2  tsp Pineapple essence
3 tbsp Water

Method
Take a bowl mix all the dry fruits (chopped cherries, cashew nuts, papaya candy fruit and  raisins). Add all purpose flour, custard powder, milk powder, cardamom powder, baking powder mix all of these well and keep it aside. Take another bowl add butter, powder sugar, pineapple essence.  Beat it well. Add  water, mix it well. In this add flour and dry fruit mixture, mix it like a dough, take a rolling pin roll the dough into thin sheet, cut them into square shape and arrange the cookies in to the tray and bake them at 180 degrees  for 15 minutes in a pre heated oven.

Savoury Biscuit
Ingredients
⅔ cup butter
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 egg
2 - 3 Tbsp cold water

For Topping
Ingredients
Crushed fennel seed , crushed coriander seed , paprika, sesame seeds and crushed cumin seed

Method
Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Add the butter, sugar, salt, water and egg in a bowl and mix well. Add the flour and mix quickly only until it holds together. Roll dough out to 1/16 of an inch. Cut into squares. Sprinkle over the topping on each. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until puffed, crisp, and golden.

Whole Wheat Cheese Biscuit
Ingredients
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cups grated cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped cold butter
¼ or more cup butter milk
1 tsp red chilli flakes
½ tsp crushed black pepper
salt as required

Method

Take a bowl, add  flour, salt, red chili flakes and crushed black pepper. Mix well. Add the butter to the flour and rub the butter with fingertips to make a breadcrumb like mixture. Add grated cheese and butter milk and gently form a smooth dough. Make some balls from the dough and roll on a board with some dusted flour about half an inch.with a cookie cutter, cut the biscuits. Place these biscuits  on a greased baking tray. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees  for 15-20 minutes or till crisp and well browned.

Coconut Macaroon

Coconut Macaroon
Ingredients
2 cups  coconut flakes
1 can  sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla until well blended.In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.Gently stir/fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.Drop the batter onto lined cookie sheets with either two teaspoons or a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop 2-inches apart.Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack with a thin metal spatula to cool completely.

Home Made Dog Biscuits.....

Home Made Dog Biscuits.....

We cook and bake for our love ones. Do we make any special treat for pets who love us unconditionally? This is a perfect treat for your pet... Make them and see how your dog will love it. 

Ingredients

3/4 cup Hot chicken and vegetables stock

2 tbsp Margarine spread 

2 tbsp Peanut butter ( made from unsalted Pea nuts)

1Egg beaten

2 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour

1/2 cup Oats

Method 

In large bowl pour hot chicken and vegetable stock over the margarine. Stir in peanut butter and egg. Add flour and oats 1/2 cup at a time. Knead for a few minutes to form stiff dough. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into bone shapes or any shape. Bake at 160 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool. A excellent home made treat for dogs.