Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think most of the bakers out there will agree that their baking careers started with a humble recipe of chocolate chip cookies.

Who wouldn't? It is very easy to make a batch -- no special equipments needed, ingredients are very easy to find, and the best of all...the bliss of eating these treats! From this simple cookie (usually a hit, never a miss!) you'll soon find yourself ready to try the more complicated baked goodies. I bet you...you'll get addicted to baking!

It is said that Ruth Graves Wakefield, accidentally invented the chocolate chip cookies. She ran out of her bakers chocolate and substituted it with chopped Nestle bars, thinking that it would melt with the batter. But she was wrong, the chocolates just softened...and the rest is history.

I have tried the chocolate chip cookies many times before. I must say that I perfected it. But I have to try the chocolate version. So I look for a promising recipe and found this from my favorite baking site Joy of Baking. I followed everything, except for the nuts, which were not available when I baked this.

The cookies are just perfect! Cruchy, caramalized edges but soft and chewy in the middle. It might be because of the 2 kinds of sugars in the recipe.



perfect with a tall glass of cold milk



so yummy!!!

Here's the link to the recipe. Try it and let me know your feedback!

Enjoy!!!

Nora Daza's Cream of Chicken Soup

Will make the chicken chunkier next time.

Of all the soups, the cream of chicken is my hubby's favorite. I used to buy the soup mix in the grocery until I found this from my Nora Daza cookbook.

This is waaay much better than the supermarket bought soup. Healthy too since there are no preservatives added into it.

This will have a regular appearance in our dining table I swear!

Recipe

1/4 kilo chicken breast with bones
6 cups of water
half onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsps butter
1 large onion, chopped
6 tbsps flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
fresh or dried parsley for garnish

1. Make broth by boiling chicken in water, onion and salt. 
2. Once the chicken is done, slice the chicken in cubes or shred it.
3. Set aside both the broth and chicken.
4. In a stock pot, sauté chopped onion in butter. Once transluscent, add the flour and cook over low heat until smooth and bubbly.
5. Add the stock and chicken. Boil until the liquid is thick.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Add the milk and turn off the heat. There's no need to boil the soup after the addition of the milk to prevent milk from curdling.
8. Garnish with parsley.

Serve hot.

Baking 101: Ham and Cheese Bread Roll

I was not feeling well last week, so I took a 2 days off from work to rest. I went to a doctor for a check up and apparently, I had a slight asthma attack na pala...I didn't even know I have that! So the doctor adviced me to take a rest. The whole thursday, I just stayed in my room and just literally sleep and rest...sarap!

Friday, though I can still sleep again the whole day J, I can't deny that I was bored. So my best way to kill boredom was to bake. For so many days, I've been wanting to bake breads...and I'm glad that i found the perfect time. I started early, 12 noon, because it will consume a lot of time, you need to rise the dough for 1 to 1 1/2 hours then knead, and then rise again for an hour before baking them. I finished at exactly 4PM just in time for snacks.

...and the bread? Soft and delicious! I just need to add more filling to make it more flavorful.

 

inside of the bread

 My family loved it! Will definitely try this again.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 tsps instant active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
egg wash
ham (of your choice) slices
Cheddar cheese

Procedure

WITH MIXER
1. Melt butter with milk in microwave oven. Let it cool to room temperature.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the yeast and warm water and let stand for 10 minutes until creamy, thick and bubbly.

bubbly and creamy yeast in warm water

3. Whisk the sugar and eggs to the yeast mixture. Add the butter and milk mixture, mix well.

4. Add 4 cups of flour and mix over low speed, using a mixer with dough hook. Sprinkle the salt.

5. Knead at medium speed until the dough comes together and sweeps the side of the bowl clean. If the dough is too moist, add the flour by tablespoons from the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Total kneading time is 10 minutes.

6. Transfer the dough to a large and lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise and develop the flavors for 1 to 1 1/2 hours

The before and after

7. Punch the dough and transfer to a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Cut the dough equally into 16 pieces. With a rolling pin, roll out each dough and put the ham and cheese filling at the center. Carefully tuck the filling inside the dough. 

8. Lightly grease a baking sheet and place the rolls in it.

9. Cover with slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise again for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. preheat the oven at 350F, 10 minutes before the rising time ends.

After the second rising

10. Brush the top with egg wash, and bake 25 minutes. 

uncooked bread inside the oven...

WITHOUT MIXER

Note: My cheap mixer broke down when I was mixing the dough. The dough became heavy that's why the mixer gave up (need to buy a new one). I decided to manually mix and knead the dough...my goodness labor of love!! I saw this process from my mother when I was younger. She manually kneaded all the breads that she baked before.

Those who do not own a mixer, you can still make the bread, here's how:


1. Follow steps 1-3
2. In a clean, flat surface, dump the flour. Add the salt. Make a well in the middle and pour all the liquid ingredients (from steps 1-3).  
3. Using your clean hands (or use gloves), carefully mix everything together. Knead the dough well until they become elastic. (I had swollen arms i swear!)
4. Follow steps 6-10.

Note: I used the bread recipe of yummy's cinnamon roll 

Enjoy!!!

Baking 101: Easy Chocolate Cake

Happy valentines everyone! What is the most popular gift for V-day? Of course chocolates! Forget about the diet...why? because chocolate makes you feel good. It also associated with passion, romance and love. Surprise your lovey dovey with a lovely dinner and end with this decadent dessert.


The cake is moist and very chocolatey. I suggest that you eat this at room temperature so you'll have a taste of the bursting chocolatey goodness of this cake. The frosting also tends to harden when refrigerated. If you'll check the ingredients, it has cream in it, which is very high in fat. If you refrigerated them, pop it quickly in a microwave oven to soften the frosting a bit, about 20-30 seconds or lesser.


Ingredients


for the Cake
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsps coffee granules, dissolved in 1 cup of very hot water
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


Frosting
1 cup cream, I used Nestle cream in can
1 stick unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
450 g semisweet chocolate, chopped


Procedure:


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.


1. Sift together sugar, flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Pour the hot coffee over the chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted completely. Set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla. Add the melted chocolate. Mix until well blended.
4. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture by thirds. mix until well blended.
5. Pour batter into 2 lined 9" round baking pans.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before turning out of the pans. Cool completely before frosting the cake.


Frosting
1. Heat cream, butter, sugar, salt in a saucepan until the butter is melted. Add chopped chocolates and melt over low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.


2. Cool the frosting while stirring constantly. For faster cooling, put the bowl inside the freezer for two minutes, then take them off and stir. Repeat the process until the frosting is cool and of spreading consistency.


To assemble
1. Trim the dome part of the cakes to have an even surface. Place 1 cake in a cake stand.
2. Pour frosting on top of the first cake. Spread the frosting until the top of the cake is covered.
3. Put the remaining cake, upside down on top of the first cake. Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake.


Enjoy!

Yogurt with Banana and Honey

This is the continuation of my yogurt project. I have to put flavor in it so I can enjoy it more and wouldn't be just tasting the tangy taste of the yogurt. The addition of fruits means additional helath benefits. 

So as part of my experiment, I added the staple fruit in the house to my homemade yogurt...bananas!!! Ideal for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

To sweeten the yogurt, I drizzled it with honey and topped it with sliced bananas...easy eh? If you want it sweeter, feel free to add more honey. It tasted like the store bought yogurt...but cheaper!

I super love! love! love!

Here's the picture of my flavored yogurt.

Happy eating!