"Famous Amos" Chocolate Chips & Almond Cookies

27.10.2014 - Batam, This is the most taste alike Famous Amos Chocolate Chips Cookies so far.  I added almond and added chocolate powder to make the cookies taste more chocolaty. It taste great! you can add any nuts you want

'Famous Amos' Chocolate Chips & Almonds Cookies

Ingredients:
A)
Castor sugar 50g (I reduced to 30g)
Brown sugar 150g (120g)
Salt 1/4 tsp
Butter 120g
Shortening 30g (butter can substitute for shortening)

B)
Egg -1
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

C)
Plain flour - 220g
Baking powder- 1/2tsp
Baking soda - 1/2tsp
(I added 10g cocoa powder)

D)
Choc chips- 250g
(  I added Almond chopped 52g )

Method:
1) Whisk together the flour,baking powder and baking soda. Soft and set dry ingredients aside.
2) Using hand mixer, beat (A) butter, shortening,castor sugar, brown sugar, and salt together. Add (B) and stir until smooth.
3) Add sifter (C) and mix well
4) Stir in (D).
5) Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoons onto prepared baking sheet. shape into a bite size dome and dont press or flatten it. it will melt itself into a nice shape.
6) Bake at 170C for 15 minutes or until cookies are cooked.  i preheated and bake at 170c for 25minutes, for 6 batches of cookies.  out from oven, let it sits for 5 minutes and use a bread knife to scrub up the cookies, turn the cookies upside down to cool and once all cool, keep in air tight container or jar.

Melt in Your Mouth - Pineapple Tarts

25.07.2014 - Batam,  Raya is around the corner, so thought of making some buttery and melt in the mouth Pineapple Tarts.

Bought 2 pkt of ready cut pineapple with cores attached, around 737g 2 pkts.  So i used them all in making the fillings.  I blend in the cores too, nothing to be wasted.  Making the pineapple filling can be a day ahead or a week ahead, pineapple filling can keep up to few months in an air tight jar.

For the pineapple dough, i got this recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover blog.  Her recipe sounds good, so i give it a try.  I have been reading many pineapple tart recipe dough, can't make my decision of which recipe to try, but decided to try NasiLemakLover.  It turn out to be very yummy!! it really melt-in-your mouth tarts as said on her recipe.  So buttery delicious.

Please refer the complete pineapple tarts recipe on her blog.  Because i used my own measurement for the pineapple filling but surprisingly its just perfectly enough for making the tarts, im so glad... :) clap clap! good job to myself.

Homemade Pineapple Jam
737g Pineapple, blend with food processor ( do not add water or discard the pineapple juice )
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla essence

Method
Cook blended pineapple with juices in wok over low heat until water reduced.  Add in sugar and vanilla essence cook over low heat, keep stiring till thicken, dish up and cool or into fridge.  Pineapple Jam / Fillings can make a day ahead.  Extra pineapple fillings can use as jam for bread.

Pineapple Tarts Pastry Ingredients:-
350g butter 
100g sweeten condensed milk 
510g plain flour / all purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 egg yolk +1tsp milk, for egg wash

Method Pineapple dough:-
1. Cream butter and condensed milk till light.

2. Add in egg yolk one at a time, and beat until combine.

3. Mix in flour, mix till become a soft and not sticky dough.

4. Roll pineapple filling into ball (8g each) and roll dough into ball (10g each) i roll my dough about 11-12g each for ineapple filling no measurement.

5. Flatten a piece of dough and place a piece of the roll pineapple filling in the middle. Bring the edges of the dough together and press lightly to seal. Roll it in between your palms to shape it into a roll.

6. Cut few lines on the pineapple balls to create pineapple pattern, apply egg wash with a brush.

7. Bake in preheated oven at 165C (fan forced) for 23mins or till golden brown. i preheat at 180c, bake at 180c for 40-45mins.  All perfectly brown.  A total of 93pcs.

Nestum Cookies

20.07.2014 - Batam, Nongsa.  Nestum cookies always one of my all time favourite cookies.  I think i had the best nestum cookies was in Brunei.  Missing it so much.

I've got this recipe from google, but while making it, i was struggle on the moulding. i use knife to cut cookie dough into squares, but my dough turn out a little too dry, so i get alot of crumbs along the way...so messy! but after bake was delicious and crispy.

Ingredients:-

Ingredients:
125 grams Unsalted butter
83 grams Sugar
17 grams Egg yolk
100 grams Plain flour
42 grams Corn flour
2 grams Salt
66 grams Nestum

Methods:

Preheat oven to 180 °C and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a stand mixer or hand mixer.

Add the egg yolk and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift together the plain flour, corn flour and salt. Then add to the butter and egg mixture.
With a spatula, mix just until incorporated.

Fold in nestum and mix well.

Scale dough into small ball of 15 grams each. Place these small balls of dough onto each baking sheets.  Gently flatten each ball of dough with a fork into a round shape (about 2 inch round).  ( I flatten it with a rolling pin and put into square )

Bake the cookies for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown.

Notes:
Do not over bake the cookies. Otherwise it will be very dry and hard.
When the cookies done, they should still seem a little soft and they will firm up as they cool.

Peanut Makmur Recipe

28.01.2014 - Batam.  It has been a longtime i was looking for Peanut Makmur Recipe  but couldn't find one.  However, i found a kueh Makmur/Momo recipe with the ingredients quite similar to what i am looking, so i used this recipe with a little modification, it turn out really the Makmur that i have been looking for. It would be that melt in your mouth makmur due to the peanuts that i added but i am after this result :)

If you want to stick to the original recipe, you could omit the peanut and any additional that ive used for this peanut makmur.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour or all purpose flour
150g roasted peanut ( i added )
40g icing sugar (if you like a sweeter taste, add up to 75g icing sugar)
75g full cream milk powder*
150g ghee ( i used anchor unsalted butter 200g ) 
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk

about 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar (confectioner sugar)

Method:

Add flour to wok or frying pan. Dry fry at medium low heat for about 5 - 6 minutes. Keep stirring the flour to avoid burning till flour becomes very hot and smells lightly nutty. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Fry peanuts over low fire until fragrance.  Grind while the peanuts are still warm. Put aside.

Ground salt with 1 tsp of the dry roasted flour using pestle and mortar to a fine powder. Add this to flour.  Add milk powder and icing sugar and roasted peanut.

Mix dry ingredients together then sieve, break up any large lumps with fingers, remove any remaining gritty grains.  Melt ghee/butter in pan for few sec.

Transfer melted butter/ ghee and and 1 egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula then finish by rubbing with fingers till dough is evenly mixed.  The dough is crumbly but should form a lump when squeeze together.

Take a handful of dough, squeeze into size of the makmur/momo balls is up to you. I like them quite small about 1.5 - 2cm diameter.

Place balls on baking tray (pan) lined with parchment paper, arrange balls with some space for expansion.

Preheat oven to 160deg C. Put the tray of cookies in the oven, lower heat to 140 deg C fan oven (or 150 deg non fan oven), bake for about 12 - 15 minutes till light golden. Makmur/Momo balls will expand slightly after baking. I bake at 180c 20 mins

Leave to cool for few minutes till cool enough to pick up by fingers. Then coat generously with icing powder. They are very fragile, be gentle and don't crowd the bowl.

These kuih makmur/momo will keep fresh for couple of weeks in airtight container.

Happy Baking!!

Milky Popiah Rolls

19.01.2014 - Nongsa, Batam.  Milky Mini Popiah Rolls is the name i give.  This recipe is very similar to Popiah Nestum / Holicks but the ingredients only use without Nestum.  If you would like to use this recipe as Popiah Nestum is absolutely no problem.

I couldn't obtain a single recipe in google that show step by step rolling process. Here i provides you my step by step rolling process, i hope it is useful for all beginner like me.

As i cant figure out how a whole pc of popiah skin to be cutted and roll.  So I did my way, I cut into 6 rectangle pcs. and tear out and do the rolling with a chopstick.  Everything went well till the end.

I am glad my mini popial rolls turn out so good, it si so delicious, milky, crispy and crunchy!! Love it!!

Very delicious and crispy!

Ingredients: 
1 pkt large popiah skin, cut into 6 blocks
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Coating Powder: 
1 1/4 cup Full Cream Milk powder
1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

To seal the popiah roll:- 
1tbsp flour
1tsp water
Mix to combine and set aside

Method:-
1. Tear half of the whole pkt of popiah skin for easy cutting on the chopping board. cut half of the whole popiah into 6 blocks of rectangle shape.

2. use a chopstick to roll each popiah skin. and seal properly.

3.After all done. Prepare coating powder.  Mix milk powder and confectioner's sugar with a whisk and set aside.  To get more sweeter taste, add more confectioner's sugar as you desire.

4.  Heat wok, Add oil for deepfrying popiah rolls.  With a low fire.  fried each batch until golden brown. Dish up and drain oil with kitchen towel.

5. While it is still a little warm, coat mini popiah roll into coating powder and set aside until cool and transfer to an airtight container.

Happy Cooking!!

 Cut into 6 blocks rectangle shape

Roll popiah skin with a chopstick, seal with the batter

 The finishing roll of 1 pkt 

 Full Cream Milk Powder & Confectioner's Sugar for coating

 Mix both together Full Cream Milk Powder & Confectioner's Sugar in a large bowl set aside for coating later

 Low fire deepfried slowly until golden brown

 coat warm popiah rolls with sugar mixture

Pineapple Tart

2008 - Pineapple Tart, In Indonesia, they call this "Nastar" - Seriously melt in your mouth! Soft and buttery! You want to have it more until you finish it all!

This recipe was given by my mother in-law and I guess this is the best pineapple tart I have ever had. Its super soft and smooth. 

All you need to have just two fresh pineapple, flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks and it takes 8 hours to complete the whole process with making the pineapple filling from scratch is not easy.  Its hell lots of works and long hours, Im lucky to have my sister to help me. We manage to produced 11 containers of pineapple tart 23pieces each box for sell. All sold!

This site update today 10.10.2013, I got the recipe from my MIL finally!! i can post here for you all.  I have lost it when im too busy making it many years ago!

She gave me this recipe just 3 months ago.  What i can remember definitely a little different from what she gave me years ago.  Becuase i didn't use Roombutter, only with Margarine ( blue band brand ) for the pastry.  By the way, making pineapple tarts the first thing what you need to prepare is the Pineapple Fillings / Pineapple Jam. I make my Pineapple Fillings from scratch, Recipe is included. 

Anyway, i hope you all find this recipe easy and i am happy to share. Happy Baking everyone!!

INGREDIENTS: For Pineapple Filling (from scratch)

300-400g grated pineapple or ( 2-3 medium pineapple )
150g sugar (or to taste)
2 tbsp Vanilla Essence ( to taste )
1 Cinnamon Stick, optional
3 Clove, optional

*Peel, Wash and hand grate whole Pineapple in to very fine. If pineapple produce too much juice, discard some pineapple juice, so it wont be too watery or else the cooking pineapple filling will become longer for filling to cook away. 

*Prepare a wok, slow fire heat wok, bring grated pineapple to a boil , add in sugar and spices. Let it simmer for 30 minutes or until it thicken.Taste to see if it has achieved the desired sweetness you want,if is too sour, you can add more sugar.  Let it cook until water dries up. 

*Let the pineapple filling cool to room temperature before using. Balance to keep in refrigerator for future usage or use as jam for breakfast.

INGREDIENTS: for tart pastry:-

300g All Purpose Flour

2 Egg Yolks  

50g Confectioner's Sugar

50g Roombutter 

250g Margarine ( Blue Band brand ) 

1tbsp Vanilla Essence 

1/4 teaspoon salt
50g Milk powder, Optional
1 egg yolk, for egg wash

For the pastry:

*Sieve all purpose flour, corn flour, milk powder, salt and icing sugar into a medium bowl. Beat butter in a mixer until it turns light in color and fluffy.Add in egg yolks & vanilla essence until well combined. 

*Slowly add in the flour, beat mixture until just combined.

To assemble:

*Roll pineapple filling into small individual rounds. Turn dough out and roll into small rounds.Flatten the rounds and use it to cover the prepared filling.

*Brush the unbaked rolls with egg wash.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F/180ºC for 10 to 15 minutes or till lightly brown.