Orange wafer cookies

Sweet Nostalgia.....

Most of my baking experiments are trials to recreate stuff that was once readily available to me in Abu Dhabi, and now in Mumbai I simply crave for them sometime...

One of these aforementioned cravings is for these orange wafer cookies..i don't remember the brand name, or even what they were called, i only remember picking up the orange box of tiny cookies, every time we were in the biscuit section of any supermarket.

so naturally when i was deprived of the yummy snack in Mumbai, i went in search for a recipe that would recreate them, and luckily found the perfect one, on my first try (what were the chances of that, without even a name of the cookie).

I really didn't have to change anything in the recipe....like i sadi, the recipe perfectly recreates my favorite orange cookie, 

BEWARE !! You can't just have one..

Ingredients:
½ Cup Butter Softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract or 2 tbsp orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Thin orange or lemon peel strips, optional

Method:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, orange peel, lemon peel and extracts. In another bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inche. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. If desired, top with orange peel strips.

Bake at 180°C for 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. 
Yield: about 4 dozen.

Little rounds of perfection ...

Gulab Jamuns

Going Traditional....

I have to confess...I like traditional sweets, But I am Very picky about where I have a particular Indian sweet from , My Kaju Katli Has to be from MM mithaiwala, my rossogulla has to be fresh and spongy, my carrot halwa has to be mom made and so on and on it goes...(people think i'm impossible, but thats just how i am).
When it comes to gulab jamuns, the traditional way of making gulab jamuns is by addind a little khoya or mawa to the dough, plus some people even add rose water to the syrup. but i don't like them if either of these ingredients are added, and i prefer the modern recipe for this traditional sweet , that is, making the dough with milk powder. 

Ingredients:

8 tbsp milk powder

3 tbsp maida

1 tsp ghee

1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

milk - as per consistency

for syrup -

2 cups sugar

4 cups water 

Method:

mix milk powder, maida,ghee, and soda bicarbonate, add milk to make shaping consistency. make balls, make sure that the surface of the balls is smooth. fry the balls in ghee.

make sugar syrup, and add balls in warm syrup, cover and keep till the balls are softened.

Golden balls of perfection !!!

chips

Healthy Munchin...

This is not much of a recipe, more of an Idea, but a really good one. you can make baked chips with whatever you want, you can make your classic all time favorite potato chips, the indian favorite banana chips, or healthier versions like sweet potato or tapioca chips.
believe me, your kids will love you, and you will be the cool mom, who makes them Chips...

The recipe that i initially found was for sweet potato chips, and believe me i found them better than potato chips, especially for kids, they are richer in vitamins than the regular potato and because of the slightly sweet taste in them, you actually require no salt or seasoning...(not joking)

Sweet potato crisps

Ingredients:
2 Sweet potatoes,Scrubbed and sliced into small strips with a potato peeler.
Few sprays of olive oil

Method:
Turn the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with foil.
Pat the sweet potato slices dry with some kitchen paper and arrange on the tray.
Spray with the spray oil and lightly stir to coat all sides.
Spread them out again so they are mainly in contact with the foil.
Bake for 8 - 10  minutes until golden brown, turning once half way through. Keep an eye on them towards the end as they can quickly turn from done to burnt.

You might have to experiment with the temperatures and timings depending on you oven and the type of hips you are making, but once you have perfected that, there is not much effort required for making these

Baked banana chips