Agbalumo Drink - Version 1
A couple of weeks ago my daughter sent me a picture of a glass of juice, unusual juice! Made from a fruit which is in season from November/December to March/April and usually just eaten as is. It is called agbalumo in Yoruba and udala (udara) in Igbo; in English it is White Star Apple, African Star Apple being a variation and finally the botanical name Chrysophyllum albidum. I had heard that this fruit is particularly good for diabetics (not me but my husband), but personally I don't like its texture and gummyness. But maybe a juice would be more palatable.
So last Sunday I went to a farmers market and saw beautiful ripe agbalumo and decided to buy some and try my hand at this juice.
When most of the liquid has drained off take the ends of the cloth and twist together in a ball and squeeze out any remaining juice. Due to the nature of agbalumo the leftovers can be used like chewing gum, which children are very fond of!
Technically speaking it is not a juice because of the addition of water but a drink. A very tasty drink, sweet, sour and a little bitter. Truly enjoyable but because of the sugar not really suitable for diabetics.
So last Sunday I went to a farmers market and saw beautiful ripe agbalumo and decided to buy some and try my hand at this juice.
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| Fresh Agbalumo |
The picture was at https://www.instagram.com/kuluwaz/, at casakuluwaz.wordpress.com/ there are fabulous recipes but no juice. So going back to the Instagram post I saw that the original recipe was obtained from https://www.instagram.com/kitchenbutterfly/and used with some variations. So I headed over to that site and found it immediately. Since I had more fruit than stated in the recipe I made my own adjustments.But first I had to find the recipe.
Here is what I used:
14 ripe agbalumo, 2 l water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 generous tsp ground ginger, 16 green cardamoms, seeds crushed in a small mortar and pods removed, 2 tsp vanilla extract.
How the drink is made:
Wash and cut up the fruit into smallish pieces, leaving the rather large seed in. Place in a rather large pot and add the water and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, open lid and allow to cool until warm.
Line a colander with a draining cloth (cheesecloth or clean dishtowel) and place on a bowl or pot, large enough to take all the liquid.
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| The cooked fruit and spices draining |
Next decant the liquid into a suitable bottle and keep in the fridge until thoroughly chilled.
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| Ready to drink |
Mardi Gras - Shrove Tuesday - Fasching
Just a short while ago was New Year and now we are already in February! This is the time that many countries in the world prepare feverishly to get the last costumes and floats ready and everything else which makes a carnival successful.
Naturally, food also plays an important part in the festivities! My favourite is the traditional German doughnut, called Berliner everywhere except Berlin, where it is called Pfannkuchen! To add to the confusion, literally translated Pfannkuchen means pancake, which the British use with great enthusiasm to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. But I mean a fluffy, round doughnut filled with Pflaumenmus, known as plum butter in English. If not available, a tasty jam of your choice will be just as good.
Doughnuts are not difficult to make but the dough requires sufficient time to rise. There are two ways to prepare doughnuts - baking in the oven or deep frying. The recipe is the same for both. I will show the deep fried version. Now for the how to:
Ingredients:
Lift out the done doughnuts and place on absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Fill syringe with the preferred jam (you can also use Nutella or similar) and a bowl with granulated sugar. Roll each doughnut in the bowl with sugar and before lifting it out of the bowl inject about a generous teaspoonful of jam at the side of the doughnut where the pale line shows.
Instead of rolling the doughnuts in sugar, they can be filled and then dusted with sifting icing sugar over while they are still hot. Another way is to mix sifted icing sugar with a little warm water and a dash of fresh lemon juice to make a thin glaze which is then brushed over the top of each doughnut.
Naturally, food also plays an important part in the festivities! My favourite is the traditional German doughnut, called Berliner everywhere except Berlin, where it is called Pfannkuchen! To add to the confusion, literally translated Pfannkuchen means pancake, which the British use with great enthusiasm to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. But I mean a fluffy, round doughnut filled with Pflaumenmus, known as plum butter in English. If not available, a tasty jam of your choice will be just as good.
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| Doughnuts - Berliner - Pfannkuchen |
You will need a deep fryer or fairly large pot. I prefer to use a wok because of the shape. It requires less oil and has a larger surface for frying. You will want a couple of tablespoons to place the doughnuts in the hot oil and a spider or similar to remove and drain them after frying. A lot of kitchen paper or crumpled newspaper is needed to absorb as much oil as possible. A cake syringe is needed for filling the doughnuts.
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| Dough after the second rising |
500g flour, 2 egg, 50g butter, 3 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 1/2 tsp dried yeast, lukewarm milk, vegetable oil for deep frying, jam for filling and sugar for coating.
Method:
Mix yeast with sugar and a little of the milk in a small bowl. Cover and allow to become foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Break eggs into a measuring jar and top with milk to give you 1/4 l (250ml) and whisk. Add the softened butter to the egg milk and stir to help it dissolve. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the frothy yeast and the egg/butter/milk. Knead thoroughly. Cover bowl with a dishcloth or clingfilm and allow to rise for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on your temperature. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead again, then put dough back into bowl, cover and let rise again for another 15 - 20 minutes. Now divide dough into 12 to 15 equal pieces, 75 or 60 grams each, as you prefer. If no scales are available you can gauge the size halfway between a golf ball and a tennis ball. Place the balls on a lightly floured tray and cover as before. This time allow to rise for about 45 minutes. If you use a deep fryer get the oil to 180℃, if using a pot or wok the temperature is correct if a wooden spoon held into the oil produces lively bubbles.
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| Almost ready for frying (or baking) |
When the dough is ready and the oil is hot enough, start frying the doughnuts. 2 - 3 minutes each side is all that is needed.
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| You can see why I like to use my wok! |
Lift out the done doughnuts and place on absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Fill syringe with the preferred jam (you can also use Nutella or similar) and a bowl with granulated sugar. Roll each doughnut in the bowl with sugar and before lifting it out of the bowl inject about a generous teaspoonful of jam at the side of the doughnut where the pale line shows.
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| The filling with jam can be a bit messy! |
If you are cautious about consumption of oil you can equally well bake the risen doughnuts in a preheated oven at 180℃ for 15 - 20 minutes. Then you complete the doughnuts as before.
These Berliners are not only eaten at Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday or Fastnacht but throughout the carnival period and New Year! Please, let me know if you made them and how you liked them!
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| Enjoy! |
Happy New Year!
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| Bananas ripening |
Fruit suitable are banana, apple, pineapple, papaya, soursop and grapes. But it is important to remember that one should not use more than four different types because of the way they interact and affect the digestion.
The reason for my choice of fruit lies in the properties of each which are as follows:
Bananas - rich in potassium, good for heart health and controlling blood pressure
Apples - excellent for the digestion, rich in fibre, helpful in managing diabetes
Papayas - anti-cancer properties, also rich in fibre and good for the digestion
Pineapple - good for bones and eyes, anti-inflammatory
Soursop - rich in antioxidants, good for the eyes, anti-cancer, fights parasites.
Grapes - help to control blood pressure, are great for weight loss, eye health, blood sugar control, colon health, good for the heart.
These are just a few of the benefits of these fruits. To make my smoothies even more beneficial I also add a few spices which are anti-inflammatory and keep my joints from aches and pains. I also add some natural yoghurt or milk, depending on my fancy!
And now for the recipe:
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| Banana, apple and a slice of papaya |
1 apple
1 slice of fresh papaya
1 heaped Tbsp natural yoghurt
about 1/2 cup of water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground or fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground or fresh turmeric
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Cut fruit into chunks, removing seeds. Place in blender together with the other ingredients and whizz until smooth. If too thick add a little extra water. If you use milk instead of yoghurt use about one cup.
This should make approximately 600 ml or
2 cups of delectable smoothie.
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| Spices from top left; cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric and freshly grated ginger |
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| Rich and creamy - ready to be enjoyed |
Next time a vegetable smoothie!
King's Cake
Christmas is upon us and this recipe is coming very late indeed! Luckily this is a wonderful cake not only for Christmas but New Year as well and any other occasion in the year!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
This recipe is from my Grandmother's handwritten collection and I love making it at least once a year. For this Christmas I baked several to share with my daughters and their families. Next year I hope they will do the baking, for a change!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Let me translate:
King's Cake (Königskuchen)
250 g butter (room temperature)
200 g sugar
4 eggs
500 g flour
4 tsp baking powder
250 g raisins
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp vanilla sugar
a pinch of salt
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
This is how my grandma will note down the ingredients without explaining details. So I will do so instead. Raisins usually means a mix of currants, raisins and sultanas with the addition of chopped candied peel. Raisins also means the said mix has to be soaked overnight with enough rum (brandy as alternative, but it is not as tasty) to cover. Vanilla sugar is always made at home. Split a vanilla pod in half, place in a fairly large glass jar and fill up with sugar. ready for use in a couple of weeks. And never forget a pinch of salt! When asked why she doesn't add it to her list of ingredients she replied that that is a given, everybody knows to add salt! Now let us bake!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
You will need a loaf tin approximately 30 x 10 x 10 cm, lined with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180℃. Drain raisins, reserving the liquid. Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until really fluffy. Now beat in the eggs one at a time until fully worked in. Start adding about a quarter of the flour mix, work in until absorbed. Add juice and zest of the lemon and 2 or 3 Tbsp of the reserved rum. How much to use is determined by the flours' rate of absorption. Add another quarter of flour and mix in thoroughly. Continue until the flour is used up. The dough should drop heavily from the spoon, so do not add to much of the rum (keep the excess for another recipe). Finally add the drained fruit and mix until evenly distributed. Place dough in prepared loaf tin and bake on centre shelf for about one hour. When a skewer inserted comes out clean the cake is ready. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out, remove paper, then place on cooling rack.
If you wish, the cake can be covered with glacé icing to make it more festive (and sweeter)!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Hopefully you will find time soon to make this delectable cake!
Then let me know how you rate it!
A Merry Christmas to everyone!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
This recipe is from my Grandmother's handwritten collection and I love making it at least once a year. For this Christmas I baked several to share with my daughters and their families. Next year I hope they will do the baking, for a change!
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| Original Recipe in my Grandmothers' Handwriting |
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Let me translate:
King's Cake (Königskuchen)
250 g butter (room temperature)
200 g sugar
4 eggs
500 g flour
4 tsp baking powder
250 g raisins
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp vanilla sugar
a pinch of salt
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
This is how my grandma will note down the ingredients without explaining details. So I will do so instead. Raisins usually means a mix of currants, raisins and sultanas with the addition of chopped candied peel. Raisins also means the said mix has to be soaked overnight with enough rum (brandy as alternative, but it is not as tasty) to cover. Vanilla sugar is always made at home. Split a vanilla pod in half, place in a fairly large glass jar and fill up with sugar. ready for use in a couple of weeks. And never forget a pinch of salt! When asked why she doesn't add it to her list of ingredients she replied that that is a given, everybody knows to add salt! Now let us bake!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
You will need a loaf tin approximately 30 x 10 x 10 cm, lined with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180℃. Drain raisins, reserving the liquid. Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until really fluffy. Now beat in the eggs one at a time until fully worked in. Start adding about a quarter of the flour mix, work in until absorbed. Add juice and zest of the lemon and 2 or 3 Tbsp of the reserved rum. How much to use is determined by the flours' rate of absorption. Add another quarter of flour and mix in thoroughly. Continue until the flour is used up. The dough should drop heavily from the spoon, so do not add to much of the rum (keep the excess for another recipe). Finally add the drained fruit and mix until evenly distributed. Place dough in prepared loaf tin and bake on centre shelf for about one hour. When a skewer inserted comes out clean the cake is ready. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out, remove paper, then place on cooling rack.
If you wish, the cake can be covered with glacé icing to make it more festive (and sweeter)!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
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| My trusty baking spoon |
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| My triple batch of dough |
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| The finished Königskuchen |
Hopefully you will find time soon to make this delectable cake!
Then let me know how you rate it!
A Merry Christmas to everyone!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
To bake cookies for Christmas is a centuries old tradition dating back to the Middle Ages! Today I want to share one of the old recipes with you, not from that long ago but over a hundred years old and handed down from my grandmother.
Despite technological advances and modern ingredients for modern recipes some good old fashioned recipes cannot be improved upon. This is one of them!
Ingredients:
75 g butter
75 g sugar
3 Tbsp honey
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
8 g ground cinnamon (I use 2 tsp)
250 g flour
3 tsp baking powder
50 g ground almonds, peanuts or walnut (I used freshly roasted and ground peanuts)
125 ml apple wine, or less, depending on consistency
( apple juice will do if preferred)
Method:
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add honey, egg and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Sift flour with baking powder and stir in the ground nuts of your choice. Add about half of the dry ingredients to your butter mixture and combine until absorbed. Add a little of the apple wine, stir in, then add more of the flour mix. The dough should be smooth and a little soft but not sticky. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Roll out dough to pencil thickness, cut out stars and place on ungreased but floured baking sheets. Bake on middle shelf for 7 to 10 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Transfer to cooling racks. These cookies will not be crunchy but will remain soft.
An easy way to roll out the dough without it sticking to the rolling pin is to do the rolling between two layers of clingfilm
To decorate the stars mix 250 g sifted icing sugar with a little fresh lemon juice to obtain a fairly thick icing. Use brush to coat each cookie and sprinkle with vermicelli or Hundreds & Thousands. Or decorate according to your own preference!
The cinnamon stars will keep fresh for about two weeks in airtight containers separated by layers of greaseproof or waxed paper.
Let me know your opinion when you have tried this recipe. I would really appreciate it!
Despite technological advances and modern ingredients for modern recipes some good old fashioned recipes cannot be improved upon. This is one of them!
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| Cutting of first batch |
75 g butter
75 g sugar
3 Tbsp honey
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
8 g ground cinnamon (I use 2 tsp)
250 g flour
3 tsp baking powder
50 g ground almonds, peanuts or walnut (I used freshly roasted and ground peanuts)
125 ml apple wine, or less, depending on consistency
( apple juice will do if preferred)
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| Ready for baking |
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add honey, egg and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Sift flour with baking powder and stir in the ground nuts of your choice. Add about half of the dry ingredients to your butter mixture and combine until absorbed. Add a little of the apple wine, stir in, then add more of the flour mix. The dough should be smooth and a little soft but not sticky. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Roll out dough to pencil thickness, cut out stars and place on ungreased but floured baking sheets. Bake on middle shelf for 7 to 10 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Transfer to cooling racks. These cookies will not be crunchy but will remain soft.
An easy way to roll out the dough without it sticking to the rolling pin is to do the rolling between two layers of clingfilm
To decorate the stars mix 250 g sifted icing sugar with a little fresh lemon juice to obtain a fairly thick icing. Use brush to coat each cookie and sprinkle with vermicelli or Hundreds & Thousands. Or decorate according to your own preference!
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| Ready to be enjoyed |
Let me know your opinion when you have tried this recipe. I would really appreciate it!
The Marvellous Cookie Press
A cookie press is a great alternative to rolling out dough and using cookie cutters. The press is ideal when you don't have a lot of time but still want enticing, inviting cookies! I have mine for almost twenty years and I must have made a couple of thousand cookies.
Mine is made of metal and is very easy to use. The press can give me four different sizes which is really useful. Turning the cutting disks either up or down gives you flatter and larger cookies or smaller, higher ones. My cookie press can also be adjusted under the lever, so one gets a single or a double portion of dough in each cookie, which means you can have little, delicate ones or more substantial ones.
A variety of discs come with the press, so it is ideal for making cookies for any occasion. Unfortunately some of my discs have gone missing over the years, so I added the plastic discs of another press which broke. Luckily they are the same size!
To create cookies with the cookie press the
dough has to be softer than the one used for
cookie cutters which would be too difficult
for the press to handle.
Here is the recipe which is so adaptable that you can use it for Christmas with the spice mix, change the spices to lemon or orange zest, add finely ground almonds or any traditional ingredient for your particular festivities.
Depending on the size of cookie you choose this recipe will make between 40 to 90 cookies!
Ingredients:
250 g softened butter, 100 g brown sugar, 125 ml treacle or molasses, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 450 g flour, 4 tsp spice mix (see previous post), 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder.
Method:
Cream butter and sugar, then add treacle, egg and vanilla and mix until creamy. Sift the dry ingredients and add in three batches, mixing in first and second batch until completely absorbed. The third portion should be kneaded in. Wrap dough in clingfilm and allow to rest and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190 C.
Fill cookie press and make cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in centre of oven for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on size chosen, or until slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool cookies on a cooling rack.
If you wish you can decorate the cookies with various icings or glazes, dribble with melted chocolate, add sprinkles or sugar beads to make them extra special.
Remember to remove the spice mix for other variations, but don't replace it with anything textured or grainy because then the cookies will not shape well.
When you try this recipe, please let me have feedback about taste, any difficulties or problems so I can make adjustments if necessary!
I need a name for this recipe! Who can give me some good suggestions?
Mine is made of metal and is very easy to use. The press can give me four different sizes which is really useful. Turning the cutting disks either up or down gives you flatter and larger cookies or smaller, higher ones. My cookie press can also be adjusted under the lever, so one gets a single or a double portion of dough in each cookie, which means you can have little, delicate ones or more substantial ones.
 |
| My trusty cookie press with original and substitute discs |
A variety of discs come with the press, so it is ideal for making cookies for any occasion. Unfortunately some of my discs have gone missing over the years, so I added the plastic discs of another press which broke. Luckily they are the same size!
To create cookies with the cookie press the
dough has to be softer than the one used for
cookie cutters which would be too difficult
for the press to handle.
Here is the recipe which is so adaptable that you can use it for Christmas with the spice mix, change the spices to lemon or orange zest, add finely ground almonds or any traditional ingredient for your particular festivities.
Depending on the size of cookie you choose this recipe will make between 40 to 90 cookies!
Ingredients:
250 g softened butter, 100 g brown sugar, 125 ml treacle or molasses, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 450 g flour, 4 tsp spice mix (see previous post), 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder.
Method:
Cream butter and sugar, then add treacle, egg and vanilla and mix until creamy. Sift the dry ingredients and add in three batches, mixing in first and second batch until completely absorbed. The third portion should be kneaded in. Wrap dough in clingfilm and allow to rest and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190 C.
Fill cookie press and make cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in centre of oven for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on size chosen, or until slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool cookies on a cooling rack.
If you wish you can decorate the cookies with various icings or glazes, dribble with melted chocolate, add sprinkles or sugar beads to make them extra special.
Remember to remove the spice mix for other variations, but don't replace it with anything textured or grainy because then the cookies will not shape well.
When you try this recipe, please let me have feedback about taste, any difficulties or problems so I can make adjustments if necessary!
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| Just a few cookies fresh from the press! |
I need a name for this recipe! Who can give me some good suggestions?
S shaped cookies are traditionally a year round treat. But today I will give you a variation which tastes and smells of Christmas. The secret is the added spicemix which makes these cookies extra scrumptious! The taste is reminiscent of Spekulatius, a traditional picture cookie from Germany. But not many home bakers have the necessary moulds to make those. So, a piping bag with a star shaped tip of at least one centimetre will give you an excellent result.
S shapes piped on a lined baking tray
As I was piping merrily along the idea came to me to try the other letters of the alphabet. That way I can pipe all the letters to spell someone's name, which should be fun for children (of all ages)!
Not so easy without practice, but fun!
I also piped circles, otherwise known as Kringel, another traditional shape.
Fresh out of the
oven
Filled disposable piping bag
Now let us bake! You will need several baking sheets lined with parchment or baking paper. Piping bag with star nozzle or a piping syringe with a suitable tip.
Ingredients and method:
200 g soft butter } cream together with handmixer
100 g sifted icing sugar } till smooth then add
1 medium egg }
1 tsp vanilla }
2 Tbsp milk }
a pinch of salt }and mix to combine. Add half
3 tsp spice mix }of
(recipe below)
270 g all purpose flour } and mix in at low speed. When combined add the remaining flour
and knead by hand until smooth. The dough should be soft but not
sticky.
Spice Mix:
2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground green cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground white pepper (I prefer black pepper)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Except for cinnamon and ginger which I buy already ground, use only whole spices which you toast and grind yourself in a spice blender. The taste is far superior to already ground spices which lose their flavour rather quickly. Likewise, nutmeg should be bought whole and grated finely according to need.
Now preheat the oven to 175 C and start piping the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. This recipe yields at least 40 large cookies. I was able to get double the number because I used a tip of 1 cm diameter. Bake on middle shelf for 15 minutes until edges turn light brown. Cool on wire racks.
If you do not have enough baking sheets to use up all the dough, use the same sheets again but make sure they have cooled down completely between batches.
If you decide to make some alphabet cookies you should draw parallel lines on your parchment paper about 5 or 6 cm apart, turn paper over so the lines are on the back and will not affect the cookies.
Look closely and you see the lines
I hope you enjoy making these and eating them too! In my house these cookies do not last long. I would love to hear from you, comments, questions or other observations.
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| S shapes piped on a lined baking tray |
 |
| Not so easy without practice, but fun! |
 |
| Fresh out of the oven |
 |
| Filled disposable piping bag |
Ingredients and method:
200 g soft butter } cream together with handmixer
100 g sifted icing sugar } till smooth then add
1 medium egg }
1 tsp vanilla }
2 Tbsp milk }
a pinch of salt }and mix to combine. Add half
a pinch of salt }and mix to combine. Add half
3 tsp spice mix }of
(recipe below)
(recipe below)
270 g all purpose flour } and mix in at low speed. When combined add the remaining flour
and knead by hand until smooth. The dough should be soft but not
sticky.
Spice Mix:
2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground green cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground white pepper (I prefer black pepper)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Except for cinnamon and ginger which I buy already ground, use only whole spices which you toast and grind yourself in a spice blender. The taste is far superior to already ground spices which lose their flavour rather quickly. Likewise, nutmeg should be bought whole and grated finely according to need.
Now preheat the oven to 175 C and start piping the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. This recipe yields at least 40 large cookies. I was able to get double the number because I used a tip of 1 cm diameter. Bake on middle shelf for 15 minutes until edges turn light brown. Cool on wire racks.
If you do not have enough baking sheets to use up all the dough, use the same sheets again but make sure they have cooled down completely between batches.
If you decide to make some alphabet cookies you should draw parallel lines on your parchment paper about 5 or 6 cm apart, turn paper over so the lines are on the back and will not affect the cookies.
 |
| Look closely and you see the lines |
I hope you enjoy making these and eating them too! In my house these cookies do not last long. I would love to hear from you, comments, questions or other observations.
Coconut Candy
A very common treat in Nigeria, but not so well known in other countries, is coconut candy. It is made from fresh coconuts, not the desiccated type. Now that Christmas is only a few weeks away you might want to try this out to serve along with your regular Christmas cookies.
First, obtain a good sized coconut which should be fairly heavy for its size. Shake it to hear if any water sloshes around inside which is very important. If you do not hear any liquid moving around, the coconut is bad and should not be bought. The coconut water is used in the preparation of the candy, so drain it into a container after piercing the "eyes" of the coconut.
Now you need a hammer to crack the coconut all around and with a final sharp blow it will break open. Using a sharp knife remove the flesh and also the brown skin adhering.
Now it is time to grate the coconut on a grater like the one shown in the picture. If you use a coarser grater the finished product will not stick together very well. And now for the recipe.
Pssst! For some extra indulgence you could dip the cooled candy in melted dark chocolate!
If you enjoyed this post, please share and let me know what you think!
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| Fresh coconut |
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| The coconut water has been drained |
Now you need a hammer to crack the coconut all around and with a final sharp blow it will break open. Using a sharp knife remove the flesh and also the brown skin adhering.
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| The fresh flesh from a very juicy coconut |
You need a baking tray for tiny cupcakes or a mini ice cream scoop. One can also use two teaspoons for shaping the candy and a lightly greased plate.
Ingredients:
2 cups freshly grated coconut (about 240 -250 grams)
1 cup sugar (280 grams)
the reserved coconut water plus enough plain water to make 250 ml
1 tsp butter
Method:
Place coconut and sugar in a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan and mix well, add the liquid and place on high heat. When the mixture starts to boil give it an occasional stir. When the liquid has almost evaporated add the bit of butter and keep stirring. When dry it will start to caramelize very quickly. So keep stirring until golden brown. Immediately take the pot off the heat and start shaping the candy, using a teaspoon or scoop to press into the cupcake tray. Or use one teaspoon to take a little heap from the pan and a second teaspoon to compress it into a quenelle or ball shape and place on greased plate. If not well compressed the balls will fall apart, so care should be taken to give each a good squeeze!
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| Cooling off in the mini cupcake tray |
Total time spent including the prep work on the coconut is about two hours. I hope you enjoy making it and sharing with friends and family!
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| The finished coconut candy |
If you enjoyed this post, please share and let me know what you think!
Gingerbread Cookies - Pfefferkuchen
Christmas is around the corner once again and so I want to share with you some recipes which after some tweaking here and there have become my favourites. Todays' recipe is meant for cookie cutters, stars, hearts etc. But if you have a gingerbread man cutter, all the better because the cookies are ideal for decorating with coloured icing. Or coating with melted baking chocolate or couverture. Both methods are great in temperate zones but here in the tropics any icing will just melt. Nevertheless the cookies are delicious!
And now for the recipe:
500 g wheat flour 2 Tbsp water
1 tsp. baking powder 1 medium egg
1 Tbsp bicarbonate of soda 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
100 g sugar 2 Tbsp ground ginger
200 g golden syrup or molasses 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp ground green cardamoms
125 g soft butter 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the spices. Then add the soft butter, syrup or
molasses, vanilla extract, water and egg. Mix with the dough hooks on your hand mixer, use a stand mixer or do it the old-fashioned way by hand. When dough is smooth wrap in clingfilm and chill for about an hour. Then cut dough into about 4 portions for easy handling.
Lightly flour your work surface and start rolling out the dough to about 1/2 cm thickness or slightly thicker. Place shapes on lined baking trays and bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 F) in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove to cooling racks together with the baking paper and allow to cool. Initially the cookies will be quite soft but will get crisp by next day. Once they are completely cool, store them in airtight tin containers. I find that plastic containers are not as efficient in keeping cookies fresh.
If you wish to decorate your cookies, the next day will be best. This recipe yields about 90 cookies, depending on size and thickness.
I would love to hear from you if you decide to try these cookies!
 |
| First batch |
And now for the recipe:
500 g wheat flour 2 Tbsp water
1 tsp. baking powder 1 medium egg
1 Tbsp bicarbonate of soda 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
100 g sugar 2 Tbsp ground ginger
200 g golden syrup or molasses 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp ground green cardamoms
125 g soft butter 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
 |
| Ready for the oven |
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the spices. Then add the soft butter, syrup or
molasses, vanilla extract, water and egg. Mix with the dough hooks on your hand mixer, use a stand mixer or do it the old-fashioned way by hand. When dough is smooth wrap in clingfilm and chill for about an hour. Then cut dough into about 4 portions for easy handling.
Lightly flour your work surface and start rolling out the dough to about 1/2 cm thickness or slightly thicker. Place shapes on lined baking trays and bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 F) in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove to cooling racks together with the baking paper and allow to cool. Initially the cookies will be quite soft but will get crisp by next day. Once they are completely cool, store them in airtight tin containers. I find that plastic containers are not as efficient in keeping cookies fresh.
 |
| On the cooling rack |
I would love to hear from you if you decide to try these cookies!
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