Pineapple Cinnamon Cookies

After thinking a lot on what to make out of a pineapple lying in my fridge, before it gets stale, I zeroed in on cookies..You know that right now I am all for cookies, if you visit my page http://www.facebook.com/KITCHENMANIA . Yes I am trying to hone my baking skills. I tell you, these cookies will make you fall in love with baking cookies..The flavor was just awesome and the taste , lip smacking. Here, I am sharing the recipe with step by step instructions...

 

Ingredients:
All purpose flour / Maida - 200gm
Pineapple- 1 full or canned
Brown sugar-150 gms
Butter-120gms
Eggs -1
Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
Vanilla essence- 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon (powdered) -1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/ 4 teaspoon

Method:

Preheat oven at 180 degrees and line a baking tray.

Sift flour , salt, baking powder, cinnamon and keep aside.



Whisk butter and sugar, till sugar slightly dissolves.

Add eggs one by one and whisk till it gets fluffy. Add vanilla essence and mix.


Pineapple can be added in many forms, either grated or in small chunks. Well, I pureed it and reduced it by sauteing it in little butter on high flame. I did this to reduce water content.

Now, add pineapple in the egg, sugar , butter mixture. Mix.

Add flour mixture in three batches, while mixing it properly to form a sticky dough. It should neither be too hard or too soft.

Make small balls out of the dough and place them on the baking tray. Sprinkle some cinnamon over them ( optional).

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.



Enjoy the spiced flavor of these fruity cookies.



Hope you liked it...

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Mind it !!! You won't stop at few... This is the beauty and taste of these cute looking cookies. Texture like cookies and taste like brownie,  is the speciality of these cookies. A must try for all of you, baking lovers.. Here, I am sharing this easy recipe..

Ingredients :

All purpose flour / Maida - 200 gms
Cocoa powder - 100 gms.
Baking powder - 1.5 teaspoons
Powdered sugar - 200 gms
Oil - 70 ml
Salt - A pinch
Lemon zest - 1 teaspoon ( optional)
Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon
Eggs - 2
Confectioner's sugar - 1 cup

 

Method:

Mix flour , cocoa powder, baking powder, lemon zest, salt,  powdered sugar and oil. You will get crumbled flour.

 

Now add egg one at a time and mix in the flour simultaneously.

 

Knead it to form a dough..It will be sticky in texture.

 

Cover the dough and refrigerate it for approx. 3 hrs or more.
Line baking tray and preheat oven at 150 degrees.
Take out cold dough and make small balls out of it. Roll in confectioners sugar generously to coat the balls completely.

Place them on the baking tray at a distance. Bake for say 15 -18 min. Cool and eat .....

Hope you liked it..

Classic French Eclairs Pastry

Eclairs is a world famous French pastry. Its a long cream filled pastry made out of choux pastry dough and topped with melted cream chocolate. Though there are various kinds of fillings can be done like custard, flavored cream. This is oh so delicious and light that hardly you'll find someone who can resist it.It's my hubby's favorite dessert, so I had to try it and the result were absolute treat. Here I am sharing step by step recipe with pictures...

Ingredients:

choux pastry dough for 8 pastries

For cream Filling

Sweetened Heavy Cream - 2 cups or Heavy cream 2 cup and powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tbs


For Chocolate Glaze


Dark chocolate / Dark Compound - 120 gms
Fresh cream - 120 ml

Method: 

Make choux pastry dough for 8 - 10 pastries. Line baking tray with a parchment paper. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Fill the pastry dough in a piping bag.

Pour pastry in eclairs shape i.e. long. Keep good space between pastries as they will puff up good. Brush with egg for the glaze.

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. Check with a needle whether its cooked.

Now bake them again at 150 degrees till they turn brown. This is basically fro browning of eclairs. Browning is required to achieve crispiness and also to avoid sagging of the pastry as they are hollow.
 

Cool on a wire rack.

For cream filling, mix one tbs of vanilla extract in the sweetened heavy cream. Whip the cream till soft peaks form. Fill it in a piping bag with a small nozzle.

For chocolate glaze, heat fresh cream till it slightly boils and pour it over chocolate pieces. Stir and whisk till a shiny smooth chocolate glaze is obtained.

 
Now take a pastry , poke 2 -3 small hole at the bottom with the nozzle and fill in the cream. Make sure that the cream doesn't ooze out much.

Dip the top of the pastry into the chocolate glaze or you can brush the glaze on top with a pastry brush.

Do the same with all the pastries and cool for 2 hrs, Serve.

Hope you liked it...

Choux Pastry - Technique French Style

Pâte à choux is a light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, croquembouches, eclairs. . It contains only butter, water, flour, and eggs. In lieu of a raising agent it employs high moisture content to create steam during cooking to puff the pastry. ( source : wikipedia). Here I am sharing the recipe of making choux dough in steps ...

 Ingredients:

All purpose Flour / Maida - 100 gms.
Eggs - 3
Sugar -2 tbs
Salt - 3/4tbs
Butter - 80 gms
Water - 170 ml

Method:

Sift flour in a parchment paper as floor has to be added in the water butter mixture in one go. 

In a pan boil water. Add butter. Let it boil till bubbles come out. Add sugar and salt. 

 
Immediately add sifted flour at once while beating the mixture using a whisker or spatula with other hand. You don't have to switch off the flame.

Keep beating the mixture till flour leaves sides of the pan. It will take approx 3 minutes. Switch off the flame.

Now let this mixture cool a bit as we have to add eggs now.

When the mixture cools add one egg. Beat the mixture so that egg gets incorporated completely.

Only after that add another egg and again beat the mixture.

Now add third egg . I'll suggest to beat this third egg in a separate bowl and add slowly to the mixture because it may not be fully needed. The consistency should be of a flowing mixture.. You should get a glossy and smooth mixture consistency.

Now fill this mixture in a piping bag for eclairs. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a tray lined with parchment paper pipe the mixture in long shapes like that of an eclair keeping good space in between. Keep in mind that pastry will rise threefolds.

( For profiteroles, mixture can be spooned on the tray, or piped in round shapes)

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees till they turn brownish and then bake for 8 - 10 minutes at 150 degrees for their crust to get crispier and browner. The second step is important else pastry may sag.

Once done, cool on a wire rack and use the pastry for filling with cream or custard. These pastries can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days. 

Hope you liked it ....