Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies



INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp semolina
2 tbsp chickpea flour
3/4 cup Crisco + 2 tsp water
1/2 cup green colored sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tbsp grated pistachios

DIRECTIONS:
Cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add 1 tsp of vanilla, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, and the grated pistachios. Mix the flours and baking powder together in a separate bowl and add it to the wet mixture. Knead it to make into sticky dough. Let this refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make small cookies out of the dough and place them around 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake them for around 15-20 minutes or until the edges turn light brown. (Oven time may vary).

VARIATIONS:
1.You can use unsalted butter instead of shortening. If you use butter, you don't need to add water.
2. I used the green colored sugar to give the cookies a color of pistachios. You can just use plain white sugar and add green food color or omit the color all together.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Golden Orange Cupcakes


This recipe is adapted from the magazine "Taste of Home", it sure is a wonderful recipe, definite try-out!!

INGREDIENTS:


1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup veg oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
Few drops of Wilton Orange icing color (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, orange juice, and oil.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; add to wet mixture and beat well again for few minutes.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. With a toothpick using a small drop of the orange color create the marbling effect on the batter (marbling effect is the circular effect created by rotating the color-dipped toothpick in the batter). Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 12 cupcakes.