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Date of Creation: 27 June 2010
I'm not really a big fan of muffins but these are to-die-for! I finally found the perfect recipe for Chocolate Chip Muffins and this one is courtesy of one of my favourite celebrity chefs, Nigella Lawson. I have tried many recipes before but muffins are either too dry or too rich. This one is just nice...moist, chocolatey but not overtly sweet. And no weighing machine required!
Nigella Lawson Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Direction:
Special equipment: Muffin tin with paper muffin cases
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring jug. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, risen and springy.
For more of her recipes, you should check out her website at Nigella Lawson.
Date of Creation: 26 June 2010
I was thumbing through my collection of recipes and stumbled upon a cupcake recipe that I used to make for a simple tea-time delicacy. The Chocolate Chip Almond Cupcakes are really easy to make and really fast to eat! Since I was too lazy to go out for tea, I decided to just make a quick trip to the kitchen and bake them. I like the soft texture of the cake, the warm, oozing sweetness of the chocolate chips and the crunchiness of the almond flakes. Yums...
Date of Creation: 27 June 2010
Whew! What a busy weekend filled with the seductive scent of baked goodies from the kitchen! It's always exciting to receive orders from family and friends. I don't mind at all because it gives me the perfect excuse to spend hours in my favourite spot in the house. On Sunday morning, I was literally covered in sugar and spice and everything nice as I rushed to prepare muffins and cupcakes for my cousin's birthday party in the afternoon. After I finished my aunt's order, I decided to bake a few more cakes since the adrenalin was still rushing through my veins! I was practically on overdrive....sugar rush! Anyway, I had two oranges lying in the basket looking all forlorn and dejected. Of course I had to put them out of their misery and give them the starring role in my baking sensation - Choc Orange Marble Cake. After an hour, my entire house was enveloped in the heady scent of oranges...love it! There's just something so seductive about orange and chocolate. It's a match made in heaven, truly.
Attended a friend's housewarming party on Friday, 25th June 2010. She was kind enough to order two large Marble Cheese Brownie for the party. I didn't have the time to take any before pictures but you can see the after picture below!
Thanks for the vote of confidence ST and I'm glad your guests enjoyed the brownie. Hope you don't mind me using your pic!
Date of Creation: 22 June 2010
I've always have a soft spot for berries - strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, raspberry...you name it. Unfortunately, since berries are quite expensive here in Malaysia, I can only buy them on rare occasions. Last weekend, my craving took the better of me when I saw boxes of luscious, red strawberries at a nearby supermarket. Imported all the way from the US, they were really juicy without the nasty tartness you'd get from the locally produced ones. Since I have a tub of cream cheese in the fridge, I decided to bake one of my family favourites, a cheesecake, of course. Thus, I now have a fairly large Baked Strawberry Cheesecake for my hubby and me to devour. Yums!
Date of Creation: 21 June 2010
As I continue my effort to be a better wife to my beloved husband, Nawawi, the few things that I truly enjoy working on is my baking and cooking skill. Despite being really tired after a long day at the office, I do try to cook dinner at home as a healthier option. One of the things I do try to make is dessert. Simple yet delicious sweets that hubby and I can enjoy with a cup of coffee. But it has to be quick and easy to prepare, of course. And the White Chocolate Pudding I made the other fits the bill. It took me just about 20 minutes to make it from scratch and I finally get the chance to use the ramekins I bought a few weeks ago. The pudding is just nice, not too sweet as the sweetness comes from the white chocolate instead of sugar. I also splurged on some strawberries that go perfectly as the their tartness cuts into the pudding's sweetness. Definitely another keeper! Now I'm off on my quest to attempt a chocolate mousse. Anybody can recommend a recipe for me to try?
Date of Creation: 20 June 2010
To tell you the truth, I've been wanting to bake this particular cake for quite some time since I came across it in a few popular food websites. Possibly the name has got something to do with my fascination with it. I mean, Hummingbird Cake just has a nice, earthy tone to it, don't you think? It seems that this cake originates from the Southern areas of the US. It's a pretty rich cake with walnuts, banana and pineapple, creating a truly 'sweet' combination. Doesn't it just look wonderful? I don't actually like it too much because it's too sweet for my taste but it sure does look good. I baked it in three layers with vanilla frosting in between and on top.
Date of Creation: 19 June 2010
Prune is good for you. It has lots of fibre and is especially useful for those with a bit of digestive problems. Or so I have been told. I don't particularly like to eat them in their natural form. They're a bit too sour for my taste. But I do like to use them in cakes or muffins. These muffins are particularly easy to make and the best part is, they are not too sweet and good for you with generous slices of prunes.
Date of creation: 12 June 2010
My mum came over for a visit for the weekend together with my two younger brothers. Knowing that they are just nuts about cheese and brownie, I, the devoted sister, baked them a superlicious Marble Cheese Brownie. Easy to prepare and even easier to chow down, the two boys finished half of the tray in record time. Why am I not surprised? Anyway, I'd recommend this brownie for those who are looking for an easy bake for tea time. Have a few orders from friends as it is. At RM45 per tray, that's a steal!
I did it! I finally baked my very first Red Velvet Cake after hours of searching for the perfect recipe. I first fell in love with this gorgeous cake when I saw it on Rachel Allen's website. At first, I was a bit nervous about actually baking it. Not sure why actually. Perhaps it's because of its fiery red colour! Anyhow, I found the courage to try it over the weekend and it came out perfect! And I did it the traditional way with butter roux icing and not cream cheese frosting.
Do you know that there is even an urban legend about the origin of the red velvet cake? It's actually quite fascinating. You should just Google it and there's tons of stories about how it came about. Just adore the fact that there's actually a legend behind it.
Don't you just hate paying so much for Mac & Cheese at the restaurant and only to get a tiny, itsy bitsy portion that doesn't fill you up? Well, I have had enough of that really. So, it was off to the kitchen on Sunday to prepare my favourite Baked Mac & Cheese for the family. With less than RM20, I got a huge 3-quart portion that can literally feed 10 persons! It was really good and cheesy, and satisfying. Didn't last long as everyone was just piling up their plates with huge slices. Definitely a keeper. Just be sure to get good quality cheddar cheese. It makes a huge difference.
I'm a sucker for juicy slices of peach! There's just something sexy and luscious about them and have been looking around for recipes using peaches. I found the perfect recipe for Peach Cobbler from Paula Deen's website and using canned peaches, I baked it on Saturday to accompany the Roast Chicken lunch. What can I say? It's easy, fast and just peachy! I do recommend this for those looking for a quick dessert. Got the thumb's up from hubby.
Hooray! I've been wanting to roast a chicken in my new Tuscani oven and finally did it last Saturday. Slathered the chicken with black pepper and salt and baked it together with carrot, yellow onions, slices of lemon and potato. Turned out quite lovely with a golden crust. Made gravy from the natural juices of the chicken. Yummy! Better than the ones in the restaurant if I may say.
Special equipment: Muffin tin with paper muffin cases 
