Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Arjun's summer holidays are almost coming to an end and I have to admit,I am gonna miss having him around all through the day.I do crib about clutter all around and tripping and falling on toys at any given point of time or answering about 100 questions a minute,so on and so forth.But the fact is,he is bored.He wants to meet his friends and do 'activities' with his teachers and play in the swing and slide in his school.

I was pleasantly surprised when one day while watching Peppa Pig,he asked me to make some Chocolate chip cookies because Mummy pig was making some for Peppa and George.How could I say no to such a request,in fact I was yearning for the day he starts asking me to bake stuff for him :)

So I have made a couple of Chocolate chip cookies before.But when do we ever stop searching for 'the best recipe'.I made this one a while back and I have to say,this one is 'my best version'.Perfect texture,even better looks and tastes absolutely delicious.I hope you give it a try too!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe courtesy - Oh Yum by Anna Olson

Ingredients

Butter - 100gms /1/2 cup [I used Amul salted butter]

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Egg - 1

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Instant Coffee powder - 1/2 tsp [optional]

Flour - 1 1/4 cup

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chocolate chips - 1 cup [ I used equal amount of chocolate chunks - half milk and half dark chocolate]

Method

In a large bowl add butter and beat for a minute.

Mix in sugar and brown sugar and beat well for 2-3 minutes or until creamy.

Add in the egg,vanilla and coffee powder and beat well.

Sift[or stir] together flour,cornflour,baking soda and salt.Mix into the creamed mixture and beat well.

Add the chocolate chunks and give a final mix.

Use a tbsp to measure out the cookies and place them on a greased tray[I got around 30 medium sized cookies with this measure].

Refrigerate the cookies for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 175C.Place the cookies on a greased tray with at least a 2 inch gap on all sides.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.The cookies should be browned at the edges and soft in the middle.Cool the cookies on the baking tray.

Step by Step Method

In a large bowl add butter and beat for a minute.

Mix in sugar and brown sugar and beat well for 2-3 minutes 

or until creamy.

Add in the egg,vanilla and coffee powder and beat well.

Sift[or stir] together flour,cornflour,baking soda and salt.

Mix into the creamed mixture and 

beat well.

Add the chocolate chunks and 

give a final mix.

Use a tbsp to measure out the cookies and place them on a greased tray[I got around 30 medium sized cookies with this measure].

Refrigerate the cookies for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 175C.

Place the cookies on a greased tray with at least a 2 inch gap on all sides.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

The cookies should be browned at the edges and soft in the middle.Cool the cookies on the baking tray.

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Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

Knock..knock..anybody home?Lol,wishful thinking by me since I abandoned this space a while back and didn't peep in for the longest time.In fact,the longest gap ever since I started writing this blog in 2008.The blog's birthday went unnoticed,so did my better half's birthday cake and our anniversary cake.Well,what was supposed to be a small break got stretched into 4 long months and I have absolutely no excuses for the silence,rest assured all's well:)

Thanks to every single one of you who wrote in to ask me if anything was wrong and have I stopped blogging,gasp!

I haven't been baking much too,just the usual favorites when the baking bug strikes me bad.So just like the blog,the oven's been getting a long due rest as well.Not anymore,when blogging has resumed how can baking be left behind?I have a huge list of bookmarked recipes which would all find their way into the blog soon.I thought I'll start with something chocolate,what else!

The cupcakes are named Ultimate Chocolate cupcakes and I agree completely.Rich,dark,with a good dose of cocoa powder along with coffee,this cupcakes would make any chocolate lover go weak in their knees.The cupcakes taste great on their own but some coffee buttercream would make it more appealing.Since I made the cupcakes and frosting on a day the heat touched almost 44C,the frosting just wouldn't hold together,hence I've just dabbed it on top,you can try using different nozzles and make it look pretty!

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
Recipe Source - Add a Pinch ;Baked as part of Fondbites,Bake Along

Ingredients

All-purpose flour – 1 cup
Granulated white sugar – 1 cup;I pulsed the sugar in my small mixie jar for about 2 seconds,just to break down the sugar crystals,it is an optional step though
Cocoa powder – 1/2 cup
Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
Baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Milk – 1/2 cup
Cooking oil – 1/4 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon
Boiling strong black coffee – 1/2 cup - Mix a tsp of Instant coffee powder and 1/2 cup boiling water

Method
Pre-heat oven to 175 degree C. Line a 12 muffin tray with paper liners.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder,

baking soda and salt.

Once sifted add sugar and whisk the dry ingredients.

Into another bowl add egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk it well until well blended.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and whisk it well until combined. You can use your electric beater for this.
Now add boiling black coffee and first beat slowly until it has incorporated well. Now increase the speed and beat for 2 to 3 minutes on medium high to incorporate air into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the paper lined muffin trays and bake in pre-heated oven at 175 Degree C, for 20 to 25 minutes until the cupcakes have well risen and a tooth pick inserted into the center of one cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the muffin tray once bearable to touch and let cool on wire rack until it comes down to room temperature.

Coffee Buttercream
 
Top thick film formed on boiled and cooled milk/Cream – 1 1/2 tablespoons
Icing sugar – 1 cup, sifted thrice
Butter – 1/2 cup, at room temperature
Instant coffee powder – 3/4 teaspoons
For the buttercream: In a bowl take the cream and whisk well. Add icing sugar little at a time and whisk well until it is combined. Beat for a minute or so on medium speed. Now add the butter and instant coffee powder and beat until the butter has incorporated evenly and the buttercream has lightened and airy. This process will take 2 to 3 minutes on medium high speed. Buttercream is now ready to be frosted.

Use a nozzle of your choice and pipe the frosting on top of the cupcake or just dab a tbsp of frosting on top and spread using a spatula.Dust the top with some cocoa powder.

The recipe is very similar(almost same)as the popular Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake,but uses half the recipe.Makes 12 cupcakes.
 

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One-bowl Mocha Bundt Cake #internationalbundtday

There was a time when I used to hoard cake pans.In whatever shapes and sizes it fancied me during that time.Later on I realized,whenever I was up to baking something,I turned to the same set of pans.The 'bundt pan' is definitely one of them.I've always wanted a bundt pan and during the times it wasn't available here,I bookmarked a bunch of recipes for those times when I owned a bundt for myself.

I got my bundt pans through a giveaway and haven't looked back since.Though I rarely use the bigger pan(12 cup bundt),the smaller one(6 cup)gets used at least once in a fortnight.I love the pan for the beautiful shape it lends to the cake without much effort from us,excluding the greasing and flouring of the pan.

Few times,I've had disasters where the cake stuck to the pan or refused to come out despite greasing.Over a period of time,I've learnt a few tips and tricks which ensure the cake comes out of the pan in one single piece each and every single time. 

• Grease and flour your pan well.Use a pastry brush or a tissue and cover every nook and cranny of your pan with melted butter or shortening.Add flour to the pan and tap well so that every part is coated with flour.Discard the excess flour and make sure no chunks of flour remain.
• After baking,place the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool in the tin for 30-40 minutes.Use a knife to loosen the edges and center of the pan.
• Invert the cake pan onto a wire rack and let the cake cool further before slicing.

November 15th is National(International)Bundt Day and I've posted my bundts for the event in the last few years.Mary,the Food Librarian is the one who's been hosting the event.If ever you feel stuck for bundt recipes,hers is the blog to check out,with over 100+ bundt cake recipes.

I didn't want to miss posting a bundt for the event,so decided on trying this simple one-bowl mocha cake.I'm always on the look out for simple(and small!)cakes for pairing with coffee and tea and this one is perfect for that.Though it tastes great on its own,I drizzled the top with some ganache and chocolate chips.

One-bowl Mocha Bundt Cake

Ingredients

Brown Sugar - 1 cup

Butter - 60 gms,at room temperature

Egg - 1

Milk - 1/3 cup

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp

Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Method

 
Preheat oven to 170C.Grease and flour a 6 cup bundt tin.

 
In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients and beat well for 3-4 minutes 
 
or until the batter is smooth and no chunks of sugar and flour remain.

 
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the tin,on a wire rack for 30 minutes.Loosen the edges and center and invert the cake on to the wire rack and let it cool further.

Drizzle some chocolate ganache or chocolate syrup on top,slice and serve.

Recipe source - Australian Family Circle-Favourite Cake Recipes

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Orange-Chocolate Marble Cake

I don't know what it is with Marble cakes,every time I bake one and am about to cut it,I wait in anticipation.How would it look inside,did I overdo the marbling or was I too preoccupied with getting the patterns right,so on and so forth.But believe me when I tell you,planning never works with marble cakes.However you do the marbling,you would not end up with same patterns.Every marble cake,for this same reason,is unique.

Unlike the regular combination of Vanilla and Chocolate,marble cake can be made with different flavors.Cinnamon can be replaced with vanilla and coffee with chocolate.Or maybe mint and chocolate,or caramel with banana?I somehow went back to my favorite flavors of all time-Orange and Chocolate.

As I was getting the ingredients for this cake ready,I was reminded of the very-artificial-flavored Orange Marble cake of my schooldays.I think it was called Wondercake,beautiful patterns in orange colour and chocolate,it used to taste delicious then and was regular picnic fare as it was easy to carry and many flavors to choose from.

However,one bite into this one and I realized how better a homemade version tastes.No artificial colour or flavor,just the tang of freshly squeezed orange juice and zest paired with dark chocolate in a buttery and moist cake.Do try this simple recipe and you wouldn't go back to the store-bought version,I guarantee.
Orange Chocolate Marble Cake
Recipe source - Joy of Baking

Ingredients

Bittersweet/Semisweet Chocolate - 140 gms,chopped(I used Morde Dark Compound)
Instant Coffee powder - 1 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cups / 295 gms
Baking powder - 2 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup / 170 gms
Granulated white sugar - 1 1/4 cups / 250 gms
Zest and juice of 1 Orange
Eggs - 3 large,room temperature
Yogurt/sour cream - 1/3 cup /80 ml
Milk - 1/2 cup /120 ml

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.Grease and line a 10' Bundt tin or a 2lb/9' by 5' loaf pan.
 
In a small bowl mix together sugar and orange zest until the sugar becomes moist and flavorful.Keep aside.
In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate with the coffee. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.OR
 
Microwave the chocolate in a heatproof bowl for 1 minute on full power.Stir in the coffee powder,mix well and keep aside to cool.
 
In another bowl sift together flour,baking powder and salt.
 
In the bowl of your stand mixer(or use a hand mixer with a bowl)beat the butter until smooth.Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
 
Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.Beat in the vanilla and sour cream/yogurt.
 
With the mixer on low speed,alternately add the flour and milk to the batter in three additions beginning and ending with the flour.
 
Remove a little more than half of the batter and place into a separate bowl. To the remaining batter stir, or beat, in the melted chocolate and juice of 1/2 an orange. Place the batters into the prepared loaf pan by alternating spoonfuls of vanilla batter with the chocolate batter. Then, with the end of a wooden skewer or knife, gently draw swirls through the batter to marbleize it. Don't over mix.
 
Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to cool completely. Prick a few holes on top with a toothpick and drizzle in the rest of the orange juice.Can dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

Serve warm or at room temperature. This cake is best the day it's made, but it will keep for a couple of days at room temperature or it can be frozen.

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Espresso Choco-chip Bundt Cake

 

There are days when I think of baking something and then some other work takes over and the baking gets postponed.Then there are days where I'll be in the kitchen doing a headless chicken run trying to finish one job before the next one crops up.Funnily it is on those days,when I am most busy in the kitchen I try and find solace in baking.

I had to clean up the fridge leftovers and then cross check the provisions for the month and the maid was on leave.Suddenly I had this idea of baking Cinnamon rolls.So I kept all the items on my counter top aside and made space for kneading the dough.After finishing the shaping of the rolls I realized the quantity was too less to be shared.

Immediately decided to bake a cake.Fortunately I had halved this recipe and written down in my word document so assembling everything was an easy job.In between pots and pans occupying space on the counter top,I made way for the cake too and the best part I love about baking is the cleaning up afterwards.

Yes,I find it so therapeutic cleaning up the whole kitchen while waiting for my bread/cake to bake.I find the job gets done fast too!

Coffee and chocolate is a combination made in heaven.Deep,rich flavors melding together made this cake a real delight.Chocolate ganache,of course can never go wrong and pairs so well this cake,please don't skip it!

Espresso Choco-chip Bundt Cake
Recipe source - Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal

Ingredients

Coffee powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp 

Hot water - ¼ tsp 

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 ½ cups 

Cocoa powder - ¼ cup 

Salt - a fat pinch

Baking powder - a fat pinch

Baking soda - a fat pinch

Dark chocolate coarsely chopped OR Chocolate chips - 1 cup

Butter - 1/2 cup/100 gms

Granulated sugar - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1/3 cup

Eggs - 3 medium

Yogurt - ½ cup

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.Grease well a 6 cup Bundt tin.

 
Stir together the espresso powder,vanilla extract and hot water in a small bowl.

 
Sift together the flour,cocoa, baking powder, 
 
baking soda, and salt. 
 
In a medium size bowl, toss the chocolate pieces with about 1 Tbsp. of this flour mixture. Set both aside.

 
Cream the butter for for a minute and then add sugar in 3 lots.Add brown sugar and beat for 2 more minutes.

 
Add the eggs one by one beating for 45 seconds after each addition.

Mix in the coffee mixture and beat again.Scrape the bowl.

 
Add the sifted flour and yogurt alternately(3 additions of the flour and 2 additions of yogurt).

 
Switch to a spatula and fold in the chocolate chips.

 
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.Loosen the edges with a knife and remove the cake from the tin and let it cool for another 20 minutes or so.

Pour ganache on top and let it set for another 10 minutes.Slice and serve.

For the Chocolate ganache

Dark Chocolate - 200gms

Cream - 200 ml
Butter - 1 tbsp 

In a thick bottomed stainless steel pan,heat the cream until bubbles start appearing on the sides.
Mix in chopped chocolate and stir for a while.Switch off heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Whisk well till no chocolate lumps appear and the ganache becomes smooth and creamy.Mix in the butter.
Let it cool down to room temperature and use as required.

Notes

• The original recipe uses sour cream and I substituted it with yogurt,which turned out just fine.Additionally,it also has cream as an ingredient and I forgot to add it,still fine :)
• I greased the bundt pan with butter and dusted with cocoa powder.Somehow,the heat caused the cocoa powder to brown slightly and form a teeny layer on top of the cake,which didn't affect the taste but the looks.
• Make sure you mix the chocolate chips with flour,it helps in evenly distributing the chocolate in the cake batter.

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