Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

I know it is a bit late to post Christmas cookies this but I am trying to make it on time for Aspiring Baker’s event. I have wanted to make this cookie for many years but just never get to do it until this year. I will normally bake simple cookies for Christmas with requires minimal work but because of the Aspiring Baker’s Christmas Motif Bakes I decided to attempt to bake something a bit more challenging. One of them was the Snowflake Sugar Cookies with requires decorating it with royal icing and this one.

First I thought it might be difficult to make but they’re not. Basically it’s a sugar cookie recipe with a little bit extra in it. The dough freezes well too so you can make it earlier and bake it whenever you want. Don’t they look festive? If you are looking for a unique and delicious addition to your traditional Christmas cookies this might be the one.

 

Pistachio Linzer Cookies with Strawberry Filling

I love making linzer cookies as I think they are the most beautiful I ever made. Beside the look, I just love the taste of this light shortbread combined with a tiny dollop of jam in the middle. They are just perfect with a cup of coffee and tea. They might look delicate but they are quite easy to put together. It just involves a few extra steps compare to the regular cookies but the end results are all worth it. I made quite a few of these to give it out to my friends and neighbors.

To my dearest family, friends and blog readers,

May peace, happiness and goodwill be with you not only on Christmas, but throughout the year and beyond. Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

I know I’ve been posting a few sugar cookies here but this time I tried out Alton Brown of Food Network recipe. I think I like this recipe better than the previous one. Since I will be submitting these cookies for the Aspiring Baker # 26 Creative Christmas Motif Bakes hosted by Alan of Travelling Foodies I decided to use snowflakes cookie cutter and decorates it with royal icing. I am not a fan of decorating cakes or cookies but after doing it a few times I got the hang of it. I kind of enjoy doing it now :)

Argentinean Bread Pudding/Budin De Pan

Every restaurant in Argentina will have its own version of bread pudding. Their bread pudding or budin de pan differs from the American version mostly in terms of texture. The Argentine version has a moist, creamy and smoother texture, rather than large chunks bread since the bread cubes are completely broken down before mixing it with the eggs and it will usually have a caramel topping just like flan. Since the bread pudding has very little sugar in it they usually serve them with dulce de leceh or caramel sauce that gets drizzled on the tableside.

Carlos just loves this type of bread pudding and my SIL gave me this recipe to try out and it turns out pretty well. The next time I make this again I need to double up the caramel topping as Carlos complaint that it was a bit too little.

Aiyu Jelly with Lemon and Longan

I remember eating this jelly in Malaysia. There was this lady near my mom house selling it together with her ice-kacang (shave ice) She will mix this soft golden jelly with some syrup and calamansi juice. A perfect thirst-quenching drink that is both healthy and delicious especially having it in our hot tropical afternoon.

So what is Aiyu Jelly? Aiyu jelly is a jelly made from the gel of the seeds of a variety of fig, and is commonly found in Taiwan and Singapore. Aiyu” 愛玉 jelly means fig jelly. To produce it, the aiyu seeds are first placed into a cloth bag and then submerged into cold water. After massaging the bag of seeds, the aiyu seeds will release a gel-like substance, which will eventually turn into jelly through refrigeration. The texture is similar to agar agar and konyanku, and makes a light and refreshing dessert. You can read more about it here .

Oven Baked Chinese Five Spice Chicken Wings

We still don’t have internet connection at home yet but it will be installed this Saturday. I managed to sneak out to the Starbuck right behind our house to make a quick update here.

This was the last batch of frozen chicken wings I had in my freezer before the move so I made it into this delicious finger food. I love the taste of five spices power as it added a nice aroma to the wings. Don’t be alarmed by the long list of seasonings as most of it can be found in your pantry. Make sure you let the wings marinate for at least 2 hours before baking for the flavor to blend into the wings.

Marble Twist Roll

When I first saw this interesting roll up bread at Dari Dapur MadihaA's blog I was intrigued by it. Since this month Aspiring Baker’s challenge is roll up cake I am not sure if I can submit this. So I wrote to the host Obsessedly Involved with Food and asked her about it as I don’t want to break the rules. She said as long as there is flour, eggs and sugar, and rolled up looking like a Swiss roll she will be alright with it. So, I rolled up my sleeves and get to work. It is a lot of work making this bread but if you have some time to spare this will be a great bread to try out. It is very much different from the usual bread you bake. This bread is like a cross between sweet bread and a cake. I wish I have better skill in rolling it as you notice some part of the bread breaks. Nevertheless it taste pretty good with a cup of coffee or tea.

Strawberry Swiss Roll

This month Aspiring Baker’s theme is a bit challenging for me and I am actually contemplating if I should participate or not. The theme is ‘Swiss Rolling Good Time’ and participants have to submit Swiss rolls. I always have phobia making them as they failed me most of the time. True enough, it happened again. I made this roll twice and both time I failed miserably. The cake broke into pieces when I tried rolling them. I think I baked them too long and it turns out too dry. Before I embark on my 3rd attempt I went to YouTube for help. I watch how people roll the cake and finally I am brave enough to try it again. Much better this time and it came out alright but still need a lot of improvements.