Peanut Cookies

It was the second day of Chinese New Year and I made some peanut cookies - a fail-proof and really quick and easy recipe which even a non-peanut lover me loves it. In fact I first made these cookies last CNY and I guess I wouldn't have tried this recipe and realised how delicious they are if not for my husband, a "nut" lover. He is a non-dairy person and it cracks my head to think of the different CNY goodies that I could make at home for him so that he gets the feel of CNY. And these peanut cookies definitely add to the homely CNY feel which we would have otherwise felt if we were back in our own homeland. But it's not a pity that we can't celebrate CNY back at home anymore with the companion of these homemade CNY goodies (and not forgetting our friends here)... ^_^
I'm sure you will love it too!

Peanut Cookies

I am sharing these delicious melt-in-your-mouth Peanut Cookies with the following blog events:

Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 organised by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out, Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids;

Treat Petite (Feb 2015 theme: Love is in the air) hosted by Stuart of Cakeyboi and Kat of The Baking Explorer;

The Biscuit Barrel Challenge (Feb 2015 theme: Loved Ones) organised by Laura of I'd Much Rather Bake Than… and hosted by Alexandra of The Lass in the Apron;

CookBlogShare hosted by Lucy of Supergolden Bakes;

  

Bake of the Week organised by Helen & gang of Casa Costello; and

last but not least, for the first time, I am also sharing this Peanut Cookies recipe with event, My Treasured Recipes #5 (Jan & Feb 2015 theme: Chinese New Year Goodies) hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House.

Pineapple Cookies (Dairy-free)

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (To my non-Chinese/Asian readers, this literally means, "Wishing you a prosperous year!")

Can't help it, but oh my it's yet another year! I was reading the news and came across an article titled, "Is it the Year of Goat or the Year of Sheep"? While it didn't bother me slightly, I wonder if it really mattered since goat or sheep, they both belong to the same family. Haha! Anyway, it's the second year my husband and I are celebrating our Chinese New Year abroad. That meaning, it's time for some home-baked Chinese New Year goodies again. *_*

I have been in search for a pineapple tart/cookie recipe that I could substitute easily with non-dairy ingredients since my husband doesn't take butter, cheese, milk or anything that comes from the cow. Haha! Well, perhaps I should have come to terms after more than 12 years (or maybe I have), but I'm still puzzled with my husband's weird taste bud. All the while, I have been insisting that he is being lactose-intolerant in psychological sense rather than being lactose-intolerant in health, if you know what I mean. It is strange how dark chocolates, peanut M&M's® chocolate candies, Nutella® and all other food that possibly contains dairy which he decides he can eat are in his "lactose-tolerant" list of edible dairy products while milk chocolate, milk, all buttery pastries and etc that he decides he cannot eat by way of "smell" are in his "lactose-intolerant" list of non-edible dairy products. Anyway, I have given up on asking him to try on those he-feels-he-cannot-eat-but-I-feel-he-can-eat food after so many years. Guess this would all the more be better since I can have all the goodies to myself. Hee!

Back to my recipe search, so I've finally found and experimented one pineapple cookie recipe that allowed me to substitute the dairy ingredients and still yield equally crumbly and soft pineapple cookies. Although without that buttery aroma from traditional pineapple cookies, these pineapple cookies are still amazing delicious! I hope with this recipe, more people get to enjoy yummy pineapple tarts/cookies during this festive occasion!

Soft and crumbly Pineapple Cookies

Here's wishing all a Happy & Prosperous Year of Goat/Sheep! May the new zodiac year brings you and your loved ones lots of happiness and good health! Cheers!

Milano® Cookies Chocolate Cake

Hi everyone! Since this is my first post for 2015, allow me to wish you a Happy New Year! Hope all of you had a great start into the new year. ^_^ Time flies indeed, I can't believe that we are half way into February! Gosh~ It was a pity I didn't get to update my blog in January as I fight hard with time to get things done after settling down from an almost two-week long road trip which I went with my husband (and three other friends) last year end till the early days of January. I was practically hands-tied with the crafts-making in preparation of a wedding gift for my sister and the "intense" packing for my "secret" trip home. Haha! Glad that I managed to pull off a surprise for my family with my appearance on my sister's big day and having spent good quality time catching up with my dear friends during my two weeks home. Despite the long haul flight to and fro (which I dread most), everything else was worth it!

Today is the fifth day since my return to this foreign city and I'm still (very much) feeling the jet-lag. >,< But this may well be a blessing in disguise because I finally get to finish up this long overdue cake recipe which I have created from my Milano® cookies indulgence. This cake is definitely an absolute LOVE - so appropriate for the Valentine's day occasion tomorrow! I hope you'll like it as much as I do! ^_^

Milano® Cookies Chocolate Cake

Here's wishing all a Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you'll spread the love and share this with all your loved ones. Cheers!

French Macarons with Mint Chocolate Ganache (Sucre Cuit / Italian Method)

It’s Christmas Eve! I bet everyone or at least majority of you are feeling as excited as I am. And I am extremely thrilled because I will be hitting the road up north of Florida in a couple of hours for my 10-day road trip to various cities in the sunshine state. I’m sure it’s going to be a well-deserved break after days of baking some homemade sweet treats for this festive season.

It was a bold attempt I would say since it was a first-time for me, or rather, the first time I am trying out a new recipe – the baking of French macarons! Bold because I would end up with no gifts for giving in the event my baking experiment fails. Haha! Well, I suppose you guessed it right that my experiment pulled off successfully since I am blogging about it now. Oh wait, does anyone blogs a failed recipe? Not that I have come across so far. *Grin!

Strictly speaking it’s not my first time making French macarons. In the past, I have relied on the French method – a more commonly used method of creating the meringue by whipping together cool egg whites with granulated sugar until they form a stiff consistency which is said to yield lighter, tastier with a more delicate, cookie-like texture of authentic French macarons. Unfortunately the results of my macaronage were not quite consistent each time I tried. Until much research and read-up, I discovered the Italian (also known as Sucre Cuit or Sugar-baked) method of making macarons – a method that relies on a hot sugar syrup slowly whipped into egg whites to achieve its meringue which is regarded as more complicated than the French method. Despite so, many who have tried the Italian method said it actually yields a more stable meringue consistency. And I have witnessed that for myself indeed.

French Macarons with Mint Chocolate Ganache

For those who still have “fear” of trying to bake macarons at home, stop hesitating! If I can do it, you can do it too. ^_^

Longan Red Dates with Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)

It's officially winter! Are you feeling the cold? ^_^

I happened to chance upon the Lunar calendar on my mobile phone and noticed that Dōng Zhì 冬至 (Winter Solstice), a festival traditionally celebrated by the Chinese and East Asians with family getting together falls on the 22nd of December this year. This is my second winter solstice away from home. Recalling back, my husband and I were travelling in the Washington D.C. last winter solstice and had missed the eating of tang yuan (glutinous rice balls), a festive food that symbolises reunion traditionally eaten by the southern Chinese. It has been a year now, time flies!

In the past, my Mom used to cook our favourite store-bought glutinous rice balls with peanut fillings during this day of the year. Since this winter solstice came ahead of my year-end trip and glutinous rice flour was surprisingly available in this small city in the west of Florida, I decided to attempt my first home-make (plain) tang yuan from scratch. 

Longan Red Dates with Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)

After cracking my head on what to go with my plain home-made tang yuan, I decided on this sweet dessert soup which is quite commonly served to the newly-weds on their wedding day as it seeks to symbolise bliss and reunion. And it kind of brought me back to my wedding day. Much memories~

Have you had your tang yuan this winter solstice?

Reindeer Cupcakes

Can't believe it's already mid-December. My last baking post seems like yesterday. My apologies to those who have been checking back this space but find no updates. I have been pretty tied up with all the crafts-making for Christmas and itineraries planning for the holiday trips that I hardly had the time to bake these days. >,<

Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a stay-at-home over the last weekend since my husband was still recovering from his flu. Hence, I'm turning weekend shopping time to weekend baking time! This reindeer cupcake idea triggered by my non-stop-pretzels-snacking of late (a good snack find recommended by a friend during my Washington D.C. trip over the last Thanksgiving holiday) which very much resembled the horns of a reindeer has been in my head for awhile (although a quick search online found that it's nothing new actually). However, I'm glad it pulled off well and tasty as imagined after putting all my flavour ideas into one cupcake. ^_^ 

Reindeer Cupcakes

But wait, perhaps they look more like bears? Haha! Well, up to your imagination then...

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Nutella® Buttercream Frosting and Mint Chocolate Ganache

The end product of an inspirational cake idea from a friend turned out well to my surprise! And I was surprised partly because I was actually working with mint chocolates, definitely one ingredient I wouldn't think of using in my own bake creation. Honestly, I'm no fan of mint chocolates, saved for After Eight® dark chocolate thin mints which is by far the only mint chocolate I would eat. In fact not just mint chocolates, I don't actually fancy mint flavour of cookies or ice cream either, except for peppermint candies of course. What strange taste buds, I know. Haha! Well since this cake is my homemade, I had no choice (not that I'm forced) but to taste the cake and I was actually glad that I didn't "reject" it. I suppose this cake may well be a "turning point" for those who don't have a liking for mint chocolates too. ^_^

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Nutella® Buttercream Frosting and Mint Chocolate Ganache

I am sharing this post with CookBlogShare event hosted by Lucy of Supergolden Bakes because sharing is caring.

And for the first time, I am sharing my bake with Bake of the Week event organised by Helen & gang of Casa Costello.