Something brainy...Walnut Cookies

I heard walnut is good for the brain.  Do you believe so?

Many old folks believed that pig brain is also good for our brain.  You dare to eat?  Ha..definitely not me!  And I'm not sharing any pig brain soup recipe here...

I fine that our brain is a very special organ.  How can such a small piece of "toufu" store things like a memory card huh?

Anyway, I like to share with you this walnut recipe and let's hope by eating it, it will aid in boosting our brain cells ha!

Ingredients (recipe makes about 120 pieces of cookies):

300g Top Four (sieve)
150g Walnut (bake at 160 degree for 10 minutes, cool and blend to coarse powder)
100g Walnut (raw - don't bake)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
180g Icing Sugar
120g Butter
120g Shortening
1/2 tsp Vanilla Powder
2 Egg Yolks

For Glazing - 1 Egg + 1/8 tsp salt (beat lightly and sieve)

• Put Top Flour, salt, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and blended walnut powder in a bowl and mix together then leave aside.
• Sieve icing sugar into the mixer bowl and add in 120g butter and shortening, vanilla powder and 2 egg yolks into mixer bowl.  Beat it for 2 minutes (1st minute slow and then change to fast speed).
• Add in the flour mixture bit by bit into the mixer bowl and continue to beat with slow speed till all flour has been added in and well mixed (do not mixed too long).
• Grease few baking tins with oil and preheat oven at 180 degree.

• Roll dough into small equal size balls and put a piece of raw walnut on top and press lightly.  Leave enough gap in-between dough because cookie will expand when baking.
• Egg wash cookies and bake at 180 degree for 10 minutes and then remove tray to do 2nd round of egg wash and then bake till golden and remove to cool before storing.

 Here's your nice walnut cookies!  Enjoy!!

Melt In The Mouth - Almond Cookies

Sesame Street's Cookie Monster is here!!!

 I love cookies...especially home-baked.  Today I will share with you my Almond Cookies Recipe.  This cookie is easy to bake, nice to eat and you can even bake it and give to friends and relatives during Chinese New Year period too!

It is always a fun thing whenever I do baking!  I like to see the satisfied look from family and friends when they tasted my cookies or cakes or dishes.  I think that's what every "cook" love to see!

Tomorrow is Saturday, if you have the time try baking some since the ingredients are easy to find.

Ingredients (Recipe makes about 120 pieces):
300g Ground Almond
300g Plain Flour (Sieve)
100g Icing Sugar (Sieve)
1/2 tsp Salt
150g Shortening
* You will need to get cookie mould (any shape or design you like)

• Preheat oven at 150 degree for 15 minutes.
• Spread ground almond on baking tray and bake for 25 minutes (mix every 5 to 10 minutes to prevent over burning).  Leave to cool completely.
• Turn oven temperature to 180 degree now.
• Put plain flour, icing sugar, cooled almond powder into mixer bowl and mix well with hand.
• Add in shortening and mix softly with hand using rubbing in method (do not press, just rub gently).  Grab a handful and press it to see if it holds (If don't, slowly add in 1 tbsp water to mix and try again...repeat method till mixture can hold).
• Grease 3 baking tin and dust some flour on the surface of the tin.
• Fill the cookie mould with almond powder mixture and press it till it's even on the surface and tight.  Knock out the biscuit (you got to try a few round to get the right strength when knocking out the cookies) and place it onto the tray (don't need to leave big gap between cookies because it won't expand).
• Once the whole tray is filled with almond cookies, bake it for 15 to 20 minutes till light golden colour and remove to cool. 

This cookies melts in the mouth so its very soft and fragile.  Handle it lightly when storing into air-tight jar.

That's it!  Easy right?