BAKING PROJECT

I bought myself the September copy of Saji magazine.. full with cookies recipes. Was determined to make my own cookie this Raya, instead of having the “tunjuk cookies” (store bought). I promised myself I would try to make at least 6 types, to fill the 6 cookie jars which will be typically displayed on our dining table during Eid ul-Fitr.

The key to making successful cookies, in my own experience, is not to over beat the butter and sugar. It’s not like baking a cake, where you would beat the butter and sugar till it’s really creamy and turns light in colour. In cookies, if you overcream the mixture, you will end up with a flat cookie. Prolong creaming of the two ingredients would result in too much air being incorporated, and during baking, the cookie is free-form, as in it is not baked in a pan. So it will only rise and with no support on any side, it will then collapsed and expand sideways. So just beat the butter and sugar until it is just mixed.

I also like to use real butter in my cookie, instead of margarine or shortening. Since butter has a lower melting point, I always put the dough in the fridge for a few minutes (at least 15 minutes) before shaping them. Also put the shaped cookies in the fridge while waiting to complete the rest or for your oven to reach its required temperature. Biscuits prepared with butter taste so much better, but make sure to use salted butter.

Tried a few recipes from Saji magazine, and this one turned out to be the best. The recipe is from En. Shamsudin Napiah (hp:016-6524587). Thank you for the great recipe.

Oat Prune Cookie

Method:

Do not preheat your oven yet, as it takes a while to shape the dough. Beat the butter and sugar just till its mixed. Add all the ingredients bit by bit and mix at medium speed. Continue to knead with your hand till you get a smooth dough. Do not over mix.

Divide into smaller dough, take one and keep the rest in a plastic bag in the lower section of your fridge. Pinch a little dough, flatten and put the prune into it. Roll into a ball and place in the paper cups. Once you have filled one mini cupcake tin, transfer it into the fridge and then continue with the rest.

Turn the oven on at 160C to 180C, bake until it turns yellow, about 20 minutes or slightly more. When done, it will still be soft to the touch, so just be careful not to over baked it.

Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack, still in the mini pan. In the mean time, prepare your ganache. For this, I don’t usually follow any recipe. I just double boil some chocolate, add in a little whip cream and a tablespoon of butter. Stir until all is melted. Test the consistency, if you want it to be thin as in runny, add more whip cream. Here’s a link to a ganache recipe.

OK, once the cookies are cool, scoop the ganache with a teaspoon and pour over them. Decorate as you wish. (The red hearts are done by my daughter..). I will surely make another batch of these before Raya, its really good. Crunchy, buttery and what else can you say, with chocolate, nothing can go wrong.