Mehndi Inspired Chocolate Cookies

Eid Mubarak everyone !!

I had 2 egg whites left over from the mocha mousse that i made and knowing me you should know that i dont waste anything :D. So i decided to make royal icing and i had to do something with cookies.
As i am not a big fan of sugar cookies, i decided to try chocolate ones.
and let me tell you, decorating cookies is a lot difficult than it looks, i know that now. But hira did help me in decorating, mehndi patterns were her idea ! :)

for the Chocolate cookies you'll need :
Butter : 1/2 cup
Sugar : 3/4 cup
Egg : 1
Vanilla essence : 1 tsp
Cocoa powder : 1/4 cup
Strong Coffee : 1 tsp coffee in 2 tbsp hot water
Baking powder : 1/2 tsp
Flour : 1 1/2 cup
Salt : a pinch

Method :

Sift together flour, Cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Keep aside.

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add Coffee and flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time till a gooey dough forms.

Divide the batter in 2-3 parts, wrap in plastic and put it in the freezer for 1 hour to chill.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut out desired shapes.

Place them on a tray and chill for another 5-7 minutes. This will ensure that they hold their shape while baking.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for 10 minutes. They will appear soft but will harden as they cool.

Cool Completely before decorating.

I made royal icing with This recipe

Royal icing colored, ready to be filled in piping bags !

The ones that look good are made by my sister. I made the pathetic looking ones :D (as i dont know how to apply mehndi :D)

Enjoy!!


Submitting the recipe to Decorating Challenge : Royal Icing

Gulab Jamun

I was thinking about making gulab jamun for the past 3-4 days, but whenever i asked Ammi if i should, she was like "Its so hot, rehne du :D". As stubborn as i am, i decided to make these for Eid, you can prepare them a day ahead and leave them in the syrup overnight. Anyways the recipe that i had in my diary is sooooo old that i dont even remember when i wrote it down, and the last time i made them, i remember i tweaked the recipe a bit.

So for gulab jamun, you'll need:

Milk powder : 1 cup

Flour : 2 tbsp ( the recipe calls for 1/3 cup, but i've tried it, they turn out a little hard, 2Tbsp works best)

Baking powder : 2 tsp

Milk : to knead

Water : 2 cup

Sugar : 1 1/2 cup

Cardamom : 4-5

Method :

Mix together sugar, water and cardamom in a pateeli.

Cook till slightly thick.

Mix together milk powder, Flour and Baking powder.

Knead with milk to form a soft dough.

Make circles, any size you want,i made very small ones. (They will swell a little)

Heat oil on medium flame in a wok. Add the balls from the side. Do not stir now. 

The glab jamuns will rise to the surface themselves.

Stir to facilitate even browning.

Drop them in sugar syrup.

Cover and leave for 2 hours or overnight.

Enjoy!

Tip : They can be stored in the fridge with syrup for a week. Heat them in a microwave or the stove when ready to serve !

Colored Vanilla Cupcakes

I made these gorgeous cupcakes for a friend on her birthday. They are super easy , moist and  delicious !

This recipe yields 6 cupcakes or 1 layer in a 9 inch round pan.

Ingredients :
Flour : 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Egg : 1
Milk : 1/4 cup
Oil : 3 tbsp
Baking powder : 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence : 1/2 tsp
Salt : a pinch

Method :

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.

Beat egg and sugar..

...till light and fluffy.

Add vanilla essence, milk, oil, and flour.

Beat till smooth. Do not over beat.

Divide the batter in 6 bowls.

Color each bowl.

I made purple by mixing red and blue. and orange by mixing red and yellow !

Cool, eh ?!

Fill the liners 3/4th of the way. 

I had some leftover batter, with which i made a 7th multicolored cupcake !

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for 12-15 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean (check out the purple one, i tortured it with a toothpick :P )

Top if off with your favorite frosting. I used chocolate ganache.

Submitted this recipe to Lets Cook for Christmas Red and Green