Flowery Buttery Sweet Buns

I like the looks of this bun which is made into a flowery shape.. and that's the only reason why I gave it a try !


As for the result, even my shaping skill is far too bad (to be compared with the original ) but the taste ,please believe me, is much much better than the looks.. lol

Orange cranberry muffins

I immediately fell in love with this muffin once I saw the photos on the post of Genesis of the cook and thought that there's no way to miss giving it a try !!


Anyway, I used cranberry instead of blackberry like the original recipe calls for ( it's only berry I got on hand!) ... and to be honest with you, I found out that cranberry seems far too sour for this muffin unless you are a big fan of sourness ! Thanks Tarah for sharing such a great recipe..

Crunchy crusted citrus scones : Sugar High Friday Citrus!

This is my first time ever to join a baking event ! This monthly project was created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess but to my understanding ,this 43# Sugar High Friday : Citrus is hosted by Helen of Tartelette which both of them are my favorite cooks and bakers.

Honestly , I didn't think I would participate in the event to begin with when I saw the post for some reason.. but then the other day when I saw Vanillaorchid ( whom I know through the blog ) post the title involved with this event ..it kind of convinced me to give it a try ! And I finally decided to join it for nothing but fun !!


To avoid any failure, I aimed for something easy ,yet interesting like this scone which I've found the recipe on BBC Goodfood. The title really got my attention and after looking through the recipe..bingo!!


Anyway, I adapted the original recipe just to fit my materials on hand.. Firstly, I used creamcheese while the recipe calls for ricotta and secondly,I substituted lemon zest for orange zest. The last is to reduce sugar for my own tasting bud !!


As for the result, I think it's great...at least great enough to get it posted !




















Recipe ( adapted from bbc goodfood magazine )

175g creamcheese ,softened
finely grated zest of 2 lemon
80g caster sugar
200g self-raising flour
50g butter
1-2 tbsp milk , plus extra for brushing
a little flour , for sprinkling
1 tbsp demerara sugar
cream or butter and lemon or orange curd, to serve


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C and grease a baking sheet. Tip the ricotta into a bowl and mix in the orange zest and half the sugar until combined. Sift the flour and remaining sugar into another bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour mixture so it looks like fine breadcrumbs.

2. Stir the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture, adding a tablespoon or two of milk if necessary to get a soft (but not sticky) dough. Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly a few times only - just until the dough loses its craggy look. If you overknead, the scones will be tough.

3. Roll or press out the dough until it's about 4cm/11⁄2in thick. Shape into a neat round, put it on the baking sheet and mark into six wedges with a knife.

4. Brush the top of the scone round with milk, sprinkle with a little flour, then top with the demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm, spread with a little cream or butter, and lemon or orange curd. (These are best on the day of making, but will keep in an airtight container for 1-2 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

Jam Squares

A friend of mine invited me to join a casual lunch where lots of friends and food would be all around.. I, therefore, joyfully used this event as an excuse to bake this squares to be served and given away to people at the party !


I couldn't tell what exactly attracted me to give this a try which I don't think it matter anyway.. as far as I can get a nice result out of a recipe..that's all I'm concerned!

I've got the recipe from this site (creampuffsinvenice) ..having seen lots of her baked goods through the blog , I thought that this recipe wouldn't let me down...and yes I was right about my thought !!


Two things I forgot to do from the start to the end when it's ready to be taken out of the oven..are taking photo through the method and using an egg wash as stated in the last stage of the recipe !! ..never you mind..at least I managed to remember to shoot some photos and post it here.. :)


Thanks Ivonne for sharing the great recipe!

Triple Nuts Bars

The original recipe is called 'Toasted Hazelnut Bars'' which I found through cookiemadness site. I decided to give it a try before I realized that there is not any hazelnut in my cupboard..welll...I looked through the shelve and thought..what about macadamia,cashew and pistachio ..hmm sounds even better , doesn't it?? ...and that's why I changed a bit of the title!


Btw, I made few mistakes (it certainly doesn't effect the taste though) . Firstly, I halved the recipe and used 8'' square tin which it's a bit too small for a half batter. Consequently, the batter was over the crust and then produced burnt edges at the final stage when it came out of the oven..or maybe I just left it too long in the oven ..ehh??


Secondly, I didn't line the pan with a parchment paper ( the original recipe doesn't use it either) which gave me a little difficulty when slicing because the crust stuck to the pan a bit and the last mistake is to cut the bars before chilled (even the recipe said so) .. because the custard was not totally set, so I couldn't manage to slice it into nice bars ! In my point of view, it would be better if you chill it before slicing ..


As for the taste , believe me it's much much better than the outlook.. Well..blame myself for failing to take any good photos out of it...

Parmesan Biscuit Sticks

I didn't expect myself to end up with these sticks when I felt like making grissini for the day to begin with .. just because of a lack of time , I,therefore, had no choice but aiming for something else required less cooking time ! And here it comes..















Please find more details at the link above..