My dear followers… it’s February already and I feel bad for leaving you alone for such a long time… I haven’t had much time to cook and bake recently because I was extremely busy with my final paper for university. I’m almost done now… a few days are left and after that, I will celebrate with a huuuuge cake or something :-D
Come spring, I definitely want to feed you with new, delicious recipes and photos… bear with me for a little longer…
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Cardamom Cookies and Merry Christmas!
I got up just now and realized, it's the 24th already... I haven't really had time to get into a christmas mood yet. It's definitely time to relax for a few days now. I'm going home to mum's and I'm really looking forward to seeing my family!
I leave you with my favourite photo of my cookie session and a recipe for cardamom cookies. Merry christmas to all of you!
Cardamom Cookies
(Original recipe in German: www.saison.ch)
100g butter, soft
50g brown sugar
1 big egg yolk
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
180g flour
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line your baking trays with parchment paper.
With a hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, cardamom and cinnamon until you got a smooth batter. Add flour and quickly combine to a dough (my dough was so dry that I had to save it from falling apart with a little egg white).Put your dough into the refridgerator or out on your balcony for about half an hour.
Roll the dough out (about 5mm thick) and cut out cookies. Place them on your baking trays and bake for about 20 minutes (Watch them carefully during the last 5 minutes! I think I gave them a little less than 20 minutes). Then, take out of the oven and let cool on a rack.
I leave you with my favourite photo of my cookie session and a recipe for cardamom cookies. Merry christmas to all of you!
Cardamom Cookies
(Original recipe in German: www.saison.ch)
100g butter, soft
50g brown sugar
1 big egg yolk
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
180g flour
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line your baking trays with parchment paper.
With a hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, cardamom and cinnamon until you got a smooth batter. Add flour and quickly combine to a dough (my dough was so dry that I had to save it from falling apart with a little egg white).Put your dough into the refridgerator or out on your balcony for about half an hour.
Roll the dough out (about 5mm thick) and cut out cookies. Place them on your baking trays and bake for about 20 minutes (Watch them carefully during the last 5 minutes! I think I gave them a little less than 20 minutes). Then, take out of the oven and let cool on a rack.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Orange Crescents
There are certain aromas that are automatically connected with christmas... For me, next to the smell of my mum's gingerbread, it's the taste of oranges.
Here comes my favourite this year: Orangenkipferl. They are the fruity variant of the Vanillekipferl.
Recipe:
(Source: al dente, 13.12.2010)
250g flour
100g finely ground almonds
75g icing sugar
1 sachet of vanilla sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 orange, only grated zest
200g butter, in pieces, cold
Preheat oven to 200°C and line your baking trays with parchment paper.
Mix all the ingredients until and including orange zest in a bowl. Add butter and, with your hands, rub until you get a crumbly mixture. Then, quickly put together to a dough (in case your dough is too dry, add an egg white - I had to do that). Flatten the dough little and, covered with cling film, put in the refridgerator for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take the dough out, cut into equal pieces and form equal rolls from it. Cut these into smaller or bigger pieces, depending on how big you want the cookies to be. Bend the rolls into crescents and place on your baking tray and put them in your refridgerator or out on your balcony again for about 15 minutes.
Bake for about 10 minutes (they should not turn brown!). When you take them out of the oven, dredge in icing sugar while still hot, but do that carefully, otherwise the crescents will fall apart! Let cool on a rack.
Here comes my favourite this year: Orangenkipferl. They are the fruity variant of the Vanillekipferl.
Recipe:
(Source: al dente, 13.12.2010)
250g flour
100g finely ground almonds
75g icing sugar
1 sachet of vanilla sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 orange, only grated zest
200g butter, in pieces, cold
Preheat oven to 200°C and line your baking trays with parchment paper.
Mix all the ingredients until and including orange zest in a bowl. Add butter and, with your hands, rub until you get a crumbly mixture. Then, quickly put together to a dough (in case your dough is too dry, add an egg white - I had to do that). Flatten the dough little and, covered with cling film, put in the refridgerator for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take the dough out, cut into equal pieces and form equal rolls from it. Cut these into smaller or bigger pieces, depending on how big you want the cookies to be. Bend the rolls into crescents and place on your baking tray and put them in your refridgerator or out on your balcony again for about 15 minutes.
Bake for about 10 minutes (they should not turn brown!). When you take them out of the oven, dredge in icing sugar while still hot, but do that carefully, otherwise the crescents will fall apart! Let cool on a rack.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Chocolate and Hazelnut Sablé Rolls
I did it! There actually are three filled cookie jars on my balcony. What joy an afternoon of baking can bring :-)
Here comes a cookie recipe that would also be suitable for any other occasion than christmas, I think. These cookies are actually not that difficult to make and they look cute, an eye-catcher in your cookie box :-)
Recipe:
(Source: Betty Bossi - Backen in der Weihnachtszeit)
175g butter
75g sugar
1 teapoon vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon milk
250g flour
for the filling:
100g ground hazelnuts
2 tablespoons chocolate powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1dl cream
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Beat butter in a bowl until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and milk and beat until well combined. Add flour and form a dough. Cover with cling film and put in your refridgerator or outside in the cold for about 30 minutes.
For the filling just combine ground hazelnuts, chocolate powder, sugar and cream in a little bowl and set aside.
After 30 minutes, roll out your dough so you get a rectangle that is about 4mm thick (The recipe says that you should half your dough and roll out two rectangles of about 18x25 cm... I managed one with this amount of dough... anyway... :-) not a master with cookie doughs...). With a spoon, disperse the filling on the dough, leave an edge of about 1cm on one long side. From the other side, form a roll with your dough, wrap in cling film and put in the refridgerator for 30 minutes (or in the freezer for about 15 mins).
With a sharp knife, cut the roll into cookies (about 4mm thick) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 10 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely.
These cookies keep in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.
Here comes a cookie recipe that would also be suitable for any other occasion than christmas, I think. These cookies are actually not that difficult to make and they look cute, an eye-catcher in your cookie box :-)
Recipe:
(Source: Betty Bossi - Backen in der Weihnachtszeit)
175g butter
75g sugar
1 teapoon vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon milk
250g flour
for the filling:
100g ground hazelnuts
2 tablespoons chocolate powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1dl cream
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Beat butter in a bowl until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and milk and beat until well combined. Add flour and form a dough. Cover with cling film and put in your refridgerator or outside in the cold for about 30 minutes.
For the filling just combine ground hazelnuts, chocolate powder, sugar and cream in a little bowl and set aside.
After 30 minutes, roll out your dough so you get a rectangle that is about 4mm thick (The recipe says that you should half your dough and roll out two rectangles of about 18x25 cm... I managed one with this amount of dough... anyway... :-) not a master with cookie doughs...). With a spoon, disperse the filling on the dough, leave an edge of about 1cm on one long side. From the other side, form a roll with your dough, wrap in cling film and put in the refridgerator for 30 minutes (or in the freezer for about 15 mins).
With a sharp knife, cut the roll into cookies (about 4mm thick) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 10 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely.
These cookies keep in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Cookie Time... finally!
I have to make a confession... I haven't baked any christmas cookies yet... I know it's shameful but I really didn't find time to do it and I decided that baking is no fun when I have to do it under stress. Besides, my wrist still tends to hurt when I overdo it and my final paper really has to have priority at the moment...
But this weekend, with my final Russian exam behind me, I actually feel like I might turn on my oven again :-) I spent some time with my beloved cookbooks yesterday evening and I saw some tempting recipes... I mean, Christmas without baking... come on!
Meanwhile, I decided that I am going to provide you with a fabulous recipe for cookies that I have baked in a past year... I like the addition of the lime zest, it gives these cookies an extra something. And I was very pleased with the decoration, don't they look gorgeous?!
White Chocolate-Nougat-Cookies:
(Source: Betty Bossi - Backen in der Weihnachtszeit)
150g butter
100g sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
100g white chocolate with nougat (z.B. Toblerone), in pieces
boiling water
zest of 1 lime
325g flour
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line your baking trays with parchment paper.
Beat butter in a bowl until soft and smooth. Fold in sugar, salt and the egg.
Put chocolate in another bowl and pour boiling water over it (the recipe doesn't actually say, how much water. Just cover the chocolate completely). Let stand for a minute or so, then pour the water and beat the chocolate until smooth. Add to your butter-sugar-mix.
Add lime zest and then the flour. Flatten the dough a little, then cover with cling film and put in the refridgerator or outside on the balcony in the cold for about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle a working surface with flour and roll the dough out in portions (about 4 mm thick). Cut out shapes of your choice and place on your baking trays. Put out in the cold again for about 10 minutes, then bake for about 8 minutes. Take out of the oven, slide the parchment paper with the cookies off the tray and let cool completely.
For the decoration, I used a packet of white chocolate-glazing which I heated in a hot water bath until really smooth and then poured over the cookies. Then, I sprinkled them with silver sugar pearls.
These cookies keep in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.
But this weekend, with my final Russian exam behind me, I actually feel like I might turn on my oven again :-) I spent some time with my beloved cookbooks yesterday evening and I saw some tempting recipes... I mean, Christmas without baking... come on!
Meanwhile, I decided that I am going to provide you with a fabulous recipe for cookies that I have baked in a past year... I like the addition of the lime zest, it gives these cookies an extra something. And I was very pleased with the decoration, don't they look gorgeous?!
White Chocolate-Nougat-Cookies:
(Source: Betty Bossi - Backen in der Weihnachtszeit)
150g butter
100g sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
100g white chocolate with nougat (z.B. Toblerone), in pieces
boiling water
zest of 1 lime
325g flour
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line your baking trays with parchment paper.
Beat butter in a bowl until soft and smooth. Fold in sugar, salt and the egg.
Put chocolate in another bowl and pour boiling water over it (the recipe doesn't actually say, how much water. Just cover the chocolate completely). Let stand for a minute or so, then pour the water and beat the chocolate until smooth. Add to your butter-sugar-mix.
Add lime zest and then the flour. Flatten the dough a little, then cover with cling film and put in the refridgerator or outside on the balcony in the cold for about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle a working surface with flour and roll the dough out in portions (about 4 mm thick). Cut out shapes of your choice and place on your baking trays. Put out in the cold again for about 10 minutes, then bake for about 8 minutes. Take out of the oven, slide the parchment paper with the cookies off the tray and let cool completely.
For the decoration, I used a packet of white chocolate-glazing which I heated in a hot water bath until really smooth and then poured over the cookies. Then, I sprinkled them with silver sugar pearls.
These cookies keep in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Chocolate Cake
When I asked my friend Daniela what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday party she said: "You know, what I like most of all is just a simple chocolate cake!" So I scanned my cookbooks for a good recipe and I stumbled upon one that I had marked with a post-it a long time ago. My friend over at Mainly Cake even declared this cake as "the best chocolate cake ever" so I finally had to give this one a try.
A word about the decoration: Daniela likes it kitschy and the duckies have something to do with her nickname so I thought this cake looked perfect for her birthday ;-)
And here comes the recipe (which is really easy by the way. A good one for baking beginners!)
(Original recipe in German at Annemarie Wildeisen's Kochen)
200g butter
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200g ground almonds
200g brown sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar / 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
4 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
0.5 packet baking powder
Line a springform pan (about 26cm diameter) with parchment paper and butter the side. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Put chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt slowly over a hot water bath.
Take away from the water bath and add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and almonds. Mix well, then scramble the eggs together and add to the chocolate-mix as well. Finally, add flour and baking powder. Quickly mix everything and immediately pour into your springform pan and bake for about 45 - 50 minutes.
Check whether the cake is done with a skewer. It should come out clean, otherwise, bake for a few more minutes. The cake should be a little creamy on the inside even when cooled completely.
When the cake is cool, either sprinkle with icing sugar or glaze with chocolate and decorate as you wish.
This cake keeps in the fridge for a few days.
A word about the decoration: Daniela likes it kitschy and the duckies have something to do with her nickname so I thought this cake looked perfect for her birthday ;-)
And here comes the recipe (which is really easy by the way. A good one for baking beginners!)
(Original recipe in German at Annemarie Wildeisen's Kochen)
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200g ground almonds
200g brown sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar / 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
4 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
0.5 packet baking powder
Line a springform pan (about 26cm diameter) with parchment paper and butter the side. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Put chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt slowly over a hot water bath.
Take away from the water bath and add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and almonds. Mix well, then scramble the eggs together and add to the chocolate-mix as well. Finally, add flour and baking powder. Quickly mix everything and immediately pour into your springform pan and bake for about 45 - 50 minutes.
Check whether the cake is done with a skewer. It should come out clean, otherwise, bake for a few more minutes. The cake should be a little creamy on the inside even when cooled completely.
When the cake is cool, either sprinkle with icing sugar or glaze with chocolate and decorate as you wish.
This cake keeps in the fridge for a few days.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Winter Wonderland
First snow came down last week... I'm not a particular fan of winter but still, as a cake and cookie lover, you got to love this time of the year... I have already made a list of cookies I want to bake and I can't wait to bake "Grittibänz" and gingerbread!
Yesterday morning, while the sun was still shining, I went for a walk in the Irchelpark. Look how beautiful it was...
I know, I know, these photos don't have much to do with cake but I liked them so much that I wanted to share them with you!
And no worries guys, I baked an amazing chocolate cake this weekend and of course, I will not deprive you of the recipe! Soon to come...
Yesterday morning, while the sun was still shining, I went for a walk in the Irchelpark. Look how beautiful it was...
I know, I know, these photos don't have much to do with cake but I liked them so much that I wanted to share them with you!
And no worries guys, I baked an amazing chocolate cake this weekend and of course, I will not deprive you of the recipe! Soon to come...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Chocolate Chip Scones
I'm back!
This morning, after a night of muuuch too little sleep I got up and decided I had to do something to get my mind off my final paper for university... and then suddenly, I knew exactly what I was craving: Scones! It's not only that I just LOVE scones, but also they are so easy and quick to make. Perfect for me right now since I still have to take good care of my poor wrist.
Lucky me, the weather today is so stunning that I was able to take some nice pictures in the sunlight out on my balcony.
Chocolate Chip Scones
(from: Leila Lindholm - Piece of Cake)
450g plain flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
40g brown sugar
125g cold butter
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1 egg
200ml milk
plus
one more egg (lightly beaten) and a little brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 250°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Cut butter into pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers. Mix the egg and the milk and add this to the flour mixture. Also add chocolate chips and combine to a dough.
Place the dough onto a surface sprinkled with a little flour and flatten it until it's about 3cm thick. Cut it into triangle pieces (or you can also use a big round cookie cutter).
Place the scones onto your baking tray. Brush with the egg and sprinkle some brown sugar onto them. Bake for about 10 minutes (I usually have to give them a little more time).
This morning, after a night of muuuch too little sleep I got up and decided I had to do something to get my mind off my final paper for university... and then suddenly, I knew exactly what I was craving: Scones! It's not only that I just LOVE scones, but also they are so easy and quick to make. Perfect for me right now since I still have to take good care of my poor wrist.
Lucky me, the weather today is so stunning that I was able to take some nice pictures in the sunlight out on my balcony.
Chocolate Chip Scones
(from: Leila Lindholm - Piece of Cake)
450g plain flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
40g brown sugar
125g cold butter
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1 egg
200ml milk
plus
one more egg (lightly beaten) and a little brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 250°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Cut butter into pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers. Mix the egg and the milk and add this to the flour mixture. Also add chocolate chips and combine to a dough.
Place the dough onto a surface sprinkled with a little flour and flatten it until it's about 3cm thick. Cut it into triangle pieces (or you can also use a big round cookie cutter).
Place the scones onto your baking tray. Brush with the egg and sprinkle some brown sugar onto them. Bake for about 10 minutes (I usually have to give them a little more time).
Monday, November 01, 2010
World turned upside-down
What is going on?! Lately it seems that everyone is baking but me...
Yesterday, I was at a birthday party and our birthday girl and style expert Giorgia handed out homemade muffins as a give-away... (they were delicious by the way...)
Today, my friend Daniela happily announced that tonight, she's going to bake a cheesecake... Up until recently, all Daniela baked - if she baked at all - was convenience blend brownies from Migros...
Don't get me wrong, I am glad that my pals finally discovered the joy of baking but still... I am a little jealous :-)
Happy to report though that my wrist is getting better day by day. I hardly ever have to wear the brace anymore... and I am already thinking about what I could bake next weekend...
Yesterday, I was at a birthday party and our birthday girl and style expert Giorgia handed out homemade muffins as a give-away... (they were delicious by the way...)
Today, my friend Daniela happily announced that tonight, she's going to bake a cheesecake... Up until recently, all Daniela baked - if she baked at all - was convenience blend brownies from Migros...
Don't get me wrong, I am glad that my pals finally discovered the joy of baking but still... I am a little jealous :-)
Happy to report though that my wrist is getting better day by day. I hardly ever have to wear the brace anymore... and I am already thinking about what I could bake next weekend...
Thursday, October 28, 2010
What if...
...your doctor forbids you to bake...?!?! Really, he asked me "Your boyfriend, can't he cook and bake?" ... "Excuse me??!!!"
Ok, from the beginning: First of all, I apologize for being quiet over such a long time. But there were some things that had to be sorted out first and sometimes, you have to prioritize. We settled down in Zurich almost three weeks ago and guys, I liked Zurich before, but now, I am truly in love with this city! Each day I leave the house I see something new. I've already walked from our place all to the central station instead of taking the tram (Mauro's comment: "What?! Are you crazy?!" But you know, Mauro will not walk a step too much if he doesn't have to...).
Our new flat is so cute, I really feel at home. The only problem is that it is not as well lit as our old one which means I still try to figure out the best way to fotograph my food in order to get nice pictures... This turned out to be a tricky task because I don't have a professional camera... Most of the photos are too blurred because of the bad lighting and the flash light is also not a good idea most of the time... But I'm working on it.
The other rather big problem is the nasty strain injury on my right wrist. I guess the moving, yoga, baking, cooking and a lot of typing on the computer turned out to be a bit too much. I will have to give it time to really heal up in order to avoid a repetitive strain injury. But let me tell you, it's not easy... You know how much I love to cook and bake. Last weekend, Mauro and I made Flammkuchen, or rather, Mauro followed my instructions... It was annoying! Mauro actually did a great job but still, I wanted to do it myself! This must be what cold turkey feels like :-) No, seriously, I hope I'm back in the game as soon as christmas cookie season starts!
I hope I can still provide you with a few recipes and photos until then! So, keep in touch.
Katrin
Ok, from the beginning: First of all, I apologize for being quiet over such a long time. But there were some things that had to be sorted out first and sometimes, you have to prioritize. We settled down in Zurich almost three weeks ago and guys, I liked Zurich before, but now, I am truly in love with this city! Each day I leave the house I see something new. I've already walked from our place all to the central station instead of taking the tram (Mauro's comment: "What?! Are you crazy?!" But you know, Mauro will not walk a step too much if he doesn't have to...).
Our new flat is so cute, I really feel at home. The only problem is that it is not as well lit as our old one which means I still try to figure out the best way to fotograph my food in order to get nice pictures... This turned out to be a tricky task because I don't have a professional camera... Most of the photos are too blurred because of the bad lighting and the flash light is also not a good idea most of the time... But I'm working on it.
The other rather big problem is the nasty strain injury on my right wrist. I guess the moving, yoga, baking, cooking and a lot of typing on the computer turned out to be a bit too much. I will have to give it time to really heal up in order to avoid a repetitive strain injury. But let me tell you, it's not easy... You know how much I love to cook and bake. Last weekend, Mauro and I made Flammkuchen, or rather, Mauro followed my instructions... It was annoying! Mauro actually did a great job but still, I wanted to do it myself! This must be what cold turkey feels like :-) No, seriously, I hope I'm back in the game as soon as christmas cookie season starts!
I hope I can still provide you with a few recipes and photos until then! So, keep in touch.
Katrin
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