Recipe: Holladais, French Checkerboard Cookies

I always find Checkerboard cakes and cookies interesting. It must tough to have the layers neatly cut and layers to form the final product.

I jumped into the idea when my friend came up with a theme for our baking meet-up (#bakersarena). The theme for this meet-up is Cube. Hence, square shape items came right into my mind. What is more squarish than the Checkerboard Biscuits? Just look at the number of squares on one biscuits. I did brownie and cut them into cube since Checkerboard Cookies are not really 'cube' technically anyway.

I went online to browse through recipes and settle with a recipe from Eugenie Kitchen. The reason? She has a Youtube channel and a video (see below) showing me the whole process of getting it done. even if I have not perfect the skills, I will not be too far away. Right? haha. Anyway, her channel has lots of videos showing colourful and vibrant-looking recipes. Looking real good!


I must say that the baking steps and ingredients are not alien to me. But it sure take a lot of time to get it done. In fact, I made my 'Blackie' in between the waiting time for the checker dough to be ready in the fridge. Lots of waiting, really! I swear I can make a few more desserts if I have all the ingredients ready.

Despite all the waiting, I am glad that I give it a try. It is fun to make and accomplishment to see it completed. There might be some short cuts out there for me to explore! May try the recipe again and will share if I managed to cut short the time.

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Checkerboard Cookies

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Waiting time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 300g plain flour (or cake flour)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, mixed with 4 teaspoons hot water

Method:

1. Whisk the butter till light and creamy.
2. Sift in sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Add in the egg yolks one by one, mixing them well together after each addition.
4. Sift in the flour. Fold the mixture until fine sands.
5. Transfer half of the mixture onto a clean working surface.
6. Mix, form a ball and make the mixture into a rectangular shape.
7. Cling wrapped the dough and left it refrigerated.
8. Mix the rest with the cocoa mixture evenly, repeat step 6 and 7.
9. Keep it refrigerated for at least one hour.
10. Remove from fridge and stack them in alternate coloured layers. Cut them into strips.
11. Arrange them in alternate colours to form the checkerboard. Cling wrapped them for hours before using them.
12. Sliced them into pieces of 2-3 cm thick.
13. Bake at 180 deg. (180degC) for 16 minutes, or until slightly swollen.
14. Preheat the oven at 180 deg C / Gas mark 4. Prepare a square baking tin.

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Note:
1. It might be more easy to visualize by seeing the pictures in Cook & Be Merry.

Recipe: Super Dark Brownies

It has been a long time since I blog and thought I should share some recipes that I found, amended and used over the weekend (yes, again). One of them is a super simple brownie recipes I found on allrecipes UK. In fact, I was amazed at how simple and quick it is for me to have the brownie ready.

The cracks are due to my inexperience handling.

Added the chocolate topping, for both aesthetic and flavouring reason

Cutting into squares for easier sharing =)

By looking at the ingredients, it is very easy to change the recipe base on personal preference and taste. If you have an hour to spare, just try it. You will have ample time to sit down and enjoy the piece of brownie.

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Super Dark Brownies

Prep time: 4 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 350g caster sugar
• 225g butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 225g plain flour
• 60g dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 100g chocolate chips (or 60g walnut halves)

Topping

• 75g chocolate chips
• 25g butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 teaspoon mint flavouring (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 deg C / Gas mark 4. Prepare a square baking tin.
2. Whisk the butter till light and creamy.
3. Add in sugar, vanilla extract. Mix them evenly together.
4. Add in the eggs, one by one and mix them well.
5. Fold in the flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together. Mix well.
6. Add the chocolate chips into the mixture.
7. Pour into the greased/or well-lined tin.
8. Baked for 20mins. Cool it when it is done.
9. Prepare the toppings. Melt the chocolate chips and butter over double boil.
10. Cool it a little and pour it into a pipping bag.
11. Start decorating your brownie.
12. Slice the brownies into equal square portions, and serve warm or cold.

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Notes:

• If you are using smaller oven, like me, do rotate the tray inside the oven after 10minutes.
• Feel free to replace ingredients like cocoa powder (dark or normal) and filling (walnuts or chocolate chips). 
• Chocolate chips is chosen as the dark chocolate powder reduce the chocolatey taste we often get from brownie.
• Sugar quantity was reduced from the original recipe I found as we often find brownie too sweet.
• Salt is added to the chocolate topping so as to reduce possible overdose of sweetness and give the brownie a little twist. =)

Recipe: Sheep Melt-in-Mouth German Cookies

Every year, I will receive suggestions from various people to make some desserts for CNY or bake some cookies. This year, I decided to try a new melt-in-mouth German cookies recipe from smallsmallbaker.blogspot.sg. It is so cute that I think no one can resist it!

Here's how it looks like:

Little Sheep Cookies Melts (or Melt-In-Your-Mouth) was made for this lunar new year! Wishing everyone a great year ahead! 新年快樂，羊年行大運！ #weecancook

A photo posted by Wee Liang (@jar.wee) on Feb 20, 2015 at 7:46am PST

I am glad that it has been pretty well received! Okay, maybe there are some comments that the cookies are a little dry or too soft, but I guess that is what Melt-in-Mouth cookies are. Right?

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Sheep Melt-in-Mouth German cookies

Prep time: 10-20 mins
Cook time: 15 mins (per tray)

Ingredients

• 125g butter, soften (room temperature)
• 40g icing sugar, sifted
• 125g potato starch, sifted
• 80g plain flour, sifted

For decorations

• Chocolate chips (for horn)
• Chocolate rice (for eyes)

Method:

1. Beat butter and icing sugar till fluffy and lighter in colour.
2. Sift in potato starch and plain flour, mix to form a soft dough. 
3. Divide the dough into two portions, wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes.
4. Roll the body of the sheep 8g each. Roll two smaller balls and place on the head (just estimate roughly same size or bigger than the chocolate chips). 
5. Press a line on each ball (I use back of knife). Place 2 chocolate chips as ears. Place two chocolate rice as eyes. 
6. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 15 mins, upper rack (need not bake till cookies turn brown)
7. Leave the cookies to cool before removing them from the tray.

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Note:

1. The cookies are firm on the outside but very fragile, so handle with care.
2. Lightly hit the tray against the table before removing the cookies may be a good idea for most.

Game: Kim Kardashian: Hollywood

Recently, I have been playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood on my iPhone. I used to play other Hollywood series in the past. It is a little different from the past. There is a ranking for couples and you can even get married! But I always have an issue that has me returning to Google for solutions. Unfortunately, many times, I was being brought to some sites which did not provide me with an answer. haha. It is time wasting!

If you are playing the game, do you have a problem remembering the locations of all the studios, pubs etc? This is especially when you start a job and you are not at the location before you quit the game to wait for energy to fill up again. Ok, maybe I am the only one. But it doesn't hurt to have a place listing all the locations, right?

P/S: I am still a pretty new player and there are many locations yet to be unlocked. Hence, I will probably be updating this list along the way. Thanks. Enjoy the game! =)

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LAX - California

Downtown LA
- duLUXE lifestyle apartments (First Home)
- Pop Glam
- So Chic

Beverly Hills
- Metropolitan Magazine
- Panino
- Kim Kardashian's place

Hollywood
- CTM Management & Publicity (Maria/Simon's office)
- Luna Condos (Home)
- Mirimount Pictures
- The Brew Palms

LAX
- Airport
- Championship Business Centers Inc.
- The West Inn Apartments
- Love & Hope Adoption Center (new)

Calabasas
- Kardash
- Home
- Locked location

Miami

- LIF

- Kardash Miami

- Home

Florence

- 10AX Club

- Il Forte

- Home

Las Vegas

- Chateau Nuit

- Glamm Magazine

- Miraggio Grande

Malibu

- PopGlam Malibu

- Tavrn Restaurant
- Kylie and Kendall's Home
- Beach House (Home)

Sydney

- Pop Glam Australia
- Ship Home
- The Black Rabbit

JFK - New York

SoHo

- Kardash

- Oak

- Muse Magazine

Tribeca

- Ganzervel

- Gates Towers

- Smith & Smith Luxury Lofts (Home)

The Hamptons
- So Chic Hamptons
- The Swan
- Kourtney's Home
- Home

Punta Mita

- El Canario

- Home

- Paraiso De Playa (Beach)

Paris

- Hotel Utopie (Home)
- La Rue
- Femme

London

- Club Tulip
- Home
- The Britannia Ballroom

Dubai

- Restaurant Asadaux
- Mall of Dubai
- The Alantean Hotel (Home)

Tokyo

- JBN: Japan Broadcasting Network
- Lavish Lounge Bar
- Unit 392 (Home)

New Delhi

- Raja Motion Pictures
- Grand Sultan Hotel

Milan

- Eleganza - Apartamenti Milano (Home)
- Cub Donatella