The nutty-chocolaty high ~ Chocolate hazelnut & almond cookies~

Those of you, who have ever tried Nutella even once (although I am quite sure there would hardly be anyone who hasn't gone for the second try!!), would wholly back me up in my affection towards the same. For the uninitiated, Nutella is the brand name for a chocolate hazelnut spread found in almost all grocery stores now and trust me - its divine. My very dramatic introduction to this chocolate spread was during my first few days here in the US, grocery shopping with my German friend. While strolling along the aisles, I was startled with a shriek from an adjoining aisle and I rushed back to find her squeaking with happiness holding on tightly to a small chocolate container. She was literally jumping with joy all the while exclaiming "They have it HERE!!"...While I certainly won't deny finding her reaction a bit over the top, yet just out of respect for her intense adoration, I bought a jar for myself. Though quite reluctantly, soon I too became a fan of this "heavenly"-chocolaty-nutty deliciousness and honestly, I have never looked back since! Having become an ardent fan, I could now completely understand and relate to that momentary indiscretion of my homesick friend. Yeah..it happens..

So if there's anything at all, that I would go back and add to my growing up years, I am most certain that this would definitely be it. If it could make a grown up drool , think about those naive, chocolate crazy kids. I can only imagine. I say so because recently even after my dwindling affection towards overtly sweet delights, I still continue to savor this on those occasions when I need a true pick-me-up. I cannot really assure you of its health benefits, but surely there are some very serious mood benefits ;)

It was that fine day while watching Giada cook up some of her trust worthy recipes, I saw her make these delicious chewy Nutella cookies and well, I had to try it. I followed her recipe completely except for some changes here and there. Here are some alterations that I made:

- Doubled the Nutella quantity to intensify the taste (remember I am biased! ;)

- Cut down the sugar quantity by half.

- Added in a pinch of instant coffee to intensify the chocolate taste.

- To add a crunch to the cookies, I folded in some roasted sliced almonds. Diced hazelnuts would have been perfect but I didn't have any at that time so chose almonds instead.

- Decreased the baking time to 9 minutes to get a semi-chewy texture that I desired.

Here's my version of Giada's recipe for these very easy Chocolate-hazelnut smooches as she calls them, even though I would rather stick to a more simpler nomenclature - Chocolate hazelnut & almond cookies.

Chocolate hazelnut & almond cookies

(Adapted from Giada's Chocolate-hazelnut smooches)

Chocolate hazelnut spread (a.k.a. Nutella) acquires a new avatar with these perfectly sweet and crunchy 'n' chewy cookies right for some holiday baking. The extra chocolate chip adds in to the moderately chocolaty cookie base while the almonds liven up the hazelnut-'ty' undertone. 

Ingredients: (Makes 40 cookies)

1 3/4 C All-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp instant coffee granules
1/4 C Roasted sliced almonds (Optional)

1 C chocolate hazelnut spread (I used Nutella) 
1/2 C (1 stick) butter at room temperature.
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (Optional)

Method:

1. Dry ingredient mix- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, instant coffee granules and almonds in a bowl and set aside.

2. Wet ingredient mix - In a separate mixing bowl, add in the chocolate hazelnut spread, butter and the two sugars. Using a hand mixer, mix well until creamy (2-3 mins).Then add in the egg and vanilla into the sugar-butter mixture and blend well (~ 1 min).

3. Now stir in the dry ingredient mix into the wet mix, until well integrated. The cookie dough is ready to be baked.

4. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375^oC.

5. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and using a tablespoon measure, scoop out the dough. Roll the dough into balls and line them on the sheet pan about a inch apart.

6. Place the rack at the center and bake the cookies for 8 1/2 - 9 minutes. Adjust time according to the texture required.

7. Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, lightly press a chocolate chip into each cookie. The chocolate chip melts from the heat of the cookie and sticks to it. To cool completely, lay out the cookies on to a wire rack.

These cookies are a true winner in every sense. Adequately chewy yet crunchy and most importantly the right amount of sweetness makes it a recipe that I am going to hold on to. Its really hard to resist a second one and I bet neither could you. Tried and tested, dirty up your hands with this easy-peasy recipe, if you want to have a stack of these home made delights just perfect to offer your guests this holiday season.

Happy baking! :)
J

P.S. I am submitting this recipe to :
- "Kid's delight- Story book special" hosted by Archana and Srivalli.
- "Merry Christmas specials" hosted by Sheelu
- "Know your natural sweetness-Brown sugar" hosted by Kriti and Jagruti
- "Christmas recipes" hosted by Swathi
- "Celebrate Christmas" hosted by Divya and Jagruti.
- "Bake fest" hosted by Sumee and Vardhini.
- "Let's cook/bake for Valentine" hosted by Simply sensational food.
- "Let's bake love" hosted by Deepali.
- - "Bake Fest" hosted by Vardhini from Cook's Joy.


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Of autumn warmth and Nan-Khatai

Long before terms like shortbread and cookie were introduced into my jargon, nan khatai ruled a special corner in my heart exclusively reserved for warm and gratifying baked goods. My first introduction to this nutty shortbread dates back to days when the only way my Ma would agree to serve us tea (the milky version that too!) was if it was with nan khatai. Haven’t tried dunking nan khatai in tea yet? Hmm….you might definitely want to :)

Sweet or salty, soft and powdery or crunchy and crumbly – this simple, few ingredient cookie has been an all-time favorite ever since. The basic recipe from my Ma had been tucked away neatly in one of my folders until that trip to the bakery last week. I tasted something so similar to nan khatai that it rejuvenated me with renewed energy to try it out. With the beginning of Fall, baking seems the best way to warm up the kitchen as well as memories with age old recipes. So, this is my first real baking venture of fall this year and what better way to start than with our own indigenous baking wonder- the nan khatai.

There are several recipes for nan khatai and of course several proportions to be mindful of. Since I find baking a little bit constricting, this recipe seems very soothing and welcoming for a baking novice like me since it allows me to experiment and that for me, is absolutely liberating. Nan khatai is basically made of all purpose flour or maida with varying proportions of chick pea flour or besan to bring in that nuttiness. Some add in rava or semolina for crispiness but I opted out of it for now. I desired for that flawless balance of nuttiness and crunchiness that would make me swoon in delight.

Nan-Khatai

This egg-less Indian shortbread represents an unique blend of nuttiness from chick-pea flour (besan) and warmth from Indian clarified butter (ghee) melding effortlessly with the richness of cashews. Soft yet firm and crumbly yet crunchy, it represents the quintessential basic Indian shortbread.

Ingredients:

1¼ C ghee / Unsalted Butter

¾ C Powdered Sugar

Sieve together:

½ tsp baking powder

2 C All purpose flour / Maida

½ C Chick Pea flour / Besan

¼ tsp salt

2 T Cashew powder (Coarsely ground) 

Egg wash (Optional) - 1 egg mixed with 1 T water

Cashew powder for garnish (Optional)

Method:

1.   Warm the ghee till it has just melted.

2.   Add in the powdered sugar and mix well to smooth out any lumps.

3.   In another bowl, sieve all purpose and chick pea flour along with salt, cashew powder and baking powder to mix uniformly.

4.   Then add in the melted ghee & sugar mixture into the flour mixture and knead well to form a dough.

5.   Let it rest to come together for about 2 minutes.

6.   Preheat the oven to 350oF.

7.   Form smooth, round ball with the dough. I used the tablespoon to measure out uniform sized biscuits. Flatten the balls slightly with cashew on top so that they have smooth edges.

8.   Optional: To add that shine onto your biscuits, whisk one egg with 1 T water and brush the biscuits before they go to bake.

9.   Place them to bake in the oven for 14 minutes till golden brown on top. Once out of the oven, transfer them to a cool plate/surface and let them cool till they crisp up.

The nan khatai turned out to be exactly as I wanted. This trial taught me that the delicate balance of chick pea flour and all purpose flour is very essential, since both of them are not interchangeable. Point to note, besan has more fiber content than all-purpose flour and when added in more quantities it results in the dough not being cohesive enough. So the proportion even though changeable, should be so taken care of that the dough adheres properly but by not compromising the nuttiness. Delighted by being able to replicate the delicate, nutty, crumbly and flavorful shortbread, I bring to you this recipe which I am looking forward to make several variations of.

Cheers to the official beginning of Fall, guys!

J

I am submitting this recipe to:
- "Celebrate Navratri and Diwali" hosted by Nayna and Jagruti Dhanecha.
- " Diwali Bash" hosted by Vardhini
- "Kid's delight: Healthy Makeovers" hosted by Rasi
- "Bake fest" hosted by Sumee and Vardhini.
- "Let's cook/bake for Valentine" hosted by Simply sensational food.

Usual fare - Unusual way ~ Spiced & baked cauliflower bhaja~

What happens when life hands you a lemon? well of course, make a lemonade right? now don't get me wrong over here..this post has nothing to do with lemons, lemonade or anything remotely citrusy for that matter...but it most definitely has to do with that unfateful day when a normal walk down a classroom turned fatal for my wobbly left ankle. It decided to take a twist leaving me immobile for a while (seems like eternity though .. *sigh*). Now that means me being away from my haven - the kitchen (if you didn't know that already..duh!) for a while. I accepted the challenge (err the lemon) and the message - with a lot of grace. It was high time I took things slowly and literally keep my feet up. This creation actually signifies that laid back approach to making something absolutely gorgeous sans the scrambling around. It signifies the ultimate ease of preparation for anyone who wants the break or wait- gets handed over that break ;)

Now without digressing any further and running the risk of losing your interest..let me say this recipe was the brainchild of my utterly immobile condition teamed with the desire to make something scrumptious for my loved one who untiringly and unselfishly looked after me. Like they always say..any emotion is best expressed in the form of good food. So here I was scrambling my brains to make something mouth watering when this big cauliflower blob stared right back at me. Instantly I was flooded with memories of fried cauliflower florets tossed with potatoes and spices. Mmm..A yum staple at my place. Since frying was out of option, baking was the next best treatment I could think of. Honestly, I had always wanted to bake veggies in the oven, but the hands-on person that I am, watching the food simmering over the stove gives me an unknown satisfaction. So this was just the perfect time to toss everything together and let it bake till golden brown, soft, sweet and utterly delightful, while I kept my feet up. It turned out to be so good that I have been warned of dire consequences if I didn't blog about it. So you see I HAD to share this with you.

Does anyone remember the sogginess of the cauliflower florets when cooked for slightly longer in the effort to get them thoroughly cooked? I confess that I have been the victim many a times and that's what has kept me away from cauliflower for a long time. But here I am, back to being friendly with the cauliflower. The sweetness with the spiciness, the softness with the crunchiness provides the perfect blend of textures and flavors and who can forget the melt-in-the-mouth buttery-ness of roasted garlic. It literally took me to new highs.

Spiced & roasted cauliflower bhaja

Surprisingly and delightfully addicting- this roasted and spiced Indian cauliflower-potato-garlic side dish has the perfect blend of sweetness, crunchiness and the charred undertones essential to kick this simple dish up a notch. Must I say - it's as simple as 1-2-3. 

P.S. Bhaja is an Odia term for any dry and sauteed side dish.

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

1 medium sized Cauliflower

2 small potatoes - Cubed

7-8 whole cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp Pav bhaji masala (Optional)

1/4 tsp salt (Adjust according to taste)

1/4 tsp sugar

4-5 T Olive oil

Dash of lemon juice (Here comes the lemon!)

Chopped cilantro for garnish (Optional)

Like I said- 1-2-3 ;)

Step 1: Cut the cauliflower into medium and equal sized florets. Peel the garlic and cube the potatoes.

Step 2: Mix all ingredients together and make sure to rub the florets well with the oil and spices. Everything should be coated well with oil. Add more oil if required.

Step 3: Pre-heat the oven to 400^oC. Spread out the cauliflower mixture on a sheet pan so that it forms more or less a single layer. Bake for 30-40 mins while tossing every 10-12 mins.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or rotis.

Notes:

- Preheat the sheet pan in the oven too. The sizzle that you hear when the cauliflower mixture is added to the pan is what gives it the nice crust.

- Just learned on Dr. Oz that olive oil retains its properties much better when tossed with veggies prior to adding to the pan rather than heating the oil IN the pan. So this method earns brownie points for retaining the health benefits of the oil too. Very interesting.

Truly, this recipe has made me very happy about being able to use my oven for anything else than baking the occasional cake/ brownie/ cookie. I am glad it now feels a lot less neglected since I am sure to use it a LOT in the coming months experimenting with ALL kinds of veggies. Try it and you will know what I am talking about. 

Have a great weekend all you mobile folks!

Ciao

J

Submitting this recipe to:
- "Bake fest" @ Zesty Palette and by Vardhini
- "Kid's delight" hosted by Valli.
- "Kid's delight: Healthy Makeovers" hosted by Rasi
- "Cauliflower recipe link Challenge" hosted by  Sliceoffme and to Citrus Spice UK