No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

There is a huge variety of cookies come every Chinese New Year and this time I'm sharing with you a very simple and easy to make Nestum Raisin Cookies.  The ingredients are very basic for any cookie recipe but the star ingredient is of course, Nestum.  Crunchy and crispy Nestum Raisin Cookies to serve your guests this Chinese New Year and I hope you will like it! Nestum Raisin Cookies ~  CNY 2020   麦片葡萄干饼干 Ingredients 250 gm butter 140 gm caster sugar 280 gm self-raising flour 1 egg yolk 40 gm Nestum 60 gm raisins 1/2 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt More Nestum to coat Method Beat butter and sugar till creamy, add in the egg yolk and vanilla, mix well. Sift in the flour, add in the nestum and raisins.  Mix well. Pinch some dough about the size of a 20 cent coin, lightly roll onto some Nestum to coat and place onto a parchment lined baking tray, about an inch apart. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for about 10 to 15 mins....

These Hup Toh Soh (Chinese Walnut Biscuits) are without hup toh/walnuts.  I do remember from young that the traditional Hup Toh Soh that I ate those days were quite big, around 4 inches in diameter or because I was small and to me everything looked big!  They were made with lard and were very crunchy but there wasn't any trace of hup toh in them and nobody asked why.   Although these biscuits are without walnuts, they are still crunchy and yummy.  If you are allergic to nuts, this is a recipe for you.  Give this a try for the coming Chinese New Year. However, if you would like to have a recipe of  Hup Toh Soh with walnuts, do hop in 'here'. Hup Toh Soh  (Chinese Walnut Biscuits)  ~   CNY 2020  核桃酥 Ingredients 300 gm plain flour                                                    ...

These biscuits are crunchy and delicious with a slight hint of citrus lemony flavour.   They are suitable as a gift to relatives and friends for any occasion or to be enjoyed at any time of the day. Choc-chip Lemon Biscuits ~ 巧克力柠檬饼干 Ingredients 160 gm butter 75 gm muscovado sugar 75 gm sugar 2 eggs beaten 400 gm plain flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 100 gm choc chips Zest from 3 lemons 1 Tbsp lemon juice a pinch of salt Method Beat butter, zest, sugar till fluffy.  Add in beaten eggs gradually followed by lemon juice. Sift in plain flour with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix till dough comes together. Roll into balls of walnut size, flatten it. Arrange dough onto a parchment lined baking pan, about an inch apart. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 25 mins. till biscuits are lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.  Store in cookie jar when cooled. Yield ...

Deliciously crunchy and citrusy cookies, decadent with a hint of coconut.  You  can snack on them at any of the time of the day and mind you, they can be sinfully addictive.  Why not make them as a gift to your relatives and friends for the forthcoming festive season. Lemon Coconut Cookies ~  柠檬椰子曲奇 Ingredients 170 gm butter 200 gm caster sugar 250 gm plain flour, sifted 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk 100 gm desiccated coconut 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/4 tsp salt zest from 1 lemon Method Beat butter and sugar till fluffy, add in eggs, blend well. Fold in sifted flour, zest and juice. Add in the desiccated coconut.  Mix till well combined. Roll into balls, place on parchment lined baking tray.  Do not press the dough. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 15 mins. till golden brown. Yield :  54 cookies

Delight your family and friends with these easy chocolate chip cookies with butter and walnuts.  These cookies are fairly big, thick, crunchy and not very sweet as I've cut down on the amount of sugar.  These are always a hit amongst adults and children alike. Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies ~  巧克力 核桃 奇曲 Ingredients 170 gm unsalted butter 90 gm dark brown sugar  ( I used Rapadura sugar) 50 gm caster sugar 1 large egg 2 tsp  vanilla 250 gm plain flour 2 tsp cornflour 1 tsp bicarbonate soda 1/2 tsp salt 150 gm choc-chips 30 gm walnuts, coarsely chopped Method Sift plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, mix in cornflour set aside. Using a handheld whisk, beat butter and sugar till smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, mix well. Lightly whisk in the flours, mix till well combined. On low speed, add in choc-chips and walnuts, or you can opt to mix in by hand with a spatula. Wrap dough in clingwrap, chill in the fridge for a few hou...

Tis the season for gifting and indulging.  This cookie is crunchy on the outside and yet not too hard on the teeth.  It can be a grab-to-go snack or you can simply dunk it into your coffee or tea.  They can be addictive and Santa may come back for seconds! Blueberry Almond Bread ~  杏仁蓝莓脆饼 Ingredients 75 gm whole almonds, toasted 25 gm dried blueberries 25 gm dried figs 3 egg whites 90 gm caster sugar 120 gm plain flour (sifted) Method Coarsely chop up the whole almonds, dried blueberries and dried figs.  Set aside. Beat egg whites till frothy.  Add in sugar gradually and beat till stiff peaks but not dry. Add nuts, chopped fruits and sifted flour. Mix till well combined. Spread onto a parchment lined 8 x 4 x 4 inch pan. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 30  mins. until top is lightly brown. Let cool, wrap with cling wrap and put in freezer till the next day or so. Using a serrated knife cut into thin slices, arra...

These dainty looking Lavender lemon cookies have a subtle taste of lavender, not too much for I used  fresh leaves instead of dried flowers.  They are buttery, taste like shortbread with a light floral aroma.  They are simple, cute and sure to impress.  Try gifting them at a Christmas cookie swap or great to give as a gift during the coming festive season. Lavender lemon cookies ~  薰衣草柠檬曲奇 Ingredients 263 gm butter 80 gm caster sugar 245 gm plain flour 50 gm cornflour 2.1/2 Tbsp icing sugar 1.1/2 Tbsp freshly snipped lavender leaves 1 tsp lemon zest a pinch of salt Method Sift plain flour with the cornflour, set aside. Cream butter, sugar and icing sugar till fluffy. Mix in the snipped Lavender leaves and lemon zest. Mix in the sifted flour and cornflour mixture. Wrap up the dough with cling wrap and keep chilled for an hour or more. Roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutter.  (Alternatively, roll into a l...

I've baked Oreo chiffon cake ,  Oreo marble butter cake and this Oreo Butter Cake is another add-on to the list of butter cakes that I've posted before.  This butter cake recipe is indeed very versatile and one can tweak it here and there and yet the outcome is most rewarding.  In fact it will spur you on to try other variance of the recipe. Oreo Butter Cake  ~  奥利奥牛油蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 230 gm butter 150 gm caster sugar 200 gm self-raising flour (sifted) 4 egg yolks (about 68 gm with shell) 40 ml milk 1 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt 50 gm Oreo cookies, cream removed and crushed (7 cookies) (B)  4 egg whites 20 gm caster sugar Method Sift the flour with salt, set aside. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.  Add in egg yolks one @ time, mix well. Add in sifted flour alternating with the milk. Mix in crushed cookies.  Set aside. Beat egg whites till frothy and gradually add in sugar in batches. ...

A little bit of spiciness to usher in the Year of the Dog .... Sambal Shrimp Cookies!  The name may sound a bit weird but then there's always room for innovation and creativity.  I was just experimenting with this reicpe to make something different and surprisingly it yielded good result. Well at least the family members who were my guinea pigs gave a nod of approval! Sambal Shrimp Cookie ~  參巴蝦醬曲奇 Ingredients 180 gm plain flour, sifted 120 gm butter 40 gm icing sugar 1.1/2 to 2 Tbsp sambal udang (depending on spiciness) Curry leaves finely chopped Method Cream butter with icing sugar till light and creamy. Add in curry leaves and sambal udang,  mix well. Add in the sifted flour and lightly mix to form a soft dough. Cover with cling wrap and let chill in the fridge for about half an hour. Roll out the dough in between plastic sheets and stamp out the cookies with a cookie cutter. Arrange the cookies on a parchment lined baking tray...

These cookies can be served during the coming festive season or can be made into smaller pieces as a gift to relatives and friends.  The sugary top of these almond cookies adds a nice crunch and that's what makes them special. Sugary Almond Cookies ~  含糖杏仁曲奇 Ingredients 220 gm plain flour 30 gm almond powder 150 gm butter 100 gm icing sugar 2 egg yolks 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 beaten egg white raw sugar or granulated sugar to sprinkle Method Sieve flour with salt and set aside. Cream butter with icing sugar, add in egg yolks and fold in sifted flour and almond powder. Mix to combine.  Cover with cling wrap and keep in the fridge for about an hour. Roll into balls about the size of a golf ball, flatten with a fork, brush with some beaten egg white and sprinkle some raw sugar on top. Bake in a preheated oven @ 170 deg.C for about 20 mins. until golden brown. Yield :  18 cookies

The recipe for this Biscoff Butter Cake is similar to my earlier post of Marble Butter Cake , just that I added an extra ingredient which is, crushed Biscoff cookies.    Instead of mixing the crushed cookies into the batter, I just sprinkled them on top of the first layer of batter and then cover with the remaining batter.   This cake is soft and moist with good texture ..... definitely a recipe for keeps! Biscoff Butter Cake ~ 牛油蛋糕  Ingredients   (A) 230 gm unsalted butter 4 egg yolks 120 gm caster sugar 200 gm self-raising flour 60 ml milk 120 gm Biscoff cookies, crushed 1 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt (B)   4 egg whites         50 gm caster sugar Method Sift the self-raising flour and salt, set aside. Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, set aside. Crush the Biscoff cookies with a rolling pin, set aside. Beat the butter slightly, then add in the sugar and continue bea...

Almost everyone enjoys receiving yummy food gifts during the holidays and I believe that these fruity and citrusy aromatic Passion fruit cookies will make a wonderful gift for family and friends.  You can place these cookies in glassine bags or wrap them up in wax paper and secure  with a colourful ribbon.  Another way is to fill them in inexpensive cookie jars, or containers, seal tightly and tie a bow.  Have fun!            Passion fruit cookies ~  百香果曲奇 (adapted from 'here' with adjustments) Ingredients 185 gm butter 190 gm self-raising flour 95 gm cornflour 140 gm icing sugar 3 passion fruits 1 tsp lemon zest Method Sift self-raising flour and cornflour, set aside. Cream butter, icing sugar, lemon zest till light and fluffy. Add passion fruit pulp and mix well. Fold in sifted flours, mix well. Cover with cling wrap and let chill in the fridge for an hour or so. Roll into balls, place on a par...

I made this chiffon cake with Lotus Biscoff cookies which is Europe's favourite cookie served with coffee.  These cookies have a unique taste and refined flavour which stems from the sugar's caramelization during the baking process with a hint of spices.  This is not a sponsored post but I just  feel that these cookies will work just as good as Oreo cookies in this recipe and I'm not disappointed at all! Biscoff Chiffon Cake   (adapted from  'here'   ) Ingredients (A) 5 egg yolks 58 gm sugar 75 ml oil 1/4 tsp salt 129 gm plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 92 ml milk 1/2 tsp vanilla 50 gm Biscoff cookies (crushed coarsely) (B) 5 egg whites 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 58 gm sugar Method Sift flour with baking powder, salt, set aside. Using a handheld mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar, then add in oil, milk, vanilla and beat till well incorporated. Add in sifted flour, mix well.  Add in the crushed Biscoff cookies, mix wel...