Simplest Peanut butter cookies EVER!

Peanuts?? butter?? Who doesn't like like those??? oh and ...peanut butter??I like it even more! Who would have thought that these cookies would be sooo simple. I was surfing the net when i came across this recipe...I thought...what the heck...3 ingredients?? Who could go wrong with just 3 ingredients? Well nothing went wrong except my calorie count....it went bonkers!!haywire!!

Ok..there are two versions to this recipe. One version is with baking soda and the other is without. I prefer it with baking soda...as i rather like crisp cookies rather than a soft centered one. For these lovelies...i rolled them into 1.5 inch balls and flattened them using a flat bottomed glass to make it thin..criss-crossed the top with a fork and baked mine at 170 C fan forced for 12 mins. Now thats what I call crispy! But make sure to check on them as not to let the cookies burn..each oven is different..play around with the heat to suit you.

Oh and by the way...these cookies are gluten free.which means.. (drum roll please) NO FLOUR! By the way I made these for my kids so that i could finish up some ingredients and I really don't want to go out to buy some cookies from the store that has a TON of unwanted ingredients and preservatives.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Source:Aleesha

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup castor sugar (i reduced mine to 1/2 cup and it was still sweet but not tooo sweet)
1 cup peanut butter (i used skippy smooth - if you use sweet peanut butter please reduce sugar)
optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda(i used less)

Instructions:

1. preheat oven to 170 Celsius. mix all the ingredients in one bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula.
2. make 1.5 inch balls and place on the baking tray lined with parchment paper. flatten with a flat bottomed glass and make criss-crosses on the tops with a fork
3. bake for 8-10 mins for chewy cookies..but i baked mine for 12 mins for crispy cookies as we are used to crisp cookies

Chickpea Hummus...

Chickpea Hummus 

Chickpea hummus has got to be one of the simplest snacks to stash up in your refrigerator. It can be used as a party dip...a breakfast spread..mid-morning or afternoon snack..whatever you like. Kids love them too...well at least my daughter and baby likes it..haha..my big boy stuck out his tongue saying "yuck!" but then again...he says that to most healthy snacks..LOL

Well anyways..hummus can be made with various beans like white beans, peas, chickpeas and many more. But I have only tried chickpeas so far. I love it! It can be served with tortilla chips(unflavored and plain ones are better) carrots sticks, celery sticks..any vegetable you like actually. You can serve it with flat breads..or you can even spread on bread to make a sandwich..great for tea time or snack on the go. You can make it ahead and keep in the refrigerator..but my one can of chickpeas recipe lasts only two days...i keep snacking on it...it never lasts long..boohooo! But I must advise, do use quality ingredients and you can also boil your own chickpeas instead of the canned ones.

photo from google

these are the ones I used, easily available in Malaysia..or you can boil your own

Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean Hummus
source: All Recipes (this is the basic recipe and i altered it to my liking)

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic (crushed using the pestle and mortar so it doesn't leave chunks of garlic)
1 can garbanzo beans (the original asked to save 1/2 the liquid but i think it kinda leaves a bitter taste to it..so I opted for plain water instead)
less than 1/2 cup of plain water (in place of the liquid in the garbanzo bean can)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (add one tablespoon at a time so that you can adjust to your liking)
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to liking)
2 tablespoons olive oil (I may have added slightly more)
black pepper to taste (I used cracked black pepper)
cumin - ground or whole crushed (I added this - totally optional but i like it this way)
paprika for sprinkling on top and chopped parsley)

Instructions

1. In a blender, chop the garlic. (I crushed mine with a pestle and mortar and added to the food procesor). Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish ( i drained mine and rinsed a little). Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed. (I actually place in the food processor - tahini, lemon juice, chickpeas, salt, pepper, cumin seeds, water olive oil and garlic - blitz till smooth)
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper (paprika in my case) and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.  

So there you have it...easy peasy one two three! Chuck everything in a food processor and blitz! Keep in the fridge in an airtight container so that it doesn't dry out.

I made the hummus to be eaten with carrot and celery sticks, tomato salsa and stuffed grilled chicken

Hummus Kacang Kuda
Sumber: All Recipes

Bahan-bahan:

2 bawang putih (saya tumbuk halus)

1 tin kacang kuda (resepi asal guna air dari tin itu sendiri tapi saya tak berapa gemar sebab rasanya nanti pahit sedikit)

kurang dari 1/2 cawan air (menggantikan cecair dari tin kacang kuda tu)

4 sudu besar jus limau (tambah sedikit demi sedikit ikut rasa)

2 sudu besar tahini (pes bijan)

1 sudu kecil garam (ikut rasa)

2 sudu besar minyak zaitun (saya guna lebih sikit)

lada hitam ikut rasa 

jintan putih - saya tambah sendiri (serbuk atau biji tak kisah)

paprika dan daun parsley sebagai hiasan

Cara-cara 

1. dalam pengisar, masukkan semua bahan diatas. Kisar sampai sekata dan tak berketul dan agak berkrim. bagi yang tidak ada pengisar boleh la menggunakan lesung batu ye..hahha...boleh la lengan tu macam popeye :))
2. keluarkan dan masukkan dalam mangkuk, hiaskan dengan minyak zaitun, paprika dan daun parsley. Boleh juga disimpan dalam bekas kedap udara dalam peti sejuk. boleh dihidangkan bersama roti arab, carrot, dan pelbagai sayuran. Juga boleh sisapu atas roti sebagai sanwich

Scones oh lovely scones..

This is my first attempt in making scones..and thank goodness I picked the right recipe! These scones turned out delicious...I think with practice it would turn out even better. This time around I went all the way and ate it with cream (I didn't have clotted cream...so whipped cream would have to do ^_^) homemade strawberry and raspberry compote. Next time I decide to make this again I would love to have it with butter and jam...oh yummm! 

After watching many cooking shows on how to make scones (rachel allen..youtube..tips from my sister ..etc) I gathered my courage to try this recipe. I was always afraid of over-working the dough...making it tough and having to throw the whole lot into the dustbin...mind u there were quite a few things i've cooked that had to be thrown away over the years...erk...lets not go there..haha

Anyway, have a go at it and practice makes perfect! And if your the only one eating them at home....then...pratice makes you FAT! Oh my..hahah..I'm definitely referring to me ..LOL

Ultimate Scones

Source: Angela Nilsen, BBC GoodFood

Ingredients:

225g self-raising flour , preferably organic (i used just regular self-raising flour)
¼ tsp salt
50g slightly salted butter , chilled, cut in small pieces
25g golden caster sugar (i used castor sugar)
125ml buttermilk (i used milk and added a dash of lemon juice)
4 tbsp full-fat milk
a little extra flour for dusting
strawberry jam and clotted cream, to serve ( i used strawberry and raspberry compote and whipped cream)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C and lightly butter a baking sheet (unless you're using a non-stick sheet). Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt. Shoot in the butter, then rub together with your fingers to make a reasonably fine crumbed mixture, lifting to aerate the mixture as you go. Try not to overrub, as the mixture will be lighter if it's a little bit flaky. Now stir in the sugar.
2. Measure the buttermilk, then mix in the milk to slacken it. Make a bit of a well in the middle of the flour mixture with a round-bladed knife, then pour in most of this buttermilk mixture, holding a little bit back in case it's not needed. Using the knife, gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, almost sticky, dough. Work in any loose dry bits of mixture with the rest of the buttermilk. Don't overwork at this point or you will toughen the dough.
3. Lift the ball of soft dough out of the bowl and put it on to a very lightly floured surface. Knead the mixture just 3-4 times to get rid of the cracks.
4. Pat the dough gently with your hands to a thickness of no less than 2cm and no more than 2.5cm. Dip a 5.5cm round fluted cutter into a bowl of flour - this helps to stop the dough sticking to it, then cut out the scones by pushing down quickly and firmly on the cutter with the palm of your hand - don't twist it.You will hear the dough give a big sigh as the cutter goes in. Gather the trimmings lightly then pat and cut out a couple more scones.
5. Place on the baking sheet and sift over a light dusting of flour or glaze if you wish. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, uncovered if you prefer crisp tops, or covered loosely with a cloth for soft ones.
6. Serve with strawberry jam and a generous mound of clotted cream (Cornish people put cream first, then jam, Devonians the other way round). Eat them as fresh as you can.