Putri Salju / Cashew Melting Moments

don't bother about its name, putri salju literally means snow white. it has nothing to do with the cookie and probably the only reason why its named after snow white is due to the color of the cookie and the look of snowy-like icing sugar. this one is my favorite cookies growing up, i could never get enough of this. however, it's been a very very long time since the last time i ate this cookies. due to the crazy amount of its icing sugar-coating, my mom and people around me tend to keep their distant from this incredibly delicious and addictive cookies. i ever made this cookies once before i started blogging and i didn't really like the way it turned out to be, the reason is simply because the icing sugar didn't coat the cookies thickly enough and it lost its sensation of those cool and sweet effect of icing sugar, which made me feel like eating just another buttery cookies.

sometimes ago, i suddenly saw some photos of this cookies on instagram and just realized how i really really miss munching and having this sweet treats around. to favor my cravings, i decided to quickly make this cookie since i coincidentally also have 500 grams of cashews in hands. this cookie uses toasted cashew powder in it and that's probably the reason why they are so addictive aside than the icing sugar itself. it is originally crescent-shaped, but using cookie cutter is just not my favorite thing to do so i simply round them into balls, i personally thought they look cuter in ball form which makes them looks like a snowball.

Chocolate Lemon Macarons

if you've been a very loyal reader to my blog, i bet you know my struggle with those little babies called macarons. well, after a long hiatus of blogging and a more deepen (professional?) study about pastry, i finally able to tackle those pretty fancy cookies. so today, to show you my progress and tell you, who haven't succeed, to keep fighting for it, i will give you my rendition of chocolate lemon macarons.

this chocolate lemon macaron recipe is my invention during all these years' trials and errors. i find this recipe as the most reliable and efficient for me, and perfect for those who are still in their quest of battling macarons. i will give you the basic macaron recipe as well here, i love this recipe more because i adjust the amount of sugar quite decent here, so that the macarons would not make you clinch your teeth due to the oversweetness.

Nastar / Pineapple Tart

during the time that i didn't blog, i still frequently bake a lot of good things and with the existence of instagram, i somehow become a bragger who almost always post my homemade creation there. though the picture might not be as pretty as the standard of professional food blog photos, it still looks decent on instagram. this one was taken last year, exactly last year. i was experiencing a sudden craving for my pastry teacher's pineapple tarts, thank God she gave me her recipe when i was her student.

pineapple tarts was not my favorite cookies back when i was a child, i didn't like the acidity of the pineapple and also the fragrant of caramelized pineapple kinda made me sick. but now.. i love it, i love pineapple tart more than i could imagine. i realize that somehow my palate of taste has changed not only because of my sudden change of heart in this pineapple tarts but also because when i first wrote this blog i really really hate any lemon flavor in any sort of things, i personally felt like i was eating a car perfume, but lately i am completely in love with lemon. nowadays, everytime i have this tarts around i just couldn't stop munching it, especially with this recipe that is sort of sweeter and crumbly and melt in your mouth. 

Happy Eid Mubarak with strawberry thumbprint cookies

hello everyone! first of all i would like to say Happy Eid Mubarak for all of my friends who celebrate this big day. :) well, we are in quite a long holiday because of Eid Mubarak here in Indonesia. Eid Mubarak is celebrated greatly here. we usually celebrate it with some cookies and rice patties with opor ayam, even if we don't celebrate Eid Mubarak, we would still crave for those rice patties. hahaha. but i could just present you this strawberry jam thumbprint cookies.

this strawberry thumbprint cookies was actually my modification of ananas tart or nastar. i was too lazy to make the pineapple jam by myself, so i tweaked it by using store-bought strawberry jam since i still have 2 jars of strawberry jam in my fridge. it really is a lot simpler to make it like this than make it with the pineapple version and let's be honest it really looks more beautiful right?! like a jewel, like ruby pendant. my mom said, it would be nicer if the dough was rolled in something crunchy like cornflakes or crushed nuts. i couldn't be more agree or at least i should give it some egg wash. we shall try it next time!

aside from this cookies, i was sooo happy to announce that my silliest high school best friend will be arriving in the city tomorrow! she's studying in Seattle and hasn't been going home for 2 years, so to see her again tomorrow will be terrific. i am so crazily excited! hahaha. i have planned to make her this and that but let's see what comes next. i bet she wants to go outside having some fun in fancy restaurant. but i will still make something for her :D okayy, now for you who has been waiting for the recipe of this thumbprint cookies, check it out!

KBB#30: rosemary cheese spritz cookies

this morning, i woke up with a strange feeling and curiosity. it may sound cheesy or cliche but i often dream about this person whom i haven't met again since such a long long time. there was once superstition that says somebody is missing you when you dreamed about him/her. do you believe it? or is it just us who miss them, lol. this things, the dream and the superstition, are somehow disturbing me. however, everything should still go on normally today. so, without getting too long talking about the dream i had last night, let me give you this cookies..

this cookies were kbb challenge for this month. the theme is cheese and this cookies mainly consist of it and of course butter. when i first time read the recipe, i was kinda eager to try this recipe asap. the reason is basically because this is savory cookies and it has nutmeg and rosemary in it. i bet it would taste awesome. and i was right, it tastes awesome!

my family loves this cookies like crazy because it has the richness of the cheese. to be precise, this cookies almost taste like eating a creamy pasta dish, so lovely! i just can't stop myself after the first bite, i really want to keep eating it. so for all of you who loves savory cookies, this one might be your next favorite recipe. *wink*

truffle dough cookies

hello everyone! sorry for delaying yesterday's post to today. i had cupcakes project to do :) but i'm free now, yay! so, let me show something i made a few days ago. i've been crazy for anything chocolatey these past weeks. at first, i didn't really want to make all the chocolate goodies i have made right now. this one is the first. then after eating this, suddenly i crave for more chocolate! 

after baking this cookies, which actually are soft cookies, i ate it (of course, it couldn't be clearer) and i love those soft and chewy texture. no wonder it's called truffle dough cookies. and then, as usual, i gave this chocolate creation to my bf who is a major chocoholic. hours later, he texted me and said 'now i know what this cookies taste like, it tastes like steamed brownies!' and then i went like 'let's make steamed brownies!'. so the next days, steamed brownies are made. another days, i saw Leite's Culinaria tweeted about the milkiest chocolate ice cream recipe from Jenni. and you know what is going on next. lol. yes, i made that too. but now let me talk more about this cookies.

it is technically doesn't taste like steamed brownies. because it is a little crisp on the outside due to those icing sugar coating and it brings out the goodness from this itty-bitty sweets. when you bite it, the middle is still soft and sort of melt in your mouth. the key to this texture is the baking time and temperature. you have to be careful not over-baking it, because once you over-baked this cookies, you won't get the soft center we've been talking and longing. other tips from me, use your favorite chocolate brand. it will make you happier and more satisfied with any chocolate baked goods. 

famous amos' chocolate chip cookies

it takes me about 5 minutes to name today's post. i wrote one, then i erased it, and it keeps going on for 5 minutes until i finally decide to name it "famous amos' chocolate chip cookies". to be honest, i think it still sounds wrong for me because it's not famous amos' real recipe. it's almost. or maybe it's the real famous amos' recipe? man, this is really confusing.

i found this recipe around the blogging neighborhood. there was a story behind this recipe and not only story but also a controversy whether it is true or not. ha ha. i don't really care, what i care is that this cookie taste extremely amazing and unbelievably delicious. i got this recipe from Biskuit Raya through Mbak Regina's blog. she was a member of KBB and has so many great recipes in her blog. this recipe has been so famous since i haven't started blogging and i never thought i will finally make this.

the reason why i made this cookies is simply because i miss famous amos. famous amos has became quite rare here in West Jakarta. fortunately, about 2 weeks ago i went to my favorite supermarket here and find a kiosk that sells famous amos' cookies. love it so much. the only thing that stop me from buying a lot of it is because of the super expensive price. so i guess it would be a waste if everytime i want to eat that cookie, i have to spent that much money. that's why i give that recipe a try and found out that it really really resembles famous amos, both the texture and the taste. try this and i bet you'll think thrice on buying famous amos again.

kaastengel

maybe some of you don't know about this biscuits. it's famous in Indonesia though, i don't know where the name comes from because it doesn't sound Indonesian at all. perhaps the name comes from Dutch because there are many Indonesian cakes using sound-like-Dutch name. for example: klappertaart, onbitjkoek, and this kaastengel.

when it comes to Christmas or Eid, cookies and biscuits always seen in almost every house. Kaastengel is kind of a must have one, the other is Nastar and Cats' Tongue. actually, kaastengel is almost a savory biscuit with parmesan or edam cheese as the main ingredients. this is my first time making kaastengel but it turns out great. all my family members love this, moreover they can't stop nibbling at this biscuit when they're watching television, except me. i don't like savory biscuits, i prefer the sweet one.

the recipe was originally from Anchor but i found it through Mbak Anne Vijaya's blog. the recipe makes a crisp and very tasty biscuit. i'll simply put it on top of the favorite cookies recipes. at least even though i won't make it to satisfy my appetite, it could make other people happy. i know a lot of people who loves kaastengel as much as i love Cashew Sandies (Putri Salju in Indonesian). they'll be thrilled with this recipe.

KBB#20: Kue Bangket

hello guys.. wew, i feel like it's been so long already that i haven't do any KBB task. to be honest it seems like i haven't been in the kitchen for quite some times. reason: mid term test. yeaah, 2 weeks full of tests. it hasn't finished yet though, the last is on next Monday. how pathetic life can be, huh?

this is this month's edition, traditional biscuits. this traditional biscuits named Kue Bangket, it was originally come from Sumatera. i think there are so many variations of Kue Bangket itself. the one i made is Bangket Susu (Milk Bangket) and Bangket Rempah (Spice Bangket). in this month's challenge, KBB works together with NCC, what a really perfect pair they are (don't you think so?). it was said that in both mailing list, they got some sort of 'Bangket-Fever'. haha. anyway, this is just another fun challenge KBB giving me and i really enjoyed making those vintage Bangket.

Bangket's main ingredient is tapioca starch. there are many flavors of them; peanut, milk, spice, chocolate-dipped, ginger, vanilla, lime, and so on you can name it. it's very simple to make, no need to use any fussy equipment, even a pair of your hands is enough to make it. the only part that i think was quite difficult to do is the shaping part. you know i'm not a quite patient person and i messed them all up for few times. the Spice Bangket was easier to make because it hold its shape better than the Milk Bangket. to make the long story short, i can jump up to the conclusion that maybe some of you have been wondering. does this biscuits taste good? hmm, according to my liking, i prefer the Milk Bangket however some people say it was too sweet. but, i couldn't say i really like the Spice Bangket (my mom does), i'm not a massive-fan of spice.

button cookies

look at these sweet minions.. they're so lovely, aren't they? well, they aren't supposed to look that way.. they supposed to be a lot sweeter and tempting. but they were okay for me too this way, i need improvement though. i don't know their actual names in indonesian, but they should look like this. beautiful? yes, of course!

i have a stupid belief: i do believe that everything which used royal icing must look very sweet and beautiful. this little cookie use royal icing to topped. but my icing's consistency isn't stiff enough to hold its shape. so they melt down and make a cute circle drop on top of the cookie. why the royal icing is pink? sorry, my fault. i accidentally forgot to divide the royal icing mixture into 4 bowls and color them differently, as i took the red coloring first so pink it is.

this cookies used to be nibbled when i was a child. me and daddy were so close before and we mostly do the grocery shopping. my dad really loves to go to supermarket. hihi. and in some supermarket, we could buy this sweet treats. however, the taste of the bought cookies with this one that i made are not the same. the bought one taste more rustic, mine tastes a little richer (blame the butter).

coconut biscuits

hello again! this morning, i made coconut biscuits. and just so you know, holiday has finally come! tee-hee!

it's been a week actually, but my auntie came and stay for some days here in my house so i limited my time cooking and baking to accompany her. i've made her indonesian pancakes last Friday but i didn't take any pictures of it, they weren't so perfect either. yesterday, she's back to her crib and i can get my time back in the kitchen.

remember about the list i told you before? coconut biscuit is one of them. i'll make vanilla ice-cream tomorrow though i'm not sure whether i am going to post it or not. you know, i really miss being around in the kitchen and cook something, as a result of that i keep adding more and more things into my 'going to make' list. i do want to fulfill all of them, i hope i'll have enough time to do it all this month.

this coconut biscuits called for simple and not much ingredients. it used desiccated coconut and i still have one large jar half-fulled with it. the recipe also called for powdered sugar and i tried making powdered sugar by whizzing granulated sugar, it works! the granulated sugar become so smooth and whiter. another thing i found this morning is i just noticed that when you want to make biscuits or cookies, the quality of butter you used really affecting the taste of your baked-goodies. thankfully this time i bought a quality over quantity butter, so that my biscuits taste real good! rich and satisfying.. :)

soft chocolate centers biscuit

aah, it feels really good to be back on track. i'm really sick of all my exam. just one left on 5th of July then i'll be free. fortunately, almost all of those exams went good. i'm really thankful.

do you know, i have some kind of habit to make a to do list about what to cook, what to do, where to go, who i want to meet in every single month, yeah.. weird. haha. and when it comes to july or december i will have an extremely long list. just so you know, i've written 11 dishes to make in my notebook. i'm so not sure i will make all of them, i love to plan everything but when i have to make them come true, i'll feel so lazy. back to the list, i've checked 2 foods from 11, wanna know what? it's rainbow chiffon cake and this soft chocolate centers biscuit. still long way to go..

some of you might have ever heard about 'center fill biscuit' by Cadburry. at first i thought, this one would be similar to it. it is actually similar, i just couldn't make them look similar. the taste? well, i think we should do some math for the sugar here, mine tastes real sweet. mom is anti-sweet, i'm so sure she wouldn't like these biscuits. brother and sister love them. daddy's not around, his company sent him to Kalimantan again for a while. i like these biscuits, they're lovable..

i got the recipe from Jamie Oliver. he has lot's of luscious recipe, i can't even choose one to be the most tempting. you should come and visit his web, look for some recipes, and try! after all, i have to say my biscuits don't have cute shapes, they look miserable. i want them look like Jamie's, i should practice more.

coconut twigs

i had a leftover puff pastry sheet. it's easy to use some leftover pastry, you can turn it into a simple this and that. that's what i did today!

do you know that there's one e-magazine called dessert magazine? it's a really good magazine, and it's talking dessert! you can subscribe and enjoy every recipes they give inside. and let me tell you that their recipes are so tempting as well as the pictures. i'm sad for not took notes of last edition, so for this month's edition i would not miss that again. i already noted some recipes including this one i tried. it is actually meant to be served with tapioca soup, i skipped that part.

i have been always curious with how to make a granulated sugar coated pastry. the sugar hasn't caramelized yet, hasn't browned yet but it's somehow melt and stay in your pastry like little sparkling crystals. everytime i try to do that, i always make my sugar caramelized, browned, or even burnt. haha. thank God it's not happening too much today, just some of them and the others are saved from those bad effects. the others are crystalized beautifully..

my mother is a big fan of pastry, any kind of pastry, she's becoming so delightful if i bake puff pastry especially. she loves these cookies. however, i experienced a bit problem in my kitchen though, pretty confuse with my oven. i think it doesn't distribute the heat evenly so i can burn one side of the pastry while the other is still uncooked. ah, i don't know it's just confusing because of that i used my feeling only..

KBB#15: Mud Cake Cookies Sandwiches

Hello again, everyone! last october/november, i've decided to join an indonesian baking club called 'KBB' which stands for 'Klub Berani Baking', perhaps that's also the reason why i am interested in food blogging. hehe. and this month i've received my first task, a task which also my trial to know whether i am qualified to join KBB or not. this month's challenge is to make 'Mud Cake Cookies Sandwiches'..

i made this on my off-campus day, wednesday. i started at 10.00am in the morning by making the mud cake. yumm, i love this mud cake! plus, the extra point is that i used my favorite 'Ritter' dark chocolate and adding some chopped walnuts into the mud cake batter.

trouble came when i was going to make my chocolate cookies. oops, i'm running out of flour. so then i had to go to the nearest mini market to buy 1 packages of all purpose flour and continue my task again.

it is written to cut all the cake and cookies with 6cm cookie cutter, but i wore the small one about 4cm. the 4cm cutter is cuter for me.

the other thing i learn from the members is that this cookies and mud-cake are too sweet, so i did reduce the sugar in a wise amount, it's up to your taste actually. i forgot how much sugar i reduced. hehehe. but as far as i could remember, it's almost more than 50% in the cookies and 25% in the mud cake. :p

i didn't experience too much problems with this cookies and mud cake and also the ganache. but, reading some members' story about this cookies, almost all of them said it was so crunchy, mine didn't.. it's quite tough for the texture. though everyone was satisfied with these sandwiches, including my boyfriend, who is a chocolate-lover. hohoho. i am satisfied enough that day, but i'm more satisfied on the next day. i am so agree with all the members' opinion that these cookies taste better on the next day. haha.

lime zest cookies

Sunday morning rain is falling..

fortunately that lyrics from Maroon 5's Sunday Morning didn't happen this morning. haha. cause if it did so, maybe i wouldn't be able to take any pictures of my lime zest cookies. yeaa, you know, i still can't do my best on measuring and set a perfect aperture or shutter for daddy's DSLR on cloudy/rainy day especially indoor. i'm far too bad to be compared with him on taking pictures. hoho. as what i've mentioned above, today i made lime zest cookies. sorry to say, but it tastes usual for me even though sometimes i feel it has a cute taste. or maybe it's because my tongue seems like having a sore or sariawan in Indonesian. hahaha. but anyway, this is a unique recipe to try. i got it from 'Kraft KejuMoo Recipe Book' which is free to have if you buy 2 packs of Kraft Cheddar Cheese and Kraft Quick Melt.  okayyy, this is the recipe: