It's Cookie Time!

Hey Guys!!!

Welcome back!!!

So, it's Cookie Week in my kitchen. I spent all morning yesterday whipping up three batches of three different cookies for a small project at the cafe. While not entirely convinced of how it will fare, I can guarantee you, these cookies do not disappoint!

First in line is the Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookie...with a twist. Wanting something a little different, but not far from it, the chips have been replaced by the colourful M&M's. Being a little too self-critical at times, I didn't think they looked all that pretty. But my parents disagreed and so did one of my partners. Not to mention the baristas hehehehe. Any recipe worth its merit can be adapted to make these...try out your favourite, and let them do the talking!

These are perfect for kids!!!

While these babies baked in the oven, I proceeded to make the dough for the Lemon Pecan Cookies...aptly named Lemon Delights. Do you recall me making them in April 2013? No? No matter, click here for the recipe. It needed a full hour in the fridge to chill, as it is very soft dough, so don't skimp on the time. Short of it? Pop it in the freezer for about 10 minutes, but be sure to keep a careful eye on it. You don't want the dough to freeze. 

In the meantime, I did a quick research on some Chewy Chocolate Cookies and found the perfect recipe. Like the dough before, it is very soft and sticky, and it did get on my nerves as I weighed each soon-to-be-cookie...soooo sticky. Luckily, they baked adorably and the aroma...GOD! To die for. Every oven is different, so if attempting this recipe, be sure to watch them over. Mine baked for approximately 16-17 minutes. I tried with 10...still unbaked, 4 more...hmmm 3 more....JUST PERFECT! If you try it my way and weigh the dough balls, be sure you'll achieve an even baking. 

Don't you wish you could have one right now?

Yummers! But no time to ogle those beauties. The Lemon Pecan Cookies were next and the dough was crying out for me. Readjusting the oven temperature, I set out to divide and weigh the dough once last time. By now, it was manageable and once rolled up, into a slightly beaten egg white they went, before coating them in crushed pecans. Imprinting my thumb into each center deeply, they were nicely filled and back into the oven. I checked these after 12 minutes. They are deceiving, as the filling will appear baked, but not entirely. I left mine in for 18 minutes and perfection was achieved. Try them out and let me know!

I've gifted these in the past,
and they sure make a beautiful gift.

Every week I wish for more time: for me, for my coffee, for my messy experiments...but the few times I find myself free, all I want is to lie down and binge watch TV...nice, right? Well, I'd say this weekend is my free baking weekend...you know, for fun, but I won't be home. I'm heading out of town with a couple of friends to a Potato Festival...yes, you read right, that takes place a couple of hours away in a town called La Esperanza. It's supposed to be really good, with great food, fresh mountain air and a lively ambience. Can't wait to tell you all about it next week. Here's hoping I don't come back drained out and exhausted, because I rediscovered an old recipe for Banana Oatmeal Cookies...oh yes!

Until next time.

xx

P.S...it's sad that I have a new camera, bought specifically for food...and I have absolutely no clue as how to handle it properly...oops.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Recipe by Inspired Taste

Oh la la!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 sticks butter

1 C. sugar

1 C. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

12 ounce semi-sweet chocolate chunks

...the more the merrier! 

Optional: chopped nuts, white chocolate chips, raisins

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light, creamy and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, scraping down the bowl often. Manually incorporate the chocolate chunks and other optionals. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls on lined baking sheets (or weigh them at 40 grams, like me). Bake them for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are dry and the cookies have puffed up a little. 

Made them a little bigger like me? Try 15 to 18 minutes! 

Enjoy!

A Thousand Bakes and Cakes Later, Here We Are!!! Happy 2nd Blogiversary Messy Sweetness!!!

Hey Guys!!!

Welcome back!!!

It's been far too long! And guess what?! Messy Sweetness turned two today!!! I'm over the moon excited on this new chapter. Regardless of my last post having been in April, I can tell you exciting days are ahead. I would love to give you a short summary of my doings in the past few months, however, even a short summary would seem eternal. So, I'll just focus on key adventures and my endeavours of late. 

Happy Birthday Messy Sweetness!!!

My last post hinted a slight disappointment in the way things were coming out in my life. Overwhelmed with orders and work, I had no motivation or inspiration to sit down and type away. Although I had much to write about, the words just wouldn't come. Sleep didn't come easy and I found myself tired all day, every day. But a ray of light shone on my dark days when come June, I was off on a short trip. I prepared myself and my now assistant to make sure everything was to be tip-top on the days I wouldn't be here. She started from 0 and now she's a pro. I left my fridge fully stocked as not to overwhelm her with the incoming orders that were unavoidable. But I left content. I was finally having a vacation after 6 months of no "me-time". 

My parents and I met my sisters in Philadelphia. We were there to attend and celebrate my brother's graduation from the University. We couldn't be happier or prouder and slowly I felt my stress melt away. I sleep soundly, waking up more refreshed than I could recall and just ready to take on the world. Philadelphia is a beautiful city. We stayed in University City, are where most of the Universities in the city are located, with students walking to and fro in the busy streets. I enjoyed my time thoroughly, delighting in the amazing food we had. My brother took us to Reading Terminal Market, a famous food market which holds the voted "Best Sandwich in America" in its stalls. We secured a couple of diner stools in Tommy DiNic's Roast Pork and Beef and we let our brother order for us. I was a bit taken aback by the ginormous sandwich that was flying towards me. Spiced and well seasoned,  and topped with delicious provolone cheese and broccoli rabe (I'm sure there was some mustard on it) the sandwich was out of this world!!! 

Moderately spicy, this big sandwich
is a bomb of flavours.

Among other great places we ate were the quaint Jamonera, a Spanish Tapas place with a great watermelon sorbet and amazing dessert wines; Doc Macgrogan's Oyster House (despite the majority of reviews I've read having been bad,  the entire party had a great time! The New England Lobster Bake was finger-licking good and I had my first taste of Lobster Mac & Cheese...WOW!);  Smith and Wollensky, one of the top Steakhouses in the city, featuring a Bone in Rib-eye which most of the patrons ordered...being 24 oz I cowered away and instead delighted myself with a 10 oz Coffee & Cocoa Rubbed Filet. I was a little let down with the seasoning, as it was all charbroiled, but the soft filet inside made up for it. 

It might seem like we spent most of our time eating...and that may not be far from the truth, but before the trip was over, a smaller group of us headed for New York City. 

Some of my favourite movies of all time take place in the Big Apple and I had only ever dreamed of visiting the city and so my big chance came along. The train ride was spectacularly short and in no time I was emerging into a massive unstoppable crowd at Penn Station. My older sister points outs the exit to hail a cab and I am completely blown away. Towering edifices surround us, boistering masses passing us by, horns honking and my initial reaction is: I HATE NEW YORK! And suddenly, it hits you. As you move along the busy streets, you begin to blend in with the city and you feel it. You feel the city's life and a grin from ear to ear takes over. 

My handsome brother and I, touring around the city

I couldn't decide where to watch with so much going on at once. We reached my sister's apartment, settled the bags down, changed into comfortable shoes and in no time, we're back out, walking down Madison Avenue. I'd relate the entire trip but a single post wouldn't suffice. Interesting things that happened include my feet blistering from the blocks walked up and down, having a slice of pizza at Joe's Pizza, missing the final ferry to the Statue of Liberty (thank God! for the Staten Island Ferry), getting lost near the ferry stations as a marathon taking place disrupted the Tour Bus stations and then realising the tours for the day were over, the breathtaking view atop the Empire State Building, shopping at midnight, riding the subway from Grand Central Station, eating chicken over rice from a local food truck, walking past Central Park (it stinks! so many horses hahahaha) and falling in love with the aesthetic beauty of the Chrysler Building. 

New York, New York!!!

With so little time, we did so much. The trip left us all slightly tired, but it was definitely worth it. The only thing I did not enjoy as much as I do back home was the coffee. Thank you Honduras  for our amazing beans! 

A lovely "Dirty" Chai at Copa Café 

Back in the game of baking, I fulfilled several orders of all kinds, even ventured into a Cars Fondant cake for a sweet little boy. Sadly, there is no perfect picture of the fabulous cake, as settling it down, the father figure miscalculated how far the table was and the cake cracked massively. From what I heard, mom wanted to murder him. I felt a little murderous too, after almost 10 hours working on the two tiered beauty. 

This beauty received many-a-compliments

I made a couple of White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Cakes for a wedding reception, which were well received and complimented by the Australian party that had flown to Honduras for the ceremony. I also tried out the  Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake from another blog, a request from a friend, who also asked for this cake:

A moist Yogurt cake filled with cream and berries

I decorated cakes with a petal detail, made a Chocolate Cassata for my mother's birthday and baked Orange Chiffon Loaves for a Mother's Day lunch. But My absolute favourite cake from the past few months is this gorgeous Naked Vanilla Bean Cake I made for a birthday. 

My Ethereal Naked Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake

So now you see...I have been very busy, and seeing as my blog has turned 2 years old (Prach, do you remember the day I texted you saying I opened it?), I baked a Black Forest Inspired Pavlova. Even better? The recipe's further down! Hehehehe. Mind you, a few pointers to follow. The reviews were great, but personally, I'd cut down the sugar, to at least 1 cup. Ready to try it? Anchors away!!!

Yummers!

Until next time!

You guys are the best!

xx

Black Forest Inspired Pavlova

Yields: 2 8" Meringues

Ingredients:

Meringue:

Recipe from The Cook Who Knew Nothing

8 fresh egg whites, room temperature

2 C. sugar**

2 T. cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla extract

Filling:

2 C. heavy whipping cream**

2 T. confectioner's sugar

1 t. Cognac

Cherry Compote:

Recipe from Urban Bakes

1 C. pitted cherries

2 T. sugar

1 T. water

Toppings:

Chocolate bar to shave and/or make curls

A many cherries as you like!

Procedure:

Meringues:

1. Preheat oven to 420 F. 

2. In a clean bowl, pour egg whites and beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar until completely dissolved. To make sure, rub some meringue between thumb and forefinger. If it feels grainy, continue beating. Otherwise, the meringue will weep. Once the sugar is dissolved and you have soft peaks, beat in vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. DO NOT OVERBEAT! This will cause the meringue to break. 

3. On parchment paper, trace 2 8" circles. If using the paper, turn it over before placing meringue on top. You can also cut the circles out and use under a silicon mat. I did this. 

4. Evenly distribute the meringue between both circles, making sure the the meringue stays inside the lines. With a palette knife or offset spatula, gently spread the meringue to the lines and make a well. This will ensure the filling has somewhere to stay. 

5. Place in the oven and immediately turn temperature down to 250 F. Bake for 90 minutes. Turn oven off and leave meringues inside until oven is cool. Do not remove before.

NOTE: this type of meringue has a harder shell. If you wish for a thinner, softer one, you can remove the meringue after the baking time. Try it both ways and decide which one you prefer. 

Filling:

On a large bowl, using a standup mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and the Cognac and beat until stiff peaks form. DO NOT OVERBEAT or the cream will separate and curdle. 

Cherry Compote:

In a small saucepan, heat up pitted cherries, sugar and water over medium heat. Once the cherries have swelled, smash them and heat for another 2 minutes. The compote should be dense. If you wish for a runnier consistency, add water by teaspoons. I prefer mine a bit thicker. Leave to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

NOTE: I had no cream available at the time, and instead used a local product, equivalent to DreamWhip Topping. The result is the same. If you have cream available, use the cream. If not, this Chantilly Cream mix offers a lovely flavour and it's a great substitute.

Assembly:

Place meringues in serving plates or cake stands. Equally distribute cream between the shells. Shave some chocolate on top of the cream. Pour half of the compote on each pavlova over the cream and chocolate, allowing some to drip down the shell. Finally, top with as many cherries as you like and some more chocolate to ensure extra taste! 

Enjoy.

Trials and Tryouts: Some Peanut Butter Cornflake Balls and a Naked Chocolate Cake

Hey Guys!!!

Welcome back. It's the Monday after Easter and Holy Week and that can only mean we're back to the real world. While I had no exciting travel plans or otherwise, I was very happy having stayed home. With not much going around the house and the coffee shop closed for the weekend, I finally got some down time. I was over the moon, knowing there were absolutely no pressing matters to attend. It was just me, my bed, my coffee, movies and books! 

So it's been over two weeks since my last post. I managed to try out several things which were new to me, and thankfully, they all rendered a great product. Recapping slightly, when last I wrote, I had created a beautiful rainbow cake and experimented with a brown sugar marbled pound cake. I continued with the baking endeavors, making a Hummingbird Cake, Meringues, experimented with the dehydrator, trying out pineapples and  ventured with cornflake balls.

When I was asked if I could provide the latter, I was adamant on taking on the task. I had never made any before, but it seemed like a fun challenge. So when I planned out my cooking schedule, I looked up plausible recipes to tackle. And to my surprise, they were all simple, easy and quick. I did not see any that required more than 5 ingredients, and I said "Hey! Why not?" I think I was done within 20 minutes. I didn't really time myself. All I know is I had fun. And I suggest you try the recipe. They seem very versatile and I might try and incorporate oatmeal next time, for a variation. 

The weekend flew by calmly and come Monday, the city seemed ghostlike and empty. Most people had embarked on their travels and journeys Saturday and Sunday. It was a nice change in pace, as the streets were empty and the traffic was gone. I had a couple of things to bake before I actually settled into my couch potato mode but come Wednesday, I was done. Ridiculously, I still woke up stressed for no reason, which annoyed me to no end. When you're used to your schedule, your body adapts to it and even when you know it's time to relax and sleep in, your internal clock says "NO!" 

It smelled divine...

And yet, I still found joy in baking for fun. I decided to try out a lattice pattern on a pineapple pie. I have made one before and it turned out so good, it was time to try it again. I followed the recipe to the step and the result was much different from the first time. While it looked pretty and delicious, the flour incorporated was not enough to soak up the pineapple juices and I ended up with a drowned pie. It was drained, but it changed the flavor. My parents enjoyed it. I didn't. I guess I'll try it again, but with more flour. 

About to fry the doughnuts

Since I was in the mood for something different, I also decided it was time to try doughnuts. They are yummy and I made them my next project. I truly believed I was gone be ages in the kitchen, but I was done in less than half an hour. The dough itself was sticky and I made a huge mess. So I rolled, made the cut outs and fried them in batches. They smelled so good and looked even better, that I was taken aback by the texture. The flavor was amazing, but the fried dough was so dense it was quite a mouthful to take. In retrospect, it is actually what a doughnut should look, taste and feel like. Except that nowadays we are accustomed to the commercial, fluffy doughnuts or "donuts" that most people have no idea what an actual doughnut should be. But, since these need to be eaten almost immediately, I shall try again to make them, decreasing the flour and upping the rising agent. Perhaps then, I obtain a fluffier treat.

I rolled a couple of them in powdered
sugar for a different taste.

After these, I didn't bake until Sunday. Because the coffee shop was closed and the dessert fridge was empty, I had a busy day of baking, as I needed to refill it. I also made the bold decision of eliminating fully the Red Velvet Cake. Why? You ask...well, I am not a fan of the cake. It it simply a red colored, cocoa flavored cake. SO, I came up with a different one. I baked a moist chocolate cake, filled it with creamy peanut butter, topped it with a chocolate glaze and raw, caramelized peanuts. A jaw-dropping, mouth watering naked chocolate cake. I didn't ask how it fared today, but I'm sure I'll know tomorrow.  

It looks to die for...

I came home early today to bake some ginger spiced cookies, which later served as the cookie base for an orange scented cheesecake I baked a little while ago. It is also meant as a trial for the shop, so cross your fingers and let us hope they are both keepers! 

All in all, I am glad to be back on the horse, as now I have a reason to wake up early...reluctant as I may be. Please read ahead for some recipes and I wish you all a fantastic week! 

Until next time.
xx

Peanut Butter Cornflake Balls

Original Recipe by Laura's Sweet Spot

Yields: 5o cookie dough scooped balls

Try them!!!

Ingredients:

1 C. sugar

1 C. corn syrup*

1 18 oz jar of peanut butter*

6 C. of corn flakes

2-3 ounces chocolate of choice

Procedure:
1. Measure sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the entire contents of the  peanut butter jar. Mix well.
2. Measure the 6 cups of corn flakes in a large bowl. Slowly pour the peanut butter and corn syrup over the corn flakes and mix well, making sure the mixture coats all of the corn flakes. 
3. Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop out 1-2 inch corn flake balls and place them over a wax or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Allow them to cool down.
4. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the cornflake balls.
5. Enjoy!!!

A Splash of Bright Colors and Marbled Pound Cake!!!

Hey Guys!!!

Welcome back!

It's a sunny Monday and despite being a little under the weather, it's just one of those days where a smile cannot elude the face. Thankfully, the weekend was light on orders, which allowed me some downtime. It would have been perfect, had I not been sneezing constantly. I hate being sick.

Going back a little, this past week I had a series of busy days. Last Sunday (after the previous post), I had the fun task of making a rainbow cake. If you look online for pictures, they all seem flawless and for those new to baking, it might seem like a daunting task. Well, I'm here to tell you, that it's quite the opposite. Just take your favorite vanilla cake recipe and dye it in different colors...Ok, so not THAT simple. Considering my one oven and 3 8" cake pans, I made a double recipe for the cake. I whipped up the first batch in the morning, divided the batter into 3 bowls (NOTE: I weighed the batter to ensure equal and level layers). Red, Orange and Yellow were the first colors on the list and so each bowl had a glorious bright color. Into the oven they went and came out perfect! 

Bright and colorful rainbow layers

I baked the remaining layers in the afternoon, using Green, Blue and Violet/Purple. The pigments came through and the result was spectacular. After they cooled down, I leveled them off and began the assembly. I wasted quite a large amount of butter and sugar trying my best to obtain a pristine white buttercream, but it was virtually impossible. Almost everywhere I looked, blogs, forums, websites, all emphasized the difficulty and how it was almost impossible to get a truly white buttercream. If anyone has any ideas, please, do share! I even tried white food coloring. Nothing! 

Layered up and onto the frosting

In the end, I went for the sure thing and used my favorite cream cheese frosting. Although, not completely white, it was fluffy and smooth. Just perfect!!! I was opting for a tall cake, so I began to fret when the layers were being stacked. I stuck in some kebab picks to make sure the cake didn't tumble over. After a few minutes in the freezer, it was okay. The layers were no longer moving and my crumb coat was set. So I frosted it entirely and into the fridge it went overnight. 

Monday came knocking and I began to fret once again. I had to carry the cake in the car and I was only grateful, knowing the frosting was well set, to reach my destination with a perfect cake. The photographer showed up a while later and with my preparations ready and at hand, we decorated the cake together, sliced it and the camera was soon clicking away. The magazine team was overjoyed and I was pleased. The cake didn't reach home, save for a slice for my dad. Everyone wanted a piece and I was only happy to oblige. 

The making of the rainbow cake

I still had one last dessert to make for the magazine: the Apple Stack Cake. Now, because the cake calls for ingredients prepared beforehand (like the dehydrated apples), it was decided to be changed to something simpler, that involved gelatin. The team sent me a series of options to make and considering what was already going to be featured, I chose the recipe that included lemon pudding. The preparation for the dessert took me literally, 15 minutes. It was that simple and all you have to do is wait for it to set (around 4 hours). It's ideal for those who don't have time to bake anything. Prep it up and pick it up later. It's also light on the palate and not really sweet. As a baker, I am not a fan of it per se, as it calls for instant pudding, and I would rather make my own, but hey! If it works, go for it! I'll post the recipe soon!!!

Creamy, light and fluffy

The week went by with no stressful events and come Thursday, I was ready to begin the step-by-step for the lemon dessert. The crew came to my house, and 2 hours later, they were driving away. My collaboration was done and over and as much as I wanted to go to sleep, I still had café baking duties to finish. I was already feeling the symptoms of a cold and my energy was falling fast, but I finished everything in good time. I got ready to go out for dinner and I thank my friends for making me leave the house. I've become a hermit. Some delicious green curry, a bottle of wine and gin&tonic night cap, I was sent to bed in a blissful state. 

I kind off regretted having gone out next morning, as my cold symptoms were worse than ever. My stomach was aching badly, I developed a dry cough and had a very sore throat. I slept in till 8:30 a.m, showered and got ready, and applied the final touches on the baked goods before heading out. I was cold, despite the scorching weather, and all I could do was dream of my bed. As soon as I finished my errands, I came back home and baked a few things for the following day. Once finished, I climbed into bed, with a hot cup of tea, read a few chapters from my book and I was out like a light. 

Saturday morning, I woke up early and left to run some errands. I was back a little after 1 p.m., famished and tired. I had my late lunch, chopped up some pineapple to dehydrate and spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV. I only got up to bake a Brown Sugar Marbled Pound Cake because I got bored, then returned to my bed and stayed there until dinner. The evening comprised a movie marathon with some wine on the side. As much as I wanted to sleep, I had trouble breathing with my congested nose and suffered a disturbing headache. In the end, my tired body gave in around 2 in the morning. I woke up groggy. My alarm had rang at 6 later that morning. I realized I had to switch the trays on the dehydrator. My dad was already having breakfast, but I was basically sleep walking to into bed again. I woke up around 10, and enjoyed a cup of coffee with some pound cake on the side. I showered just before lunch. My Sunday visit to Grandma's was cut short due to untimely baking duties which were done 2 hours later and I watched TV for the remainder of the day. I had tea just before bed and I have no idea what time I slept.

Despite what people may think,
this is an awesome breakfast

Monday I was greeted by the barking of the dogs outside my window, but I was happy and got ready soon. After a couple of errands, I was back home for lunch and despite my baking orders not entirely complete, I've finally sat down to type away. I don't know what surprises lie in the coming days, all I know is that it's gonna be a good week!!! Happy Monday to you all!!!

Until next time.
xx

Deep Fried Goodness and a Relaxing Weekend for the Chef

Hi guys!!!

Welcome back!!! 

It's finally Saturday, it's hot and it's sunny. Summer seems to have arrived in my beautiful country and though I despise the scorching heat, I do relish in the idea of enjoying a chilled piña colada  in the sun. Not that I have any immediate plans to visit the beach anytime soon, but I can dream, right? I am just very happy as I don't have any pressing matters to attend to this weekend and this is a first in a very long time.  I was asked this past week to collaborate for the May edition of the magazine I first appeared in, which will feature only cakes and I was asked to bake the cover page cake, do another step-by-step procedure and provide two cakes and their recipes. I do have one cake to practice: I'm attempting to make an Apple Stack Cake, so good luck to me. I will also be making a rainbow cake for Monday, so I'm pretty stooped about that. The Carrot Cake and the Blackberry Yogurt Cake will also be in the magazine (their pictures were already taken), and if you keep reading, you'll find the recipe for the latter. So there's much to look forward to.

I had some serious fun with this experiment

When we met last, I was simply happy that was a new week. I had had a couple of terrifying days in the kitchen, with orders to fill pouring out of my ears. I was exhausted and burnt out. But I orders steadied  down and I was able to breathe again. This past week has been somewhat weird. My body was threatening to come down with a cold, so there were days when even opening my eyes was a pain. But I overcame the symptoms (I hope so), because I feel much better. 

This week I was asked to try out something new by one of my customers. She asked if I could make her deep fried cookie dough balls. I wasn't really sure of what to expect out of this trial, and so I went ahead and did my research and found the perfect chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, alongside the batter to fry them in. Tuesday morning, I quickly fixed the batch up. I left the raw dough balls to rest in the fridge for over an hour. I mixed up the batter and heated up the oil to the suggested temperature with the help of a candy thermometer. Once heated properly, I began to fret. I really didn't want to burn my hands. I had everything ready: chilled dough balls handy, frying batter, paper towel covered dish and a slotted spoon (I might invest in a frying skimmer). 

Beautifully simmering in the scalding oil

And so I took one cookie dough ball, dipped it into the batter, allowed it to drip off the excess and dropped it carefully onto the hot oil. It was like magic. I half expected the oil to pop and explode the way it does when it comes in contact with water, but it just simmered quietly. It swam around in the oil for a few seconds when it reached the surface again and rapidly cooked the batter. I had already dropped three other balls into it. They took no more than 2 minutes each and the result was magnificent, golden brown little globes. 

I'm sure I'll be making some
 more this coming week.

I continued the process with the remaining dough and halfway through, I realized that the cookie dough needed to be cold for the process to work. Two dough balls were lost, as the batter didn't stick properly and cooked on its own, while the raw cookie dough melted away, leaving my oil dark and full of fried gunk. I fished it out and placed the dough in the freezer for a quicker chill, keeping on eye on the oil, as I didn't want it to overheat. By the end of it, I had fried 33 cookie dough balls and a bunch of Oreo's (a suggestion from one of my cousins) which were good, but seriously, one if enough. It was like a sugar overdose. Once cooled down, I sprinkled the fried dough with confectioner's sugar, packed them up and delivered them. By the end of the day, I had an order of 140 fried cookie dough balls for Friday. It's safe to say that they were good. 

Dough Balls ready to be deep fried.

Wednesday was yet another busy baking day for the café, and I was already feeling  down. My dance instructor had cracked my back that morning and said I was too tense and I need to take things slow, which is really hard to do, because everything stresses me out. By the end of the day, I felt like dying. My eyes hurt, my head hurt, my back hurt, I was having hot flashes and yet I didn't have a fever. I took a couple of cold tablets and headed to bed. I could barely wake up Thursday morning. My car was in the shop, on its routing check, so I hitched a ride with my parents, and although it was ready to be picked up that morning, I was in no condition to drive. My dad drove it home. I was barely keeping my eyes open, but I had a photo shoot in the morning for two of the cakes in the cafe, and I needed to be ready for the people. 2 hours later, I was saying goodbye, having successfully presented the desserts. I had lunch with my mom, picked up a few ingredients and was driven home. All I know is I passed out in the car and once home flopped into bed. I'm sure I only slept for 30 minutes, but they seemed to have upped my energy bar. I reluctantly got up and got ready to bake...again. I finished everything early, and left the 140 dough balls resting in the fridge overnight. I had a tea and was gone.

Can't wait to check on them tomorrow morning.

I woke up feeling much better and refreshed. I put the final touches on several things and once that got out of the way, I set up my kitchen for the frying process. An hour later, I was done and headed out. The cakes were set up in the café, where they were picked up and I was free. I had lunch at my mother's office again and after a couple of errands, I was back home, baking the only thing on my list. I was done before 5 p.m and enjoyed my evening by binge watching T.V, having dinner, tea and delighted myself with the thought that I had no reason to wake up early this Saturday morning. I did...my dogs can be very noisy in the morning. But, I enjoyed my morning coffee with reruns from FRIENDS and showered just before lunch. I have to say, I've had more productive days, but it's been the first Saturday this year with no stress and no schedule. I delivered the only cake due a couple of hours ago and it was ready since 10 a.m. I came back to fix up the dough for my stack cake, which needs refrigeration before baking and with that done, I began the long procedure of dehydrating apples, as the recipe I got requires dried fruit. But that takes time and little space (I'm using a dehydrator...an oven takes too long and my mom needs it at the moment) and with that covered, I am basically free. Tomorrow I simply have to make my rainbow cake (supposedly it's for the magazine cover...not sure I believe them) and switch the apple trays. And wait to see if the dessert fridge needs replenishing. All in all, not worried and very excited. 

With this, I take my leave. Enjoy the rest of Saturday and I wish you a happy Sunday!!! Keep reading, there are two recipes for you to enjoy!!!

Until next time.

xx

Blackberry Yogurt Cake

(suitable for Diabetics)

Adapted from BakeNoir

Light, delicate and basically sugar free

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 C. graham cracker crumbs

2 T. butter, melted

Filling:

400 g. natural yogurt (a little less than 2 cups)

2 T. Truvia*

grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

3 t. gelatin + 4 T. water

200 ml heavy whipping cream (a little less 1 cup)

200 g. blackberries, washed (about 1 cup)

Topping:

200 g. blackberries, washed (about 1 cup_

3-4 T. Truvia*

1-2 T. lemon juice

*you may use any sweetener you like. I like Truvia personally.

Procedure:

In a bowl, combine the melted butter and graham crackers until it is moist and sticks together. Press the mixture on the base of a 9" springform pan. Chill in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, the sweetener and the lemon zest. Measure the gelatin into a heat resisting bowl, add the water and place the bowl on a bain marie (water bath) and gently stir until the gelatin dissolves completely. Add this to the yogurt mixture and whisk to incorporate fully.

With the help of an electric mixer, whip the cream until you obtain a firm peak. Gently fold into the yogurt and gelatin mixture until no cream streaks remain. 

Remove the prepared base from the freezer and arrange the blackberries on the bottom as you wish. Gently pour or spoon the filling, covering the blackberries. Level the surface and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours before serving. Enjoy a slice with the blackberry topping.

For the topping:

In a small saucepan, combine the berries, the sweetener and the juice and cook on medium-low heat until the berries release their juice. Mash the fruit if you wish. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

*If you want a thicker sauce, add a pinch of cornstarch dissolved in a teaspoon of water to the mixture and cook until thickened. 

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Deep Fried Cookie Dough Balls

Original Recipe by Sugar Hero

Yields: 35 (16-17 g.) cookies

Try it out. You won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1 stick butter, room temperature (1/2 C.)

1/3 C. granulated sugar

1/3 C. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/4 C. flour

1/2 t. salt

1 C. chocolate chips

Frying Batter:

1 1/4 C. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1 C. + 2 T. milk

2 t. vegetable or canola oil

About 2 C. vegetable or canola oil for frying

Procedure:

Cookie Dough:
Combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until combined. Stop the mixer, add the flour and salt, and mix again on low speed until most of the flour streaks are gone.

Add the chocolate chips, and stir everything together with a spatula until it’s well-mixed. 

If possible, roll up dough into balls that weigh between 16-17 grams and place them on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. If you do this, the recipe should yield 35 cookies.

If you don't have a weighing scale, take a cookie dough scoop or a tablespoon and form 1" cookie dough balls. This, however, will yield less cookies, approximately 20. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour. The dough can be made several days in advance and kept, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Batter:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the milk and 2 tsp of vegetable oil, and whisk until the batter is smooth and free of lumps

Frying:

Pour the frying oil into a medium saucepan so that it’s a couple of inches deep. Insert a candy thermometer  and heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 360 F (182 C). Once at 360 F, take a chilled ball of cookie dough and dip it in the batter, turning it over until it’s completely covered. Let excess batter drip back into the bowl, then gently drop it into the oil. Repeat with 2-3 more dough balls, so you’re frying 3-4 at a time.

Fry the balls for about 2 minutes, flipping as necessary so that they cook evenly. Fry the cookie dough balls until they’re puffed and a dark golden brown on all sides. Remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon or frying skimmer if you've got and place them on a paper towel-lined dish or baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough balls and batter. Watch the temperature of the oil and keep it between 360 F-370 F (182 – 188 C)—remove it from the heat if it gets too hot, or let it warm up in between batches if the temperature drops too much.

Allow to cool down slightly and sprinkle some powdered sugar and enjoy!!!