Simple Cooking Ideas

Cookies are easy to make. They require minimum preparation and basically make the same ingredients - flour, butter or magerine or shortening,eggs,leavening, liquid and flavouring. Raisins are favourite ingredient.They are full of goodness such as Vitamin B, protein,iron, potassium and carborhyrates which makes it more reason to try out this recipe for the Christmas celebration.

Ingredients:

150 gm whole meal flour
50 gm plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 nutmeg
1/4 cinammon
Pinch of salt
100 gm butter
100 gm sugar
200 gm raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
100 ml water

Topping:
200 gm rolled oats flakes or wheat flakes
100 gm brown sugar
100 gm butter

Method:

Preheat oven 180 gegrees C. Grease and line a 20 cm x 25 cm baking tin. Sift together the first 5 dry ingredients and put aside. In a sauce pan, combine sugar and butter, and melt over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in raisins,vanilla, salt and water. Add in the sifted dry ingredients. Spread mixture evenly over on greased pan. Bake in the prepared oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Makes about 2 dozens.

An easy homemade peanut butter candies which can yield 3 dozens with this recipe. You can cut these sweet peanut butter candies into 3 cm squares. The kids will enjoy eating during this festive season.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
4 cups castor sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
For the topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

Melt 1 cup butter or margarine over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in castor sugar, peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs. Spread mixture in a jelly roll pan. Pat down evenly.

To Make Topping: Melt together 1/2 cup butter or margarine with 1 cup chocolate chips Spread this mixture over peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate 1/2 an hour. Cut into squares.

Christmas is around the corner, here is a delicious recipe for making these cookies which will yeild 4 dozens.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups chopped almonds

Methods:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and almonds. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

The long holiday is around the corner, kids will have a restless time hunting for food and snack in the kitchen and opening the refrigerator door to find snacks. I suggest making some muffins or bake cakes ready for them to eat at any time. Try this carrot and apple muffins:

Ingredients:

240 gm plain flour
40 gm wholemeal flour
100 gm castor sugar
3 level teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
150 gm butter melted and cooled
100 gm carrot, minced
100 gm sweet apple, minced
2 tablespoon raisins

Method:

Combine plain flour and wholemeal flour, baking powder and sugar together in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, milk and eggs until combine completely. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Stir with a metal spoon and fold in the carrot, apple and raisins. Spoon into muffins tins lined with paper cases and bake in a preheated
oven at 190 degrees C. for 15 mins or well risen and golden brown.

If you are interested to bake some cookies for the kids this festive season, do try this peanut cookies. You can roast the peanut in the oven. When cool completely , you discard the skin and mince it. Discard those mouldy nuts for safe consumption.

Ingredients:

500 gm roasted peanuts, minced
300 gm castor sugar
300 gm white shortening
300gm plain flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Method:

Mix sugar and shortening together. Add flour and mix evenly with your hands. Combine

roasted peanut and mix well. Form small balls and arrange on baking trays and brush with

beaten egg yolk. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C. for 12 to 15 minutes or until

golden. Cool tray for one minute before transfering onto wire rack to cool completely.

Steamed sponge cake will turn out light and moist if the eggs and sugar are beaten together until light, white and fluffy. make sure the steamer is at rapid boil before you put in the cake. Remember to wipe off the water from the lid before covering cake to steam.

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted

Method:

Line a 20 cm round cake tin. Whisk egg and sugar in a basin over a sauce pan of hot water until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the oil and evaporated milk and vanilla essence. Foli the flour lightly and thoroughly. Pour into the prepared cake tin and steam over rapid boiling water for 30-35 minutes.

When you cannot finish a bunch of over riped bananas such as the pisang emas, do not fret

of wasting them. Use the over riped bananas you cannot finish to make into loaf which is much

similar to a banana cake. Do try this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisins

Method:

Place all the ingredients except the flour and the raisins in a food processor and switch

on for a minute. Transfer into a mixing bowl. Sieve flour and baking powder together. Add

flour and raisins and knead into a dough. Place into greased baking pan. Bake in a 180

degrees Celsius preheated oven for 45 minutes.