Almond Chai Tea Cookies

These cookies were AMAZING!! I couldn't wait to try out this recipe as I love chai tea and putting them in a cookie... YUM. This recipe is based on one from the fabulous Eric Lanlard, my famous baking mad friend. I can call him a friend right... I did make an appearance on his show and we tweet sometimes. ;-P Anyway, back to the recipe, I changed the recipe slightly by adding in chopped almonds to replace the sultanas (not a huge fan of sultanas) and I didn't have any cardamom seeds at the time when I made these. They turned out great with a nice crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way I like to have cookies. The chai tea and almond bonded and created a great flavor for this cookie. I will be adding these to my list of recipes to make again! Try this one out for yourself and get the book for the original recipe with lots of  other yummy goodies in it!

Recipe inspired by Eric Lanlard: Cox Cookies & Cake

Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g soft brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp chai tea, crushed (about 2 tea bags)

1 tsp vanilla extract
225g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
110g rolled oats
100g almonds, chopped

Steps:
Preheat oven to 200C/395F and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks, chai tea, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Then add in the flour, baking powder, and oats. Once this has combined, fold in the almonds. Place spoonfuls of the mixture on the baking, evenly spaced apart and bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

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Muffin Monday: Strawberry Almond Muffins

I can't believe it is March already, and I can't think of a better way to start it then a wonderful Muffin Monday recipe. The original recipe 'Hazelnut Plum Muffins' is from Women's Weekly and I decided to change it slightly. I'm not a huge plum fan so replaced it with strawberry and thought almonds would compliment the strawberry flavor better than hazelnuts.  They turned out wonderfully moist and I really enjoyed the flavor, not overly sweet, just right for a little breakfast treat. 

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

Recipe
Inspired by Women's Weekly
Ingredients:
90g Butter, melted
375g Self Raising Flour
55g Ground Almonds
150g Caster Sugar
250ml Milk
1 Egg
Strawberry Jam

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter, flour, ground almonds, sugar, milk, and egg. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Put a tablespoon amount of muffin mixture into the muffin cups and make a well in each muffin. Spoon in a rounded teaspoon of jam and top with another tablespoon amount of muffin mixture.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

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Rice BlogHop: Tiramisu Rice Pudding

Last month, I entered my Cake in a Mug to be part of a bloghop focused on cakes! My cake got quite a lot of "likes" and is now the most popular post on my blog. I was then emailed shortly after asking if I would like to participate co-hosting in the next bloghop, focused on rice. I wasn't sure to begin with as I had no idea what I would make with rice but with emails of encouragement from fellow bloggers and a good search on the net, I found a recipe! There are so many things you can make with rice, but I wanted to make something unique and that I have never heard of or had before. I came across a site with loads of all different rice recipes. I wanted to make a dessert so I had a browse and then I saw it... Tiramisu Rice Pudding! I had to make it. It is a really easy recipe to make and very yummy, quite a filling dessert and could easily serve 8 people. Enjoy with lots of whipped cream!

Recipe
Inspired by Riceland
Ingredients:
1 US cup uncooked long grain rice
2 1/2 US cups milk
1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 US cups fresh whipping cream
2 Tbsp. icing sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 US cup marscarpone cheese
1/2 US cup sugar
2 Tbsp. coffee liqueur
Unsweetened cocoa powder




Steps:

1. COMBINE in a medium sauce pan, the rice, milk, instant coffee, and salt. Stir occasionally until mixture has come to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Move to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled.
2. WHIP 1 1/4 US cup of cream together with 1 tbsp icing sugar and 1/2 tsp almond extract, set aside. In another bowl, whip 1 1/4 US cup of cream together with 1 tbsp icing sugar and 1/2 vanilla extract, set aside.
3. MIX together the chilled rice, almond whipped cream, marscarpone cheese, sugar, and coffee liqueur in a large serving bowl. Once thoroughly mixed together, cover with vanilla whipped cream. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Cover and chill for at least an hour then serve.

Please join in on the #ricelove fun by linking up any rice recipe from the month of September.  Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #ricelove event. The twitter hashtag is #ricelove. Co-Hosted by: Baker Street, Bloc de Recetas, Bon a Croquer, Cafe Terra, Chef Pandita, The Daily Palette, Elephant Eats, Food Wanderings, Hobby and More, Knitstamatic, Mis Pensamientos, Simply Reem, The Professional Palate, The Queen's Notebook, The Spicy Rd.

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Coffee Granita

I was watching the Good Cook show the other day, and he was making a Coffee Granita. I have never heard of it before but it seemed like a great recipe to try out for the summer. Granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily, although available all over Italy, it is related to sorbet and italian ice. It is extremely easy to put together and tastes very nice. I have modified his recipe, see it below. Or try your own combination of ingredients. I am going to try making some fruit granitas in the future. This recipe completes number 85 of "My 100" list. 

My Recipe
Coffee Granita

• 4.5 Cups Double Strength Coffee (I used 10 scoops of coffee grounds)
• 170g Sugar
• 225ml Milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract

Whipped Cream

• 250ml Double Cream
• 1 Tbs Icing Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Toppings

• Cinnamon (optional)
• Demerara Sugar (optional)
• Caramel (optional)

Steps Brew coffee  Pour sugar into a mixing bowl, add in the vanilla and almond extracts. Once coffee is brewed, pour into mixing bowl and whisk everything together Pour into a 8" x 8" glass pan Place carefully into freezer Check in an hour, use a fork to rake through the mixture Continue to check every 30 minutes and rake through the mixture It took 5 hours for mine to complete, but it all depends on your freezer Once you are ready to serve, combine the 3 ingredients for the whip cream. Whip it to a soft peak Scoop on top of the granita Sprinkle with your choice of topping

Last addition of milk

Ready for the freezer

Halfway there

Almost done

Ready to eat!

Whipped Cream Topping

 Enjoy!

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