Chocolate Chip Cookies | Recipe

INGREDIENTS

110g of unsalted butter,

1/2 cup of dark brown sugar,

1/4 cup of white sugar,

1 egg,

2 tsp of pure vanilla extract,

1 cup and 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour,

1 tsp of baking soda,

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

METHOD

*Preheat the oven to 190C

1. Whisk together the butter and two types of sugars until light and fluffy. The remaining mixture should be slightly pale after 2-3 minutes.

2. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and incorporate briefly until just combined.

3. Fold in the flour and baking soda with a spatula until a dough forms. Do not overmix.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly dispersed into the dough.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

6. Scoop the cookie dough with an ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, and deposit on the baking sheet. Make sure to leave around 2-3cm between each one to allow for room to spread. Also, ensure to not overcrowd the baking sheets- I'd say have a maximum of 6 cookies on one baking sheet.

7. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes, making sure not to over-bake as they will continue to cook when you take them out of the oven.

8. Cool on a cooling rack, and serve warm. Enjoy!

TIP: Ensure all ingredients are all at room temperature (especially the butter and egg) so that they incorporate well, otherwise the mixture may curdle and split.

Scones | Recipe

Buttery, flaky and light, these scones will definitely impress anyone who comes over for afternoon tea. Best served with clotted cream and jam and a cup of tea to experience the real British experience.
Make this for your next tea party!

Scones Recipe                                                                                                  Recipe by iSaamuel 
INGREDIENTS;
250g of all purpose flour,
1 tablespoon of baking powder,
50g of cold, cubed, salted butter,
50g of sugar,
1 egg,
100ml of milk,

1 beaten egg,
1 tablespoon of milk for the egg wash

METHOD;
1. Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar until well combined.
2. Add in the butter and using your fingertips, rub until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre and add in the egg and milk. Stir with a spatula until a soft dough forms.
4. Gather the dough together. Flour your work surface and pour it out onto it.
5. Roll the dough until it is an inch thick throughout. Using fluted cookie cutters, cut out the scones.
6. Place the scones on a lined baking sheet and brush on the egg wash for a golden brown finish.
7. Bake at 180c for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. The scones should be well risen and puffed up.
Let the scones cool before serving with clotted cream and jam. Meanwhile, you can make your cup of tea!

Feel free to replace the milk in this recipe with buttermilk to make buttermilk biscuits which you can then serve with homemade sausage and gravy for a Southern twist. Enjoy!

Homemade Buttery Croissants from Scratch | Recipe

I absolutely adore fresh croissants- there's nothing better than the crispy exterior against the soft yet chewy, hot, steaming interior on the first bite. Now I know there are many people out there who are intimidated with idea of making homemade puff pastry/croissant dough, but I can re-assure you now- they're really not at all that hard to make! The lovely nature of recipes like these is that you can double the recipe and keep half of the final dough in the freezer, so they are ready to be baked whenever you need to satisfy that irreplaceable 'fresh-croissant' craving reminiscent of the ones from Paris patisseries.
I've seen far more complicated recipes for croissants, so I have decided to create my own which is just as great, if not better. (Yes, I said it!) They key thing about these croissants is the use of high-quality, fresh ingredients that add to the utmost superior end result- so with that in mind, please don't use margarine in those tubs which are heavily diluted with about 70% of water for its spreadable consistency, because they just don't work! Enough talking, here comes the recipe:

Buttery Croissants Recipe                                                                               Recipe by iSaamuel 

INGREDIENTS;
2 Cups of Bread Flour,
2 Teaspoons of Fast-Action Dried Yeast,
1/2 Cup of Sugar,
1/2 Cup of Milk,
2 Tablespoons of Butter,
1 Teaspoon of Salt,

3/4 cup of cold, cubed, unsalted Butter.

1. In a large bowl, sift the bread flour and then add the dried yeast, sugar, milk, salt and the 2 tablespoons of butter.
Knead well until a rough dough forms.
2. Transfer the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes, until a smooth and elastic dough is achieved. Try to avoid the incorporation of too much extra flour despite seeing the dough being sticky, or else you will end up with tough croissants- so don't panic- just slowly knead until the desired consistency is reached.
(Feel free to use a stand-mixer to do this if one is available.)
3.  Shape the ball and then flatten it into a rough disc on a plate, and cover it with plastic wrap to let it rise overnight in the fridge.
4. Get your 3/4 cup of cold, cubed butter and place it on a piece of parchment/baking paper to form a 7x7 inch slate of butter. Take another piece of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to whack and to roll out the butter to get it even. Put this in the fridge overnight with the dough to harden.
5. The next day,  take the dough out from the fridge, peel off the plastic wrap and it should have doubled in size. Punch the dough to release the air.
6. Lightly flour a surface/table and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into an even 8x8 inch square.
7. Peel the cold butter taken from the fridge off the sheets of parchment paper, and place it in the centre of the dough.
8. Fold the dough over the butter to seal it. Roll the dough into an 8x23 inch piece of rectangular dough. Brush off excess flour with a pastry brush.
8. Fold the dough over itself into 3 layers (watch the video) and place in the fridge for 30 minutes for the butter to harden.
9. After 30 minutes, take it out from the fridge and roll the dough out into another 8x23 inch piece of dough. Fold the dough over itself again (working quickly so the butter doesn't melt) and place this into the fridge again.
Repeat this 'rolling-folding-resting' process for a total of 8 times/ more for even more layers.
10. After doing this for a total of 8 times, let the dough rise in the fridge overnight.
11. The next morning, cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. With one half of the dough, roll it out into a final 8x23 inch dough. With the vertical dough, divide it into 3 horizontal parts. Cut each piece diagonally in half.
 

Cutting the dough for it to be rolled into croissants

12. You should be left with 6 isosceles triangles, to which you'll then roll them tightly from the wide end to the point to form croissants. Repeat this for the rest of the dough.
13. Leave the croissants to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, covered with a plastic wrap.
After 1 hour, mix 1 egg with 2 tablespoons of water to make a egg-wash, and brush this onto
each croissant with a pastry brush, unless you would want to freeze half of the batch for future use.
14. Bake at 200c for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and well risen. That's it! Serve these warm for breakfast with ham and cheese or as a dessert with powdered sugar and fruits. Enjoy!

I know what you're thinking- that this seems like a long hefty recipe, but it's actually really simple- perhaps the hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise and rest, but that's it. It'll be so worth it, so do give this a try to impress your family and friends- enjoy!

Sponge Cake Recipe

I've always wanted the perfect recipe for moist and soft cake... here it is! After weeks of developing and testing, I have finally come up with this perfect recipe! I love using this for my Birthday Cakes, or just sharing with friends and family beneath a blanket of fluffy whipped cream for a simple decoration- I hope you like this recipe

Sponge Cake Recipe                                                                                                                       Recipe by iSaamuel

INGREDIENTS; 
6 Egg Yolks,
6 Egg Whites,
150g of Sugar,
1 Tbsp of Vanilla Extract,
9 Tbsps of Milk,
110g of Cake Flour,
60g of Butter (Melted).

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Egg Yolks, Sugar, Vanilla until the mixture is light, thick and fluffy. The longer you mix, more air will be incorporated into the final result, making the cake extra soft!
2.  Add in your Milk and Melted Butter and whisk gently until well incorporated. The mixture should still be slightly thick.
3. Sift your Cake Flour into the Egg Yolk mixture, in three portions, mixing gently after a each addition with a whisk to prevent any flour lumps. Do not overmix, other wise you'll have a very dense and tough cake! Once all of the Flour are incorporated and well mixed through, scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Your mixture should be nice and creamy but not too thick or dough-like.
5. Add your Egg Whites in a seperate large mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks are formed for about 3-7 minutes.
6. Gradually add your Egg Whites into your Egg Yolk mixture while folding gently to keep the air in.
7. Once there is no Egg White left, line two 10inch cake pans with non-stick parchment paper and divide the mixture evenly between the two pans. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes at 200c. Be careful not to overbake as it will result in denser cakes.

Let your cakes cool and frost with icing to make a Birthday Cake or top off with Whipped Cream and Fruits for an elegant dessert! Enjoy.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes!

 

INGREDIENTS;                                                                                                       Recipe by iSaamuel

3 Eggs Whisked,

1/2 Cup of Sugar,
1/2 Cup of Cake Flour,
1/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder,
1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Extract,
2 Tbsps of Chocolate Chips (Melted) *I used Milk,
1 Tbsp of Instant Coffee,
1/4 Cup of Hot Water.

Whipped Cream;
3/4 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream,
1 Tbsp of Powdered Sugar,
1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Extract.

1- Whisk together the Cocoa Powder, Instant Coffee, Vanilla Extract, Melted Chocolate and Hot Water in a small bowl. Set aside.

2- In a large bowl, mix eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until it doubles in volume and turns pale, light and fluffy in appearance. (Beat for about 5-10 minutes to get the right consistency)

3- Add the Chocolate mixture into the light egg and sugar mixture you've set aside in Step 1. Whisk until well combined and mixed through.

4- Gradually sift in the flour and gently mix with a small whisk to prevent flour lumps. Do not overmix otherwise you'll have bread-y/chewy cupcakes! D:

5- Once the batter is well mixed and combined, portion the batter evenly into cupcake liners with an ice-cream scoop.

6- Bake at a preheated 180C for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a center of a cupcakes comes out clean without any batter!

7- In a large bowl, pour your heavy whipping cream, along with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Simply use a whisk and some elbow-grease to whip the cream until it forms a soft peak. (Go ahead and use your electric mixer, you know you want to. ;) )

8- Place the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a 'star tip' and gently pipe your desired pattern. Decorate as you like- be as creative as you can!

Impress your family and friends with these delicious Chocolate Cupcakes as you bring them to a Birthday party! Enjoy! (:

Light, Fluffy and Buttery Scones!

 

INGREDIENTS;                                                                                                       Recipe by iSaamuel

400g of Flour,

2 Eggs,

4 Tsp of Baking Powder,

70g of Sugar,

100g of Cold Butter - taken from the fridge,

140g of Milk - " "

1 Tsp of Vanilla Extract.

1- Sift the Flour and Baking Powder into a large mixing bowl and then add in the sugar. Mix with a whisk until thoroughly combined.

2- Place the Butter into the Flour mixture and rub them together with your fingertips. Do not use the palm of your hand as you don't want the butter to melt, because we are looking for a 'flaky' and moist scone! The mixture should be very crumbly, but should still have large chunks of butter throughout!

3- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the Milk, Eggs and Vanilla Extract until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

4- With a wooden spoon, mix the together gently and don't overmix, otherwise you will have very tough scones!

5- Cut out a large sheet of Cling Film/Plastic Wrap (I used Parchment Paper) and Pour the dough on top. Gently pat the dough to incorporate the left over Flour.

6- Wrap the Dough and Chill for 30 minutes in the Fridge.

7- 30 MINUTES LATER! Unwrap your dough, and pat it until it forms a rough rectangle. Then, using a knife or a Flour Scraper, cut/divide the dough in half, and fold one over the other. Pat the dough again, and repeat this process 5 times. Do not pat the dough too hard, or you will develop gluten which will cause hard and tough scones!

8- Pat the dough into a rectangle roughly 20cm by 15cm with a thickness roughly of 2.5cm.

9- Use a round cookie cutter and roll it in flour to prevent it from sticking. Press out dough and place them on a lined cookie sheet. If you have left over dough, pat it into a ball and then pat it again into a thick rectangle to form more scones until you no longer have any dough left. 

Brush each scone light with milk before baking them.

The scones before they are baked! n_n

 10- Bake at 180 degree Celsius for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and will spring back when touched! (:

Serve these with a thick tab of butter with some jam, eat them on their own and taste the amazing 'buttery-ness' or even eat with Nutella! Yum! Have fun making these and enjoy! Your family and friends will ask your for more! (: