Thursday, June 16, 2011

Checkered Cookies and Cherry Cake

Hi to all.I tried these cookies for kids as they begin their '79 days' of vacation :) 

I had bookmarked these crisp beauties long back, from Dyann Bakes.

 Checkered / Checkerboard Cookies
Checkered n In Baking Tray

Baked n bit successful in checks :)







This is a combination of Vanilla Shortbread and Chocolate Shortbread, which gives a wonderful output, pleasing to eyes and our palettes of course!!

Ingredients for Vanilla Shortbread :
150 gms butter softened
1/3 C granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon (right not tsp) Vanilla essence
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 C APF (maida)

Method : 
In a bowl, beat butter and sugar till fluffy. Tip in yolk and vanilla essence, beat well. Add flour in tiny lots and beat till combined. Turn out and knead on a flat surface, pat to a rectangular block, cling wrap and refigerate for 1/2 an hour.

Ingredients for Chocolate Shortbread :
100 gms unsalted butter softened
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 large egg
1 1/2 C APF (maida)1/2 t baking soda
1/3 C cocoa powder (best quality)
1/8th tsp salt

Method :
Sift flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt together and set aside.
Beat butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla essence, beat well. Add the flour-cocoa mixture in divided lots, till combined. Turn it out on a flat surface, knead well, make a same sized rectangular block, cling wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.

The egg white from 1st set of ingredients can be used as egg wash during assembling.
Please watch Dyann's video for accurate idea of assembling or layering this. 

Assembling :
Once done, preheat oven at 170C. Lay a cookie sheet with parchment, place cookies one inches apart from each other and bake for 10-11 mins till we get lightly golden edges. Cool on wire racks, place in airtight containers, enjoy!! Makes manyyy cookies depends on how you cut it, I have kept the remaining two logs in cling wrap, refrigerated, got 48 cookies from remaining dough! :) 

Enjoy with tea/coffee or simply snack on them !!




Coming up next,  is a light crumb cake, very moist. Uses sliced glaze cherries. Family and Friends liked it alike. 

The recipe's from Tasty Food Lovers

Cherry Cake

 

 Ingredients : 

150 gms + 1 Tbsp All Purpose Flour (maida)
150 gms unsalted butter-softened
150 gms caster sugar
 1/2 tsp baking powder
 3 eggs
 1 tsp vanilla essence
50 gm almond -ground
6 tbsp glaze cherries (multicolor would do, I chose red)


Method :
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line and grease a loaf pan.
Sieve 150 gms of flour and baking powder. Set aside. In another small bowl, mix 1 Tbsp flour to sliced glazed cherries and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar, till fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla essence. Now fold the flour, gently in lots till combined. Mix in the cherry-flour mix and lastly combine the ground almond. Pour this mix into a prepared loaf pan and bake @180C/40-45 minutes.

Cool on rack and slice it. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!!


8 comments:

Swapna said...

Purnima checherboard cookies came out perfect! Are these cookies you send kid's party?
New look of the site is really good... but cherry cake pic is not uploading... only half of the pic is loading....

Divya Kudua said...

Hey Poorni--so good to see you back in action!!Love the cookies.Cherry cake is one of my fave too!!Looking fwd to more of your blog posts!

notyet100 said...

Why no posts :) it's been so long ,tk cre

amna said...

the check cookies look amazing! i need to make them soon :)

vandana rajesh said...

Purnime this is both beautiful and delicious...yumm.

Dee said...

I just discovered your blog and am loving the recipes here. Will definately try some of your recipes and put them on my blog too. Do visit me..
lovelifenlollypop.blogspot.com

Sona - quick picks/pick quicks said...

hi Poornima! just felt excited seeing a co-blogger from kuwait! me tto..lovely cookies..where exactly are u here. we are in mahboula. do drop by my space as well and lets stay connected

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Both your cake and cookies look delicious!!