Cheesecake Cookies with Almond Crust

Am a fan of cheesecake but i always hated the crust made of Graham Crackers. This one is different. This crust has nuts (of your choice) and it gives a real bite to the crust.
So now you have a superb Cheesecake plus a nice crust too.
I got this recipe from Food Network and gave a try this Christmas and its going to be my evertime favorite too.

Ingredients
Makes 25 cookies

Crust
All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Light Brown Sugar packed - 1/4 cup
Chopped Almonds - 1 cup
Butter - 1 stick (8 tbsp) melted

Filling
Cream Cheese - 16oz  take them out of fridge atleast 30 mins before using
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 3
Vanilla Extract - 1 tspn

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the ingredients under Crust and press the into a 13*9*2 inch baking pan.
It will look like its not enough but keep spreading and pressing till it covers all the pan.
Bake it for 15 mins or until lightly browned.

Now in a new bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Add eggs and the Vanilla Extract and beat well.

Now pour this into the crust and spread till it covers the crust completely.
Bake them for 30 mins
(The recipe asks for baking 20 mins but mine was done by 30 mins only. Keep checking after 20 mins)
It will look all puffed up, but dont worry it will retain to the original look once its cooled.

Once its cooled completely, cut them into squares. Garnish as you love.

This will be a sure hit, so go ahead and make them

Happy Cooking Guys!!!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

My Next Venture for this Christmas was this Cookie that i got from Food Network. Its made of Ricotta Cheese which gave it a Cake consistency. And the Lemon Glaze was just the kick it needed. They are just perfect against each other.

Ingredients
Makes 45 Cookies

All Purpose Flour - 2 1/2 cups
Baking Powder - 1 tspn
Salt - 1 tspn
Unsalted Butter - 1 stick (8 tbsp)
Sugar - 2 cups
Eggs - 2
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz
Lemon Juice - 3 tbsp
Lemon Zest - 1 lemon

Glaze
Powdered Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Lemon Juice - 3 tbsp
Lemon Zest - 1 lemon

Mix the All Purpose flour, Baking Powder and salt together and keep aside  (Dry Ingredients)

Take the butter and sugar in another bowl and combine them until fluffy using an electric mixer.
Now add the eggs one by one after mixing them well into the batter
Now add the Ricotta Cheese, Lemon Juice and the zest ad mix it well into the Batter (Wet Ingredients)

Now add 1/3rd of the Dry ingredients into the wet Ingredients and mix well. Do the same with the rest of the Dry Ingredients till its mixed well.
This is the Cookie Batter

Prehat Oven to 350 degrees F

Line the baking sheet with a Parchment paper and drop the cookie batter around 1 1/2 tbsp each.
Leave some space between each cookie as they will spread a bit.

Glaze
Take the powdered sugar in a bowl and add the zest and the lemon juice and mix well. This is our Glaze.

Rest the cookies for atleast 20 mins once they come out of the oven. Now spoon little zest onto them and let them rest for some time.

If you are planning to stack them for storing, its better to rest them atleast 2 hours after putting the glaze.

This cookie is really tasty, so please try atleast once.

Happy Baking Guys!!!

Healthy Oats and Nuts Granola Bar

 Today am making something that you have seen a lot in most of the stores under various names like Energy Bar, Protein Bar, Granola Bar, Oats bar and so it goes. So while you compare the nutritional value and price for them like me, nothing stops you from trying it at home.
I keep one pack in the car always so that whenever you are outside or coming from office and stuck in traffic and get hungry, it comes handy. I made them for Raj but I am the one eating it more.
First time when i made them i felt it might be costly but with the ingredients i bought, i was able to make 3 times. So price wise i think its with us.
Coming to the nutritional value, we know what goes in this so you can tweak them however you wish

I got this recipe from Food Network which is really catching upto me as i find myself trying their recipes a lot :-)
So if its good enough why not share them with you and persuade to try them.
I have made some changes in this recipe as the original recipe called for Coconut and i traded them with some more extra nuts

If you are someone who is concerned about the nutritional value of the food that you eat, let me assure you that this is way far better than the store brought ones. The only trade off will be the Sugar in them but it mostly comes from the Dried fruit and dates so i dont think you have to worry too much on that

Ingredients Makes 24 bars
Rolled Oats - 2 cups
Almonds - 1 cup
Cashew - 1/2 cup
Hazelnut - 1/2 cup

Wheat Germ  - 1/2 cup
Butter - 3 tbsp
Honey - 3/4 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Dates - 1/2 cup
Mixed Dried Berries - 1/2 cup

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F
Chop the nuts to half or quarter size of them

Mix the Oats with Almonds, cashews and Hazelnut and spread on a baking sheet.
Bake it for 10 - 12 mins. Take care not to brown them :-)

Reduce the Temperature to 300 degree F

Butter or spray oil to a Baking dish (I used 9 * 12 inch dish ) and line with parchment paper.

Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the Honey, Brown sugar and salt
Once its mixed, take it off heat and add the Vanilla Extract.

Mix the toasted nuts with wheat germ in a big bowl.
Now add in the heated wet mixture and mix them well.

Add the chopped dates and dried berries into this and mix well.

Now spread them into the prepared dish
Wet your hands and gently press them to form an even layer.
Bake them in 300 Degree F Oven for 20-25 mins.

Let it cool off in the baking pan itself for 2-3 hours.
After that take them out and cut them into bars of your choice of size.

It makes 24 of them if you decide to cut them to the weight of the store brought ones.

Notes:

• Please dont forget to reduce the Oven temperature in between
• Oil the measuring cup before measuring Honey and the honey will slide off easily
• Wetting your hands will help you to spread the Granola Mixture easily
• You can add your choice of nuts and Dried Berries.
• I Made it without Vanilla at first and it did come out well too, so no worries if you dont have Vanilla Extract handy
• It remains fresh for more than a week in Room temperature
• Freezing them and thawing out in room temperature will last them longer
• I pack them in Ziplocs as shown above or plastic Cling Wraps

I have tried my max to make the pictures perfect but as you see its a bit tough for me now as i have a wagging tail behind me always :-)

Isnt he cute? He is our 6 month Labrador, our sweet puppy who loves to hang out in the kitchen. So he is my new "Little Chef"

So Happy Cooking and Trying new Recipes Guys!!

Masala Oats

Oats is all around today because of its nutrient level. I got bored of eating Oats with Milk pretty soon and thats when i thought why not add some spices and turn it into Indian flavors.
The whole thing takes 5-6 min of your time, not a bad deal for something so healthy and under 200-250 Calories

Ingredients Serves1
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Mixed Vegetables - a handful or more
Salt
Spice Mix - 1 tsp or more
Oats - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup

Heat Oil in a skillet and splutter the mustard
Now add the Vegetables and saute them
Add salt, the Spice Mix and mix well.
Now add the Oats and mix it into the spice mix well
Now add the water and close the pan with a lid
Let the oats gets cooked and it gets your required consistency

I used a Spice Mix for Meat, you can use Garam Masala or any other Spice Mix which is your favorite
Try changing the Spice Mix and Vegetables for a difference
I used 1 minute Quaker Oats, so the time may vary for different type of Oats

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Marble Cake

Yup, its time for a cake and i made a marble Cake. This is the first cake that i am making. I really love the Marble look of this cake. Even though we have had this earlier, we never thought of making it.
So i got this recipe from another cooking Blog. Its called "Cooking With Alia". I have used the exact recipe while making this

Ingredients Serves 6
Eggs - 5
Sugar - 125 gms
Salt - a pinch
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Baking pdr - 1 tsp
Unsalted Butter - 1 stick (8 tbsp)
Flour - 128 gms
Milk Chocolate - 125 gms
White chocolate - 125 gms (Optional)

Whisk in the eggs and sugar till you get a thick mixture which is pale in color, allmost white
It took me 30 mins for that with a speed of 3-4 in my electric mixer Uffff.
Now add the salt, Vanilla Extract and Baking pdr and whisk it well.
Now melt the butter and add it into this mixture. Mix in well
Now sift the flour into this mixture and mix it.
Now divide this into 2 portions and keep aside
Melt the chocolate in individual pans.
Mix in the milk chocolate into one portion of the batter and White chocolate into the other portion.

Take a pan and grease it with butter. layer the parchment paper and press it well.
Now add half of the White chocolate batter and spread it evenly.
Add all of the Chocolate batter and spread it evenly
Now add the remaining white chocolate batter and spread it evely

Take a butter knife and make swirls in the cake batter to get the marble effect

Now Bake it in 360 degree F for 45 mins
A toothpick or knife inserted should come out clean to ensure its done

Notes

• While mixing the flour to the batter, mix it slowly with a rubber spatula. That way the cake will remain moist and fluffy while baked. Do not overmix.
• White Chocolate is optional, if not added it will have a Vanilla Flavor
• Start checking from 35 mins onwards so that you dont burn it out
• This batter was enough for a 8 * 8 baking pan
• Let the melted butter and chocolates cool down a bit before mixing into the batter

Happy Baking Guys!!!

Cherupayar / Mung Bean Curry

This is the simplest curry you can make as a side dish for Puttu. It really very easy, all in one pot :- )
Needless to say, i got this recipe from my Mother In Law as usual

Ingredients Serves 2
Cherupayar /  Mung Bean - 3/4 cup

Water - 2 cup

Salt

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Green chilly - 3-4 nos slit lengthwise
Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves - few

Pressure cook the Mung Bean with Water, Salt, Turmeric and Green Chilly for 2-3 whistles
The Cherupayar should be cooked well but not mashed out
Now add the curry leaves and pour the oil on top of it.
Keep it closed for 5 - 10 mins.
Mix well and serve hot over Puttu :-)

Happy Eating!!!

Velarikka Moru Curry

Ingredients Serves 4
Velarikka - 150 gms
Red Chilly Pdr - 1 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin - 1 tsp
Curd - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Red Chilly - 4-5 nos
Curry Leaves - few
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp

Pressure cook Vellarika pieces with red chilly pdr, turmeric, salt and water for 2 whistles

Meanwhile grind coconut with Cumin into a fine paste by adding few tbsp of water and keep aside
Beat the curd well (add a tbsp of water if needed) and keep aside.

Once the vellarika is cooked, add the ground coconut paste into this and let it boil.
Now add the curd and mix well and take it off heat.
Do a taste test
Heat the oil in a pan and splutter mustard followed by Fenugreek, Red Chilly and Curry Leaves.
Add this to the curry and mix well.

Note:
If the heat is too much, the curd will curdle, so take care (mine did curdle little)
If you dont like to bite the Fenugreek, then sprinkle powdered Fenugreek after adding the curd
You can also make this without adding the coconut paste, just reduce the amount of spices used.

Happy Eating Guys!!!