Freak`s Cookies

Freak is not a freak. He`s a a magic chef who can put together a dinner and a dozen cookies in less than 30 minutes.

And these are  his magic cinnamon cookies that one day everybody will be queuing up for!

Ingredients (for 10 cookies)

- 60 g butter, melted
- 60 g sugar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 45 g of rolled oats
- 50 g flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 150 g of dark chocolate, chopped

 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Mix everything in a bowl.

Spoon the cookies onto a baking tray.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Mousse au Chocolat

Today I discovered that the most delicate and divine things indeed come in the smallest of sizes!

When I was over at my friend Marie’s house for a cup of tea, she also offered me a little cup of her mousse au chocolat with fresh orange zest on top. Wow! The velvety feel and taste of the chocolate is indescribable!  And the orange zest just adds to the perfection. Just wow. Hats off Marie.

Continue for the recipe.

Léa’s Tiramisù (che tira sù!)

My dear friend Léa underestimates her cooking abilities, so through this post I want to convince her that what she had us try tonight was an excellent homemade tiramisù! The photograph might not do it justice, but keep in mind that this was taken with a phone camera after one hell of a Japanese curry dinner!

Ingredients:

- 500 g mascarpone cheese
- 150 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- Ladyfinger biscuits
- Strong coffee (you can make it with instant coffee or espresso)
- Unsweetened dark cocoa for dusting

Method:

In a bowl, mix well the cheese with the sugar and the eggs.

To start the layering, dip the ladyfinger biscuits (one by one) in the strong coffee and then make a layer at the bottom of your serving dish. Top this layer with a layer of the cheese mix, and repeat until you have three layers of biscuits ending with a layer of cream. Finally, sprinkle dark unsweetened cocoa powder on top and chill for at least 8 hours before serving.

Confetti’s Blueberry Cheesecake on Yummly!

I am ashamed to say this, but I only found out last week that, in the summer, Confetti’s Blueberry Cheesecake recipe was shared on Yummly.com! Is this an exciting discovery or what?!

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the rather popular recipe that I tried around a year and a half ago, which goes like this:

BAKED BLUEBERRYCHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 2 and 1/2 cups digestive biscuits, finely crushed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted

For the filling:

- 900 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 and 1/2 cup caster sugar (or just give the granulated sugar a quick buzz in a food processor)
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
- 1 and 1/3 cup double cream or whipping cream or creme fraiche
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of white chocolate, melted
- 1 cup blueberries, dusted with a little flour

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix the crushed biscuits with the butter and press gently onto the base of a spring-form pan.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling together except the blueberries. You might have to beat the mixture with an electric beater for a minute.

To prepare, pour half the cheese mixture over the biscuits then throw in the blueberries scattered on top. Then, pour in the other half of the cheese mixture. Smooth the surface. Place in the oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Then, let it cool on your kitchen surface, and then refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Fresh Berries Fruit Salad With Rose Water

I don’t know what I like more about this salad, the colors or the taste!

Rose water (and rose oil) has been used since the times of the Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians. It is now used in cooking and in preparing desserts. I adore rose water, especially in the famous Lebanese dessert Layali Loubnan. It has such a light yet apparent flavor, perfect for fresh desserts and milk-based puddings.

In this recipe, I joined the volatile strawberries with the delicate rose water to create a fresh and thirst-quenching dessert.

Fresh Berries Fruit Salad With Rose Water

- 2 cups fresh strawberries, halved
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 Tbsp rose water
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp orange  blossom

Wash the berries and put them in a bowl.

In another small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the liquid ingredients.

Pour the sweet water over the fresh berries. Refrigerate for an hour. Best served cold.

Try it and let me know what you think!

 

Not Just Any Lemon Cake!

I love lemon cakes and lemon tarts and although I’ve made lemon cupcakes before,  I haven’t made a cake that ends with a sweet lemon syrup being poured over it! The perfect balance between sweet and citric. I found this recipe in Elle magazine November issue, it was provided by Daniele Gerkens for whom I couldn’t find a website, blog or link. But here’s the recipe (I changed a little in the original recipe) for this SUPER JUICY lemon cake.

Ingredients:

- 15og butter, melted
- 175g sugar
- 4 eggs
- 250g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Zest of 3 lemons

- Juice of 3 lemons
- 150g of icing sugar or caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375F/180C.

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar well. Add the butter. Whisk again.

2. Add the 3 dry ingredients gradually and mix the batter until it is silky smooth.

3. Add the zest of the lemons.

4. Pour the batter in your cake mold (I used a loaf pan) and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.

5. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by mixing the icing sugar with the lemon juice.

6. When the cake has properly baked, take it out of the oven, poke it with a skewer several times in several spots and while it is still hot pour the lemon syrup all over.

7. Let the cake cool before you take it out of the baking pan and serving.

Super Moist Chocolate Cake with Banana and Hazelnut

My dear friend Maria is an avid baker and she enjoys a juicy homemade cake more than anything. I saw the recipe for chocolate muffins on her blog and decided to try it in a cake form. No kidding, a super moist cake with a hint of  banana and a great consistency.

Ingredients:

- 115g flour
- 4 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
-  1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 100g of butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla

- 2 ripe bananas mashed

- 30g hazelnut powder (I ran a handful of hazelnuts in the food processor and took 30g of the result)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. In a bowl, mix the first five dry ingredients.

3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the sugar and whisk well. Add the butter, whisk some more.

4. Gradually, add the dry ingredients from the first bowl onto the egg mixture in the second bowl. With a spatula mix everything well.

5. The mixture will be dry, so add the mashed bananas and mix well. Then, add the hazelnut powder.

6. Pour the batter into a loaf pan or a cake tin and pop in the oven for 30 minutes. Test with a skewer before taking out.

ENJOY! Thanks Maria

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Brownies

Aren’t brownies a sweet and simple celebration for Confetti’s return after a long summer break?! Especially that they’re not just any brownies; they are moist, sweet and they have chocolate chips and cinnamon in them!

Cinnamon Brownies

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 cup sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder

- 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 2 Tbsp chocolate chips (optional – for a very sweet result)

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 350F.

- Butter a 20 cm square baking tray.

- Melt the butter in a saucepan and then pour them over the sugar in a mixing bowl.

- Whisk well. Add the eggs. Whisk some more.

- Start adding the dry ingredients and whisking well and if you’re using chocolate chips, add them last.

- Pour the batter in the baking tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

- Cool well before cutting into squares.

Blueberry Apple Crumble

What I love about blueberries is that I can get them frozen and still use them as fresh. I’ve used them in smoothies, in cheesecakes, and in muffins.

Today’s recipe isn’t one of mine; I found it in Sophie Dahl’s cookbook Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous  Delights. It is the first recipe I try from her book. I got this book around Christmas time as a gift for myself and I finally got round to trying one of her recipes.

Ingredients (for a 15-cm baking ramequin):

- 1 cup blueberries

- 1 cup chopped apples

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1/4 cup rolled oats

- 50g butter, room temperature

- 3 Tbsp light brown sugar

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 400F.

- In a food processor, blend the butter, oats and flour. Add the sugar, mix with a spoon and set aside.

- Place the blueberries and chopped apples at the bottom of the dish. Spoon the crumble mix over the fruits and place in the oven for 30 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Orange Bundt Cake

This is the best orange cake you can ever have! It is made with whole oranges which give it a tangy and somehow bitter taste. You should come smell the house now! Beautiful warm orange aroma!

To make this beautiful cake you need:

- 3 eggs

- 2 cups sugar

- 1/2 cup oil

- A sprinkle of salt

- 3 cups flour

- 3 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 2 whole oranges, cut into 8 pieces

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 360F.

2. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and oil.

3. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla and mix well.

4. In a food processor, puree the whole oranges.

5. Add the orange puree to the batter and mix well.

6. Pour the batter in a greased bundt cake mold and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

7. Before taking out the cake, test with a toothpick.

A very aromatic and beautifully tangy cake. You probably won’t ever taste a better orange cake!