Millionaire's Shortbread

Layers of shortbread, caramel & chocolate
Kids love this but it's quite sweet for me, would prefer thin caramel layer but thick choc layer hehehe :)
It's taste better after a day though....

175g plain flour
125g butter, cut into small pieces
4 tbsp soft brown sugar, sifted

TOPPING
55g butter
4tbsp soft brown sugar
400g canned condensed milk
150g milk chocolate

1) Grease a 23cm/9-inch square cake tin with butter (mine's rectangle, boleh ajer)
2) Sift the flour into a mixing bowl an drub the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix to form a firm dough.
3) Press the dough into the base of the tin and prick all over with a fork.
4) Bake in a preheated oven, 190C for 20min, until lightly golden. Leave the shortbread to cool in the tin.
5) To make the topping, place the butter, sugar and condensed milk in a non-stick saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to the boil.
6) Reduce the heat and cook for 4-5min, until the caramel is pale golden and thick and is coming away from the side of the pan. (Lenguh tau nak kacu jer, takleh tinggal tau)
Pour the topping over the shortbread base and leave to cool.
7) When the caramel topping is firm, melt the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (I melt dalam microwave jer...)
Spread the melted chocolate over the topping, leave to set in a cool place, then cut the shortbread into squares or fingers.

Chocolate & Apricot Squares

I actually didn't know what to do with the dried apricots in my fridge. It's been there since... dunno when :p
So I browsed my recipe books and found this very very easy cake to bake.
It's very easy, very fast to prepare, simple ingredients yet really yummy :))

Chocolate & Almond Cookies

These chuncky cookies are my family's favourite. Blom sempat masuk cookies jar dah licin 1 tray. The next time I make this, I must double the recipe.

125g/4 1/2oz butter, softened (extra for greasing)
125g/4 1/2oz brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
200g/7oz self raising flour (sifted)
pinch of salt
125g/4 1/2oz chocolate, roughly chopped (Hershey's choc chip would be good too)
50g/1 3/4oz almond nuts, chopped

Method:

1) Grease baking trays lightly with butter
2) Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3) Gradually add the beaten egg
4) Reduce speed of mixer, add in the flour and salt
5) Finally, add in the chocolate and almond nuts.
6) Place heaped teaspoonful of the mixture on baking trays and bake in a preheated oven of 190C for 10-12min.

If your oven is a fan forced type like mine, reduce the baking time. Else, tak cantik bila color dah gelap... golden brown kira ok la..

English Cottage Bread

Kids sure love this bun. You can make it plain or put in fillings or even sausages.
I made mine plain. My next project would be serunding bun :)

Ingredients (A):

400gm bread flour
100gm plain flour
45gm caster sugar
20gm milk powder (susu baby boleh, susu anlene boleh, redman milk powder pon ok)
3 1/2 tbsp instant yeast (can also use those in packets, 1pk of 10-11gm)
10gm salt (for bread, always put in salt last, kalau tak ia matikan yeast)

Ingredients (B):
1 egg
260ml cold water or fresh milk

Ingredients (C) :
60gm butter

Method :

1) Mix all ingredients A (except salt) in the mixing bowl. Use the hook. Add in ingredients B. Mix them around 5 min till it becomes a dough.
2) Add ingredients C. Just let the mixer knead the dough. After 10 min you can put in salt. Continue the kneading prcess. The dough is ready when it becomes 1 lump around the hook and doesn't stick to the bowl.
3) Cover with cling wrap, let it rise for 60 min.
4) Place the dough on a clean surface (dust with some flour) and cut the dough into equal sizes, then make them into small buns.
5) Place the buns into cups and let it rise again for 45 min.
6) Brush the buns with beaten eggs and bake in a preheated 180C oven for 30min.

I actually use the same recipe to make wholemeal loaf, i used 250g bread flour and 250g wholemeal flour and baked in a greased loaf tin.

Feels so great to start baking again...

I have long forgotten this hobby of mine...
Simply because I was so busy making babies... :)
But now that I have a helper called Kitchenaid
and of course my loyal oven who's been with me for 8 years..
ohhh and my 3 handsome kitchen assistants ahahaha
MAMAMEYAH IS BAKING AGAIN! :))