Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are crispy and tasty, perfect for Christmas or New Year celebrations.

Are you ready for enjoying a wonderful and joyful Christmas with your loved ones? We start to feel  the mood to make some cookies. We do love eating cookies from Christmas, to new year as well as Chinese New Year.

Cookies are one of the most popular treats in our celebrating occasions. Before Christmas, I made these shortbread cookies. Once they’re out from oven and cooled down a bit, my hubby tried one and remarked that they’re really like the brand we got from stores.

Read More

Gingerbread Men Recipe

Here comes a recipe that requested by my Chinese fan. She wants to make some gingerbread men cookies for a church gathering. It’s my pleasure to help of course, although it’s not my plan to make any bakery in such a hot weather in Australia. I have already got used to celebrate Christmas in warm weather, although I miss the chilly season’s atmosphere in my hometown.

Got two gingerbread men put on swimming suits. Ready to go with me !

Going back to our gingerbread men making, I can’t stress enough about the importance of the sugar choice. Try the best to get brown sugar. It adds an inviting sugar cane fragrance and beautiful brownish colour. On top of it, use molasses or golden syrup, available at supermarkets, that helps create delightful taste and lovely texture. If you can’t find any, you can replace it with honey.

Read More

Lemon Almond Cookies (Chinese New Year)

Few people would like to eat a whole lemon on its own. Yet every part of the fruit can be used in making a variety of dishes, savoury or sweet. Lemon zest can act as a natural fragrance to baking goodies. I made some lemon almond cookies the other day for afternoon tea, used the juice for drinks. These crunchy cookies with lemon fragrance tasted like heaven, yet not too sweet, and helped me refresh in this warm weather. As Chinese New Year is around the corner, are you looking for ideas of making cookies for snacks or gifts. How about trying these lemon cookies? They won’t let you down.

Read More

White Chocolate, Macadamia & Lemon Biscotti

Christmas is around the corner, just in two weeks or so. It’s a time of getting together with family and friends, having more good foods with lots of laughter. Christmas is also a time for giving and receiving tangible presents that convey love. While you can read this post, you’re one of the lucky ones in the world, at least you have the internet access. I’m so thankful that I’m one with you as well.

Upon reading Penny’s post on “Bake A Difference this Christmas”, it got me thinking of doing something special for this Christmas.

If that would bring something different for some people who don’t have their homes, or other necessities, let alone the internet access, why wait then? Baking biscuits might be a trivial thing to do on a normal weekday or weekend. But when I baked these white chocolate, macadamia biscotti as Christmas presents to bring along to share with other families tomorrow afternoon, I sensed a significant meaning behind, being part of an event held by CSR Sugar to help disadvantaged Australians. For more details about the event, please head over to Penny’s blog.

Read More

Butter Cookies for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is coming in a week! Most Chinese families will cook up a storm for this great season. Chinese people also have a tradition of visiting their relatives and friends during Chinese New Year. It’s called 拜年 (bai nian), literally means visitations in new year. My parents liked to bring some butter cookies when doing visitations. In Hong Kong, butter cookies are one of the popular snacks in this festive time.

These cookies are very crispy and buttery with beautiful patterns. When it comes to baking butter cookies, we might experience that it’s not easy to keep the good-looking pattern of cookies because the batter would flatten wide after heating up in oven. Well, there’s a secret behind, I share later on, for baking cookies with your preferred brilliant patterns.

Read More

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

Last week my friend SK brought some cookies to a luncheon gathering and shared with us. They were the most crunchy and delicious cookies that I’ve ever tasted. It got me recall the old fashioned peanut butter cookies with criss-cross pattern, a favourite treat for young kids. Yet, the cookies made by my friend were a bit different from the old-fashioned ones as she added some extras, including some nuts and chocolate chips. I asked for her recipe of course. Thanks so much for her generosity. All ingredients in this peanut butter cookie recipe are blended and balanced so well. I like her idea of adding the extras. So I followed her recipe and mixed in some petitas, sunflower kernels as well as a bit of pine nuts. It turned out really good, enriched with more texture of natural nuts. You might like to omit the extras and retain the traditional taste of peanut butter cookies, or replace with peanuts if you desire though.

Read More

White Chocolate & Brown Sugar Cookies

This is a very special festive treat. To make chocolate cookies, coco powder are commonly used to give an attractive look and brownish color. Here I made a little tweak of using brown sugar to replace the coco powder. The flavor of white chocolate blends with the aroma of brown sugar so well.

I made two dozens of these special cookies just in case of any friends of mine dropping by during Christmas holidays.

Read More