Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake

Wow the title was a mouthful so was the taste of it, it was just unbelievable. I was looking for interesting cupcake recipes and chance upon this one and I thought why not? So many steps, just what I like NOT! But I guess this must be the year I decided that I'm going to live on the edge a little and try recipes outside my comfort zone. There are 3 steps to this recipe; the cookie dough which is the filling, then the cupcake and lastly the icing to decorate the cupcakes. 

Because the cookie dough needs to be frozen when being place in the cupcakes, it's best to do it the night before shape it into balls and then freeze them. You do this as you do not want the cookie dough to melt in the cupcake and lose shape while baking.

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Method:

Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Shape the dough into balls or tubes. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350° F/170 deg.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir together to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla.

Using a scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.

Bake for 16-18 mins.

For the frosting:
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Decorate cupcakes.

The taste of this cupcakes were out of this world and I  must caution that this is not something you have all the time due to the rich ingredients in this calorie laden recipe. Calorie aside with the effort it took to make this I must say each bite was worth every calorie.

Steakhouse 66 - Docklands

It was Father's Day on September 1st and no prizes for guessing who chose this place, because it's was father's day the restaurant had on a special, all dad's get a free beer and kids eat free which was a bonus. When I called to make reservations the restaurant was fully booked out which is no surprise and the earliest we could get in was 2pm. So we got there right on time, walked into the restaurant and waited to be served.

The restaurant was still full when we got there at that time although it looked like most guest were finishing up their meals, the wait staff was busy running from one table to another, no one notice we were standing waiting to be served, it was a good 10 mins before we manage to get the attention of someone which I think was the restaurant manager as he was in a suit. It was good thing he was apologetic for making us wait as by that time I was ready to walk off as I'm not the most patient person. Since it was a nice spring sunny day we opted to seat outside.

Looking thru the menu we ordered the salt and pepper calamari as an entree to share because we were all starving by that time since we had no breakfast all of us scoff the entree down in no time even our daughter had a go at it. Hunger aside the entree was done really well, the calamari was cooked just right and the salad that accompanied it was light and fresh.

Our daughter had her meal serve to her first which she was grateful for as the poor child was absolutely famish, she decided on the kids fish & chips. The fish was really fresh and the batter was light, I had a pinch of it as remember we had not had anything to eat since morning.

Hubby opted for the porterhouse steak with peppercorn sauce which is served with mash and onion marmalade because he has to have salad with his meals he ordered the mix green salad on the side, the steak was cooked the way he liked it and the mash just melted in your mouth.

I had the seafood pasta which was tossed with an olive oil dressing, it was light and pasta was done just right. There were generous serving of fish, clams, mussels and succulent prawn which unfortunately I could not have so hubby benefited from it. Overall the food was tasty and will definitely make a return visit to try their other items on the menu.


Location:
66 NewQuay Promenade
Docklands

Beef Rendang (Spicy Beef Stew)

I have a friend who cooks great malaysian curries and my husband had the beef rendang she made one day and absolutely love it since then he has been bugging me to make it and I have been putting it off for the longest time as previously mention I'm not one for complicated recipes but after a while between having him constantly harassing to me getting down to do it I gave in. So what is Beef Rendang?

Beef Rendang originated from Indonesia, is somewhat like a beef stew which is slow cooked in spices and coconut milk for over 3 hours until the meat is soft and tender. Due to the long cooking and preparation time that is required this dish is something you serve for special occasions. 

I had never make this before although I've eaten this many times before and I personally like this dish too so I started by looking for recipes and where else do I look than my dear Mr google. I found the recipe on Rasa Malaysia and found that they have recipes for other local dishes that I use to eat when I was in Singapore which I'll try for another time.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound boneless beef short ribs (cut into cubes)
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
3 cloves
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded)
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds )
6 kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced)
6 tablespoons kerisik (toasted coconut)
1 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

5 shallots
1 inch galangal
3 lemongrass (white part only)
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
10-12 dried chilies (soaked in warm water and seeded)

Method:

1. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
2. Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
3. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
6. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.
7. Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
8. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.

Cook’s Notes:

1. To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuosly until they turn golden brown.

I had bought beef short ribs and make the mistake of buying those pre packed ones and the bones were so chunky that my pot was not big enough, therefore it make stirring really difficult so the bottom got a bit burnt so I loss a bit of gravy due to that. If I ever make this dish again I would buy it direct from my butcher and get him to chop it into smaller pieces. Overall it looked and tasted exactly like how I use to remember, so it's a success.

Guinness Irish Stew with Herb Dumplings

I was watching the food channel on paid TV on a cold winter night and on was Rick Stein exploring the irish food and he made a stew recipe which just send a warm feeling all over me. I quickly scrambled to get a writing pad and pen to take down the recipe. And thanks to smart TV I rewind it back to the start of the recipe so I did not miss out on any vital ingredient or information to make the stew.

This is not the first time I make a recipe using Guinness stout I previously make a Guinness ginger spice cake and I know the end result will be a dish filled with gusto burst of flavours.

Ingredients (Stew):


Canola or olive oil, for cooking

3 lb lamb or beef stewing meat, cut in bite-sized pieces

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2-3 cups beef stock

1 can Guinness or other stout beer (or more stock)

4 thin-skinned potatoes, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2-1 cup frozen peas

1. In a large, heavy pot, brown the meat in a drizzle of oil in batches (without crowding) over medium-high heat. 
2. Transfer to a bowl and cook the onions in the same pot. 
3. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
4. Return the meat to the pot, add the Guinness, cover and put into a 300F oven for 2 1/2-3 hours.
5. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover and cook for another 20 minutes.

Ingredients (Parsley Dumplings):


1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

• Meanwhile, make the dumpling dough: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, parsley, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cream and stir just until the dough comes together.
• Drop the biscuit batter by the large spoonful on a baking tray.
• Bake in an oven at 180 degree celcius for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown.

This is such an easy one pot recipe but the end result just warms your whole being as you take each spoonful of soft delectable beef cooked in such rich deep flavours. The beef was so soft it did not take much effort to break them apart and the gravy was thick and rich with the flavour from the Guinness. Even though I've never been to Ireland but this dish sure brought me there.

Super Fudgy Brownies

I just bought a huge bag of Lindt dark chocolate chip which was on discount and was dying to make something cholatey and decadent with it. I've been craving for brownies, those fudgy wudgy kind that you get from Mrs Fields. After entering a few search words on the computer I got a whole list of recipes and there was one that particularly appealed to me from Got Chocolate and it did not require any effort at all which suited me perfectly well. 

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. unsweetened baking Chocolate squares
1 cup salted butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:

Melt unsweetened baking chocolate and butter over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow in color, approx. 5 minutes. Add sugar and mix thoroughly.

Add vanilla and melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture. Mix until smooth, then add the flour and mix thoroughly.

Pour batter into greased 9" x 13" baking pan. 8" X 8" pan will work too, but may need to bake longer. Smooth with a spatula. Sprinkles chocolate chips on top.

Bake on the center rack at 300* F for 45-55 minutes. A clean toothpick placed in the center of the brownies indicates they are done. Do not overbake.

Cool to room temperature, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Cut into 2" squares and serve chilled.

The moment I took the brownie out of the oven me and my little girl was eager to get right into the business of tasting it. We cut it up straight away while it was still piping hot and had a bite of the delectable gooey chocolate. The brownie was so moist it just melts in your mouth with each chocolate goodness in every bite. I must say I'll never try another brownie recipe ever as this is going to be my all time favourite. 

Pineapple Custard Pie

I was forced to make this pie by my husband who grew up in the pacific islands so he loves anything pineapple or anything to do with coconut. He has been trying to attempt to get this pie perfected like his late mum use to make it only problem is that among his sister's she never left a proper recipe it was all in her head. So I was left with the daunting task of trying to create this pie from scratch just base on my hubby's memory of what it tasted and looked like. As always I looked to my buddy Mr Google for answers to life's intriguing problems and lo and behold I found someone thru a blog who was an islanser herself who has something like a pie recipe from the islands. Although in this instance because it was a recipe passed down from someone to someone else the recipe got filtered down and meausurements were not quite there. So I started on my journey to recreate this pie....

Ingredients(Pastry)
4 cups self-raising flour
150g butter
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup milk

Preparation(Pastry)

• Cream butter and sugar till pale white in colour.
• Sift flour into the butter and sugar mixture.
• Beat the egg yolks with the milk, setting the egg whites aside to be use for the meringue later.
• Mix the milk and egg mixture into the batter of butter, flour and sugar.
• Grease a casserole dish or a roasting pan with margarine or butter so the pastry doesn’t stick to the dish/pan. Spead the pastry ensuring the dish is evenly spreaded out to cover the whole dish.
• Bake in oven for 180 degrees celcius for 20-30minuutes.

Filling
6 cups water

1 cup custard powder

1 can crushed pineapple

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

Preparation(Filling)

• While your pastry is baking, put 6 cups of water into a pan/pot bring to the boil.
• Once boiled, put 1 cup of sugar, stirring thoroughly so the sugar doesn’t settle at the bottom.
• Put your custard powder into a mixing jug/container, then slowly add your 1 cup of milk, mixing it so as not to create any lumps.
• Once the custard is mixed thoroughly, then pour into the water, stirring thoroughly as it tends to settle easily on the bottom of the pot/pan. Once it’s boiled, your custard should be fairly thick.
• Mix in some more custard powder if you think it’s not thick enough. Then bring it the boil once it’s boiled, it should be ready.

Your pastry should be ready when it’s lightly brown in the oven. Bring it out of the oven, then pour your custard into your pastry dish/pan, then let it settle while you prepare the merigue.

Meringue (Topping)

4 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar

• Beat all the ingredients in a bowl with a electric mixer till the egg whites become stiff. 
• Spread on top of the custard mixture and bake in the oven till it browns.
• Serve warm or cold.

Hubby was rather impress with the end result and I must say I did pretty well with the limited knowledge of what the pie should taste or look like.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

I had quite a few avocados that were turning to mush and I had run out of ideas on what to do with them so I decided to use the trusted google and source for some online ideas. Which led me to this recipe of making something unhealthy into an healthy treat, well at least part of it was healthy.

Since the avocado frosting was going to be the star of this recipe I decided that a plain vanilla flavoured cupcake would compliment it. I chose this recipe of the crabapple cupcake recipe book I had.

Vanilla Cupcakes:

Ingredients:2 3/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Method:Preheat oven to 170. Line two 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes are each addition. After the last addition, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add eggs one at a time, beating fr 1 minute after each addition or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add a third of the flour to the cream mixture and beat on a low speed until combined. Add half of the milk and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over beat as this will toughen the mixture.

Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

Chocolate Avocado Frosting

1/2 cup mashed avocado (this was 1 small avocado for me)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup honey (use agave for a vegan version)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

Add avocado to food processor and process until completely smooth with no clumps. Add all remaining ingredients. Process until a smooth and creamy texture is achieved. Frosting should be thick enough that you can hold it on a knife upside down without it falling off and silky smooth. Transfer into desired container and store in fridge until using time. Use as you would normal frosting. Recipe yields about 1 1/4 cups.

I'm surprised at how good the frosting tasted, it did not have a hint of avocado and blended really well with the dark cocoa and chocolate. I was also expecting the frosting to be runny but it set pretty well on the cupcakes. I'm definitely going to be using this frosting a lot more than the usual butter or cream cheese.