BAKING: Vaniljekranse (Danish butter cookies)

Apart from the local kuih kapit, Danish butter cookies were my favorite - assorted shapes and textures encased in little stacks with paper cases, then all arranged in a deep blue round tin. It never occurred to me how expensive they were until I starting doing grocery shopping.


I always loved how delightfully crumbly they were. Rich, but still light enough to melt in your mouth at the first bite. My favorites were the textured circle shape and the plain rectangle cookie. *starts hallucinating*


I don't know about other places, but it costs about MYR20-30 for a tin of these cookies, which is quite pricey IMO. So when all else fails, you Google a recipe for Danish butter cookies.


I came across two recipes on two different websites. Nordic Food & Living uses almond flour and a vanilla bean, while Wallflower Girl used vanilla bean paste and icing sugar in place of granulated sugar. I chose to use the latter because it seemed simpler.

Impromptu cookie baking: first attempt at Danish butter cookies (Vaniljekranse). Needs richer butter, less milk, and rest after mixing. #vscocam

A photo posted by Kellie Low 紫倩 (@thecheanie) on Mar 25, 2015 at 4:08am PDT

You will need:

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 130g icing sugar
• 310g plain flour
• 1 large egg (the recipe called for free-range)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence (the original recipe uses vanilla bean paste)
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• granulated sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

A few things I'd point out first is to make sure you use a sturdy piping bag - I used the disposable plastic ones, and the nozzle popped out toward the end. Piping the cookies out requires a bit of elbow grease, but the rest of the process is a breeze.

The traditional method would be to shape the cookies into circles with a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle, but you could use a cookie press, or just spoon them into dollops onto the baking sheet. I used a twisted star nozzle instead of a traditional star nozzle.

To make them:

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C, and line one or more baking sheets with baking or parchment paper (anything that will help the cookies lift later).
2. Cream the butter and icing sugar till creamy.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the milk. I put in the flour last as I didn't want to overwork the gluten, but it might be wise to do it alternately. Adjust the texture with a bit of milk, no more than 2 tbsp. It should form a sticky dough that clumps to itself.
4. Put your cookies on a baking sheet. They should be no more than 5cm in diameter, and don't spread out too much, so you could cramp them on the tray just a little.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Mine took 12 minutes at the most, and the gave a nice golden brown color to the edges of the cookies. I kept most of them blonde, though.
6. Let them cool a little on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar.

They soft when they first come out of the oven, but will continue to firm and crisp up as it cools. As for the ones I made, they were lacking a little in that rich butter flavor, and they were crunchy instead of the firm and crumbly that they're supposed to be, but I attribute that to overmixing of the dough.

It was surprisingly easy. Even the part I dreaded the most - folding in the flour - took little to no work at all.

A few things to be aware of would be to make sure to use really good butter, as well as a good quality vanilla, since these are the determining factors of whether the cookie will come out tasting good.

Best washed down with a glass of milk, or as an accompaniment to a cup of tea or two. For best results, dip in melted chocolate or Nutella.

BAKING: super-moist chocolate cake

I'm a sucker for chocolate cake and brownies, and I'm too cheapskate to buy those expensive ones which might potentially not use ingredients that I like (e.g. I hate raisins). And the internet is a wonderful place where you can find practically everything!


Chocolate cakes are a little tricky, because if you use cheap chocolate and/or cocoa, the end result could be a little icky. The beauty of this cake that it's dead easy, super deliciously fluffy and moist, and it's pretty when it's cracked on the surface!

The cake will be dark, but oh-so-delicious!

I got the original recipe on Cooks.com from a random Google search, and I didn't believe the recipe at first, then I read the comments and reviews - there wasn't ONE bad experience, and attempts at substitutes were successful in general.


Magic chocolate cake ingredients that I altered (measurements in imperial):

• 2 cups all-purpose superfine flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar (perhaps you could substitute with 1 cup granulated and 1 cup brown)
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup melted salted butter (the original called for 1 tsp of salt and 1 cup of oil, but I excluded that because I already used salted butter here)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup milk
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• approx. 100g mini chocolate chips dusted with flour

Oven is preheated to 350"F (approx. 180"C), and prepare your pans. I used 3 medium-sized non-stick loaf pans, but any pan should do. Grease and line with baking paper or parchment, leaving two ends longer than the pan itself to make it easier to remove later.

I sifted the powders together first before whisking in the sugar (sifting helps with the soft and fluffy texture), then making a well in the center before adding the wet ingredients. With the aid of a sturdy whisk, mix everything together until just combined.

If you wanted to add anything extra to the batter (i.e. nuts, chocolate chips, etc.), I'd suggest just sprinkling them over the top, because the batter will be thin and other solids you put in will sink to the bottom of the cake.

Bake for approx. 30-35 minutes, checking the cake by inserting a knife/skewer in the center of the cake - there should be no wet batter. To prevent the cake from shrinking, bang the cakes in the pans on a counter-top a few times, then let cool completely before serving.

The result were delicious, fluffy, and moist chocolate cakes (with the melted chocolate chips plastered to the bottoms of the pans) that were awesome at room temperature, but even more awesome when left in the fridge for a few hours or overnight - the texture of the cake becomes harder, giving a decadent melt-in-the-mouth sensation!

Cupcakes: mascarpone cheese icing

Coming in all shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors, cupcakes are becoming increasingly popular, sometimes even replacing birthday cakes. It's a no-brainer as to why they're getting more and more popular - there are more varieties of cupcakes than there are regular cakes, and the decoration part is more intricate, and well, they're more adept at attracting attention.


I have a love for tiramisu, so much that if I make it, I'll make my own from scratch, starting from the savioardi (sponge fingers), slowly to the mixture, layering, etc. I made tiramisu cupcakes, seemingly the ultimate combination of my favorite dessert, and the hottest thing out there now.

The recipe I used was Laura Vitale's recipe for tiramisu cupcakes - for the actual cupcake part. I opted for a mascarpone icing instead of the whipped cream icing she used for her recipe. Messing up is a routine for me in the kitchen, so I had to trim off the tops of the cupcakes so that the icing would sit on the cake without sliding off.


I used:

• 250g mascarpone cheese
• about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 2-4 tbsp icing sugar

What I did:

1. Mascarpone has to be "processed" before it can be used, much like cream cheese. Just gently mush it down with a balloon whisk, then beat it until its smooth and creamy.
2. Whip the cream until soft peaks in a separate bowl, adding as much icing sugar as you like to achieve the right amount of sweetness.
3. Add the cream to the cheese, and mix until combined. Chill before transferring into a piping bag, or just dolloping it over the cupcakes (equally sinful).

According to my Italian friend, the key to good tiramisu is good quality mascarpone, and in turn, it kinda made me insist on tiramisu with mascarpone, or cream cheese at least. You could dust the tops of the cupcakes with a little cocoa powder and/or icing sugar, or just sprinkle with some chocolate chips like I did.

Of French macarons & creme brulee

A while back, I signed up for a one-time baking class via Jasmine via her aunt via a Groupon offer. We scheduled the baking class for 23rd (Friday) and it was pretty much awesome. The offer was MYR98 per person, MYR90 each if you signed up in pairs.

Original price for two persons: MYR480.

We were late due to the stupid traffic congestion EVERYWHERE just because the SMART tunnel was closed due to rain. Very well done, mein government. We arrived half an hour late to the class venue (Excel College pastry kitchen, Millennium Square, Petaling Jaya), as the class just started to go through the introduction of the ingredients for French macaron.

Insightful and fun would be how I would describe the experience. I didn't know there were differences between French and Italian macaron, as well as British and French creme brulee.

Our macarons and my creme brulee!

The creme brulee part was pretty much short, because all we did was measure out the ingredients, and listened as Chef Ang explained the processes - from measurements, to recipe calculation, to egg tempering, and water baths for the actual cooking of the custard. I got to torch my own creme brulee, which was strangely gratifying (and delightfully delicious).

We did the French macarons more than a few times - about a couple of times during the actual class, then spent some time after class to help with the washing and mise en place for the chef's next class. In total I think we made 6-7 batches of cocoa, coffee, and green tea macaron shells, filled with either chocolate ganache, raspberry cheese, or strawberry Chantilly filling.

Star Trip (soy milk, honey, and pearls) from Little Star Cafe.

It was a quick early dinner at Little Star Cafe before heading home, and continuously getting stuck at red lights. I now have a fairly large container of completed French macarons, and some coffee macaron shells that have yet to be filled~

Test run + that time of the year

For the cookie recipe that I found online. They're supposed to be cappucino crisps with a coffee icing-ish thing, but I was looking for more of a slightly-browner-than-butter-cookies color, or more like a cappucino color. The dough turned out like one of my previous attempts at chocolate chocolate chip cookies - extremely dark brown, almost to the point that you can't see whether it's burnt.

Anyways, the cookies actually turned out to be an addiction for my sisters after altering the thickness a bit (the name was "crisps", so we tried some thinner cookies, at it worked!!!). The icing, however, is a whole different story. Here's a piece of advice when cooking and/or baking: ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY AND FOLLOW EVERY SINGLE WORD.


According to the recipe, I needed 4 cups of confectioner's / icing sugar. We only had 2 cups, so my sister (who studies culinary arts) suggested that I halve the recipe. Fine. I forgot to halve the amount of milk I was to mix into the sugar. Fine. I tried adding another two cups of fine granulated sugar. DISASTER STRIKES. While spooning out the sugar from the container, the milk cooled, thus unable to dissolve the sugar. And I also just poured in all the hot milk in one go, when I was supposed to "gradually stir" it in. MASSIVE PHAIL.


Now I have a ginormous bowl a concoction of sugar, light corn syrup, coffee, vanilla essence, milk and salt. I'm planning to making it a home-made exfoliation product. Any comments? Everything in it seems innocent enough, though I'm not really sure whether it would be generally safe for facial use. =P


I have to do a post on camwhoring soon and tag my younger sister in it. She's the kind that sees pictures online and tries to copy all the "lala mui"'s poses. I know most teenagers want to be part of the "trend", and I admit I was also once like that before, but those pictures where the "lala" poses failed, those are deleted and are never heard of again.


I know that everyone goes through the beginner stage of everything they do, but 我接受唔到咯! (It means "I can't accept it" in Cantonese) I'm not saying that I'm a complete professional at camwhoring, but I know when I don't look nice in pictures. I'll try to put it up soon, most likely after my finals.


And I'm probably gonna post about my tattoo (after 4 months of getting it =_=). Reason for the delay? No one was supposed to know, but my mum found out (whether she was furious or okay with it I don't know, but she didn't really say anything about it), my dad knows, my aunt knows, my (tattooed) uncle knows, so why not? I'm gonna need a better picture though.


My exercise is paying off - my muscles feel stronger, I'm getting biceps, a slight hint of a six-pack, and my tummy has reduced in size. My tummy was usually at the point that I'd to bend my back a bit in order to see my feet, now I still have to, but not so much. Looking in the mirror, I actually feel better now that my butt is slightly firmer and my thighs are slightly thinner.


I can't hope for a completely flat tummy - I'm just not born with it, and some say that those girls with a big tummy and/or hips / butt actually signifies fertility. =x As for my boobs, I'm quite happy with my Cs now. XD


It's that time of the year again, where the Chinese celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival. Legend has it that on the 15th night of the 7th lunar month (Chinese calendar, obviously), the souls of the dead ascend from the lower realm and visits the living. So the entire 7th lunar month is considered the "ghost month".


During this month, every one (mostly Chinese) try to refrain from wearing black, red and/or white, avoid going out at night, always carry a safety pin (or something sharp and pointed as this is believed to prevent spirits from following you home) or a charm of some sort, covering their foreheads (the forehead and the two shoulders represent "lights" that deter spirits), and cursing (as this is believed that the spirit might get offended).


So just a few nights ago, I was Facebooking as usual. My older sister had just finished her bath and was waiting for sleep to come. My grandmother was asleep, and recently she has this habit of not switching on the table lamp. Out of nowhere I heard something topple over in my room - I thought my grandma got up to use the bathroom and knocked something over.


I waited a while, and instead of my grandma, my sister came scrambling out. She said that something fell over, but it wasn't her or my grandma. I guessed that it was the clock on the bureau, since it constantly slid down with a thud (no nails are allowed on the walls in my house, and no more hooks are permitted). An hour later, we both went to sleep together.


I switched on the light, and it wasn't the clock that slid down - it was the table lamp. My sister and I were spooked. And even worse, insomnia decided to hit me just then. I used my eye mask to cover my eyes and desperately tried to think of something other than what I thought it was.


The next day my mum guessed that it was just the wind that blew the curtain, and in turn pushed the lamp out of balance. But there's wind every night, and strong as it is it never made the table lamp topple over before. Anyway, as the Chinese say: it's better to believe than not, especially during these times.


It's not like I want to be superstitious, but I watch lots of movies, and I'm the kind who likes to watch ghost-related programs in the middle of the night, alone and with most of the lights off. And I've had a few friends who had encountered "spirits" this month - a mysterious bruise on the leg, with no memory of how she got it, and no pain in the bruise: this is what we call "pinched by spirits".


The same person had another encounter: she was sleeping, and suddenly she felt as if something was pressing down on her - she couldn't move, and she couldn't make any sounds - this is what the Chinese call "pressed by a spirit".


We were sharing some information about the Malaysian casino king Lim Goh Tong (deceased) yesterday. Supposedly he has 20 children and all his fortune went to the youngest child, who had converted to Islam. Some people concluded that Lim Goh Tong himself was Muslim, thus not leaving a cent to his other non-Islam children.


Then came the scary part - my mum said Lim Goh Tong's fortune was around RM1 trillion, and the casinos always went through renovation, because in Cantonese renovation is "装修" - 装 as in "the dealer", and 修 as in "receive" or "take". In Cantonese the reading of the word "renovation" also means that the dealers always wins, thus raking in the profits.




Then my sister want on to add that they "rear little ghosts" under the gambling tables. This is a traditional Chinese superstition that if you take the spirit of a child and "raise" it by feeding it and giving it offerings, they will, in turn, fulfill your requests on certain terms.