If you have been looking for motivation or some kind of sign to get your mittens on and fill your kitchen with delicious aromas, you have found the right article. It’s time to scrape off the rust and blow off the dust of your oven and baking equipment and get high on the joy of baking. So stock up on the nuts, roast them and grab a pack or two of chocolate chips to sweeten your baked goodies. Try these amazing sweet recipes at home and share them with your friends and family!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 115 gm butter
- 100 gm granulated sugar
- 55 gm packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 200 gm all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 170 gm semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, then melt the butter in a microwave for about 40 seconds. The butter should be completely melted but not hot.
- In a large bowl, mix the melted butter with the sugars until well combined.
- Stir in the vanilla and egg until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Ensure the flour is properly measured by lightly spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off the top.
- Mix the dough ingredients until just combined; the dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not overly sticky. Fold the chocolate chips into the dough and mix again.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion out 1.5 tablespoons of dough and place them about 5 cm (2 inches) apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for around 10 minutes and keep checking to see if the cookies are set. They will be puffy and appear slightly underbaked in the middle.
Walnut Bars
For the shortbread crust:
- 200 gm all-purpose flour
- 50 gm powdered sugar
- A pinch of sea salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter (cold, diced)
Walnut pie topping:
- 130 gm light brown sugar, packed
- 130 gm honey
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 50 ml heavy whipping cream
- A pinch of sea salt
- A dash of vanilla extract
- 300 gm coarsely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C then line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper with enough to overhang on the sides. Spray with a cooking spray to avoid sticking issues later.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, and sea salt until combined well.
- Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut in the cold, diced unsalted butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Transfer the crumb mixture to your prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides to form the crust.
- Bake at 180°C for 18-20 minutes or until the crust is set and the edges are just lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling.
- In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, butter, cream and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and walnuts, mixing until incorporated.
- Pour the hot walnut filling over your warm crust. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the top is bubbling and turns a beautiful caramel colour. Set the baking pan on a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature before cutting.
- Once the walnut squares are at room temperature, loosen the edges if needed and use the parchment paper or foil to lift the bars out of the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 5cm (2-inch) squares. Serve at room temperature.
Choco Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 200 gm flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 100 gm powdered sugar
- 225 gm mashed bananas (3 bananas)
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 gm chocolate chips
- 60 gm milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, then line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, fold in the chocolate chips and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.