3 Steps Walnut Chocolate Squares

I have been very busy and didn't really have time to make dessert for the past weeks. But today after my  early dinner I have decided  to make some really simple chocolate squares for my dear hubby .It's easy as 1 2 3! But really satisfying... Crispy crust...Warm and moist in the inside. Top up with a scoop of ice-cream would have been perfect!

Ingredients:
220 grams unsalted butter - Cut into small cubes
170 grams (6 ounces) Semi Sweet chocolate - Coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup walnuts / pecans - coarsely chopped
Icing sugar for dusting


Method:

Preheat oven 325 degrees F ( 160 degrees C)

Step 1) Place sauce pan on low heat and melt butter and chocolate, stirring until mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

Step 2) Beat eggs and sugar with electrical mixer until fluffy then add chocolate mix, vanilla and salt. Continue beating till mixture is combine then fold in flour with spoon. Mix well.

Step 3) Pour batter into a greased 9'x9"x2" non-stick baking pan and sprinkle with walnuts.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely and dust with icing sugar before serving.

>> Tip to note : 

- To ensure the properly baked. Test with toothpick - insert into center and come out with crumbs attached.

- You can substitute walnuts with other nuts of your choice

Bread Pudding with Custard Sauce

I am a bread person so I love all types of bread and also all sorts of desserts which made from bread.  Bread pudding is my favorite as it is simple and good use of breads accumulated the past few days! I like it very  moist and thus have made some simple custard sauce to complement the pudding.

Hope you will like it as much as I did!

Ingredients:
For the pudding
3/4 loaf of overnight bread - Toasted and cute into 1 inch squares
3 cups milk (I used low-fat)
3 large eggs

3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp ground cinnamon1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts - coarsely crushed
1 tbsp coarse grain sugar


For the custard sauce
1 tbsp custard powder
1 1/2 tbsp fine sugar
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Method:

For the pudding

1)   Preheat oven at 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.

2)   Place bread into a non-stick 9" x 9" baking pan.

3)   Combine milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk to mix well then pour into the baking pan.
4)   Press the bread into the liquid mixture to ensure the bread are all wet.

5)   Sprinkle raisins, walnuts and coarse sugar.

6)   Bake for 30 - 45 minutes until the top is brown.  

For the custard sauce

i)    Mix custard powder, sugar, vanilla and 1/4 of the 2 cups milk in a small bowl.

ii)   Slowly boil the remaining milk in a sauce pan till boiling.

iii)  Mix in the custard mixture and keep stirring till smooth.

iv)  Off the heat once started boiling and ready to serve with the pudding.

>> Tips to note : 

- Cut the bread equally same size  to cook evenly.
- For better presentation and richer taste, get 3 pieces of mini croissant. Toast and cut into 6 pieces. Arrange nicely on top of the toast bread before step 3 . Reduce bread with the equal amount of croissant used.

No Fuss Traditional Home Style Apple Pie

>>

Applelicious Pie packed with juicy Granny Smith green apples is my hubby's all time favorite. The smell of freshly baked apples with cinnamon is intoxicating..... strangely therapeutic and calming as well.

My mom gave me the recipe when I was young but somehow forgotten after years passed by. Thankfully my dearest baking partner reignite my passion for baking apple pie and we have proven that I have not lost my talent of a quick fix whenever there is a dessert craving!

My recipe is the simpler version if those served in the cafes or sold in the bakery.  Lesser sugar and easier technique that almost fail-proof. So try it!

Ingredients

For the Pastry we need:

2.5 cups all purpose  / plain flour

220 grams frozen butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

8 tbsp cold water
1 Egg yolk for glazing

For the Filling we need:
12 small Granny Smith green apples or 8 if you have the larger ones - cored, skinned and sliced
Handful of raisins - black or golden
Handful of Pecans or Walnuts - coarsely chopped (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp flour

Method :
Pastry
Mix the flour, sugar and salt well then grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture with a grater (hand grater / box grater /  potato grater). Toss lightly with your fingers until they are all thoroughly combined.

Sprinkle the cold water to the crumbly mixture until you can form a nice dough ball. Divide the dough into 2 parts - one slightly larger then the other. Larger part will be the base of the pie and the smaller part will be used to top the pie.

Wrap them in a plastic wrap; flatten and leave it for min 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. Resting will tenderize the pastry and make it easier to roll.

**This is great for pre-preparation before a party; make the dough and bake the next day!

Remove pastry from the refrigerator and let it to warm slightly. Flour the surface of the worktop, rolling pin, your hand  and the pastry. Roll out the larger pastry in to a disc that is a little larger then the 8-inch pie dish so that it over laps the edges. Place pastry onto the bottom of the dish by folding the pastry in to quarter and  unfolding it into the dish.

Poke some breathing holes on the bottom of the pastry with a fork.

Filling
Preheat the oven 375 degree Fahrenheit or Gas 6

Mix well all the filling  ingredients then place them into the dish with pastry lining. Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut then into 1-inch wide stripes then place them diagonally with 1-inch gap. Repeat the same horizontally to create a criss-cross basket top as pictured.

Beat up the egg yolk a little and brush it on the pie top so that it will be golden and nicely glazed once baked.

Place on the dish onto the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour until the crust is golden.

Rest for 10 minutes before served. You can serve it with vanilla ice-cream if you are into ultimate indulgence!

>> Tips to note : 
Make sure butter is frozen when grating or else you will be ended up with a pile of buttery mess!

Poke some breathing holes on the bottom of the pastry with a fork to let the air out when baking. This is to prevent bubbling of the pastry in the oven.