Starbucks Oatmeal and Raisin Monster Cookies

Shopping in Singapore is good as long as you do not have clothes to alter. Unlike India, most stores here do not have a separate alteration counter and once bought, you really have to go places looking for nearby alteration services. On his birthday, husband bought some new formal trousers and the store gave him a vague idea about availability of alteration services in the next mall. We were running short of time and so decided to come back later. 

The next weekend we headed to the same mall as guided by the store sales guys (another problem in Singapore, Guidance!) and spent almost 1 hour looking for it but in vain. The poor 2 1/2 toddler obviously got exhausted with all the useless walking and demanded for a cookie. Luckily, there was a Starbucks right in front of us and we got her a monster cookie while the father continued with his search. The cookie was truly a monster and too heavy for my little one to finish it all (I was hoping she doesn't anyway!). So the rest was left to me and I am sure the others seated nearby could not have missed my grin when my baby said, " No More." As I dug  my teeth into that cookie, I was blown away. I usually do not enjoy cookies and cakes from outside but this was something else. Lightly crunchy, chewy, and melt-in-the-mouth, the cookie was to die for. I immediately got on to the job of finding its recipe using their own free Wi-Fi but nothing fruitful came up. I continued my search at night and finally found a recipe which seemed to do justice to those cookies. As for the trousers, they are still lying helpless in my husband's wardrobe waiting for an alteration! 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not quick cooking ones)

1/2 cup all purpose flour (you can use wholewheat also; I wanted to try the recipe as is to see how close it came to those cookies and hence did not alter the recipe)

1/2 cup brown sugar (I realized my brown sugar was inadequate and so added some white sugar as well; the original recipe called for an additional 1/4 cup white sugar, which I skipped)

6 tbsp or 85 gms butter at room temperature

1 egg 

1 tsp vanila extract

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup black raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries (you can replace with more raisins)

1/4 cup walnuts

More raisins for topping

Direction

In a food processor, grind the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts, cranberries, and raisins. Keep aside. 

In a mixing bowl, take the butter and sugar and beat till smooth and light. Add the egg and vanila essence and whip further till creamy. Now slowly add the oats mixture and mix till everything is well combined. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take spoonfulls of the batter and drop it on the prepared tray. Gently flatten the top with the back of the spoon into a flat disc. Do not keep it too thick nor too thin.  Leave a space of 2" and repeat with the rest of the dough. Sprinkle some raisins on top and gently press it down. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until slightly golden on top but still soft to touch. Gently press down on one cookie with your index finger and if it springs back, you will know your cookie is done. 

Remove from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely and then store in air tight container. Enjoy this Starbucks style Monster cookie with your daily cuppa! Makes 16.

Oven Baked Crunchy Granola

Granola has become a staple breakfast at our home now and husband happily looks forward to having it every morning while I continue enjoying uninterrupted sleep. That's the best part about it actually! I can keep the bowl ready in the fridge the previous night and he just has to take it out and eat. He happy, me happy, everybody happy! There is also a stove top version of making the granola, in case you do not have an oven. But I like this one better as it is easier to make and crunchier too.

                                       

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats (I used baby rolled oats which are smaller in size. Instant oats is not a good option though)

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)

3 tbsp brown sugar (you can substitute it for regular sugar)

1 tsp vanila essence (I skipped as I was using scented organic honey)

1/3 cup almonds or walnuts or both toasted and briefly pulsed in the food processor (you can roughly chop them as well)

1/4 cup dried apricots, sliced (dates can also be used)

1/4 cup raisins

Note: The measurements and the type of nuts mentioned above is entirely upto your preference.

Direction

Pre-heat the oven at 150 degree celsius.

Dry roast the oats lightly on a pan and keep aside (you may skip this step). In a bowl, mix the oil, honey, and vanila essence (if using). Now add the toasted oats into the honey mixture and mix well until coated well. Now add the toasted nuts and mix further. Spread this mixture on a broad baking dish (ungreased) with a rim. Bake in the pre heated oven for 15 minute. Now take it out and stir well for uniform browning and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool on the pan. Keep stirring every 5 minutes as the mixture hardens while cooling. When just warm, add the dried fruits and raisins. Store in air tight container when completely cool.

                                        

                                        

A Healthy Refreshing Breakfast - Chilled Granola Parfait

On my recent trip to Hong Kong, the one thing that I regularly had was Granola Parfait for Breakfast. The hotel that we stayed had a complimentary breakfast, as in most hotels these days, and among other things the Granola Parfait was the one which scored the highest marks. Hubby passed a gentle remark that he wished he could eat this regularly at home for breakfast while I pretended not to hear a word! 

Coming back, this was on my top priority list but got a little delayed due to my ill health. While the granola at the hotel was a rather simple one with not much nuts and fruits, this homemade version is packed with the goodness of almonds, pistachios, apricots, and raisins. 

Parfait is typically a French dessert for layers of ice cream, fresh preserves, fresh fruits, nuts, chocolate, and usually topped with a huge dollop of whipping cream. This granola parfait however is ideal to be had for breakfast, mid mornings, after gym, or during afternoon/evening hunger pangs. All you need to do is prepare the layers separately and keep it handy and just assemble and eat! You can also keep your glass assembled in the fridge and let it chill till serving time. Have a happy and healthy weekend!

                             

Ingredients

For the granola

1 1/4 cup baby rolled oats (any variety is okay)

1/3 cup regular cornflakes, crushed coarsely

Handful of almonds chopped (quantity depends on you)

Handful of pistachios chopped (again depending on your discretion)

Handful of raisins chopped

Handful of dried apricots chopped

1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp butter

For the sauce

1 pack packed raspberries (can be substituted with any berry and quantity depends on your discretion)

Sugar as per taste

1-2 tsp water

Other ingredients

2-3 tbsp whipped yogurt

Fresh/frozen strawberries or whatever available

Direction

Dry roast the oats, cornflakes, and all the chopped nuts till oats is slightly browned, nuts crunchy and fragrant. Remove from heat and let it cool.

                                          

In the same pan, melt the butter and add honey, water, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the roasted oats mixture and stir till well coated. Continue stirring on medium flame till the excess liquid dries up. Transfer to a parchment paper and spread it out with the help of a spatula. Let it cool completely and then transfer to air tight container and can either be kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator. This granola might not be too hard and crunchy, depending on the quality of your honey. However, it is perfect for the parfait.

                                           

Now moving onto the sauce, blend the raspberries coarsely in the blender. Transfer to a wide pan and add sugar according to taste and a dash of water. Put it on a medium flame and stir continuously till a shiny glazed liquid with medium thickness is formed. Remove from heat and transfer to a glass jar and let it cool completely before refrigerating it. 

                                            

The assembly

Take your parfait glass or your serving dish. Add 2 heaped tbsp of the sauce followed by the whipped yogurt. Sprinkle the granola on top taking care not to dunk it in the yogurt. Lastly, top it with some fresh/frozen strawberries or any other fresh fruit. Serve chilled!

                             

Super Healthy Kaala Chana Brownies (Brownie with Black Peas)

When you think of brownies the first thought that comes to your mind is lots of butter and chocolate! Well, chocolate or cocoa is inevitable for a brownie otherwise it won't remain a brownie. However , the other ingredients can definitely be experimented with for more healthier option. Today's recipe has not only replaced the butter but also the flour which does not hold any particular nutritional value apart from empty calories! Go ahead and enjoy these guilt-free delights and surprise your family in a healthy way! I saw this recipe long time back in some forum and had noted down the recipe. I am glad the person who originally posted this recipe has been found. She is Soumya from Creative Saga (http://www.creativesaga.com/2014/03/black-chick-peas-brownies-eggless.html?m=1). 

                                     

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup kaala chana (can also be experimented with chick peas) soaked overnight

1/2 cup oats, any variety, dry roasted

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup milk (use if batter too dry, not exceeding the quantity)

1/2 cup chocolate chips 

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

Direction

Wash the soaked chana and pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles until soft. If using the canned ones, you can directly proceed to the next step.

Once cooled, drain the boiled chana in a colander and let the water dry completely, takes about an hour. Now transfer the chana to a grinder and grind to a fine powder, as fine as possible. To this add the roasted oats and further grind to a powder. Transfer to a bowl and add all the other dry ingredients. Add the oil and mix. Most likely, the mixture will be quite dry. Add the milk, little at a time, not exceeding the recommended quantity. The mixture will not be runny like a cake batter but will be of drop consistency. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix again. 

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius. Grease a medium sized cake tin or bundt pan and keep aside.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle some choco chips on top. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream or just enjoy with your favorite cuppa!