Cinnamon Rolls

That smell of cinnamon.. oh my God, when I finished baking these, my kitchen smelled heavenly! I am a big fan of cinnamon. Anything flavored with cinnamon has my heart. So certainly cinnamon rolls top the list. Let me warn you, guys this isn’t an easy recipe. Well, the effort might sound less, but the time it takes is something to be kept in mind. If you need flawless, tasty homemade cinnamon rolls, you need to be patient. The whole process will take up to 2-3 hours. This requires 1 hour for rising the dough, another 30 mins to rise the rolls and then 30 mins to bake plus 20 mins of other preparation. So lets start!

Ingredients:

Milk                                                  1 cup

Yeast                                                 2.5 tsp

Butter                                               100 gms

Sugar                                                6 tbsp

Egg                                                   1

Flour                                                 3.5 cups

Brown Sugar                                    3 tbsp

Cinnamon powder                           2 tbsp

Philadelphia Cream Cheese            100 gms

Powdered Sugar                              ¾ cup

Vanilla Essence                               1 tsp

Method:

1. In a bowl, pour 1 cup warm milk, 50 gms melted butter, yeast and 6 tbsp sugar.

2. Keep this on the kitchen counter until fermented. You can see the froth on the top when its done. 3. 3. This might take around 10-15 mins.

4. Once this is done, add one egg whisked and 3.5 cups of flour. 

5. Knead this well for a soft dough for about 5 mins. Dust more flour if necessary.

6. Grease a large bowl, add the dough and cover with a wet cloth.

7. Keep the dough for one hour for rising to double the size. Tip: if your kitchen is not warm, heat the oven for 10 mins, switch if off then transfer the bowl to the oven for an hour. This will help rise the dough quickly.

8. Once the dough has risen, roll it out in a rectangular shape. Not too thick and not too thin.

9. Now melt 50 gms of butter and spread on the dough. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon powder and spread above the butter.

10. Now, tightly roll this. Cut into equal sized starting from the middle. You will get up to 16 pieces from this recipe. 

11. Grease a pan and transfer these into a pan leaving enough space between them as this will also have to rise.

12. Cover this with a wet towel and keep for another 30 mins or until this has doubled the size. The below picture shows before and after.

13. Meanwhile, preheat the oven for 10 mins at 160C.

14. Once the rolls has risen, bake them for 30 mins or until light golden brown starts to appear on the top.

15. While this is baking, you can prepare the glazing. This is optional. I like it without glazing.

16. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, melted butter and powdered sugar. Once the rolls are baked, add the glaze over it. 

Homemade cinnamon rolls are ready to serve.

Aval Pradhaman/Rice Flake Dessert

Happy Vishu everyone!! :) To those who are wondering what is Vishu. It is a Hindu festival being celebrated by South Indians. The festival marks the first day of Medam, the ninth month in the solar calendar followed in Kerala. As I am a Keralite, we celebrate all the festivals we can  Doesn’t matter what religion the festival belongs to! So this time, as I am still working from office, I had no time to prepare the Sadhya instead I decided to prepare the dessert hence the Aval Pradhaman. This is one of the easiest Payasams and Aval doesn’t take much time to cook. 

Ingredients:
Aval/Rice Flakes                                            1 ½ cups
Jaggery Melted                                              2 cups
Thin Coconut Milk                                        4 cups
Thick Coconut Milk                                      1 cup
Ginger Powder                                              ½  tsp
Cardamom Powder                                       1 tsp
Cashew nuts
Ghee

Method:

1. Melt the Jaggery with 1 cup of water and keep aside.

2. In a pan which you are going to prepare the pradhaman, heat 2 tbsp ghee.

3. Add the rice flakes/aval to this and roast for 2-3 mins.

4. Now add the melted jaggery to this and keep stirring until the water evaporates and it little thick in consistency.

5. To this, add 4 cups of thin coconut milk and keep stirring until the aval has cooked. To know this, check if the aval has come up and mixed with the milk and not settled at the bottom on the pan.

6. Add ½ tsp of ginger powder and 1 tsp of cardamom powder. 

7. Once it has reached the desired consistency, add the thick coconut milk, mix for 5 mins and switch off the flame.

8. In another pan, heat ghee, add cashew nuts and add on to the payasam. Ready to serve! 

Warm Bread Pudding

This is an easy warm dessert. It was on a Friday morning when I returned from a BBQ night with friends and we decided to stay over until sunrise and I realize that I did not make anything for my cousins for the lunch dessert. I had to quickly find a dessert that I could prepare in less than an hour and which did not require to be kept in the fridge to set. Umm Ali is definitely the first thing that comes to mind but that needs 2 steps of baking and I had already made it for them couple of weeks ago. So, I had some left over bread, milk, egg and some milk mixture from tres leches. That was it and I made this pudding.

Pudding:
Ingredients
Bread slices cut into cubes 6 slices
Eggs 4
Tres Leches Milk (in the method) 3 cups
o Evaporated milk           1 tin
o Milk                         2 cups
o Condensed milk           ½ - 1 tin as per taste
Vanilla Essence         1 tsp
Nutmeg powder         ½ tsp
Cinnamon Powder         1 tsp
Method:
1. Preheat the oven for 10 – 15 mins at 180 C.
2. In a bowl, mix evaporated milk, milk, condensed milk, vanilla essence, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder and mix well and keep aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and add in the milk mixture into it.
4. In a greased pan layer the bread cubes and pour the milk mixture over.
5. Bake it for 30 – 45 minutes or until done.
6. Let it cool for 1 hour before serving.

Salted Caramel:
Ingredients:
Soft brown sugar                            100 gms
KDD Thick Cream                         150 ml
Unsalted Butter                              25 gms
Salt                                                 1/4 tsp

Method
1. Heat a sauce pan and add all the ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Boil this and keep mixing until thick.
3. Off the flame and cool for sometime.

Cut the pudding and serve with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream. Enjoy the warm pudding with some cold ice cream.

Pistachio Tres Leches/Milk Cake

Milk cakes have been trending a while for now. I have tried quite a good number of flavors. Out of all, this is the best of the best. My friends and family loves this and gobbles every time I made this. One tip is not to use pistachio essence at all. Here you go!

 Ingredients:
Cake:
Eggs                                        4
Flour                                       1 cup
Corn Flour                              2 tbsp
Sugar                                      3/4 cup
Baking Powder                       ½ tsp
Pistachio                                 1 cup
Water                                      3 tbsp
Green color (optional)            1 drop

Milk:
Evaporated milk                    1 tin of 410 ml
Milk                                       1 cups
Condensed Milk                    3/4 tin

Topping:
Whipping Powder                  2 sachets
Milk                                       1/2 cup

Method:
1. Soak the pistachios for 10 mins.
2. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 160 degree C.
3. In a mixer or bowl beat the eggs with 3/4 cup of sugar until fluffy. This must be the consistency of eggs for sponge cake which is if you take out the beater with little batter and right an 8 on the rest of the batter, the number will stay for few seconds. This is how I understand its ready.
4. Sift the flour, corn flour and baking powder.
5. Add this into the egg mixture and fold until whole batter is mixed well.
6. Prepare the pistachio paste and add 3 tbsp of paste to the mixture.
7. Add 1 drop of green color as well and mix.
8. Bake this for about 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
9. Once the cake is baked, cool it for sometime.
10. Meanwhile, prepare the milk mixture. Add the evaporated milk, condensed milk and milk in a bowl. Mix this well and add 3 tbsp pistachio paste and 1 drop of green color. Mix well and keep refrigerated.
11. Once the cake is cooled, prick it all over with a fork.
12. Keep around 2 cups of milk aside and pour rest of it on the cake.
13. Keep for 5 mins and beat whipping cream and spread it over as you wish.
14. Keep this closed and cool for at least 4 hours before serving. I kept it overnight and came out well.
Enjoy the yummiest Pistachio Tres Leches :)

Nutella Brownie.. 100th Post!

This is my 6th year of being a blogger! But let me call myself a very very lazy blogger! :D I have around 50 posts in draft to publish and that exactly is the reason why my 100th post it after 6 years hehe!! So since am trying to be religious about blogging and my friends are helping me pushing through asking for recipes, lets celebrate this 100th post with a delicious brownie recipe! There you go!

Ingredients: 
Nutella                                                                         1.5 cups
Unsalted Butter                                                           100 gms
Cocoa Powder                                                             3 tbsp
White/brown sugar                                                     3/4 cup
Vanilla Essence                                                          1 tsp
Eggs                                                                            3
Flour                                                                           3/4 cup
Salt                                                                             1/4 tsp
Semi sweet chocolate chips                                       1/4 cup

Method:
1. Preheat the oven at 180⁰C for about 10 mins.
2. In a large bowl, beat nutella and add melted butter.
3. Once it is completely mixed, add sugar into it.
4. Mix this well with a wire whisk. Add cocoa powder and vanilla essence and mix again.
5. Now add eggs one by one and keep mixing.
6. Add the flour and mix until incorporated.
7. Add salt and chocolate chips and mix and our batter is ready.
8. Pour the batter into a pan and add 1 tsp of nutella randomly on the batter.
9. keep this in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 25 - 30 mins until a toothpick inserted comes out with clean or with little moist crumps.

Brownie Goodie Jar

Goodie Jar is one of the speciality of Sugar and Spice cafe. Its a famous cafe in Qatar. I cant handle too much of sweetness so if I have it, I normally share it with someone. Well, since my husband was craving for something chocolaty, I decided to try this at home. So follow the Chocolate Brownie Recipe here in my blog and continue the rest of the steps. 

Ingredients:
Brownie 1 pc
Galaxy Chocolate plain 2
Nestle cream 1 tin
Lotus Biscoff Spread 2 tbsp
Cashew nut    4-5
Vanilla Ice cream

Method:
1. In a microwave safe cookware, heat galaxy chocolate and nestle cream to make a smooth ganache.
2. In a jar, add this ganache, add lotus spread and chopped cashews.
3. Place one piece brownie on top of this.
4. Pour some more ganache on top.
5. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream and indulge into this yummilicious Goodie Jar :)

Rava Ladoo....!!!

Here I am posting a very easy but tasty rava laddoo. I know most of us are fond of eating sweets but we have many reasons to say NO to it! If your reason is too lazy to make one at home, then this is just for you. The easiest of all laddoos! Rava Laddoo!

Ingredients:
Semolina (Rava)                 1 cup
Powdered Sugar                  ¾ cup
Grated Coconut                   ½ cup
Milk (Warm)                       ¼ cup(or as per you need to make balls)
Ghee                                    2 tbsp
Cardamom powder              ¼ tsp
Cashews & Raising             as per you like 

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and roast cashes until golden brown. Keep aside.
2. Now in the same pan roast coconut for a couple of mins. Make sure they doesn’t turn brown. Add this into the roasted cashews.
3. Now roast the rava until the raw smell goes off. Approx 5 mins.
4. In a large bowl, add rava, roasted cashews, raisins, roasted coconut, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and mix well. Add in milk little by little until u feel u can make a ball out of it.
5. Make small lemon sized balls and keep for 10 mins for drying. Enjoy you laddoos :) :)
6. If your kitchen is not too warm, you can store this for about 3 days in room temperature or for 5 days in ref.

Ras Malai..!

Ras Malai is one of my favorite Indian dessert. I always used to order this and kulfi if I happen to visit and Indian restaurant. These yummy rasagulas in the rabri are just heavenly. This recipe is not an easy peasy one. This doest take some time and does require patience. Well no pain no gain isn’t it ;) So I normally prepare this whenever we call our family or friends for lunch or for occasions like Eid. I haven’t tried any other methods of making paneer as I have been totally satisfied with the method that I use. 

Makes : 20 pieces

Ingredients:
For Paneer:
Milk                      2 ltr
Vinegar                    2 tbsp diluted n ½ cup water
Ice Water                3 cups or more

For Rasagulas
Sugar                        1 cup
Water                        6 cups (plus as reduces)
Cardamom powder   1 tsp or as per taste

Rabri:
Milk                          1.5 ltr
Almond slices           5-6 

Cardamom powder   As per taste

Saffron                      2 pinch
Sugar                       1 cups (or more or less as per taste)

Method:
For Paneer

1. Boil the milk in a big vessel.
2. When this starts to boil, reduce the flame and add vinegar diluted in water.
3. The milk will start to curdle. Now switch of the flame and add 3 cups of ice water. This is a tip to get soft paneer.
4. In the sink, place a colander, on top of it layer a muslin cloth and pour the whole paneer on it. The water will drain and paneer will stay in the cloth. Open the tap and run some more water on top of it. 
5. Now close the muslin cloth with paneer inside it and press out the excess water. I normally hang it on my pipe for until I prepare Rabri. 

Rabri

1. While the paneer is hung, let’s prepare the rabri.
2. Boil 2 liters on milk in a bottom thick vessel.
3. Add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron
4. Boil this until it reduces to half the quantity.
5. Keep aside.

Rasagulas

1. Boil 6 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp cardamom powder.
2. Open the muslin cloth and kneed the paneer well. 
3. Make small balls out of it and flatten a little.
4. The size can be small as this will puff up when we boil it in water.
5. Take a little deep plate and pour some of the boiled water to it. (this is for transferring the cooked rasagulas) 
6. Keep the boiling water on high flame and add these flattened balls slowly to it.
7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. 
8. Remove the cooked rasagulas and add them to the water that we took out of the boiling syrup. 
9. Keep for 10 minutes. Now squeeze this in with your palm slowly to drain the water out. DON’T press it hard. A slight squeeze should do.
10. Now transfer these to the rabdi. Garnish with some more saffron and sliced pistachios. 
11. Cool this is fridge overnight and enjoy the best home made ras malai 

Balaleet (An Arabic Breakfast)

Here is another personal favorite of mine. I never knew about this yummy Arabic breakfast until one of my classmate brought this while I was doing my diploma. I loved it the very first time I tasted it. I made this one day casually for breakfast and my hubby absolutely loved it. It’s a very easy recipe. 

Ingredients:
Thick and short Vermicelli               1 cup
Sugar                                               ½ cup
Cardamom powder                            as per taste
Butter                                                2 tbsp
Saffron                                              2 pinches
Rose water                                        2 tbsp
Eggs                                                  2 
Salt                                                    as per taste
Pepper powder                                   as per taste
Oil                                                     2 tbsp

Method:

1. In a pan add 2 tbsp butter and roast the vermicelli until golden brown.

2. Now in another pan boil some water enough to boil the vermicelli.

3. When the water started to boil, add vermicelli and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Now drain the water for vermicelli.

5. In a pan add 2 more tbsp. of butter, Add cardamom powder, sugar, saffron and rose water. If required, add little water. Once the sugar is totally dissolved switch off the heat. (the sugar might crystalize at first but will loosen later. We need a loose consistency)

6. Now pour this over the cooked vermicelli and cover and keep on low heat for 2 minutes.

7. Now we need to make an omelet to go on top of this.

8. Beat two eggs with salt and little pepper.

9. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the egg and fry. 

10. Place this omelet on top of the vermicelli while serving.

11.   Instead of omelet, scrambled eggs can also be made. Enjoy tasty yummy balaleet. 

Cake Pops....!!!

Cake pops are usually made out of left over cake pieces. I make them when I have left over pieces after cutting it into shapes and icing and all.. If you wish to make it with a freshly baked cake you can do so... For cake recipes you can go to the label "cakes" in my blog..

Ingredients:
Cake                                   -              Any flavor

Dream Whip Powder         -              1 sachet

Cold Milk                          -              ¼ cup

Vanilla Essence                 -              ½ tsp

Cooking chocolate             -              150gm (each choc and vanilla)

Sugar Sprinkle

Stick to insert into the cake balls

Method:

1. Crush the cake with hand and transfer into a bowl.
2. Beat the dream whip powder with cold milk and vanilla essence until fluffy.
3. Now add the whipped cream into the cake crumbs and mix well until you can form small balls.
4. Make small lemon sized balls out of this and freeze them for 1 hour.
5. Melt the cooking chocolate and dip each stick into the melted chocolate first and insert it into the balls.
6. Special care has to be taken to make sure there are no cracks in the balls and they don’t break when you insert the stick into it.
7. Now dip each balls in the desired chocolate and put the sugar sprinkles above it.
8. Let it set.(since the balls are cold it will set fast)
9. Refrigerate this before use.
10. Your kids will love this for sure.. :) :)

Saffron Tres Leches / Saffron Milk Cake!

I am back after a real long break 😊. It is indeed hard to manage work, studies, home and finding time to blog. But now I have made it a decision to atleast post one dish a week. So I hope you all would be enjoying more of my recipes. So here is one amazing dessert to start with. Although I have seen my sister making the basic Tres Leches, I never thought of trying it until I had this amazing Turkish Trileche from Istanbul. They have a very famous café in Taksim square named Hafiz Mustafa. They are famous for their desserts and signature Turkish coffee. That day I decided I must try it at home. But being busy again I couldn’t. Later one day one of colleague brings Saffron Tres Leches and I couldn’t resist but to have atleast 2 slices. It was heavenly. So, that’s when the final decision was made to make it at home but was waiting for an occasion. So for this time when we had our wifeys party (when all the wifes in my hubby’s friends circle get together), I decided to make this and let me tell you this blowed them, my hubby and indeed myself 😀 I made a really big one that served up to 20 people. So if you want to try for a smaller group, use half the proportion. The recipe comes here:

 

Ingredients:

Cake:

Eggs                                        6

Flour                                       2 cups

Corn Flour                              2 tbsp

Sugar                                      1 cup

Baking Powder                       ½ tsp

Saffron (optional)                   ½ tsp

Milk:

Evaporated milk                     2 tins of 410 ml

Milk                                       3 cups

Condensed Milk                    1 tin

Saffron                                   ¾ tsp

Topping:

Whipping Powder                  2 sachets

Milk                                       1/2 cup

Or Egg whites beat until meringue and blow torch them

Method:

1. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degree C.
2. In a mixer or bowl beat the eggs with 1 cup of sugar until fluffy. This must be the consistency of eggs for sponge cake which is if you take out the beater with little batter and right an 8 on the rest of the batter, the number will stay for few seconds. This is how I understand its ready.
3. Sift the flour, corn flour and baking powder.
4. Add this into the egg mixture and fold until whole batter is mixed well. Add in the saffron to this and mix well.
5. Bake this for about 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. 
6. Once the cake is baked, cool it for sometime.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the milk mixture. Add the evaporated milk, condensed milk and milk in a pan and heat until just boil. Add in saffron and keep it on low flame for few minutes. Switch off the flame.
8. Once the cake is cooled, prick it all over with a fork.
9. Keep around 2 cups of milk aside and pour rest of it on the cake.
10. Keep for 5 mins and beat whipping cream and spread it over as you wish.
11. Keep this closed and cool for at least 4 hours before serving. I kept it overnight and came out well.
12. Enjoy the yummiest Saffron Tres Leches :)