How To: Lindt Lindor Peppermint Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies

Hi Nibblers!

        It's December! When I hear people say how quickly the year goes by, I didn't feel it much. But ever since leaving uni and working full-time, the year goes by at lightning speed. The festive season is definitely more stressful in adulthood because I can't seem to find a time where shops are open when I'm off work. Luckily, I had a few hours on hand and headed to the shops to window shop for present ideas. I stumbled upon 'Lindt Lindor Peppermint - Christmas Edition' truffles. I had been wanting to do a mint related recipe for a while but couldn't find the oomph I was looking for until now. I quickly popped back home and started baking. Keep reading ahead to find out how!

How To: Lindt Lindor Peppermint Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
Makes: Approximately 20 cookies 

What you'll need:
- 250g unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 400g plain flour - all purpose
- 4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 40g cocoa
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. red food colouring
- 180g brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 250g of Lindt Lindor Peppermint
Optional: For decoration
- Handful green sprinkles
- 3 large candy canes - roughly chopped

How To:
1. Beat butter until smooth and creamy
2. Add white and brown sugar and beat until well incorporated
3. Add vanilla, eggs, milk and red food colouring
4. Mix in baking soda, flour and cocoa
5. Add choc chips and stir until mixed
6. Pop cookie dough into the fridge for at least an 1/2 hour
        Note:  This step is essential if you want soft,  pillowy, risen cookies. It allows the cookie dough more pliable and less sticky
7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Farenheit
8. Remove all Lindt Lindor Peppermints from their wrappers then set aside
9. Roll a heaped Tbs. of cookie dough into a ball before flattening it out in the palm of your hand to form a pancake shape then place Lindor in the centre dough before covering the whole Lindor truffle with cookie batter
10. Place onto lined baking tray about 5cm apart from one another
11. Pop into the oven for 11-12 minutes
11. Take cookies out of the oven then lightly press down on each cookie 
12. Decorate cookies with sprinkles and crushed candy canes 
13. Allow cookies to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack then devour!
        Note:  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Cookie dough and cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed (for eating) or baked frozen (but need an extra 2 minutes in the oven)

          This recipe is definitely for those choc mint lovers out there. The cookies are crunchy on the inside and chewy soft in the centre. The crushed candy canes are a surprise crunch which I really like. These are so easy to make and taste great even without the Lindor centres. Leave a comment below if you give this a try :)

Nibble Away,
         
               Jo

How To: Red Velvet Coconut Chop Chip Cookies

Hi Nibblers,

         It's been a busy month. There's been a few changes here and there with life. It hasn't all been easy to adapt but in the month that has passed, I've made a few batches of some of the most amazing red velvet cookies ever. I'm so happy with how they turned out. A light crunch on the outside and soft, gooey insides. I've had great feedback with these cookies which encouraged me to make another batch so I could take pictures for you all! Here goes!

How To: Red Velvet Coconut Choc Chip Cookies
Yields approx. 40 medium sized cookies             Cooking time: approx 1hr 20 minutes (with cooling)

What you'll need:
- 250g unsalted butter (softened to room temp)
- 2 eggs
- 4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 400g flour (sifted)

Red Cookie Dough

- 40g cocoa powder (sifted)
- 200g brown sugar
- 50g white sugar
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. red food colouring (or until desired colour - I used gel)
- 2/3 cups desiccated coconut
- 1/3 cup dark choc chips (plus approx. extra 20g for decoration - optional)
- 1/3 cup white choc chips (plus approx. extra 20g for decoration - optional)

Cookie balls

How To: 
1. Beat butter until smooth and creamy
2. Add white and brown sugar and beat until well incorporated
3. Add vanilla, eggs, milk and red food colouring
4. Mix in baking soda, flour and cocoa
5. Add desiccated coconut and choc chips and stir until mixed
6. Pop cookie dough into the fridge for at least an hour
        Note:  This step is essential if you want soft,  pillowy, risen cookies. It allows the cookie dough to be easier to work with and less sticky
7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Farenheit
8. Roll about 2 Tbs. of cookie dough into a ball and place onto lined baking tray about 5cm apart from one another
9. Pop into the oven for 10-11 minutes
10. Take cookies out of the oven and using a spatula press down on the warm cookies to create a lovely cracked cookie effect
11. Decorate cookies with white and dark choc chips (great for visual and taste purposes)
12. Allow cookies to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack then devour!
        Note:  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Cookie dough and cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed (for eating) or baked frozen (but need an extra 2 minutes in the oven)

         This recipe has definitely taken me out of my cupcake comfort zone. But, I'm so glad with how every batch has turned out. They're so easy to make and perfect for any party. Kevin is a happy camper. He's been asking me to make cookies for years and now I've finally delivered. Hope you all love this recipe! Let me know if you give this a go in the comment section below.

Nibble Away,
               Jo

How To: Heart Shaped Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hey Nibblers!

       I've already put out a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe a few weeks back but I found myself with some leftover cream cheese. So, what better way to use it up than to bake a batch of home made delicious cupcakes with a cute Valentine's Day theme ready for Friday. Mind you, you'll be wanting to make these babies all the time to indulge yourself.
       I have yet to invest in heart shaped mould cupcakes which could have saved me a bit of time. But, after using ceramic baking beads as a substitute, I don't think I need to. The cupcakes were a bit uneven in shape but with a few tweaks, they came out perfectly. I used the same recipe as last time so to make things easier I'll copy it over to this post. Happy Reading!

What you'll need: (To make 14 small/ medium sized cupcakes)
- 125g softened room temperature butter
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 187g of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 Tbs. cocoa
- 125ml of buttermilk (helps aerate the cake batter/ keeps the cake moist)
- 1/2 tsp.vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 tsp. red food colouring OR 1/4 tsp. of red food paste
- Ceramic baking beads or foil 

How To:
1. Pre-heat fan forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line tin with patty paper
3. Sift self raising flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder and giving it a quick stir until well combined then set aside
4. Beat soft butter and sugar together until the resemble fine bread crumbs
5. Add an egg one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until well incorporated
6. Add vanilla and red food colouring, beating until the food colouring is mixed thoroughly
7. Add half of your dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and beat on a high for 3 minutes
8. Repeat step 7 until all ingredients have been mixed
9. Divide batter equally into cupcake moulds about 1/2 -3/4 of the way up and leaving for 2 minutes so the batter can set into place for an even rise
10. Place ceramic beads or foil balls on one of the outer arc of the patty pan to form a heart shape mould

I used about 4 ceramic beads. For foil, you can do the same thing. Either small foil balls or a large foil stick

10. Pop into the oven for 18 minutes, checking with a skewer to ensure the cupcake is cooked
11. Leave cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before decorating

Heart shaped!

Cream Cheese Frosting
- 125g of softened cream cheese
- 125g softened unsalted butter
- 200g sifted icing sugar/ mixture
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 2 tsp. lemon juice

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together until mixture turns from a yellow tone to a white- creamy tone. This will take about 5 minutes
2. Add milk and lemon juice and beat until well combined
3. Slowly add icing sugar and mix remembering to scrape the sides for an even mix
4. Beat for a further 2 minutes before decorating

I went for a heart on heart look.  

               I loved how this cream cheese frosting worked with the cupcakes. It gives a fresh citrus kick and is great on any cupcake. If you give these guys a go, leave a comment below. Until next time,

        Nibble Away,

        

              Jo.

How To: Red Velvet Cupcake with Buttercream Frosting (Lunar New Year Edition)

Hey Nibblers!

     Happy Lunar New Year! May this year bring you good fortune and happiness. Tomorrow, I'll be going to my Aunty & Uncle's house to celebrate the new year with the family. So with a free day to chill, I thought I would try making my first every batch of 'Red Velvet' cupcakes from scratch! Plus it's lucky to be wearing, eating red so why not? The recipe I based this one on is from allrecipes.com.au. I made a few tweaks along the way but, the end result turned out deliciously moist and will definitely be a crowd pleaser.

What you'll need: (To make 14 small/ medium sized cupcakes)
- 125g softened room temperature butter
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 187g of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 Tbs. cocoa
- 125ml of buttermilk (helps aerate the cake batter/ keeps the cake moist)
- 1/2 tsp.vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 tsp. red food colouring

How To:
1. Pre-heat fan forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line tin with cupcake paper
3. Sift self raising flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder and giving it a quick stir until well combined then set aside
4. Beat soft butter and sugar together until the resemble fine bread crumbs

5. Add an egg one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until well incorporated
6. Add vanilla and red food colouring, beating until the food colouring is mixed thoroughly
7. Add half of your dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and beat on a high for 3 minutes

8. Repeat step 7 until all ingredients have been mixed
9. Divide batter equally into cupcake moulds leaving for 3 minutes so the batter can set into place for an even rise

10. Pop into the oven for 18 minutes, checking with a skewer to ensure the cupcake is cooked
11. Leave cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before decorating

For Buttercream Frosting:
I'm using the same butter cream frosting I've used in my previous blog posts but here's a recap:
- 200g sifted icing sugar
- 250g softened butter (room temperature)
- 3 tsp. vanilla essence
- 2 Tbs. milk

How:
Beat the butter on a high for 6 minutes (scraping the sides to ensure an even mix)
Add 1/2 of the icing sugar and beat until well combined
Add vanilla and milk and beat until mixed
Add remaining icing sugar
Beat frosting for a further 6 minutes before decorating

Decorating 'Lunar New Year' Style:
I wanted to keep these cupcakes simple so all I did was:
1. Spread a thin layer of the buttercream frosting to 14 of my cupcakes. (I wanted to spell/ say 'Happy New Year' in Vietnamese)
2. In four separate bowls, I scooped about 3 Tbs. of the frosting and dyed one bowl, purple (1 drop black food dye, 1 drop red food dye) another, pink (1 x red food dye), third one, black (3 drop black food dye) and lastly yellow (1 drop yellow food dye).
3. Wrote the letters in purple slightly to the left side of the cupcake
4. Used a star nozzle and piped three small yellow flower petals
5. Repeated step 4. with the pink
6. Added the branches using the remaining black food dye
      And voila! Chinese New Year themed cupcakes at the ready to enjoy.

       Hope you all loved this quick and easy post. I know I had fun making them. If you have any other questions please feel free to comment below or if you do decide to make these, please do email or tag me in your instagram pics! I would love to see them.

        Happy weekend!
Nibble Away,
           Jo.