Poor Man's Cookies (Ghribat Zit)

So the name is not a real translation for what the cookies are really called (oil cookies) but that is what I feel they should be called because this is the cheapest cookie anyone could make. It's funny how kids see things so much differently than adults; I remember that we would never have these at home because my mom would make just about any other type of cookies but these...I guess they were considered an "unclassy" cookie to offer to your guests maybe?! I don't know but I feel like it would be the equivalent of offering your guests some twinkies with their coffee :-) I loved them anyway!!

These cookies used to be sold in every corner grocer in Casablanca at least, I am not sure about the other regions but I know that it's not common any more and now I make my own once in a while for childhood memories' sake! The ingredients are in every kitchen's pantry.


Ingredients:

4 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of canola or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Small pinch of salt
Almonds or chocolate chips for decorating (optional)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients with the tips of your fingers without kneading or over mixing...same way you would proceed with a pie crust (this is key to a crumbly texture). form a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap
Form little balls and bake them in a 325 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. It should not change color all over only become a little golden from the bottom.
Let cool before serving.

Eid cookies 2 and our Eid breakfast

Today is Eid al Fitr; the celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. I had posted some pictures of the cookies I made to celebrate and here are some more that I made yesterday.
I've also included pictures of ou breakfast table as it is the most important meal of this celebration... having breakfast again for the first time after one month is something worth celebrating you know! :-)

I will be posting the recipes for Eid cookies as soon as I get out of my sugar coma LOL

On the table, semonlina pancakes/mssamen/cookies, cookies and more cookies :-)

                                                         

                                                              chocolate cookies

                                                               Chewy almond cookies        

Pecan cookies and chocolate pecan cookies (Sugar free)

Enjoy!

Eid cookies

After fasting for a whole month from dawn to dusk Ramadan is almost over and the Eid celebrations will start in a couple of days to mark the end of this big religious event.
Eid is a truly loved holiday by the big and small; the adults feel spiritually fulfilled and excited to go back to the regular rythm of life that they found a new appreciation for. Children are given money, new clothes and are happy to wake up to the ultimate breakfast...Cookies!! lol a big collection of cookies and semolina pancakes and other delicacies are served with mint tea and coffee to celebrate. That was the cultural bit of the day :-)

I am sharing with you here some cookies  that I've prepared for Eid, I will be posting the recipes on a later time.

Snow balls with shredded coconut

Almond cookies and sesame cookies

Coconut semolina cookies

Flour cookies or Moroccan shortbread cookies

My kids' favorite cookies because they can use the cookie cutters :-)

Enjoy!

Apple almond tart

The combination of warm apples and almonds is one of my favorites so I was very hesitant to make this dessert because I knew that things could get ugly very quickly :-) but I was a good girl and didn't eat it all at once lol
This tart keeps very well in the fridge for 3 days, just heat it up and enjoy it for breakfast or as a snack...The whole family enjoyed this treat. I made two versions of it; one shaped as a turnover and one as an open faced tart. Both were great but I leaned towards the tart because you don't waste the puff pastry as you would when cutting out the round shapes for the turnovers.

I was able to only make four medium turnovers out of one puff pastry sheet so I chose to use the second sheet in its entirety for the open faced tart. Tip: If you prefer the turnovers, use the pastry sides by sprinkling them with Cinnamon and sugar and shaping them into twists. (The kids didn't give me a chance to take a picture of those lol)

Ingredients:

Almond paste (finely ground blanched almonds+sugar+cinnamon+enough butter to make it a firm paste)

Mascarpone cheese (Use half the amount of almond paste)

2 puff pastry sheet

Apples softened in a little butter, sugar and Cinnamon in a skillet.

Directions:

Mix the Mascarpone cheese with the almond paste (taste for sweetness). Keep your thawed puff pastry sheet in the fridge until the last minute so it's still cold and easy to handle when you work with it.

Unfold the sheet on a floured surface, poke the dough all over using a fork, spread the almonds mixture and top with an even layer of the softened apples.

Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden brown on the bottom.

Enjoy!

Madeleines

Madeleines hold a special place in your heart if you grew up on them, certain foods just have special nostalgia evoking powers and this is deffinetly one of them for me (I have way too many!). The French have definetely left a lot of goodies in Morocco and you can see that influence any time you walk into a bakery and see all the croissants, macarons, petits fours and other delicacies...I spend a lot of time researching french sites for some of my favorite childhood recipes and I usually find what I am looking for on http://www.cuisineaz.com/

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 flour

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Melt the butter and let it cool

Beat the eggs, vanilla and salt until light and gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat. The mixture should be very smooth and forms ribbons when you lift it.

sift the flour and add it to the mixture while beating lightly. Add lemon zest.

pour the melted butter around the edges and fold it in gently until combined

bake 15-18 minutes at a 375 F degree.

Enjoy!

Sugar free birthday cake

We celebrated my husband's birthday during our beach vacation; I sneaked all the party decorations in a bag along with his gift and cards...My only concern was the cake! I bake all the time and it just doesn't feel right to not bake a cake when I have the perfect excuse!! But I assumed that since we'll  be staying in a rental I wouldn't have the kitchen materials needed...Boy was I wrong! The lady that owns the apartment is a baker just like me; I never met her but her kitchen told me all about it :-) She has cake pans of all sizes, cupcake pans and of course the mixer that made this cake possible.

Can you believe this delicious cake waiting in the fridge is sugar free?! I had some help from a sugar free cake mix and I only had to figure out a sugar free filling and frosting which ended up being so creamy and delicious that I plan on making it over and over again with different flavors and using it on both regular and sugar free cakes.

My husband had a great birthday and was very impressed that I managed to bake him a cake at the beach :-)

Ingredients:

1 sugar free cake mix (I used pillsbury's yellow cake)+ingredients called for on the box

16 oz heavy cream

2 tablespoons Mascarpone cheese

1 pack sugar free chocolate pudding (unprepared)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Strawberries

Milk to thin the frosting to a spreadable consistency ( I used about 5 tablespoons)

All the sweetness comes from the pudding pack so no splenda needed.

Directions:

Bake your cake according to the directions on the box and set it aside until cool, cut it into two halves.

Using a mixer whisk the heavy cream until it starts forming soft peaks and then add the mascarpone cheese.

Mix the heavy cream and mascarpone and add the contents of your pudding pack and the unsweetened cocoa (sift it if lumpy)

At this point your cream will be lumpy so you will start adding the Milk and continue whisking until you reach a nice spreadable creamy consistency.

Spread a layer of the frosting on one half of the cake and dispose strawberries cut lenghtwise on its surface, cover with the other half and frost your whole cake with the remainder and decorate as desired. I used whole strawberries to decorate and a fork to texturize my frosting (That's what you do when you don't have your baking gear with you lol)

Cupcake bouquet

Cupcakes are probably my favorite thing to bake only because after they come out of the oven, I get to have fun all over again when deciding on the toppings...I have a collection of sprinkles and cupcake holders and I sit and decide how to decorate them and often get confused with all the choices LOL

I am not big on buttercream frosting; the taste is not my favorite and I knew it would be too messy in an arrangement that was going to be delivered. I usually use just a sticky base for my sprinkles to hang on to like Nutella, caramel or apricot jelly.
I gave these bouquets to my son's teacher and principal as a sweet end to their school year. the recipe for the vanilla cupcake is here

Assembly line!

My son came home from school with a big smile on his face and told me that his teacher was very happy...that's what I love about baking; it makes me happy while I am doing it and makes other people happy when I share the goodies!





Almond cookies

What do you call these cookies? "Russian tea cookies" "Mexican Wedding cookies" "Christmas Snowball cookies" "Boules de Neige" "Italian wedding cookies" I love how great foods can originate from different parts of the world at the same time and under different names...It's also very amusing to see different cultures lay claim of them as their own.

Relax people!! Putting nuts in cookies and then rolling them in powdered sugar is not that hard to come up with so everyone is a winner and by the way these exist in Morocco too under "kwirat telj" say that 10 times fast!!

 I love to serve mine with some traditional mint tea and sometimes choose to leave the powdered sugar out. You can find the recipe here

Vanilla cupcakes with caramel and coconut topping

I wanted to make some cupcakes for my friend's jewelry party but I needed to be able to carry them around easily and store them at my desk until it was time to leave after work...So that meant that I needed to keep the frosting under control and instead of "Mount chocolate" frosting I chose to just spread a little bit of caramel sauce (the kind you top ice cream with)  and dip them head down in coconut flakes.

You can find the recipe for the vanilla cupcakes here
I will be using caramel sauce a lot in my baking because it's convenient and has a great taste and texture...Next time I will combine it with almonds.

The jewelry party was a success and so were the cupcakes!!

Moroccan Charoset truffles

Just in time for pesach!! I love making foods that tell a story and I find that the ones that show up on a holiday's table usually do...I am not jewish but I've been making these charoset truffles for the longest time to celebrate my holidays before finding out that they were actually a staple on Moroccan jews' seder during pesach time (Passover)

You can make these with any kind of nuts and even some sesame seeds can be added

Just as a side note for anyone wondering if these are kosher for pesach:

Moroccan jews are sephardim (middle eastern &North African) so the recipe might contain ingredients that are not ok for Ashkinazim jews (European & North American); it doesn't contain any Chametz but be careful with adding sesame seeds as they would be considered Kitniyot and I think peanuts too? Anyway, I used orange blossom water for flavor and I have no idea if it's Kosher for Pesach, my knowledge on this subject is limited so please don't take my word for it and consult with your regular sources for the laws of Kashrut.

Ingredients:

3 cups pitted dates
1 1/2 cups of chopped taosted almonds
1 tbsp orange blossom water (replace with any flavoring liquid you prefer)
shredded coconuts and additional chopped almonds to roll the truffles in.

Directions:

Steam the dates for about half an hour and pass them in the food processor until the form a paster, transfer them to another container and add the almonds and orange blossom water and mix until combined.

Pour some orange blossome water in a bowl and wet the palms of your hands with it, form balls the size of a walnut and roll them in the almond/coconut mixture. If you're not using the orange blossom water be ready to wet your hands a few times while you're making the truffles because the paste is very sticky.

Keep refrigerated so they can firm up or serve at room temperature if you plan on spreading it on a cracker or Matzo bread, I serve mine with a hearty soup during Ramadan.

Vanilla cupcake with nutella cream cheese frosting

I have found it! I have been searching for a no fail vanilla cupcake recipe and I am finally satisfied with this one; it is light and moist and begging to be filled or topped or both!!

I made these cupcakes for my co-worker's last day with the company and wanted them to be like her; bubbly and happy!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vinegar (yes vinegar)

Directions:

In a stand mixer, beat the two eggs and add the sugar and beat until creamy

Add Vanilla and oil and keep beating.

In a cup combine the milk and vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes (This is a substitution for buttermilk which a lot of cake recipes call for but you're less likely to have in your fridge) Don't mess with this just do the milk and vinegar combo because it works :-)

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt

Pour half the milk mixture into your stand up mixer and beat until combined

Add half the flour mix and beat on low

Repeat with the other half of the milk and the remaining flour and beat until the batter is smooth (it will be runnier than you're used to)

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Frosting:

Beat 8oz of cream cheese (1 small container) with the paddle attachment until light and airy

Add 1tsp of vanilla and 8oz of Nutella and continue beating until you reach a very smooth frosting.

Add some sprinkles or a lot of sprinkles like I did :-)

Another charlotte

Yes, I made a raspberry pineapple charlotte twice this week! It was my boys' birthday and my oldest asked that I make him the same cake I made for my co-worker's birthday instead of the chocolate cake he had requested (I was delighted since it's easier to make).

My boys are born within 4 days of each other so we celebrated both birthdays with this beautiful cake. Yummy!

Raspberry pineapple charlotte

I made this charlotte to celebrate a co-worker's birthday and everyone enjoyed the light texture and fresh taste.

You can find the recipe here just add raspberries.

Enjoy!

Apple turnovers

I decided to make a special breakfast for the family this week; they usually have to wait for the Weekend to get home made goodies for breakfast :-)
This apple turnover was just the right thing to make; it's very simple and is ready in no time. The original recipe is french and is called "Chaussons aux pommes" but I know that there is a variation of this pastry in many countries and nobody can claim ownership of the idea of stuffing puff pastry with sweet delicious apples (It's just a great idea that a lot of people had in different parts of the world LOL)

Directions:

Thaw 2 puff pastry sheets following the package directions
Peel and cut 4 big apples into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick (I used golden and delicious)

In a sautee pan melt 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 pinches of cinnamon
Add the apple slices to the melted butter and sugar and stir from time to time until the apples are soft
.
In a bowl, mix a small mascarponi cheese container (8 oz) with 1 tbsp of apricot jam.
Cut the puff pastry into equal squares, cut 3 diagonal openings into half of the squares only

 Place 1 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of the uncut square, top with some apples (leave enough space on the edges)
Wet the edges of each square with some egg wash (egg yolk+water) and top with another square (with cuts) and seal the edges by pressing a fork all around.

Brush some egg wash all over the surface and place in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Coconut snow balls

I made my coconut snow balls again!
You can find a link to the recipe here. I use the same base as the almond cookies and I roll them in warm apricot jam, assemble two and roll in coconut flakes.

Keep them in a closed container in the fridge, they taste better the next day.

Almond pear pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving because it just looks like it belongs on a Thanksgiving dinner spread. I didn't follow a recipe to make this pie; I actually created this recipe and had to tweak it a few times before achieving the end result worthy of being featured on a holiday dinner table lol

Ingredients

5 eggs
1/4 stick of butter (melted)
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 and a 1/4 cups of very finely chopped almonds (blanched almonds)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 roll of pie crust (thawed)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
Canned pears (drained and washed)
Directions:

• Whisk the eggs add sugar and continue whisking until smooth
• Add melted butter (cooled down otherwise you will cook the eggs)
• Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and whisk
• add dry ingredients (almonds/cocoa/baking powder) and continue whisking until all ingredients are combined and a smooth consistency is achieved.
• Line the pie crust in a pie mold, pour half the mixture and layer the pear wedges ( cut each pear half in 4 lenghwise) to cover the whole surface
• Pour the second half of the mixture over the pears and bake in a 375 F oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Once out of the oven let cool and decorate with confectioners sugar anyway you'd like. I cut up leaf shapes from paper towels and placed them carefully on the pie and then dusted it with powdered sugar and lifted my leaves very carefully.

This pie is best eaten chilled and is so delicious and moist; you won't need that scoop of ice cream on the side!

Pecan coconut cookies

These cookies are my husband's favorites, they are the same as the "Almond melt in your mouth cookies" posted here but I used pecans instead of almonds.

When they're done baking I roll them in warm peach jam and unsweetened coconut flakes; this is not the kind you find in your grocery store's baking aisle (I have a sweet tooth but jam with sweetened coconut flakes is just too much!) You can find this kind in a health food or organic supermarket (Think whole foods) or ethnic stores (I found mine in a middle eastern store). Keep these cookies in a closed container in the fridge so they can last longer.

Again you can find the recipe here and just replace the almonds with pecans

Chewy chocolate cookies

I found the idea of these chocolate cookies in a magazine, and I say idea because I've changed the recipe  to give it more flavor and even assembling two cookies with nutella was an upgrade from the original :-)

I am usually a make it from scratch kind of cook but I do break the rules on a few things as long as the taste is not compromised. This recipe calls for a box of chocolate cake mix, butter, one egg and cream cheese but I decided to add finely chopped pecans, orange zest, instant coffee and vanilla and that is what made all the difference...Chewy, nutty, very chocolatey and super easy to make.




Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used German chocolate cake mix)
1 egg
1 stick of butter (room temperature)
4 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of finely chopped pecans (use any kind of nuts you like)
1teaspoon vanilla
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon instant coffee (I used Nescafe)
Nutella for cookie sandwich assembly (I used strawberry jam before and it tastes really good too!)
powdered sugar for decorating


Directions:

• Mix butter and cream cheese until soft, add one egg, the zest of one orange, coffee and vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add the contents of the cake box and mix everyting until you achieve a smooth consistency (dough will be sticky)
• Form one big ball, wrap it in plastic film and put in fridge for one hour.
• Form balls the size of a walnut, dip one side in powdered sugar and place on cookie sheet (leave enough space since they flatten to be the size shown on picture)
• Bake in a 350 F oven for 12-13 minutes.
• Let the cookies cool down before and handling them
• Assemble cookie sandwiches using Nutella or jam.

Blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins are not something I grew up with but I do love fruit in baking and I try to include most american classics in my kitchen. Carrot cake and pumkin pie I can't get my self to like and I have given them more than one shot (I just don't appreciate veggies in baked goods)

This recipe is for a coffee cake that my mom used to make sans the blueberries, it is delicious and versatile. This recipe is the base to a lot of my muffins and coffee cakes; add nutella in the center for a little surprise or substitute some finely chopped nuts for some of the flour and you can even add som cocoa powder to make it a chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups of flour

Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar until smooth

Add remaining wet ingredients and combine

Add flour and baking powder and mix until you ahieve a smooth consistency.

Grease a muffin pan and pour batter in each mold to 3/4 of its capacity

Roll blueberries in some flour and shake the excess off (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom and getting burnt)

Drop a few blueberries in each mold

Bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Nutella hazelnut palmiers

I love palmiers or "elephants' ears" and this recipe is just about the easiest and most delicious one I have tried. The sweeteness of the Nutella and crunchiness of the nuts take this palmier to a whole other level of flavor.
So easy to make and you can substitute the hazelnuts for any other kind of nuts you like or happen to have in your pantry (almonds are a good choice).

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed in fridge)
• Nutella
• finely chopped hazelnuts
• 1 egg yolk and teaspoon of water (for egg wash)
• Some granulated sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. unfold the pastry sheets
2. Smear Nutella on each sheet and sprinkle with chopped nuts (amounts depend on preference)
3. Roll each sheet length wise from each side until both sides meet in the middle
4. cut into 1 inch thick slices width wise and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
5. brush each palmier with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar
6. cook in a 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!