Almond cookies

                     Almond cookies made from whole wheat flour make a great tea time snack.

              These almond cookies are both nutritious and delicious and very easy to make. Substituting plain flour with whole wheat flour in this recipe makes these cookies fiber dense, and since we are using whole wheat flour and not the refined one makes it even more nutrient dense. Almonds provide with Vitamin E and antioxidants. While I have used powdered sugar you can safely replace it with brown sugar but remember to adjust the amount to suit your liking.

            
             Previously in my kids summer vacation special series I had shared the recipe of Kaju badam biscuits do check it out. You may also like to try Jeera biscuits and Tutti frutti biscuits from My Mom's Kitchen. Now onto today's recipe :-

Ingredients:

1. Whole wheat flour - 3/4th cup
2. Almond powder - 1/4th cup
3. Almonds - 10 to 12 nos
4. Powdered sugar - 2 to 3 tbsp
5. Butter - 1/4th cup
6. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt - 1/8th tsp
8. Milk - 2 to 3 tbsp

Method:

• Soak the above mentioned 10 to 12 almonds in water for about half an hour. Peel and sliver. Keep aside.
• For almond powder - Take about 10 to 15 almonds in a grinder and grind to get a coarse powder. Add this almond powder to whole wheat flour in a mixing bowl.
• Add rest of the ingredients except milk. Mix well to combine.
• Add milk little by little and form a dough. No need to knead, just bring it all together.
• Next, using a cookie cutter or manually shape the cookies in the desired form.
• Now take the slivered almonds and add it to the cookies on top.
• Grease a baking tray and arrange the cookies on it.

 

• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15 minutes or till they change to golden in colour. (Keep an eye on the oven after about 12 minutes as every oven settings are different)
• Remove to a plate. The cookies will turn crisper with time.

 

                         This was the first time I was using whole wheat flour for baking and as this was an experiment I have used very little quantities however, if you are confident then you can double the quantity to yield more cookies. And I'm happy to share that my experiment was quite successful and next time I bake these goodies I will make more than enough to fill our cravings.

                          Hope you give this delicacy a try, waiting for your thoughts. Connect with us on Facebook by texting and sharing pictures of recipes you tried from My Mom's Kitchen.

Happy cooking!!!

Kaju badam biscuits

                            Summer vacation is about to begin and with it starts my collection of Kids Vacation special recipes. As kids love to munch on snacks like biscuits my 1st post in this special series is a yummy and healthy treat of Kaju Badam biscuits.
                            
                           Kaju badam biscuits or cashew almond biscuits are simple cardamom flavored crisp and delicious biscuits with goodness of cashews and almonds in every bite.

                                                                        

                         

                           Cashews and almonds are nuts which are immensely beneficial while cashews are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, almonds have flavonoids that protect the heart. While cashews are rich in selenium, copper and zinc almonds are a power house of vitamin E and its not a new thing to know that almonds help in brain development and these both together provide protein, calcium and magnesium all necessary for growing children to build healthy bones.

                           As for biscuits you may also like to try Jeera biscuits, Almond cookies and Tutti frutti biscuits from My Mom's Kitchen. Now, to today's recipe :-

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour - 1 cup
2. Butter - 1/2 cup
3. Powdered sugar - 3/4th cup
4. Cashews - 10 to 15 nos
5. Almonds - 10 to 12 nos
6. Almond powder - 1/2 cup
7. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Baking powder - 3/4th tsp

Method:

• Beat together butter and powdered sugar till creamy. 
• In a mixing bowl take all purpose flour / maida along with baking powder and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Add almond powder (grind a few almonds to a coarse paste in the grinder) and mix well to combine.
• Add chopped cashew nuts (soak them for a while to ease off your chopping).
• Add the dry ingredients mix to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well. Now slowly get the batter together to form a soft chapathi like dough. If your dough feels dry only then add a tablespoon of milk or more as required as for me my dough came about in a jiffy and I did not add any milk.
• Pinch out lemon sized balls from the dough and flatten it between your palms to give it a shape of the biscuit or you might use a cookie cutter to shape the biscuits in your preferred design. Just roll out the dough using a rolling pin to a half inch thickness and cut using the cookie cutter.
• Arrange the biscuits on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Add almonds for garnishing. You can place a full almond in the center or divide it into two and then use.

                                       

 

• Bake the biscuits in a pre-heated oven at 170 C for 12 minutes till they get a nice golden brown shade. (keep an eye on your oven while baking as each oven has its own settings and you may have to adjust the temperature and baking time as per your oven requirements).
• Remove from the oven and leave on the wire rack to cool down. The biscuits will turn crispier as they cool down. Serve it just as they are or with a glass of milk to dunk in.

                     You may like to try more snacks recipes like Chudwa a simple jar snack that I bet you yourself loved as a kid, or a south Indian famous snack Masala vada, or an Arabian famous snack Falafel, or the north Indian delicacy Matar kachori, or a unique stuff like Vegetable oats kofta from My Mom's Kitchen.

Do share your views with me in the comments section below.

Happy Cooking!!!

Tutti Frutti Biscuits

                     
                      Other than being famous for Biryani and dozen variety of curries that which includes Hyderabadi Khatti Dal and Tala hua ghosht Hyderabad is also famous for Osmania biscuits and Karachi fruit biscuits.

                      The Fruit biscuits are so famous that they serve as a tasty gift to outsiders. Last year  my Dad had gifted one such box to his Kashmiri friend on our trip to Kashmir. So far I have baked the biscuits twice the second time keeping them smaller in size and a little more crisper however, the first impression was the best impression. Two of my niece and nephew were with me and it hardly took time to finish the biscuits. (Proof? The pic below :P)

                      The biscuits will enter the fridge before the oven for two hours so plan ahead when you are making and baking them as per your schedule. The biscuits while baking will fill your kitchen with a sweet aroma, hard to resist and if you have children around be ready to answer their questions which will only be "When will they get done?"

                       With few ingredients and easy recipe like this you would love to make these again and again. Store the biscuits in an air tight container for up to a week.

Ingredients:

1.  All purpose flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cups
2. Butter - 1/2 cup
3. Custard powder - 1/2 cup
4. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
6. Tutti frutti - 1/2 cup
7. Pineapple essence - 1/4 tsp
8. Milk - 5 tbsp

Method:

• In a bowl whisk together butter and sugar.
• Add in sieved flour, custard powder and baking powder. Mix well.
• Add tutti frutti and pineapple essence. Combine well.
• Add in the milk little by little and make a dough out of the batter. The batter at this point will be very soft and crumbly. If you feel your dough needs more milk then add in a tablespoon of it.
• Divide the dough into two equal portions.
• Roll them into logs and refrigerate for two hours atleast.
• Take them out of fridge and cut with knife into desired shapes.
• Butter your cookie sheet and arrange the biscuits on it with equal distance between them. 
• Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 12 to 15 mins.
• Allow them to cool to room temperature. The biscuits will turn crispier with time. Serve and enjoy.

           Also try other baked goodies like Chocolaty coconut bites, Kaju badam biscuits, Almond cookies and Jeera biscuits from My Mom's Kitchen.

Hope you give this delicacy a try, waiting for your thoughts. Connect with us on Facebook by texting and sharing pictures of recipes you tried from My Mom's Kitchen.

Happy cooking!!!

Jeera biscuits

                           Biscuits are a snack that everybody loves to munch on. With a huge variety to choose from biscuits can give endless possibilities to try. Biscuits with a particular flavor are my favorite ones. The Jeera biscuits recipe that I am sharing today is an easy and simple recipe with a particular distinct flavor of Jeera or Cumin seeds.


                           Cumin seeds aid in digestion and are rich in antioxidants, calcium, iron and magnesium. Since they are used in very less quantities hardly about a teaspoon in a dish this form of biscuits is a nice and interesting way to incorporate the seeds in our diet. 

Ingredients:

1. Butter - 100 gms
2. Powdered sugar - 2 tbsp
3. All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
4. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
5. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Milk - 2 tbsp
7. Salt - 1 tsp
8. Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp

Method:

• In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cumin seeds.
• Add milk and form a dough using your hand.
• Leave aside the dough for 10 mins.
• Take half portion of the dough and roll it out using a rolling pin. While rolling you can sprinkle some more cumin seeds if you wish to.
• Cut the biscuits into desired shape using a cookie cutter.
• Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
• Grease a baking tray and arrange the biscuits. 
• Bake them at 160°C in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. (I turned my biscuits over after 10 minutes) Keep an eye on biscuits while baking 'coz every oven is different.
• Serve warm.

           

                     The biscuits turned out to be crisp with a lovely texture and a distinct flavor of cumin seeds. Since Christmas is just around the corner I also cut a biscuit in the Christmas tree shape while for the rest I preferred small hearts.

                    You may also like to try Chocolaty coconut bites, Tutti frutti biscuits, Kaju badam cookies and Almond cookies from My Mom's Kitchen!!!

Do try the recipe and spread the joy of taste with your loved ones...

Happy Cooking..!!! 

P.S. It's the 50th Post on Blog! ☺✌