Homemade cereal bars

Posted in Others by granellidizucchero

No butter, cream or food coloring. Just 3 natural ingredients for a simple but surprising result.

Ingredients

– 500g of mixed cereals/müsli (rolled oats, dried fruits, almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, chocolate chips…)

– 3 tbsp of honey

– 200g of dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 175° C (347° F). Put the chocolate in a bowl, place it over a sucepan of simmering water and wait until it’s melted. Let the chocolate cool slightly.

In the meanwhile mix together the cereals and the honey. Pour the chocolate into the mixture.

Put the mixture in a baking pan (around 25cm x 30cm) lined with parchment paper. Use a spatula to press the cereals and to compact the mixture. Bake for around 15 minutes.

Press and compact the mixture again with a spatula. Let the müsli cool. With a sharp knife cut the cereals in bars or little cubes. If you want you can decorate your bars with white chocolate, paper stripes or ribbons.

Bon appétit,

Anna

1Aug2014

Chocolate chip cookies

Posted in Cookies by granellidizucchero

When I started making my chocolate chip cookies my digital scale stopped working so I decided to proceed in a 100% American way: for the first time I used the “cups” system! To be honest I never loved it that much but after today I changed my mind! Try these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies perfect also as ice cream cookies sandwiches.

Ingredients:

– 1 cup of butter (220g)

– 3/4 cup of granulated sugar (150g)

– 3/4 cup of brown sugar (165g)

– 2 cup of flour (256g)

– 1/4 cup of potato starch (35g)

– 1 cup of chocolate chips (180g)

– 1/2 cup of ground hazelnuts (70g)

– 2 big eggs

– 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

– 1 teaspoon of salt

In a bowl, whisk together the butter, the brown sugar and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, each one mixed in completely before adding the next.

Pass through a sieve the flour, the potato starch, the salt, the baking soda. Add them to the butter dough and mix slowly. Stir in the chocolate chips and the hazelnuts.

Put the dough in a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175° C (347° F).

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges (20 minutes).

The best way to savour your cookies in summer is to fill them with a delicious ice cream!!!

Bon appétit,

Anna

22Jul2014

Midsummer cheesecake

Posted in Cakes by granellidizucchero

After a long period away from my baking oven, after tooooo much store bought desserts, after months living in the city of chocolate, Brussels, now I’m back to my kitchen!! Today’s cake is a delicious cheesecake perfect for summer dinners or a picnic with friends! Enjoy..

Ingredients

For the pie crust

– 200g of whole-wheat biscuits

– 60g of melted butter

– the juice of 1/2 lemon

For the filling

– 200g of Philadelphia

– 200g of ricotta

– 130g of granulated sugar

– 100g of cream

– 30g of yogurt

– 3 eggs

– 1/2 spoon of flour

– the bark of 1 lemon

– 1 vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

For the crust grind the biscuits finely in a food processor. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the biscuits. Put the biscuits mixture in a cake pan and press firmly to cover the whole surface of the pan (edges included). Pour the lemon juice on the surface. Your crust is now ready to be covered by the cheese mixture.

For the filling put the ricotta, the Philadelphia, the sugar, the cream, the yogurt, the eggs, the vanilla and the lemon bark in a large bowl and mix slowly. Stir in the flour.

Pour the cheese mixture on the biscuits crust and bake for 1 hour (160°C – 320°F).

Let the cheesecake cool for 2 hours and conserve it in the fridge. Serve the cake at room temperature and decorate it giving vent to your creativity!

Bon appétit,

Anna

22Dec2013

Christmas whoopies

Posted in Cookies by granellidizucchero

Ingredients (for 8 whoopies):

– 75g of dark chocolate

– 50g of butter

– 1 egg

– 90g of granulated sugar

– 110g of flour

– 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

– 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

– a pinch of salt

For the filling:

-50g of dark chocolate

– 125 ml of cream

– 2 tablespoon of chocolate chips

– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the decoration:

– Royal icing and gel food coloring

Preheat the oven to 175° and line two baking pans with parchment paper.

Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and place them over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat when melted. With an electric whisk, mix the egg and the sugar and add the melted butter and chocolate. Pass through a sieve the cocoa powder, the baking soda, the flour, the salt and add them into the egg mixture. Stir well and slowly.

Put the dough into a pastry bag with a large tip and form the whoopie pies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 9 minutes.

For the filling put the chocolate in a bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat when melted.

Whip the cream on medium speed. Add half of it in the melted chocolate, mix well but slowly and stir in the rest of the cream. Add chocolate chips and cinnamon to the mixture.

Put the cream into a pastry bag and cover the flat side of the whoopie. Top with another whoopie to assemble them.

Decorate with royal icing and gel food coloring.

I WISH YOU ALL A SWEET CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

Your Anna

20May2013

Matchstick cookies and… a curious cat!

Posted in Cookies by granellidizucchero

Matchstick cookies

Ingredients:

– 250g of flour

– 125g of butter

– 100g of sugar

– a pinch of salt

– 2 egg yolks

– lemon bark

For the decoration:

– 1 egg white

– a pinch of salt

– 130g powdered sugar

– food colouring

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well until the cookie dough forms a ball. Put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. After that, roll it out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 3 mm, then cut out 7 cm long and 1 cm wide sticks.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and put the cookies on it. Bake at 155° for 16 minutes or until the cookies reach a ligth golden colour. Let them cool down.

In the meanwhile prepare the frosting. Whip the egg white with a pinch of salt until it forms soft peaks. While continuously whipping the whites on hig speed, slowly add the powdered sugar and the food colouring and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

Dunk the cookie tips in the coloured frosting.

Let the icing on your cookies dry for at least 2 hours.

Bon appétit,

Anna and Benni!

Granelli di zucchero

Tag Archives: Biscuit

Homemade cereal bars

Midsummer cheesecake

Christmas whoopies