HOW TO BROWN BUTTER FOR COOKIES | BROWN BUTTER SAUCE RECIPE

So why do we use brown butter? Because, it enhances the taste and feel of baked goods and other foods? It’s also somewhat toastier, nuttier, and smells amazing? 

Brown butter is made from regular butter. It tastes like butter but better!

You can make a whole slab of butter all at once, ahead of time so there’s no leftover or wastage - you won’t leave it in the fridge and forget about it.

And here’s another great tip, you can make a big batch and freeze it in ice cube trays, so you always have some on hand.

Today, I’m using two hundred and fifty grams of butter and melting it down using a medium saucepan at medium low heat. I've also set the timer on for about 18 to 20 minutes. Then, what usually happens during that amount of time is that it sputters a little at first, because the water is evaporating. This is especially more so with salted butter. After that, it begins to bubble. Right after it bubbles, it foams! And that’s when you know it’s done. You can push the foam away with a ladle and see the bottom of the saucepan to know that the butter is browned, perfectly. 

Remove from stove and pour it in another vessel so it stops cooking and then you let it cool to room temperature before using it for cooking or baking or just pouring it into ice cube trays to freeze for future use.

Here are some suggestions on how you can use brown butter. You could use it as:-

1. salad dressing 
2. a drizzle on your poached fish or baked fish
3. a sauce to sear scallops or sauté carrots and onions

I could show you how in a future post. If you’d like to see that, let me know in the comments below. 

Or, you can use brown butter in your pie crusts, pancakes, and waffles!

You can definitely use brown butter in your cookies of course and if you missed last week's post, here it is again.

As you can see, you can use brown butter in so many different ways. It’s really up to you. You could use either salted or unsalted butter, although I tend to use unsalted butter for baked goods and salted butter for savoury dishes.

And that’s how to brown butter for cookies or  simply what you do when you come across a brown butter sauce recipe that you might wanna try out.

I hope that was useful to you. Till my next update, always stay beautiful and healthy naturally!

MY NOT SO FAMOUS FAMOUS AMOS COOKIES RECIPE|BEST HOMEMADE COOKIES EVER

The story of this chocolate chip cookie is as old as I am. As a kid, I was always drawn to the amazing aroma of chocolate chip cookies from Famous Amos and I would pester my Dad to buy me some. But, it was such a rare treat because it was so expensive. But you know what? You can actually make this yourself, at home!  

About a year ago, Baizura, a passionate home baker from our neighbour Malaysia said she had cracked the code of the world renowned Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. Her one single social media post, that included the full recipe and photos was shared over and over again all over the world!

In my part of the world, my little sister found it and started baking them, much to our delight! But then, she got really busy, so I thought maybe it’s time for big sister to take over.

So, here’s my version of the famed cookies with less sugar and with some sourdough starter added in for greater digestibility!

INGREDIENTS:

250g brown butter

270g all purpose flour

56g corn starch

1t baking powder

1t baking soda

125g light brown sugar

1t vanilla essence

1 egg (make sure it's at least 50g)

80g coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil

60g liquid sourdough starter (100% hydration)

340g bitter, dark chocolate chips (73.5% cocoa)

To give the cookies their characteristic robust, nutty flavour, start by browning 250 grams of butter, then leave it aside to cool while you prep the other ingredients.

I’ll explain more in detail why brown butter is better in another post so watch this space.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients starting with 270 grams of all purpose flour, 56 grams of corn starch, one teaspoon of baking powder, and one teaspoon of baking soda.

After the brown butter has cooled sufficiently, add 125 grams of light brown sugar.

For tips on how to tastefully reduce the amount of sugar in your cookie recipes, watch this!

In the meantime, add one teaspoon of vanilla essence.

Add one egg, I know, they come in different sizes. Best thing to do? Weigh it to make sure it’s at least 50 grams each.

And then, you add 80 grams of coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Pour in 60 grams of liquid sourdough at 100 per cent hydration.

Mix well, then add in the dry ingredients.

Last but certainly not in any way the least, 340 grams of bitter, dark chocolate chips.

Cover and leave it in the fridge for at least half an hour or better still, leave it to ferment and develop flavour, overnight.    

When you’re ready to bake those cookies, preheat your oven at 200°C and once your oven reaches an internal temperature of 150°C… turn the temperature down, and keep it right there!

To make sure that the cookies are equally-sized and baked evenly,I’m gonna use a cookie dough scoop. Conversely, you could also pinch tiny balls of cookie dough and weigh them on the scale, to be really really precise.

Space them neatly apart across the baking tray lined with baking paper.

Sprinkle each cookie with some sea salt flakes, if you like, and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. 

And there you have it, you now know how to make the best homemade cookies ever! And I’m so glad I got to share with you my not so famous Famous Amos cookies recipe. Try it and let me know how you go! Till then, have a beautiful day!

HOW TO MAKE WALNUT COOKIES AT HOME | BEST COOKIE RECIPE OF ALL TIME

This week, let's talk about the best cookie recipe of all time and make us some soft, buttery walnut cookies at home!

But first, let me just come on out and say it - this is not a walnut-flavoured kinda cookie but a wholesome and toothsome nutty biscuit.

We’re gonna make walnut cookies today primarily from - walnuts of course! So I thought, why don’t we make some walnut milk first and then use the pulp to make those cookies?

In case you missed a previous episode where we talked about how to make almond milk at home,  here’s a quick recap:

100g - 150g of walnuts are required to make one litre of walnut milk, and since the walnut cookie recipe calls for 250g of walnuts, I'll be able to make two litres of walnut milk.

Walnut Milk

INGREDIENTS

100g - 150g of walnuts

1 litre of distilled water

METHOD

STEP 1

Pour one litre of hot distilled water (60°C - 80°C) into the Vegan Milker

STEP 2

Slowly pop in the filter attachment, add 100g - 150g of walnuts

STEP 3

Blitz with hand blender for one minute, strain it and serve straightaway or store it in the fridge after it's cooled.

Walnut cookie recipe (Makes 25 cookies)

INGREDIENTS

250g     walnuts

75g      dates

1T         ground cinnamon

1t         ground nutmeg

1t         pink salt

METHOD

Step 1

Combine all of the above in a food processor, blend till smooth

Step 2

Line a dehydrator tray with mesh screen and non-stick drying sheet. Then, use a cookie dough scoop to portion out equally-sized cookies across the tray.

Step 3

Use the back of a fork to press down on each ball of cookie dough to flatten and decorate it

Step 4

Place dehydrator tray in the middle of dehydrator and set it to dehydrate cookies at 118°F (47.78°C) for 4 - 6 hours or until cookies have dried thoroughly

*Bonus tip - halfway through, remove the non-stick drying sheet and flip the cookies over, leaving them to dry directly on the mesh screen to speed up drying time

Just in case you're wondering why I'm opting to use my dehydrator in favour of the conventional oven. Well, that's because the dehydrator preserves food naturally. In fact, it locks in all the essential enzymes, nutrients, fibres and flavours. And mimics the effects of eating sun-dried food, so you can be certain that you're getting maximum nutrition and minimum waste.

Conversely, it is the microwave that destroys all the nutrients and natural goodness in all your foods. Hence, I replaced it with a dehydrator.

Now after the cookies are completely dry, remove them from the dehydrator. Leave them to cool before storing them in an airtight container. Remember to consume them within the week.

They're great as a snack or you could also have them for breakfast. In time to come, I'm sure this soft, flavourful cookie will become a prominent part of your home menu.

Till next week, you have a beautiful day!