ALMOND-ORANGE SUGAR COOKIES

Hi All,  I had a lot of Almond flour/Powder left in my pantry which I wanted to finish. This recipe is easy, healthy, fresh, and delicious. My kids loved it. So, here it goes. Its called 

ALMOND-ORANGE SUGAR COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

ALMOND POWDER: 1 and a 1/2 CUPS
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR: 1 CUP

          OR

ALMOND FLOUR: 2 and a 1/2 CUPS

SUGAR: 1 CUP
BUTTER: 1 STICK (Melt it to get 1/2 cup of melted butter)
ORANGE JUICE: 2 TBSP
SALT: 1/8th TSP
BAKING POWDER: 1 TSP
ORANGE ZEST: 1 TSP

ALMOND-ORANGE SUGAR COOKIE

MAKING

Preheat the oven to about 350 degrees. In a bowl, add the butter and sugar beat them up until the sugar and butter have blended well. Now, add the Almond powder, All Purpose Flour, salt, baking powder, mix it once again. Add the Orange juice and zest to the flour. Mix it well to get a nice moist dough. Place the dough in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is firm. Roll it into your palm into small balls and flatten it into a nice flat circle. Place it in a large baking tray and put it in the oven to bake for about 10-15 minutes. Delicious Almond-Orange cookies are ready. Take it out, allow it to cool down, and then serve. 

Oven temperatures may vary so make sure to keep checking. Remove the tray once the cookies turn light brown and make sure to check the bottom of the cookie does not turn dark.

My dough was moist but if it is on the drier side, roll it with a rolling pin and cut it into the desired shape and place it on the baking tray

The cookies do not require precision and perfection. Very easy to make, you could hand beat it. I prefer the dough to be a bit moist as I personally felt it gave a better flavor and texture.


TIPS/VARIATIONS

If the dough is moist, refrigerate in the freezer and make small balls and flatten it with your hand. This is what I did and it came out really well.

You could add icing of your choice once the cookie has cooled down. 

You could use All Purpose Flour instead of Almond flour, add a bit of Vanilla essence.

These are basic cookies, you could enhance it with your creativity.

PANEER TAWA MASALA

Hi all, the holidays are here. It's a great time where family visits each other and have a wonderful time. My husband's cousin came over last weekend and this is what I made for her for dinner. It came out really well and she enjoyed it so did my family. So, here it goes

PANEER TAWA MASALA

INGREDIENTS

PANEER: I bought the Nanak brand, chopped into big rectangular pieces ( not too thin slices)
ONION: 1 large long thin-slice
TOMATO: 1 large long thin-slice
GREEN PEPPER: 1 large, long thin-slice
GINGER-GARLIC: 1 TBSP chopped long thin-slice
TURMERIC POWDER: 1 TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER: 1 TSP
CHAT MASALA: 1-2 TSP
JEERA: 1 TSP
KASURI METHI: 1-2 TSP Crushed
JEERA-DHANIA POWDER: 1 TSP
GARAM MASALA: 1 TSP
BUTTER/GHEE: 1 TBSP
MILK/CREAM: 1/2 CUP
OIL
SALT AS REQUIRED
FRESH CORIANDER/CILANTRO LEAVES CHOPPED

PANEER TAWA MASALA

MAKING

Take a bowl, add the sliced Paneer pieces, add a bit of salt, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli powder and Chat Masala. Rub it well to make sure all the paneer is coated with these spices. Now add a bit of oil and mix it well. This is our marination process, set it aside for half an hour.

After half an hour, take a non-stick flat pan ( Tawa), coat it with oil. Not too much just enough to make a light coating, place the marinated paneer pieces, flip it mid-way until both sides are golden brown. Set it aside on a plate, place a paper over the plate so all the oil could be absorbed by the paper.

Now, take a deep bottomed pan, add butter/ghee, add some Jeera, sliced Onions, chopped Ginger-Garlic, saute it for 4-5 minutes until the onion turns golden brown. Add the sliced Tomatoes and saute it for another 2-3 minutes. Add in the spices, a bit of turmeric powder, red chilli powder, jeera-dhania powder. Saute it for a few minutes, add a bit of water if needed. Now add the long thinly sliced capsicum, stir for a couple of minutes. Add the marinated Tawa fried Paneer, crushed Kasuri methi, required salt, fresh cream or milk. Cook for a few minutes in low flame until the salt is absorbed, the capsicum is soft and the gravy cooked. Finally add the Garam Masala. Garnish with fresh coriander chopped. Delicious Paneer Tawa Masala is ready to eat. Serve it hot with roti's or Naan's. 

TIPS/VARIATIONS

I used milk but I felt cream would really go well. Thinly slicing the veggies lengthwise adds a bit of texture and works well with the rectangular paneer pieces.

ALMOND FLOUR CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Hi all, the holiday season is here, and to top it , there was snowfall . The kids wanted me to make Brownies, and since I had a lot of Almond flour left, I thought of making brownies using the same. Surprisingly it came out well . Here's the recipe 

ALMOND FLOUR BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS

ALMOND FLOUR : 2 cups
MILK POWDER : 1/2 cup
COCOA POWDER : 1 TBSP
SUGAR : 1 cup
EGG: 1 Large
BUTTER : 1 stick melted
BAKING POWDER : 1 Tsp
BAKING SODA: 1/2 Tsp
SALT : 1/4th Tsp
LEMON ZEST: 1 Tsp

Condensed Milk : 1/2 cup
Pecans chopped ( optional)

Almond Flour Chocolate Brownies

MAKING

Pre-heat the oven to 370*F. Mix all the wet and dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat the egg with a fork and add it to the mix. Add some lemon zest. I added lemon zest instead of Vanilla extract and it worked out very well. If the batter is not the desired consistency, add 1/2 cup of condensed milk. 

Place it in a rectangular ceramic baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, place a toothpick to check its ready to be taken out. Serve it hot or cold, with whipped cream or eat it just as it is. Believe me, its delicious. My kids loved it!

TIPS/VARIATIONS

Lemon Zest adds a distinct flavor and it works well with the Almond flour.
Add condensed milk accordingly to get the desired consistency.
Chopped pecans adds texture to the dish.
You can serve it with whipped cream.
Instead of Almond flour, you could make this with regular all purpose flour too.

Enjoy!