Congo Bars

   [I typed this entry last week, but forgot to post it.]

   Dad remarked a few days ago that he thought I'd broken the record for the number of recipes attempted in one day.


   Of course that's not true, as I know there are thousands of other people who have done a lot more, but as far as my own record goes, I have to say I'd broken it too. After making Tate's Chocolate Chips, a second batch of Butterbeer blondies and that second batch of not-really-good-but-still-edible butterscotch blondies (all of which I'd fail in getting any photos), I gave myself a break and stopped baking for a bit (the truth was I'd run out of some ingredients, hehe).


   Anyway, today I went to get a pair of shoes in preparation for my driving lessons, and I took the chance to use what little money I had to stock up on chocolate & butterscotch chips and brown sugar. I also got a bottle of chocolate emulco and one bottle of coffee emulco. Oh, and one pack of high protein flour for bread making. I cannot wait.


   To get back into the mood, I made a batch of congo bars after seeing them on Kak Rima's blog. Kak Rima's blog is gorgeous, with lovely pictures of professional baked stuff which leaves anybody looking at them drooling without realising it, not to mention her super cute daughter Sonia. 


   Congo bars are actually blondies, I suppose, since the ingredients are more or less the same as what the blondie recipes that I've used called for. It seems that all I'm baking at the mo' are blondies and brownies... oh well, maybe I'll turn out an expert at them? Haha. I'm planning to make some egg tarts tomorrow  (I didn't get to take photos of the last batch I made, and anyway they weren't 100% successful although the tupperware container was empty by next morning) so hopefully that'll be a change. 


   Anyway, the Congo bars are still cooling on the counter but being the impatient person that I am, I've already cut them into squares and even packed a few slices to take to the workshop tomorrow. It'll be a 5-hour ordeal I'm afraid, so some sweets would definitely help! I'm glad I finally get to start though, it seems like I'm about the only person who has't got her license yet! (The bright side is I might be the first among my sibling to get one, haha!)

Packed for tomorrow

   Congo bars, you are good! Though I've yet to find a rival for my much beloved Butterbeer recipe. They are still my favourite so far!

***************************************************************

Congo Bars

taken and adapted  from Bisous a'  Toui, the Kitchen Guardian and Bakerella

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup butter (I still only have money to spend on good margarine, sobsob)

300 g brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence or extract

1 cup chocolate chips (or more if you like)

Method

1. Sift flour and baking powder into one bowl. Add salt.

2. Beat butter around in one bowl until it has softened a bit, and add in brown sugar. Mix until all the sugar has been incorporated into the butter.

3. Add the eggs, one by one, and mix until well incorporated.

4. Add in vanilla essence and chocolate chips. Stir just until combined.

5. Fold in flour and stir until just until combined.

6. Pour into an 9 x 13 inch pan and bake in a preheated oven at 170C (16o for mine).

7. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars.

8. Take pictures or whatever it is that you usually do after you've finished baking.

9. Stare at the pile of bowls, measuring cups and what-not that's sitting in your sink. Well, maybe not, if you were wise and washed them as soon as you've finished using one item. Like I did (smug).

Note: Feel free to ignore number 8 and 9. These bars are GOOD. I meant to have them a little fudgy but they were more cakey, which is still good anyway. It's quite an easy recipe, so even I managed not to get anything wrong. 

***************************************************************

   I suppose by the time I come home from the workshop, the bars will all be gone. If I look at things in a positive light, it means a chance to bake more stuff! 

   Mum's sure the bill will be 'electrifying' when it comes. Oh well. At least our tummies are full!

Definitely delicious!

***************************************************************
Verdict:


This recipe is a keeper! I'll definitely make these again!

Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies

   


   It's a red day.


   My body was scrunched up into a ball. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the pain away. Beautiful blondies to be made, cookie recipes to try, cakes to drool over... I fell asleep.


   Some eight hours later I was back in the kitchen, thinking of what to make. Mum made some kuah durian- how do I translate that to English... durian gravy I suppose, which you can eat with slices of bread or roti jala, a nice sort-of-pancake that's yellow in colour. I'll try to get Mum to write an estimation of the ingredients needed for the recipe and post it here (she usually just bungs in the amount she thinks is needed and they always turn out lovely).


   Meanwhile, I sat watching Mum cook. Then I stared at the oven. It stared back. I decided to make Tate's Chocolate Chip cookies, a recipe I took from Gwyneth Paltrow's lovely site called Goop.  I'm on this search for really nice crispy and crunchy chocolate chip cookies because that's how Mum and my younger brother likes them. So far I haven't had much success but maybe I haven't tried enough.


   I posted my version of the recipe, but I think it's best if you go with the original version. After cutting down on the sugar (it has become a habit now), the cookies were still quite sweet but you could also taste the baking soda a little, which is a no-no. I'm still thinking of how I can cut down on the sugar but avoid the bitter taste.


   I also only had a small amount of chocolate chips left, so I put a measly amount of 1/2 cup into the batter. The original recipe called for 2 cups! I know, I know. Mean! But I had a craving for something else with chocolate chips so I wanted to save some for that.


   I also used soft brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar, which is why the colour didn't turn out as dark as shown in Goop. 


   The cookies really spread so be sure to space them far, far away from each other. Two inches, to be exact. Next time I'll add some nuts.

*********************************************************

Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies

taken and adapted from Gwyneth Paltrows's site, Goop

[click HERE for original recipe]

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature (I used margarine)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup soft brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup chocolate chips (next time I'll definitely put more)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease or line baking sheet with baking paper.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in one bowl. 

3. Use a wooden spoon to beat the butter around a bit and then add the sugar. Mix well.

4. Add water and vanilla and eggs. Mix well.

5. Add flour and mixed until just combined.

6. Add chocolate chips and your favourite nuts, if desired (highly recommended). Mix until incorporated.

7. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto prepared baking sheet (but of course you can choose how big you want your cookies to be)

8. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are nice and brown.

9. Cool on a rack before lifting the cookies off and storing in an airtight container.

Chocolate Chip Whoopsie Pies with Marshmallow Feeling

   I fell in love.


   It was like being on a cloud- but of course I've never been on one before. If you could eat melted clouds like you eat melted chocolate, it would taste like this marshmallow filling that I made using Jac's recipe (more about the filling and my feelings later). Jac has a wonderful blog called Tinned Tomatoes, and I have for a long time wandered from recipe to recipe, waiting for the right moment to try one. 


   Lo and behold I came upon a recipe for chocolate chip whoopie pies, which I'd never tasted let alone made. They looked like little flat cakes with filling, which they are. I was quite excited about trying them, but was rather dubious because I didn't have buttermilk (and have yet to meet a real live version in a supermarket) and because I didn't have a whoopie pie tin. However, Jac said they'd turn out fine without the tins, and since they included chocolate chips, for which I have recently discovered a love for, I decided I'd (try and) make them anyway.


   By the way, nope, there was no typo on the title. You really did read "Chocolate Chip Whoopsie Pies" because that's what they are. And that was really "Marshmallow Feeling" because I put a lot of feeling into making them. And licking them. Yeah.

********************************************************

   I am also (nervous, nervous, nervous!!!! because I am) entering this for Bookmarked Recipes which is hosted Jac. The deadline is 30th July and since this recipe if from Jac's blog, I think it passes for a vegetarian one! I have never, ever entered a food event before, and I'm not sure I'll qualify, but I'll try anyway and hope people won't mind if it's a bit sloppy!


   Read more about the event here.

********************************************************

Chocolate Chip Whoopsie Pies with Marshmallow Feeling

taken and adapted from Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes

[click HERE for original Whoopie Pies recipe]

[click HERE for original Marshmallow filling recipe]

(i) Whoopsie Pies

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

125g margarine or butter

1/3 cup castor sugar

1/3 cup soft brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup milk + 1/1 tsp apple vinegar)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (170 for mine).


2. Grease tin or line baking sheet with baking paper.

3. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add salt.

4. Beat butter, castor sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.

5. Add egg and beat until well mixed.

6. Add buttermilk and vanilla, and mix until smooth.

7. Fold in flour mixture, mixing just until well incorporated.

8. Fold in chocolate chips.

9. Scoop dessert spoonfuls into prepared tin.

10. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and dome-shaped.

11. Cool and jam two pies together with marshmallow feeling.

(ii) Marshmallow Feeling (filling)

Ingredients

2 egg whites

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk for about ten minutes over a simmering pot of water.

Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water (I wonder why).

The mixture will be a sort of golden-yellowish and thickens as you whisk it.

2. Remove bowl from the heat and whisk using an electric mixer until it becomes really thick, and has stiff peaks like a meringue.

3. Put all forms of shyness and embarrassment aside and embrace your new feelings. Love it, lick it. It's delicious.

Oh. And don't forget to save some for jamming the whoopsies together. They want some marshmallow love too.

I hope this is what the filling's supposed to look like:

I love this! I'd like to use it on everything!

********************************************************

Teacher's Notes

   1. I may not have a whoopie tin, but I have two tart tins! It didn't work as well as a real whoopie tin, I guess, but they did help in forming the shape of the base of the pies- although of course some never made it even with all that help and turned out wonky and misshapen! 

   2. When I had put all the ingredients for the marshmallow feeling into the bowl, I took my giant hand whisk and whisked the ingredients together before putting them on the heat. Disaster struck. Three HUGE drops of water fell into the bowl. I had not properly dried the handle. I was dumbstruck. I was afraid the egg whites wouldn't froth up like meringues. They worked out fine though. It was lovely seeing the mixture turn all thick and gooey and marshmallow-y. The colour was so pretty too, opaque white- pure and clean. Lesson: Trust in yourself and don't waste egg whites when you think it won't work out! 

   Oh, and even though I cut down the amount of ingredients from the original recipe, I still had plenty of filling left over. I don't normally hold much for licking fillings, but who can deny marshmallow feelings? 

   3. When the recipe says to use a dessert spoon 'scoop desert spoonfuls' of the batter into the tin, then it means 'dessert spoonfuls'. Don't doubt the recipe and dump a Giant's dessert spoonful' of batter into the tin, because you'll get whoppie pies big enough for a Giant (well, not really but they were a bit thick for jamming together). 

   Which is why I made whoopsie pies instead of whoopie pies. But they taste great, so who cares?

My wonky whoopsie pies

The tart tin I used as a substitute for the whoopie pie pan.
Not sure it worked out too well, but it was okay.

I noticed this cheeky little fella...

So I gave 'im eyes to complete the look!
He's happy and so am I!