Tag: eggless cookies

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Baking Easy Recipes Snacks Vegetarian

Jeera Biscuits – Buttery Cumin Cookies (Eggless)

Sinfully Spicy :Jeera Biscuits 001(Buttery Cumin Cookies)

I have just finished unpacking the last of bags from a month long trip to Delhi. The household is slowly settling to routine, the little one is back to her usual sleep schedule and yesterday I could manage a batch of these cookies while she napped.

Sinfully Spicy :Jeera Biscuits, Ingredients 002(Buttery Cumin Cookies)

Sinfully Spicy :Jeera Biscuits 008(Buttery Cumin Cookies) Tea time in India is special, though not british like,but in its own way. From gossip sessions with the neighbor to prepping for exams the next day or just as a way to relax, the ubiquitous chai shadows each and every aspect of day today indian life. Something said to taste better with company, chai is usually served with piping hot fritters, indian trail mixes or cookies (better called biscuits).

Sinfully Spicy :Jeera Biscuits 004 (Buttery Cumin Cookies)

I grew up sipping overly milky, cloyingly sweet and richly spiced chai, something which I kind of got addicted to over years. Morning tea was accompanied by rusks but in the evening, while everybody liked their chai with samosas,I  dunk those salty-sweet jeera biscuits which mom got every now and then from a bakery near home.

Bakery biscuits back home are quite a thing, they taste different from the usual packaged cookies you get in the grocery stores, they look rustic, taste homely and make you feel gluttony. I guess thats the whole point there, its the non- consistent taste and look that makes them so special. Unlike fancy ingredients like chocolate chips or vanilla (yes), they are loaded with nuts, whole wheat flours and loads and loads of ghee.

Sinfully Spicy :Jeera Biscuits 006 (Buttery Cumin Cookies)

I am not much of a cookie person but I m partial towards these. These biscuits are more salty than sweet (which is what I like about them),crumbly thanks to copious amount of butter and the warm,woody aroma of the cumin seeds scattered in the dough is what makes them so whimsical.

Honestly, I prefer these cookies slightly over baked, when they are more crunchy than crumbly but that’s just me, the original ones which you get in India are chewy in the center even when baked through.It took me a quite a lot of attempts to scribble this recipe, hope you like it.

Sinfully Spicy :Jeera Biscuits 006(Buttery Cumin Cookies)

Ingredientes (Makes 25-30 cookies)

  • 1.5 cups All purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup fine semolina
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 stick (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, diced into cubes
  • 3 tbsp any neutral oil
  • 3-6 tbsp cold milk (just so that the dough comes together)

Method 

In a bowl, mix flour, semolina, sugar, salt, baking powder & soda together. Sift once. Dump the sifted flour mix in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the cumin seeds & cold butter cubes. Pulse for a minute or so till the butter becomes pea sized.

Remove the metal blade and fit the dough blade into the jar.Add the oil.Start the processor and add cold milk 1 tbsp at a time till the dough just comes together.Stop.The dough might be slightly sticky but thats okay.

Scoop out the dough, bring it together, don’t knead and divide into two equal portions. Form logs with each portion. Wrap the logs in a parchment sheets or plastic cling films. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes till firm and ready to be cut into slices.

Preheat oven to 325F/ 165C. Line cookies sheet with parchment/ wax paper. You might need 2 baking sheets or you can bake them in two batches.

While the oven is preheating, take out the cold dough logs and using a sharp,serrated knife, cut cookies about 1/4″ thick. Try to cut as uniform size as possible. Do not cut very thick slices else cookies will be raw while baking.

Arrange the cookies on the sheet about 2″ apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes till the cookie bases start turning brown and the top changes color. I personally like my cookies slightly overdone so I baked them for few extra minutes.

Let cool on the sheet before storing them in air tight containers for up to 2 weeks. Serve with hot chai.

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!

Categories
Baking Eggs

Lime Sugar Sandwich Cookies With Blueberry Cream Filling

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Ingredients

For the Lime Sugar Cookies [Makes 15 cookie sandwiches of the size shown]

Recipe adapted from Aparna’s Blog & Tips from Rosie’s Blog

  • 1 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup  + 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

For the blueberry cream cheese filling :

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1.5 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tbsp blueberry paste

For the Blueberry Paste:

  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Method

Lime Sugar Cookies

  • In a medium bowl, sift flour,baking soda & powder, salt.Set aside
  • In a larger bowl,cream the butter & sugar thoroughly untill fluffy.To this add the lime juice & vanilla and beat until combined.
  • To the butter sugar mix, add the flour mix and gently combine with a spatula to bring together into a dough.You might need to add a tbsp or more of milk at this stage if required to make a soft dough.
  • Divide the dough into 2 small balls.Take a piece of plastic cling film, put the dough balls on it and flatten with palm to make a disc.Wrap the discs with plastic cling film.Repeat the same with 2nd dough ball.Chill both discs for about 30 minutes.
  • Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.Avoid using aluminium foil as the extreme heating up will burn the cookies from bottom.
  • After chilling, take one disc out, unwrap it and place it between two sheets of parchment  paper. Initially, you may find it little difficult to roll because of the chilled dough.It will soften as you go along.

  • Roll the disc using a floured rolling-pin into a sheet about 1/4″ thk.
  • Using a floured cookie cutter cut the cookies from the rolled dough.
  • Using a floured thin spatula, transfer the cookies to the lined cookie sheet.Note: Picking up the cookies with fingers will deshape them.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F
  • Chill the cut cookies again for 15 minutes.
  • Once chilled, bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the sides start turning brown.
  • Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Blueberry Paste:

Tip in the blueberries, water and sugar to a small sauce pan.Cook it on low heat until the blueberries are soft and mushy.Transfer to a blender.Blend on high to form a puree.Dissolve cornstarch into lemon juice.Transfer the puree to sauce pan again and add cornstarch mix.Cook on very low heat for about 5-8 minutes until you get a thick paste.Cool completely before adding to the cream.

Blueberry Cream Filling:

Make the filling by beating the cream cheese & butter with an electric mixer. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth.Add 2 tbsp of the cooled blueberry paste above to make a smooth mix.

Assembly:

Pipe or spread 1-2 tablespoons of blueberry filling in the center of a cookie. Top with a second cookie and press together until the filling reaches the edges of the cookies.Store in an air tight box for up to 3 days.

Notes:

  • Use any kind of berries or fruits to make the filling.The recipe remains the same.
  • I have mentioned the baking times on my oven.Since all ovens are different, please adjust the times as per your appliance.
  • You will need to adjust lime juice if your berries are really tart.

Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

Sending this to Hearth n Soul #43