Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Falafel

Falafel ~ National food of Israel & Egypt

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods". I am in a hurry and will update the post later. I have just given the ingredients and method as I had to update for the blogging marathon. 

Ingredients: (Make a dozen.)
2 cups soaked and coarsely ground chickpeas (and/or fava beans)
1 cup packed parsley and/or cilantro leaves
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 big onion, finely minced
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp.coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder / 1 -2 green chilies, minced
Salt to taste
3 -4 tbsp. all purpose flour to bind
1 tsp. baking soda
Oil to fry falafel (I used canola oil.)
Method:
* Soak chickpeas overnight in water such that they are immersed well in water. Drain them in the morning and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Or leave it to air dry. This tip really helps to keep the mixture dry. Do not cook them.
* Pulse chickpeas in a food processor to grind them coarsely. Pulse garlic, onion, parsley and chilies if using just at the end to combine. Add salt, chili powder, flour, cumin powder, coriander powder to the mixture and combine well.
Do not grind the mixture into a paste. It should be granular. I like it a bit on the coarser side and just kept it that way.
 
* I have noticed that Middle eastern bloggers or the natives who make falafels recommending to refrigerate this mixture anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. Also some don't add any binding mixtures like the flour. I didn't refrigerate it. 
* Falafels can be deep fried, shallow fried or even baked. I chose to go with deep frying this time. Heat a pan with oil. When you drop a pea sized mixture into the hot oil, if it sizzles and comes to surface then it is ready for frying. 
* Add baking soda to the mixture just before frying. Take a lemon sized mixture and gently pat it into a disc. 
* Gently drop this into the hot oil. Repeat the step and fry as many discs as your pan can hold. Fry on low medium flame until they turn brown through out. Keep flipping in between with a spatula.

* Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on absorbent towels. Repeat the steps with the remaining mixture. Serve them warm.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Fasolada

I had no idea that there were national foods until I saw it as a theme during this blogging marathon. Back in India, it was norm during our school days to learn about our national animal, bird, flower and so on but I had never come across this "national food" thing. I wondered why and it turns out that India has no national food after all. It is not surprising considering the fact that the food varies vastly from state to state there. 
When I went through the wiki list of national foods, most of the names seemed alien to me at first glance and I started wondering whether I would be able to find vegetarian recipes at all that suit my taste. A little time spent on researching those names lead to not only interesting vegetarian recipes but also this vegan recipe called fasolada from traditional Greek kitchen.
Fasolada / Fasoulada / Fasolia literally means beans. Fasolada pronounced fasolatha is a hearty, bean based soup. This healthy, filling soup is one of the national foods of Greece. White beans are slowly simmered along with the other vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, tomato and parsley until they are softly cooked and seasoned. Olive oil is generously used in the traditional recipe but I used it sparingly.

Ingredients: (2 Servings)
1/2 cup white beans (I used navy beans.)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 big onion, finely minced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 big carrot, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup celery cubes
Puree from 1 tomato
Few sprigs of parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
* I pressure cooked the navy beans ahead. If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight to cook them fast. The soaked beans then can be cooked in a sauce pan along with the vegetables.
* Heat oil in a pan and add onion and garlic. Fry until they turn pinkish.
* Add carrot, celery, tomato puree, parsley and about a cup of water. Cook until vegetables are tender. If navy beans have not been cooked earlier, they can be added as well along with the veggies. Add enough water so that the beans are immersed in water through out the cooking process. Simmer until beans are soft.
* Add the seasonings at the end of cooking, simmer for few minutes and turn off the stove.
* It is served with crusty bread and olive oil. I served it warm with bread croutons.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods".

Comments

Monday, February 24, 2014

Baleadas

I was attracted to this recipe since it was on the lines of a bean burrito. Baleadas come from Honduras and this healthy, filling meal is in fact that country's national food. It is one of the popular and original dishes of the region and is eaten as a breakfast, lunch or a light snack. When kept to the basic version, this hearty meal has only 4 ingredients - wheat tortilla, refried beans, crema / fresh cream and crumbled cheese. Going by the recipes online, cooked red / black beans, fresh cream, thick wheat tortillas and crumbly dry version of queso fresco are the ones specifically used.  However there are other variations adding extra ingredients like a mixture of onion, tomato and bell peppers, hot sauce, plantain, avocado, scrambled eggs or meat.
I went with a recipe I saw on Kraft's website and they had substitutions with sour cream and feta cheese. Just going by the ingredients in a baleada, one can guess that it would be a substantial meal and I knew that my daughter would love it. I wasn't wrong and she liked it so much that she had it both for her lunch and dinner yesterday. If your palate is like mine and prefers spicy stuff, drizzle some sauce over it.
 
Ingredients:
8 -10 wheat tortillas
1 & 1/2 cups refried red / black beans
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Method:
* I made my own tortillas with a pliable dough made out of 2 cups wheat flour, 1/8 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. oil, milk and water. If using store bought ones, just warm them before assembling.
* You can use the store bought refried beans but I chose to cook them from scratch. I pressure cooked the black beans and just  pulsed them coarsely in a food processor adding some salt. If you prefer, mash the cooked bans to mushy, add salt and fry the paste in 3 to 4 tsp. oil for a couple of minutes.
* Spoon the warm beans evenly on the tortillas and top with the remaining ingredients you have chosen to use. Fold the tortilla in half and serve immediately.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods".

Comments

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Whole Wheat Sticky Buns

Usually most of the times, the food magazines I subscribe here have few vegetarian recipes that I really feel like trying. However I don't let it deter my love for the food magazines. I think that even if there are one / two recipes worth trying then I feel like it makes up for the money and time spent over it. These yummy sticky buns is one such recipe worth trying and has become my kids' recent favorite.
Last month's edition of "Martha Stewart's Living" seemed like a jackpot. Unlike the other times, this one was filled with plenty of yummy dessert recipes and I couldn't resist trying some of them. I wanted one of the "rolled and baked" themed dishes to be on the sweet side and my usual cinnamon buns recipe was lost. I remembered seeing these sticky buns in the magazine and tried these instead. And these cinnamon flavored, sweet and gooey buns became an instant hit with my kids. The buns are quite easy to make and doesn't need any expertise to master them. 

Ingredients for dough: (Makes 10 rolls)
1 tbsp. flax meal + 3 tbsp. water (Or any substitute for 1 egg.)
1 & 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used roti atta.)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp. toasted wheat germ (I used a tbsp. of flax seed meal + a tbsp. of flour instead.) 
1 & 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup warm water

Preparing the dough:
* Whisk flax meal and water in a bowl and keep aside for 3 - 4 minutes.
* Combine flours, wheat germ, yeast, salt, brown sugar, water, butter and the flax meal solution in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment or a food processor. Mix until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
* Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap.
* Allow to rise in a warm place until the dough is doubled, about 1 - 2 hours.
 Ingredients for filling / topping:
1 stick / 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened + plus extra for pan
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (I used walnuts instead.)

Preparing the filling:
* Mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.
* Brush a 9 inch round cake pan with butter. Spread half of the above filling mixture over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the pecans over it.
 
* Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough into a 10x14 inch rectangle.
* Spread the remaining filling over the rolled out rectangle with a spatula, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges. Sprinkle the remaining nuts.
* Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough like a cylinder and cut crosswise into 10 pieces.
* Place the pieces in the pan with cut-side down. Space them evenly since they are going to rise after the second resting.
* Now cover the pan tightly with a plastic wrap. Allow to rise again in a warm place until they are almost doubled and the buns are touching, about an hour or so.
* Preheat oven to 350 degree F / 175 degree C.
* Bake buns until golden brown and the topping is bubbling, about
25 minutes.
 * Let the buns cool in the baking pan, for about 15 minutes.
* Place a serving plate centered over pan. Hold the plate and pan together and carefully flip over. Lift the pan off and scrape out any remaining topping from the pan onto the buns.
* Serve warm. Refrigerate the left overs and warm them in the microwave for few seconds before serving them.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "Rolled and Baked Recipes".

Comments

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Spicy Bread Rolls

During each marathon announcement, Valli keeps on throwing googlies towards us in the form of "conditions" to make the themes more challenging. As one hardly notices the fine print on the products by manufacturers, I pay little attention to the clauses at the first glance. I sit after sending my selected themes to Valli, go through the announcement again and leisurely repent. The same thing happened again with the theme I chose this week. I wanted to try Danish pastries and cigar rolls real bad under the "rolled and baked" theme until I went through the clauses again. My excitement bubble burst after seeing the condition "to be done from scratch". I wasn't going to sit and start from the scratch but went for an easy substitute instead. I had seen sweet and savory roll versions prepared with bread plenty of times before and thought I will go with this instead.
And yes, I do bake bread at home regularly but since this is not about bread making, I will save it for another post. I have used whole wheat bread and spicy potato curry for the filling here. Feel free to use any filling of your choice but keep it on the dry side. These real crisp and yummy rolls can be a great teatime snack. Serve them hot with a spicy / sweet chutney.
Ingredients:
10 - 12 Bread slices
About 1 cup potato curry / any other spicy filling
Melted butter to bush the rolls 
 
Method:
* Take the bread slices and trim off the crusts to make an even shape. 
* Using a rolling pin, roll them thin without breaking.
* Place about a tbsp. of curry on one of the shorter ends. Wet (with water) along the other end of the shorter side.

* Start from the end where filling is, and go on rolling like a cylinder.
* Seal the ends with moistened fingers if needed.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining bread slices. Brush them with melted butter all over and arrange them on a baking sheet.
* While doing the prep work, preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Bake them for 12 - 15 minutes or until they turn crisp. Remember to flip them around a couple of times in between during the baking process.
* For a quicker version, they can be sautéed in a pan too instead of baking.
This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "Rolled and Baked Recipes".

Comments 

Monday, February 17, 2014

Soft Pretzel Rolls

Another week of blogging marathon starts from today and I had picked "rolled and baked dishes" for this week, during the theme selection. Honestly speaking, I had a very wrong notion about this particular theme. I thought it was literally using a rolling pin in the baking recipes and even selected my recipes. Just to confirm, I had mailed Srivalli. She must have laughed at my goofiness but the ever understanding lady returned back to me saying that she was looking for the "rolls" and not the ones using "rolling pin".
After knowing about what is expected, I decided on two of the recipes quickly. I was planning on sandwich rolls for the third one and had to do a lot of prep work just to decide which one. I was looking for some eggless soft rolls and definitely not the stone hard nightmares I get on those European international carriers whenever I travel.  
Croissants are something my kids love and I buy regularly and so the first thing that came to mind was these yummy rolls. However, after pondering a while, the amount of butter that goes into them started giving me jitters. I know it sounds lame but when you don't see with your own eyes what went into them, you can just pretend that it is not that bad for you and just buy. :) I gave up on the croissants' idea and started looking for something easily doable stuff. After searching over the internet for hours, I ended up staring at these soft, chewy pretzel rolls found here.
Honestly, I hadn't even heard about these rolls until I saw them at this blog. I know about the pretzels but definitely not the rolls. Usually I don't pay much attention to the bakery section at my local grocery stores, especially the rolls / buns. I buy whole wheat bread, pitas, croissants and sandwich buns without much thinking and so I must have missed these soft rolls so far.
A little wiki search tells me that these are baked specialty in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They are also called as laugenbrötchen or lye rolls in Germany since they are glazed with lye solution before baking as in the case of pretzels. A baking soda wash will also provide the same effect and that's what has been used in this recipe. These rolls are used in sandwiches but we have enjoyed them with soup and salad. These rolls are on the dark brown side, going by the images in the virtual world but I ended up with a lighter version, I guess. Either I didn't bake them to the point where they attain that color or I could have gone with a little extra baking soda in the recipe. However it doesn't make any difference to the taste or texture of the bread. I halved the original recipe to make 10 rolls.
They taste best, fresh out of the oven. However 1 or 2 days old ones, warmed for a few seconds in a microwave taste just as good. And finally, I would like to mention that it is a very easy recipe that doesn't demand much time / attention from you. If I can do it, you can do it too.

Ingredients: (Yield 10 rolls)
1 & 1/2 tsp. instant yeast (rapid rise yeast)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. oil
1 cup warm milk
3/4 cup warm water
3 & 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour (Use flour as needed. I had to use about 4 cups minus 2 tbsp. flour.)

For the soda bath:
6 cups water
1 & 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. baking soda

Method:
The dough can be prepared in an electric mixer or a food processor or by hand in a big bowl. I chose to go manually since the daily roti making ritual at home has made me enough skillful to prepare a dough under 5 minutes using just one bowl.
* Stir yeast, salt, oil, milk and water in a mixing bowl. Add initially about 3 cups of the flour to the milk mixture and bring it together working with your right hand. Scrape any dough sticking to the sides of the bowl. Then go on adding extra flour gradually as needed to form a soft dough that is not sticky to touch anymore. Do knead well for about 3- 4 minutes.
* Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a plastic wrap or a lid. Leave it to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
* Mine was done in an hour.
 
 * Divide the dough into 10 portions (or more if you want it to be small sized rolls).
 * Shape each portion into a roll. Mel has even posted a tutorial on how to shape the rolls. I followed her method. If interested, check it out.
* Slightly flatten them at the bottom and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet with some space in between. Cover them with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Leave them aside again to rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
 
* Preheat the oven to 425 deg F / 220 deg C.
* In the meanwhile, add water, baking soda and sugar to a large sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
* Before dropping them into water, the recipe suggests to carefully pinch the bottom seam of each the dough ball without deflating it. This helps the dough ball to keep the shape. I skipped this step and just flattened lightly after rolling, just before the 15 - 20 minute resting step.
* When the water is boiling, gently drop 3 or 4 dough balls into it. The balls come to the surface immediately. Boil for 30 - 60 seconds on each side. The longer you boil, the chewier your rolls would be. I did for around 35 seconds on each side.
* Gently remove each bun with a slotted spatula and drain. Transfer the boiled dough balls onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat the steps with the remaining dough balls. Don't worry if the dough balls look wrinkly at this stage. 
* Using a sharp knife, slash 2 to 3 , 1/4 inch deep cuts into the top of the unbaked rolls. If you are using coarse salt, you can sprinkle a little on each of the buns at this point. I hate the salt even on the pretzels and chose to leave it out.
* Bake them for about 20 - 22 minutes or until the rolls are deep golden brown.
 
This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "Rolled and Baked Recipes".
 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Vegan Orange - Chocolate Cupcakes

 
I stumbled upon this recipe when looking for any fruit and chocolate based cupcakes and oh boy, I am glad that I did. This is almost a 5 star recipe, in my opinion. I should however admit that in the middle of baking, my heart sank seeing the sinking tops of the cupcakes. I had zeroed in on this recipe and was in no mood for further recipe hunting. I gave up and thought that I may have to fall back on any standard banana chocolate one. However by the end of baking they rose again, leaving a big happy smile on face. And so if the cupcakes sink in the initial stages of baking following this recipe, I guess there is no need to worry.
The taste and the texture of the cupcakes are fabulous. You can also add a tsp. of orange zest to enhance the orange flavor. The recipe had nuts in them but instead I chose to go with chocolate chips as this was a chocolate based theme. This is basically a cake recipe and suggests to use a 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan. I decided to use a muffin pan instead since I was planning to bake cupcakes for the marathon.

Ingredients: (Yield 16 cupcakes)
1/2 cup soy milk at room temperature (or milk for a non vegan version)
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup mixed chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (or chopped nuts)
 
Method:
* Grease the cake tin / muffin pan you are going to use and keep it aside. Or liners can be used for the muffin pan. 
* Whisk milk and vinegar in a bowl and leave aside for 3 to 4 minutes.
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F / 190 deg C.
* Sift flour, baking soda and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
* Mix orange juice, oil and vanilla and add it to the vinegar mixture. Beat just to combine.
* Add the liquid ingredients to dry and whisk to combine forming a non lumpy batter.
* Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. I halved the original recipe to get 8 cupcakes and mine were done in about 25 minutes.
See how beautiful the texture is.
 
This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "Chocolate Based Muffins / Cupcakes".
 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Oats - Chocolate Chip Muffins


For one of the "chocolate based cupcakes / muffins" themed entries for the blogging marathon, we have the choice to use either chocolate chips or frosting. I have a great aversion to the latter and so stuck with the chocolate chip option. Besides I already had baked a couple of chocolate cupcakes for this week and was looking forward to try a new muffin recipe throwing chocolate chips in it.
And I had to go no further than my pantry for the inspiration. There was a berry muffin recipe on my oats container. Whenever there is an interesting baking recipe other than the boring basic method of cooking oats, I do take notice and give it a try when I can. This time, I turned the recipe into eggless and added some chocolate chips to it. The recipe yields a dozen muffins but I halved the recipe to get six. They turned out good and I had no complaints with either the taste or the texture. Even my daughter approved them. And people who follow my blog of course would know that she had to because of the choco-chips. :)

Baking Temperature: 400 deg F / 200 deg C
Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 18 - 22 minutes
Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 & 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup soy milk or any non dairy milk (or milk for a non-vegan version) 
1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil, but melted butter can be substituted if preferred.)
1 tbsp. flax seed meal (or any other egg substitute for 1 egg)
1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips (or blue berries)
Method:
* Combine flax seed meal and 3 tbsp. of water in a small bowl and keep it aside for about 3 to 4 minutes.
* In the mean time, preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Grease the muffin tin or line with paper cups. If using silicone muffin pan, there is no need to prep but I use liners to make it convenient to grab n go.
* Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Next add milk, oil, flax seed meal solution and mix just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips at the end.


* Spoon the batter into muffin cups, up to 3/4ths.
* Bake them for about 18 - 22 minutes or until they turn golden brown. (I did half the batch and mine were done in 19 minutes.)

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "Chocolate Based Muffins / Cupcakes".

Comments

Monday, February 10, 2014

Basic Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate, cheese and olives come under 'I absolutely love" category for my daughter and she rarely refuses them when offered. When I say chocolate, not only the candies and other chocolate based desserts, she even doesn't spare the bitter chocolate chips. On the spur of the moment, I picked chocolate based muffins/ cupcakes theme for this week's marathon keeping her in mind. Later when I started thinking about the recipes and the quantity of cupcakes I may end up with, I started to feel hesitant. Besides, I didn't want to end up with repetitive looking recipes. However after some investment of time online and other sources, I got to try some recipes for the first time in my kitchen that turned out to be absolute hits.
The first recipe inspired from here is a basic vegan version of chocolate cupcakes. It is a fool proof version and yields very yummy, perfectly done cupcakes. Moist and fluffy - the kind anyone would love to have. Going by the reviews, the frosting suggested in the recipe is equally delicious but the lazy me decided to skip it. I halved the original recipe, reduced the sugar quantity and got half a dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients: (Yield 12 cupcakes)
1 cup soymilk (or plain milk for non-vegan version.)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar (Vegan sugar)
1/3 cup canola oil (or softened butter for non-vegan version.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method:
* Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and keep it aside.
* Whisk together milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for 3-4 minutes to curdle.
* Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the muffin pan or line it with paper or foil liners.
* Add sugar, oil and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat till no lumps are left.
* Pour the batter into muffin cups, filling up to 3/4th of them.
 * Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
* Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "Chocolate Based Muffins / Cupcakes".
 
Comments

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Biscotti Bites

I saved the best for last. "Best" according to my daughter. I consider a baking experiment hit when my daughter is ready to finish off the entire batch without sharing it with any one. I consider it a super hit when my daughter keeps asking me for another batch without forgetting about the stuff even after a month or so. This is what happened with these cookies and my daughter absolutely loved them.
I tried them from Martha Stewart Living magazine, which I subscribe regularly. I tried these cookies the day I got that particular edition since the picture of these bites got my attention. I instantly knew that my daughter was going to love these chocolate covered bites. It is like a quick take on the traditionally twice baked crunchy biscotti. The only goof up I did was heaping a tablespoon of batter instead of a teaspoon though my daughter didn't complain. And so instead of bites, I ended up with chunky cookies.
I halved the original recipe and should have got around 50 bites according to the recipe. I did not get that many may be because I used a tablespoon sized dough for each bite. The recipe also had about a tbsp. of grapefruit zest that I omitted.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. fine cornmeal (I had coarse cornmeal and so substituted it with all purpose flour.)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. flax seed meal + 3 tbsp. water
1/2 to 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling (I didn't use it.)
Method:
* Combine flax seed meal and water in a small bowl and keep it aside for 4 -5 minutes.
* Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
* Beat butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar and beat again until fluffy. Add flax seed mixture and beat again until well combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Next beat in coconut and half the chocolate until evenly distributed.
* Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough, spaced 1 inch apart, on the sheets. I would recommend slightly flattening them with fingers. Sprinkle sanding sugar if using. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 175 deg C. Place the cookie sheets in the oven. Bake rotating sheets halfway through, until golden, 18 - 20 minutes. Let them cool completely.
* Melt remaining chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until chocolate turns smooth. Dip bottoms of cooled cookies in melted chocolate.
* Set them on parchment lined baking sheets and again refrigerate them until chocolate is set.
This is going to be a part of
1. BM # 37 under the theme of "Baked Snacks".
2. Srivalli's "Kids' Delight" event, hosted by PJ this month with the theme "Baked Treats For Kids".