Walnut Greek Cookies

These soft cookies are made with walnuts and coated in confectioners' sugar. The baked cookies will stay well in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 

Pan Cookies made on the stove

I have seen many variations of baking pan cookies that starts off on the stove but is baked. However, this recipe from Nadiya's Netflix show is completely done on the Stovetop. We have made this recipe a few times and love it. These cookies also known as skillet cookies or Pizookie are prepared and cooked on the stove  in low heat for 20 minutes.

Soft Ginger Cookies

These soft and delicious cookies spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are one of our favourite cookies. It is perfect for tea time.

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

These Lavender Shortbread cookies have a floral flavour and aroma because of the dried lavender flowers. This buttery shortbread cookies will be enjoyed by adults and children. Everyone we shared it with loved the taste. These cookies are wonderful to serve with tea or to give as gifts. 

FreeYumm Allergy free snacks

FreeYumm makes allergy free bars and cookies from specially selected ingredients that have been produced to be free of top nine priority allergens such as milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, sesame, sulphites, soy, fish, and shellfish.

Allergy-Friendly Treats from Enjoy Life Foods

Snacking on packaged treats can be difficult especially for those who face food allergies; packaged treats mean an in-depth label scan at the grocery store, and snacks prepared by others require a list of ingredients.  If you're in a time crunch, at work, or at school, the vending machine is a bit risky and the availability of safe snacks can be a real dilemma. 

Baking Cowboy Cookies

These Cowboy cookies are fun to make, and delicious to snack with or without milk. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Planters Peanuts recently launched their first ever peanut butter in Canada. I used this peanut butter to make these delicious cookies. These melt in your mouth type of cookies has a delicious kick of the peanut flavour and taste because the Planters Peanut Butter has a thicker, smooth taste of peanuts in it.

Oatmeal Cranberry and Raisin Cookies

Homemade cookies are delicious. I like how we can adjust the ingredients to suit our preference. These cookies with oatmeal and dried cranberries and raisins can be stored in airtight container for upto 3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the refrigerator.

Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups flour

1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder

3⁄4 tsp baking soda

Brownie Cookies Made with Rodelle Gourmet Dutch-Processed Baking Cocoa

I love the smell and the taste of Rodelle Gourmet Dutch-Processed Baking Cocoa. Using good quality cocoa makes a huge impact on how delicious our baked goodies turn out. I have used other types of cocoa to make one of our favourite recipes from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, and no one in my family has raved about these cookies as much until I baked them with Rodelle Gourmet Dutch-Processed Baking Cocoa. Using this cocoa powder gave these brownie roll out cookies a delicious flavour without an overpowering cocoa taste. I am glad Rodelle Gourmet Dutch-Processed Baking Cocoa is available at Costco stores across Canada.

Afternoon Tea Delight with Denby

I made these delicious Indian Tea Cookies following the recipe from the Indian Vegetarian Feast book by Anjum Anand. This book has lots of simple and healthy vegetarian dishes that we can easily make for our family and friends. I like that all the dishes and sweets have an array of flavour in them. The beautiful pictures on this book will entice the readers to make the dishes, and try them. Th book is separated by breakfast and brunch, drinks, appetizers and snacks, salads, broils and grills, vegetables, cheese, beans, and eggs, grains, and desserts.

Shortbread Cookies

Dating back to 12th century Scotland, shortbread cookies have been a holiday essential. This year Gay Lea Foods is embracing the shortbread tradition with delicious treats that will appeal to everyone in the family, as well as, hostesses having holiday parties. This Winter Wonderland Shortbread Snowmen are adorable edible crafts to make with our kids and decorate using gum drop for earmuffs, liquorice for scarves and chocolate chip for buttons. 

Cookies for Spring

7 tbsp butter at room temperature

1 egg

2/3 cup vanilla infused sugar

1 1/4 cup flour

Callebaut Crispearls* or chocolate chip desired amount optional

Beat the butter, egg and then add in the sugar with an electric mixer. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to make a soft dough. Then mix in the chocolate chips or Callebaut Crispearls.  

*Callebaut Crispearls are tiny toasted biscuit kernel coated with chocolate.

Chill the dough in the fridge for about 1/2 hour before making 16 balls from the dough. Place the cookie balls in a lined baking sheet and flatten it about 1/4" thick before baking in a preheated 350F oven for 8 to 10 minutes until it is golden.  
Cookies will slightly harden after it cools on a wire rack so don't over bake as it might burn on the bottom.  This recipe is adapted from here.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Win 1 of 2 Flower Cookie Gift Baskets to celebrate spring

I am excited about the upcoming warm weather, especially the flowers :)  In celebration of this excitement I am hosting a giveaway for everyone in the US to win 1 of 2 Flower Cookie Gift Baskets (a value of up to $65).  
These cookies are perfect to celebrate any occasion so hope you will enjoy entering the contest through the rafflecopter below before April 7th.  

The Cookie Gift Baskets have a wonderful range of flower cookie designs and flavours for us to choose from.  They also have sugar-free cookies.  If you win you get to choose the baskets you like.

Please leave a comment on this post and follow the social media networks to be eligible.  This giveaway is open to everyone over the age of 18 in the US until April 7th.  
The winners will be randomly picked and contacted by email by April 14th.  Winners will have 3 days to respond from the time of contact.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I am co-hosting this giveaway and don't have any first-hand experience with the product.  The company is responsible for the delivery of the gift baskets.  All rights reserved on opinion of the written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First  

Almond Biscotti

1 cup whole almonds skinned
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup vanilla flavoured sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs 

4 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat until it melts and leave it aside to cool.  

Remove the skin of the almonds by soaking it in warm water for a few minutes and it will come out easily.  Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in a 350F for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly coloured, toss halfway.  Allow the almonds to cool and then chop it coarsely.

Sift the flour with baking powder and salt into a big bowl.  Stir the sugar and chopped almonds into the flour.  In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and melted butter then add it to the flour mixture.  

Use your hands and bring the ingredients together to form a dough. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and make 2 log shapes each about 8" long.  Place the logs on a baking sheet and bake in the middle rack of a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes.  

Remove the logs from the oven and cool slightly then transfer it to a cutting board.  Use a serrated knife and then cut the logs diagonally into 1 1/2" to 2" thick slices.  Put the biscotti on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes.  

Cool the biscotti on a wire rack to let it harden.  To store keep the biscotti in an airtight container for over a week.

The biscotti can also be frozen, by placing the biscotti on a baking sheet and freeze until it is solid then transfer it to a freezer bag.    

This recipe is from the DK illustrated step-by-step baking book.  I really like this book because of its detailed explanations and photographs. This book gives 80 classic recipes and has about 240 variations for these classics.  We can use the details and step-by-step photographs from the classic recipes to build on different variations.  The book covers a huge range of sweets and savouries such as tarts quiches, pies, breads, cakes, cookies, meringues, soufflés and a variety of party desserts for special occasions.  

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Gingerbread cookies

3 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg at room temperature

2/3 cups molasses

We can use a paddle attachment in the stand mixer or hand mixer to make the dough.

Beat butter till it is creamy, add sugar and beat till the mixture is light and fluffy.  

Add the egg and beat.  

Spray the container with oil spray before measuring molasses so it doesn't stick to the measuring cup.  Then add the molasses to the mixture and combine.

Add the sifted dry ingredient 1/3rd at a time to the wet mixture.  After adding and mixing all the flour, gather the dough into a ball and cut it into two parts before covering it with a plastic wrap.  Leave the dough in the fridge to chill overnight or until it is firm so it can be easily rolled.

Flour the surface, rolling pin, cookie cutters and hands well with flour and roll the dough about 1/2" thick.  Keep turning and lifting the dough so it doesn't stick.

Prepare a tray with parchment paper and butter before placing the cut shapes.  Space about 1"between the cookies and leave the tray in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  The cookies should barely brown around edges if baked too much it will become too crispy.  Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

The cookies will stay well covered for up to two weeks.  This Gingerbread cookies recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking.  Here is how my children helped bake and decorate these cookies.  

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Amaretti cookies

Grace's sweet life is a book full of delicious homemade Italian dessert recipes written by Canadian blogger Grace Massa Langlois.  Grace has an Italian background and has learned her cooking knowledge from her mom. With her children's support, she started sharing her love for food with the world.

All the basics are in the beginning of the book with tips and explanations.  Grace has put in different types of variations that exist on the recipes.  Some of the basics are pastry cream, chantilly cream, sweetened whipped cream, ricotta cream, Italian meringue, egg foam base for semifreddo and mousse, sweet pastry doughty, pie dough, croissants, hazelnut praline, puff pastry and choux pastry.

The pies and tart recipes in the book are presented beautifully.  The pastries and fried desserts such as Sicilian cannoli, honey balls, profiteroles and many more are in a different section.  The creams, custards, mousses and soufflés section is full of colourful desserts.  Some desserts require gelatine. The recipes in the frozen and fruit desserts section will be enjoyed during this heat.

The book has delicious Italian cake and cheesecake recipes.  Some cakes require the yeast for cake with vanilla (Lievito Vaniglinato) and liquor, so I couldn't try most of the cakes.  I will be looking for the yeast soon :)  I would have liked if there were suggestions of what ingredients we can be substitute to replace the liquor, as I don't use it.

The cute mini dessert section has six fabulous looking detailed recipes.  I tried the soft amaretti cookies from the cookies and confections section. The recipe in the book makes six dozen cookies so I reduced the ingredients to make one third of the recipe.

Here is the original recipe from the book

3 eggs

1 1/3 cup superfine sugar (I pulsed granulated sugar)

4 1/2 cups less 1/2 tbsp almond meal (blanched almonds dried then finely ground)

confectioners sugar for rolling (I didn't do this part)

silver dragées for decorating (I didn't use this)

Separate the eggs in to two bowls.  Let the egg yolk and egg white come to room temperature, leave it covered with plastic wrap for 1/2 hour before whisking.

With a whisk beat egg yolks then add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is combined.  Add the ground almond meal and whisk till combined, don't over mix.

With a clean whisk beat the egg whites to barely a soft peak, this is very important don't overbeat.

Fold one third of the egg whites into the almond mixture then fold the rest and combine don't over mix.

Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for about 1 hour or overnight.  

Bake in a preheated 325F oven on a baking mat. Roll the cookie dough into 1 tbsp balls.  Roll the balls in icing sugar and place a sliver dragée if using in the center.  Don't flatten the cookies. Bake 20 cookies per sheet for 25 to 30 minutes rotating the baking sheet halfway through.  Place the baking mat on a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool for two minutes.   Using a spatula transfer the cookies on to the wire rack to let it cool completely.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Chocolate chip shortbread cookies

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 cup vanilla infused sugar

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugar till it is fluffy. Add flour, salt and mix well then add the chips.

It could be made into individual sizes by making about 12 balls and lightly flatten it about 1/2" high. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, it will harden a little once it is removed from the oven so don't over bake as it might burn on the bottom.

Let the cookies stay on the baking sheet over a wire rack for about 5 to 10 minutes before removing. Can be stored in an air-tight container.

Also posted here.

Offer: 20% discount coupon to buy Jill-e camera bags

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Cardamom pastries

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cardamom ground

4 oz butter melted or sunflower oil

4 oz milk boil and cool

oil to fry

icing sugar garnish

Mix the flour, baking powder and cardamom. Then add butter or oil and make like a crumble. Pour milk and knead till the dough is smooth. Make walnut size balls. Then roll into a 3" log and shape it into a crescent.

Heat oil and deep fry till it is golden brown. Drain and toss the fried pastries in icing sugar.

This Al salooq is adapted from the book The middle eastern kitchen by Ghillie Basan. 

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First