CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF DR KAVIRAJ KHIALANI
A Cookie is a small sweet crispy or chewy cake like preparation which is truly a treat to the eyes and feast for the palate. They are most often made using flour, sugar liquid, flavorings and fat. The name Cookie comes from the Dutch word Koekge which means Little Cake, In England and several British colonies cookies are also called Biscuits, in Italy there are several forms of cookies termed as Biscotti and Amaretti, in Scotland the term Cookie denotes a Small Plain Bun, the Germans call them Keks while the Spanish call them Galletas!
Baking cookies is always fun since the ingredients to be used are simple, easy to access and the method of preparing them is pretty much easy to the point and one could hardly go wrong in doing them right. We need to, of course, be pally with our oven in order to make that effort worthwhile and the wait should turn out ending up on a sweet note!
To bake does call for precision, understanding and patience which come to us with practice and experience. To start up with basics of baking cookies we need to collaborate the ingredients well on our work table, have an eye for detail for the accuracy of the weights and measures which is imperative when we work with bakery products unlike kitchen recipes where a little estimation does work at times.
The fact that we get a little impatient and anxious while the goodies are in the oven needs control and avoid playing with the oven door periodically since that affects the finished product, quality, texture, looks and taste of the cookies. It is fine not to get them perfect at the very first go just in case one is new to baking cookies.
Here are a few recipes of Simple- Easy to Bake Cookies:
CHOCO-CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients
Refined flour/maida- 2 and a half cups
Eggs -2 no
Butter- 220 gms
Grain sugar- 150gms
Brown sugar-150 gms
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Baking powder-1 tsp
Dark chocolate chips- 220 gms
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10-12 mins.
- Sieve the flour the pinch of salt and baking powder and keep aside.
- Place the butter at room temperature along with sugar into a mixing bowl and cream it well using a hand mixer.
- Once the mixture is light, add eggs and vanilla extract and mix it all well.
- Add in the flour gradually and mix it in well and incorporate it lightly and add in the choco chips as well, refrigerate this dough mix for around 20-30 mins.
- In order to hold up shape well upon baking now roll the dough into lemon sized balls and freeze the same for around 20 mins, now transfer the cookies to a greased and dusted baking tray and place for baking for 12-15 mins and allow to cool and store in air-tight jars.
CINNAMON & PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Ingredients
Refined flour/maida-1 cup
Butter-1/2 cup
Grain sugar-1/2 cup
Brown sugar-1/2 cup
Creamy/crunchy peanut butter-1/2 cup
Egg-1 no
Vanilla essence-1 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
Baking powder-1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon powder-1/2 tsp
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 12-15 mins.
- Sieve the flour with salt, cinnamon powder and baking powder and keep aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine together the butter and sugar and cream it well, then add in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla essence and mix well.
- Now carefully fold in the sieved flour and combine it well into the mixture, drop 1 tbsp. full mixture of this cookie mixture onto a greased and dusted baking tray keeping fair distance between them, place the cookies for baking for 12-15 mins until the edges get a light golden crust, do not over bake, allow to cool and store.
COCONUT COOKIES
Ingredients
Refined flour/maida- 1 cup
Desiccated coconut- 3/4th cup
Butter- ½ cup
Grain sugar-1/2 cup
Baking powder-1/2 tsp
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Milk- 2 tbsp.
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10-12 mins.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder in a mixing bowl and add in ½ cup desiccated coconut and keep it aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl cream the butter at room temperature with sugar using a medium speed on the hand blender.
- Add in the vanilla extract and continue to beat until light and frothy, lower the speed and slowly add in the flour and coconut mixture by dividing them into 2 or 3 parts.
- Add in few drops of milk as needed to get the soft dough together, do not knead it too harsh. Divide the mixture into lemon sized balls and lightly flatten it between the palms and coat with the remaining desiccated coconut and place on a greased and lined baking tray, bake for 15- 18 mins, remove and cool as they get crisp & store.
OATS & DATE COOKIES
Ingredients
Refined flour/maida- ½ cup
Pinch of salt
Dates- ½ cup chopped dates
Butter-1/2 cup
Egg-1 no
Oats-1/2 cup
Baking powder-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp
Sugar-1/4 cup- brown sugar recommended
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10 mins.
- In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar well add in the egg and vanilla essence.
- Add in the chopped dates into the above mixture add in the remaining ingredients and mix them all up well into the cookie mixture, add little extra flour if the mixture is over moist.
- Take spoonful of the cookie mixture onto your hands, lightly shape them into rounds and flatten a little, place them one by one on a lined baking tray and allow to bake for 12-15 mins, remove cool and store.
Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow.
He can be contacted at twitter: @kaviraj_chef, Mobile: +91 9820939336. Mail: chefkaviraj249@gmail.com
