#cookies

We’ve all been there: it’s a quiet Sunday and the idea of filling your homely walls with the smells of fresh bakes wafts (pun-intended) through your mind. How about a basic chocolate cake? Can’t go wrong with that right? You pore over every detail in the recipe, and head to the supermarket to get your ingredients. Brimming with excitement, you whip out your trusty Kenwood stand mixer that has always been there for you - and you follow all the recipe instructions to a T. Yet, your creations somehow just look like they popped out of an “expectations VS reality” compilation. It’s just not what you expected! Well, baking requires almost scientific precision, and with some trial and error, common baking issues are easy to rectify. Get enough practice and improve your technique, and you might find that your chocolate cake disaster was nothing more than a fun lesson in baking. Here are some common baking issues you may face in your baking journey, and some tips and tricks to resolve them.

Cracks on the cake

A cake splitting on top is due to the crust forming too early, while the insides of the cake continue to cook and rise. An oven that is too hot is the likely culprit. Using the right-sized baking pan plays a part, too. Too large and the cake batter spread too thinly and heats up too quickly. Too small and the cake is baked unevenly. The trick lies in placing the cake on the middle rack of the oven to prevent cracks from forming. Or if you have a small oven, put some foil over the tin before putting the cake in the oven.

Cake sinks in the middle

There are four possibilities to this problem of cake sinking

If there's one time of the year that your favourite stand mixer is being put to good use, we'd safely bet that Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Deepavali would be one of those instances! In less than a month, Hari Raya Aidilfitri will be widely celebrated by muslim around the world. What's not to love about Hari Raya festivities if it isin't for the savoury food and the sweet kuih rayas? From the likes of Kuih Tart Nenas, Almond London, Kuih Makmur, Biskut Suji to the all time favourite Biskut Sarang Semut, there's definitely something for everyone. For this raya cookie edition, we're going a little bit a little bit buttery, crumbly, with a warm almond flavour – almond cookies! A hot favourite during festivals like Hari Raya, once you pop one in your mouth, it’s hard to stop yourself from taking a second, or third helping. A family recipe lovingly contributed by Malaque Mahdaly, this recipe is easy to make, a family favourite, and even if you don’t want to use almonds, you can substitute it with chopped cashews or walnuts! Tip from Malaque: You might be tempted to eat the cookies right after they’re done, but you absolutely have to let these cookies cool first before doing anything with them. Otherwise your cookie creation will crumble easily! This recipe yields about 80 to 90 small almond cookies. Enjoy!

It looks like we are not out of the Covid-19 woods yet, and we can’t quite let our hair down and enjoy the festivities like we used to. With social distancing regulations limiting only 8 people for Lunar New Year gatherings, this year’s celebrations will be muted and minimalist. But to some, it can be a refreshing change from the yearly toiling in the kitchens, just to cook up a multi-course feast for guests who can’t finish their food. Snacks and small bites that can be easily prepared for a low-key crowd are key to keeping the festive spirit alive, especially in these challenging times. Here is a list of easy to make snacks that can be whipped up in an hour or less.

Quick pineapple tarts

Instead of making the pineapple paste from scratch, you could get ready-made from baking supplies shops such as Phoon Huat. *Makes 40 Ingredients for pastry dough:

• 200g of all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon of water
• 100g of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

1. Rub the butter into the flour. Add egg, salt and water. Mix well to create a smooth dough ball.
2. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and leave the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You could prepare the dough the night before and c

Whenever Chinese New Year is around the corner, homemade fortune cookies are one of the best ways to welcome the festive season. This recipe isn't only easy; the most fun part lies in unfolding your “secret” fortune inside the fortune cookie! To make the baking process more enjoyable (as if it already isn't), invite a friend or your children to this DIY session. Fun fact: Did you know that the fortune cookie is not a Chinese invention? In fact, its origins can be traced back to Japan! The cookie was subsequently popularised in the United States by Japanese immigrants.

First question: What is Stollen? Some people think it's fruitcake, but it's not. Neither is it a fruit and nut loaf. The best way to describe it is like a light, buttery scone packed with bits of dried fruit and powdered with icing sugar on top. It also has a strong, scented almond flavour thanks to loads of almonds and marzipan going into the dough. This wonderful recipe is made using a Kenwood Chef, which is perfect to chop your almonds, combine your ingredients and give you a smooth, elastic dough to work with. Second question: What is marzipan and where do I get it? Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almond meal, sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is sometimes known as almond paste. You can get marzipan in more international supermarkets or e-grocers.

A buttery and irresistibly sweet recipe from our friends at Sharefood.sg! Indulgent butterscotch and gula melaka match perfectly with the buttery cookie base, making these Ondeh Ondeh Cookies a favourite for anyone with a sweet tooth. A recipe from home cook Faeez, who shares her passion for baking on her website.

Alphonso mango is a type of seasonal mango from India, considered to be among the most superior varieties of the fruit in terms of sweetness, richness and flavour. Here we use it as topping for the delicious bar cookies, if it is difficult get a hold of fresh Alphonso in where you live, you can always opt for the canned version, just make a visit to your nearby Indian food store (such as Mustafa) and you will be spoilt with choices of Alphonso products on the shelves. In place of these particular mangoes, any sweet Thai mango would do fine! Want more mango recipes? Try this: Passion fruit cake topped with fresh mango.

Chocolatey, rich, and delicious – these Crinkle-Top Cookies split at the top, creating a crunchy top that looks good, and tastes good. Creating the crinkle-top is easy. While most cookies have a soft and flexible top crust, these cookies are created by drying out the top before the inside finishes cooking. As the cookie bakes, the surface cracks and pulls apart to create the unique appearance we know and love.

Love all things chocolate? Us too. Check out this simple brownie recipe, super easy chocolate bread, banana-choco peanut cake, a decadent chocolate cake recipe, or how about a coffee-chocolate log cake?

These delicious cookies are a breeze to make anytime you’ve got a craving for some nibbles. The nutty flavour of the brown rice pairs beautifully with the almond powder. Plus, because they’re made with brown rice flour they’re completely gluten free! This recipe will take you about 30 minutes, so they’re great for an impromptu tea time.