Bobbie Bunny

Here's Bobbie bunny with her little Pop-bunny as her brooch. Just finished her yesterday (17 Feb 2011) at around 9.55 pm. She is 1 whole bunny without joints. Now, she will travel with me in my car to see Singapore. Hahaha............
Hey, my daughter gave this bunny to her friends for her birthday. Bye-bye Bobbie........now you have a new home to go.

Double Chocolate with Apricot Cookies

Hey, thought I also upload this cookies recipe which I have already made it twice. Lovely crunch crisp texture and soft on the inside. If you want more crispy, then let it baked longer.

This is Double Chocolate with Apricot Cookies

Ingredients:

• 113 gm/ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 115 gm/ 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 150 gm / 1+1/4 cups self-raising flour
• 75 gm/ 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 60 gm unsweetened dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 60 gm unsweetened white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degC. Prepare baking sheets on baking tray and set aside.
2. Medium bowl: Sift flour and set aside.
3. Large bowl: Electric Whisk - combine butter and sugar, cream till pale and fluffy.
4. Add egg and vanilla essence and beat well.
5. Using spatula - fold in flour into wet ingredients lightly.
6. Add oats and chopped chocolates + apricots. Stir until evenly mixed.
7. Place a small spoonful of the mixture in rocky heaps on the baking sheets, leaving space for spreading during baking time.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until biscuits are beginning to turn pale and golden.
9. Cool on baking sheets for 2-3 minutes, then lift on to wire racks to cool.

NB: if you want  a more crunchy cookies, leave to bake longer. The cookies will turn colour to brown.

Lotus Paste Buns

It has been so many months that I have not update my blog. I have kind of been 'out-of-energy', lazing around for awhile, then hook-on to computer game (playing God to Sims2) and nursing my sick daughter during her school holidays. Then finally, I manage to "grown my Sims" with all the cheat code found on the internet and then they grew-up and died and I have to play their children and grandchildren. So, at the end, I found myself bored of playing it except enjoying on building of the houses with underground swimming pool or underground garden and 2nd level swimming pool, etc, etc.........

Okie, beside that, I also have baked cakes and muffins and cupcakes and cookies but lazy to update due to slow internet connection. So, now, here I am again. Will try to update more often. Sorrie to my friends who kept checking if I have any new teddy bears or new cakes............many apologies.

My latest, and that is today, I tried my hands on Pau again after a near fatal disaster a few weeks ago. The inside of the Pau was not fully cooked except for the small Pau. A few days ago while searching for macarons, I came across this blog which got her recipe from her friends mum in Malaysia. Sorry, forgot to copy the link. If I find it again, will update the link here then.

This "Pau" or "Bao" or "Mantou" whichever way you wanna call  it. It is a rather easy recipe to follow.
Here is the picture of my finish Bunnies Lotus Bao:

I halved the portion mention and only makes 14 small + medium bunnies and additional 3 twisted mantou.
This is the full recipes which I think can make 24 medium to large bao.

Ingredients for White dough:

• 500gm HongKong flour (to be sieved)
• 250 gm lukewarm water (weigh the water)
• 125 gm castor sugar
• 2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 1 tbsp shortening (use unsalted butter)

Ingredients for Filling:

• Lotus Paste - store bought at PhoonHuat

Method:

1. Measuring jug: fill 250 gm lukewarm water and stir in 125 gm of sugar until dissolved. Add in yeast and let stand until yeast becomes creamy and foamy.
2. Large metal bowl: sift 500 gm HongKong flour and make a well. Pour in yeast mixture and using a spatula, try and mix them into a dough.
3. Now using hand, add in 1 tbsp shortening/butter and knead the dough into a soft and smooth dough.
4. Cover dough with a damp cloth or cling wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour (until dough rises to double the size). To test - press with a finger in the middle of the dough. The depression should not rise-up.
5. Lotus paste - weigh around 20 gm of Lotus paste and using both hand-palms, roll it into a ball. set aside.
6. Back to dough - gently deflate the dough and turn it out into a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough into a long roll and cut into 24 slices. Let rise for another 10 minutes.
7. Take 1 x dough and roll out into a circle. Press 1 x lotus paste in the middle and close the opening by pressing it up. Roll it around your palm to make it round and then shape the bunny body. Use a scissors to cut 2 slits for the ears. Place the bun on a piece of square grease-proof paper. Using red food dye, use a toothpick to prick 2 eyes on the bunny.
8. When all the bunny is completed, leave the bunnies to rise for another 30 minutes before steaming them. Do not forget to leave a 1 inch gap in-between the buns as the buns will rise during steaming.
9. Steam in a preheated steamer under high heat for 10-15 minutes. Do not open the lid during steaming process.
10. Remove the bunnies from steamer and cool on a rack. Best to eat it warm.