Recipe: Grandma Paul's Sand Tarts (Paula Deen)

After seeing Paula Deen's sand tarts on Zoe's blog, I immediately felt the urge to make them for my kids. I quickly went downstairs to take the butter out of the fridge for it to soften. Unbelievably easy to make with only 4 ingredients - butter (I use salted), icing sugar, plain flour and ground almonds (my choice of nuts since I had no pecans at home).

Grandma Paul's Sand Tarts

I did a little research online, and found out that sand tarts are a popular Christmas cookie. The ingredients also seem pretty similar to polvorones (aka Mexican wedding cookies in US).

To make these sand tarts, the softened butter is simply beaten with the icing sugar, then the flour and ground almonds are folded in, and they're ready for shaping into crescents. These sand tarts are slowly baked in the oven at a low temperature, and the resulting cookie is buttery, tender and melt-in-the-mouth. They're also not too sweet, unlike most American cookies.

I am definitely glad that I made them, as they're simply delicious. My kids were delighted when they got to have these as their evening treat. As soon as the photos were taken, their little hands shot to the plate and grabbed a cookie :P

Is it good? My boy's expression says it all! Next time, I'm making a bigger batch!

Grandma Paul's Sand Tarts (Paula Deen)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Bake for Happy Kids & Food Network
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes 15 cookies

Ingredients
120g salted butter, softened at room temperature
40g icing sugar, plus 20g more for coating & dusting cookies
130g plain flour, plus extra for dusting hands
60g ground almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)



1. Preheat oven to 270°F / 130°C (no fan). Line baking tray with baking paper.

2. Using an electric mixer at low speed or a wooden spoon, beat the butter, vanilla extract(if using) and sugar until smooth. Then, add in the flour and ground almonds and mix well, until you get a rough dough.

3. With floured hands, take out a tablespoonful of dough and shape it into crescent. Coat the cookies with extra icing sugar and place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking tray. Continue to dust your hands with flour as you make more cookies.

4. Bake for 40 mins, it is normal for them to look pale yellow. Dust with 1/2 tablespoon of icing sugar while still warm. Cool completely on wire racks and store in airtight containers.

Note: You can use other finely chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans as per original recipe.

Cute boy enjoying his sand tarts

I am linking this to Cook like a Star (Paula Deen and Deen brothers theme) organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and to Little Thumbs Up (June 2014: Butter) hosted by Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.

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Recipe: American Pancakes with Korean Strawberries & Whipped Cream (Jamie Oliver)

Happy Pancake Day! 

In United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, Shrove Tuesday is also known as "Pancake Day" due to the tradition of eating pancakes on the day. This morning, Hubby whipped up some lovely pancakes for our breakfast.

American Pancakes with Korean Strawberries & Whipped Cream

We are using Jamie Oliver's American pancake recipe which I have used several times in the past to great success. The pancakes are thick and fluffy, and Hubby says they're just like the ones his grandma used to make him. Korean strawberries are in season (my fav!), so I sliced them thinly and layered it between each pancake with some whipped cream, before a final drizzle of honey (or maple syrup) on them. So very delicious.... what a great way to start the day!

The pancakes are also great with some butter and homemade roselle jam(recipe coming up soon!).

American pancakes with Korean strawberries & whipped cream
Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Makes 6-8

Ingredients
3 large eggs, at room temperature
115g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder, sifted
140ml full cream milk
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp of caster sugar

Canola oil
10 Korean strawberrries, sliced
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp icing sugar
Honey (or maple syrup)



1. First, separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another.

2. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter.

3. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. You can use an electric whisk, so this can be done in no time at all. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter – it is now ready to use.

4. Heat a good non-stick pan on medium heat, then add a drop of oil. Using a ladle, pour some of your batter into the pan and fry until it starts to look golden and firm, then flip the pancake over and continue frying until both sides are golden.

5. Using an electric whisk, whip the cream with icing sugar until stiff.

6. Place 1 piece pancake on a plate, then top with a dollop of cream and strawberries. Repeat with another 2-3 pieces of pancakes until you get a nice pancake stack. Drizzle with (or maple syrup) and dust with some icing sugar. Serve immediately.

Note: You can also serve with crispy bacon (as seen in post here). 

I am submitting this to the "Cook Like a Star 2nd anniversay" event which is hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Mich of Piece of Cake.

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Recipe: Doughnut Christmas Tree

When I visited the baking supply shop last week, I walked out with a brand new 12-hole doughnut pan. Since I was quite busy these few weeks, I was planning to use the new pan after the New Year but Hubby and the kids surprised me one afternoon when they got the pan out and baked us all some doughnuts. :) 

Doughnut Christmas Tree :)

Doughnuts (or donuts) are usually deep fried in oil, but with this pan, we can bake ours in the oven. The texture differs from a deep fried doughnut - it is more cake-like and dense and the plus point is that it is not so oily. According to Hubby, these are really easy to make - the kids helped with mixing the batter and then it is simply poured into the doughnut moulds and baked for 17 minutes in the preheated oven. I came down just in time for the doughnuts coming out of the oven, and I have to say they are best eaten when still warm. The kids quickly chomped down a few while the second batch was put in to the oven.

My kids always get excited when they get to wear their apron :)

I was scratching my head, thinking how I should style these doughnuts for photos. And Hubby came up with the brilliant idea of making an edible Christmas tree out of the doughnuts. Unfortunately by that time, we have already eaten quite a few of these doughnuts, so we could only make a 3-tier Christmas tree for this shoot. However, on Christmas day, you can try making a 5-tier Christmas tree, which I think would look really nice.

Simply stack the doughnuts up, then dust with snow powder. Snow powder is a non-melting form of icing (confectionary) sugar, and  it creates the illusion of a snowy white Christmas. It is better to use this as it retains its form for decorative purposes. Then, place a few other Christmas props around (more trees, Santas and presents) and you'll have a very festive and edible Christmas tree :)

Doughnut Christmas Tree

Recipe by Baby Sumo, donut recipe adapted from here

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 17 minutes per batch

Makes 12-18

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Oil to grease pans

For the topping (optional):
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

To garnish

Snow powder

1.Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease the 12-hole doughnut pan well with some oil.

2. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.

3. Spoon the batter into the baking pans, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full. Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the doughnuts out onto a sheet pan. Repeat for remainder of the batter (which will make about 6-7 doughnuts).

4. For the topping, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each doughnut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, either on one side or both sides.

5. Stack the doughnuts to form a Christmas tree (formation of 5-4-3-2-1 would work best). Dust with snow powder and decorate with some Christmas decorations.

Note: We reduced sugar from 1 1/2 cups to 3/4 cups. 

Note: Your children can help with mixing batter and measuring out ingredients (for older ones). 

I am submitting this to the "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event which I am hosting. You can link your recipes here.


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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 24 December 2013.

Recipe: Homemade Cereal Bars + Granola

We have been eyeing this recipe on Great British Chefs "Cooking with Kids" app, and since we still had some leftover organic rolled oats, we decided that we should finally give it a go.

This cereal bar or better known as granola bars in the US has all of my children's favorite ingredients. Granola is a popular breakfast and snack food  containing rolled oats, nuts, honey, and dried fruits which are baked until crisp. It can also be pressed and made into a granola bar.

A really easy one to make and you can get your kids to participate. This recipe is supposed to produce cereal / granola bars, however not all of the mix stuck together, so we got half granola bars and half granola, but that is no matter, as it was still very nice to eat. My kids loved munching it on it as their evening snack. These are not too sweet, and pretty addictive. Do store them in an airtight container in the fridge as it helps them hold the shape better.

Homemade cereal bar, also known as granola bar

To those who wish to attempt this recipe, you may need to increase the amount of honey you add in to successfully create the granola bars. I followed the original recipe, and did not want to increase the honey too much in case it was too sweet, but maybe I should have to get better looking granola bars. Most other granola recipes I have seen uses quite a lot of sugar and honey. If you have any other tips which you wish to share, do let me know in the comments below. Appreciate it!

If they don't hold their shape well, don't worry - just have them as granola. Tastes just as great!

Homemade Cereal Bars + Granola

Recipe adapted from Great British Chefs - Adam Gray

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Makes 12-15

Ingredients
120ml of rapeseed or canola oil
5-6 tbsp of clear runny honey
200g porridge / rolled oats
25g pumpkin seeds
110g walnuts roughly chopped
50g almond flakes
90g of dried apricots, roughly chopped

20g dried cranberries



1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (no fan). Line a 24cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and the honey, stir until the honey is hot and remove from heat.

3. Add the oats, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, stirring well to ensure the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

Mix the ingredients well

4. Once mixed, make sure it's sticky enough to hold together by pressing in your hands, if not add a little more honey. Scoop the mixture into the lined baking tin, pressing down firmly.

5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges turn a golden brown colour.

6. While still warm, score into 12-15 individual bars. Leave the cereal bars in the tin to cool completely, then serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. (Note: Due to Malaysia's hot climate, we keep this in the fridge to keep them firm as they tend to go too soft when left in room temperature)

*Your child can help mix the ingredients (Step 3) as well as pressing it into the baking tin (Step 4).

*I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Oats" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Vivian Pang's Kitchen. You can link your oat recipes here.


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Recipe: Parmesan Cheese Popovers

A popover is an American version of the Yorkshire pudding, a light hollow roll made from egg batter and baked in muffin tins. It is called "popover" due to the batter swelling or "popping" over the top of the muffin tin while baking. 

Parmesan Cheese Popovers

I was making leek, onion and potato soup for lunch and wanted a quick bread recipe that I could use. Instead I found a recipe for Parmesan cheese popovers which I thought would go great with the light soup. These were incredibly easy to make - the only thing to remember is not to open the oven door as it may risk collapsing. You will also need to keep your eye on them as they brown quite quickly after the 15-minute mark, especially since the batter has cheese added to it.

I like the savouriness that the Parmesan cheese adds to the popovers. Rich, cheesy and crisp - I loved it.

Rich, cheesy and crisp 

German chorizo and Spanish Pata Negra (Jamón ibérico) ham from Germany

Topped some Pata Negra on the popovers - great together too!

Leek, onion and potato soup with Parmesan popovers

Parmesan cheese popovers
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 18-20 minutes
Makes 12

Ingredients
3 eggs
250ml milk, at room temperature
30g butter, melted
85g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
30g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (with fan). Grease 12 small ramekins or a 12-muffin tin with some oil/butter.

2. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until blended. Beat in the milk and melted butter.

3. Sift the flour, salt and paprika in a separate bowl. Then, beat into the egg mixture. Add the cheese and stir.

4. Fill the prepared tin half-full and bake until golden, for about 18-20 minutes. Keep an eye as it will brown easily after the 15 minute mark. Do not open the oven door or the popovers may collapse. Serve hot.

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