Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Cookie that taste like brownie. How could you not like it. I adapted recipe from Sally's site to make them egg-free.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 1 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Unsalted butter - 1 stick (1/2 cup) at room temperature
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup packed
Apple sauce - 1/4 cup (to replace 1 egg)
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1 cup
ROLLING
Sugar - 3 TBSP, for rolling
Powdered sugar - 1 cup, for rolling

Steps

1. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl using stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and creamed, about 2 minutes. Beat in apple sauce (or egg) and vanilla on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
3. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined, then beat in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

4. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
6. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. Roll each ball very lightly in granulated sugar, then generously in the confectioners’ sugar. Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.

7. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. If the cookies aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3 times. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven for a couple more minutes. The cookies will be thick regardless, though– they deflate a little as they cool!

8. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Green Tea Sticky Rice Cake

This is same recipe with the Black Sesame Sticky Rice Cake I made few years ago, with different flavoring.

Ingredients:

Glutinous rice flour - 1 and 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 -2/3 cup
Water - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1.5 TBSP
Matcha (Green tea) Powder - 2 tsp

Steps:

1. Whisk glutinous rice flour, rice flour, green tea powder, and sugar in a microwaveable bowl. Then add water and oil. Stir until smooth.

2. Microwave the barter on high for 2 minutes, take out and stir. Microwave again for a minute and stir. Repeat until the dough turns transparent and fully cooked
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. On a clean surface, place a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer cooked dough on one end. Lift the other half of wrap to cover the dough and knead it. Open the wrap, fold the dough, then cover with the wrap and knead again. Repeat a few more times until the dough is smooth and well mixed.

4. Shape the dough into logs. Wrap and place in the fridge for 2-4 hours. Then slice and serve.

Flower Basket Cake

This is birthday cake for my sister who loves roses. The cake is Chocolate Chiffon Cake, using 20 eggs and baked in a 12 x 18" sheet cake pan. The frosting of basket weaving is Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and the flowers are using regular Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The filling between layers is Strawberry buttercream, made by mixing Strawberry jam into Swiss meringue buttercream.
First bake the sheet cake.

The cake is divided to make a basket that is 6 x 9".

After frosting between layers, and then crumb coat the cake.

Then it is just patiently piping the basket and flowers.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

This is adapted from Martha Stewart's and Handled the heat's recipe. 1 recipe is enough for frosting a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes. I doubled recipe to make the buttercream to frost the basket cake.

Ingredients

Egg white - 5
Sugar - 1 and 1/4 cups
Unsalted butter - 1.5 cups, room temperature
Bittersweet chocolate - 9 oz, melted and cooled

Steps

1. Whisk together sugar and egg whites in a heatproof mixing bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water; Whisk gently and constantly. Heat mixture until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened and foamy and registers 150°F on a candy thermometer or a digital thermometer, about 3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. With an electric mixer, whisk on high speed until cool (test by touching bottom of bowl), 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Change to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-high speed, add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until combined. 

4. Beat in chocolate.