Beatrice's oreo cheesecake

After tasting Jill's magical cheesecake i decided i had to try making it. The recipe is from Martha Stewart's 'Cupcakes'. I have never been a fan of Martha because i have a strong belief that the recipes on her website aren't her own, but her workers' recipes. Lol. 

Beat the cheese until light and fluffy 

I think i didn't beat the cheese+sour cream+eggs enough because it wasn't very consistent. I tried. 

then it got really messy when i scooped them out into the cups (i feel u jill) so i stopped taking photos, then i forgot to take photos when they came out of the oven too. 

^ Talking to my Bake Club about this 

I think the cheesecake cupcakes are a bit heavy + really sweet. I didn't add the cream in the oreo bc i really really hate it and i was scared it'll make the cupcakes way too sweet. Good choice beatrice !!!!! 

You can have some if you see me tomorrow/ if i look for you but please be warned, if you eat the whole thing you'll feel fat. Therefore i cut them up into fours so you can have 1/4 and you will feel happy. 

P.S WELCOME ARIEL 

THE VERDICT:

Beatrice's Oreo cheesecake cupcakes have to be one of my all time favourites! She used a similar recipe, if not the same one, as the one Jill used! And I really really adore that recipe, because the end products was turn our divine! Or maybe its just the bakers hehe!

Anyway, I had multiple cupcakes so it's fair to say I had an adequate amount to judge. What I like about Oreo cheesecake cupcakes, is that a) they can keep for quite a while and still remain yummy! (Beatrice brought them to school on multiple days) b) it's not overwhelmingly cheesy, as I mentioned in Megan's cheesecake post, I'm not too fond of overly cheesy stuff c) the Oreos add a nice crunch and flavour to everything! d) having it in small cut up quarters in cupcake form really gives you the illusion that you're not eating a lot and you don't feel like such a glut lol

I think what would have been a nice plus point, was that Beatrice should have used the Oreos as a base! That way, it wouldn't seem so "wet" and you don't feel so fat eating it cos there's less cheesecake in one cup... Does that make sense??

But all in all, I really enjoyed it! And I would recommend her to use Oreos as a base the next time she bakes it! But well done Beatrice! ☺

Oreo cheesecake cupcakes - 8

Beatrice's banana muffins

I actually made these last week too but i baked them again today with better tips n trix 

i swear this is a foolproof recipe because i can do it myself 

Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon if you like cinnamon (i like cinnamon) 

The three stages of becoming light and fluffy: 

This time i mixed the flour+wet mixture then added the bananas 

If you feel that the mixture is too dry, add in some milk. I used super ripe bananas so they were wet and no milk was needed. Add peanut butter/ crushed almonds if you like them. 

tada! Hui shan can u pls grade my 2nd batch of banana muffins not the rock ones 

^This was actually taken last week 

^Just took this a minute ago 

IMO the big banana (the philippines one not the goreng pisang ones) make better banana muffins :-) They're really yummy i want to share them with everyone. lol. jk. U can have one if you want one. 

Happy chinese new year :-) 

THE VERDICT:

The second time Beatrice made these, she accidentally mixed in the egg shells ha ha ha, but surprisingly they turned out better! The mixture for the first one was a tad bit dense, and I couldn't really taste the banana? So it was like eating rock buns with banana essence, but there's something comforting about eating hard banana muffins in class, so I wolfed down a number of them...

Since Beatrice wants me to grade her second batch, I will do so! Her second batch undoubtedly turned our much better, everything was lighter and fluffier, and the ripeness of the bananas she used also made a big difference. The riper and softer, the more flavourful. If you use overly ripe bananas, it just tastes sappy and a tad bit watery? Cos bananas are made up of a large percentage of water!

Overall, they tasted good, and they were definitely an improvement from the first try ha ha. Good job!! 

Banana muffins (second try) - 7 points

Beatrice's puff pastries

Made some puff pastries for breakfast today! I kind of used Laura Vitale's recipe/ method for the rolling+filling. 

Always remember to let the pastry sheets thaw for 2-3 mins before peeling them off or else...

But it's ok, it can be attached back :~) 

Filled my pastries with nutella and cheese. 

cooking in pajamas 

Also!!! Puff pastries are really sensitive to heat so once you put them in the oven you shouldn't open it anymore. Remember to poke holes into them so the moisture comes out. I forgot to do that and my pastries were slightly translucent inside )-: 

They turned out quite well!! ^_^ This one ^ is the nutella one. I really didn't know how much nutella to put in so i put about 2 teaspoons. They are only nice when warm. If anyone offers you cold puff pastries say no!! 

THE VERDICT:

Beatrice's puff pastries were really soggy when she brought them to school, which is usually the case with puff pastries. Unless of course, by some divine miracle, you are able to bring a portable toaster to school and keep it warm and flakey. I think not. 

Anyway, the fillings were good. I tried the tomato one (although I'm not sure why it's not in this post) , and it was a little sourish and reminded me of pasts sauce! The filling was probably the puff pastries saving grace; but I'm sure if it was kept warm and toasty, it definitely would have been great! Well done all the same!

Puff pastries - 5 points

Bea's choc chip cookies

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen again. 


Sunday was actually the 2nd or 3rd time i made them, but i followed the recipe and put 2 cups of chocolate chips and 1.5 cups of sugar. Bad decision! I will elaborate more later hahaaha
These cookies have a lower chip-to-dough ratio than our earlier favorites and a thicker, softer thing going on than the consummate cookies, to help you differentiate them. But when I’m looking for a classic cookie, kind of like the old school Toll House recipe but better, even, this is what I go for.
As always with cookies, you can scoop, flash freeze and then freeze the cookies until you’re ready to bake them, or to bake a few off at a time. You can bake them straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to your baking time, of course, or let them thaw out on a tray for a while.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips



Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time (for giant cookies) or a tablespoon at a time (for smaller cookies) onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

5. Bake larger cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for smaller ones (check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: Always mix the butter (at room temp) and sugar manually before using the mixer. The first time i made cookies myself (do you remember the rock cookies) i mixed hard butter with sugar and it was a disaster lol. 

The recipe calls for 2 cups of chocolate chips, and i used the hershey's ones- the only ones that are sold at my ntuc. I personally don't like too much chocolate chips in my cookies so if you want more of the cookie dough taste you should put 1 or 1.5 cups of it. I also used salted butter, and i left out the salt. 

I refrigerate the cookie dough for 3-4 hours after mixing because i believe that they will taste better. Idk if it actually does or not though!! 

I don't know whether the cookies came out too sweet because of the chocolate chips/ sugar or both, but i think the white sugar can be reduced since brown sugar is healthier! 

How they look on SK:

Mine: 

When they went into the oven for around 5 mins they were translucent and kind of looked like the SK's, and i was really happy + excited, but then they came out like this. )-: 

When you are in doubt of whether to take out your cookies from the oven or not, just take them out. After they pass the toothpick test of course. Sometimes the cookies might feel undercooked but they will get harder when they cool! I put mine in the oven for about 15 mins, they were crispy and chewy in the insides. 

I separated my cookie dough into two parts. I baked one part on the day itself and i kept the other half overnight because no one in my family appreciates my baking (creys). I brought it to school and thanks for your support joell bc u ate >10 of them :~) 

Thanks for reading and good luck if you're making them! :-) 

THE VERDICT:

Recently, Bea made choc chip cookies. They were really good! Hands down probably one of the best choc chip cookies I have tried in a while! I liked how you could still taste the sugar, and so it kind of made the cookie a bit crunchier. The cookies were the moist, soft kind, and they weren't terribly crumbly so I liked that. They're pretty bite sized, and so it doesn't feel like you're eating too much at once. The chocolate chips were nice and melted and the chocolate didn't taste too artificial, so that contributed to the overall taste too! Definitely one of my faves! Well done Bea! ☺

Choc chip cookies - 8 points

Beatrice's Pizza for dummies

I got this pizza dough recipe from Smitten Kitchen, I really felt like making pizza after we made it Brenda's (my cousin) house. Bernadette, Luke and Oliver could make their own pizzas without screwing it up! 

I highly recommend this because it takes 20 mins to prep+mix the ingredients & let it rise, 1-1.5hrs for it to rise, 10 mins to put the toppings on and 10-12 mins for it to bake. It's even called 'really simple homemade pizza'. 

Really Simple Pizza Dough

Makes enough for one small, thin crust pizza. Double it if you like your pizza thick and bready.

1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

If you are finding this step difficult, one of the best tricks I picked up from my bread-making class is to simply pause. Leave the dough in a lightly-floured spot, put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it and come back in 2 to 5 minutes, at which point you will find the dough a lot more lovable.

Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it — one-bowl recipe! — dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter (yup, I leave mine messy), and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like. (I always err on the side of skimpy with toppings so to not weight down the dough too much, or if I have multiple toppings, to keep them very thinly sliced.)

Bake it for about 10 minutes until it’s lightly blistered and impossible to resist.

Note: It does not make one 'small, thin crust pizza'. When i made it, i did a thick and bready pizza without having to double the portions. It was also pretty big! 

 

dough after being mixed

Also you should always prep all your ingredients before starting on the dough (learnt from my mistakes). On my first try, i put way too much water when mixing the dough. Don't do that because you'll have to add more flour and your hands will get really sticky when kneading! 

For my toppings i put diced peppers mixed with olive oil, mushrooms, bacon and cheese. 

it looked like this on the website but mine turned out like this:

Still good for a first try i guess!! Sorry for the lack of photos, i wasn't planning to blog about pizza making. 

THE VERDICT:

In my opinion, any pizza is good pizza, unless of course, it gives me food poisoning. Which thankfully Beatrice's didn't. So though Beatrice's pizza was rather cold, it was no doubt very good! I liked how she was generous with the toppings and there was a rather large spread of ingredients (capsicum, ham, cheese etc etc) The dough got a bit hard and dense, due to the temperature! But other than that, homemade pizza is the way to go!!

Pizza - 7 points