Baking with Lady Shortcake: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had had a jar of peanut butter lying in my kitchen cupboard for a while. Each time I’d open the cupboard to reach in for a can of baked beans or some sugar I felt like it was staring at me pleading to be used somehow. Even though I was a big peanut butter sandwich fan as a child (a school lunch box staple), I kind of grew out of it. In India peanut butter isn’t uncommon in grocery stores but its usage remains quite limited, generally for sandwiches or toast. However, if you’ve ever visited the US or even watch any US television series, you can’t help but notice the myriad uses they have for it. Whether it’s pairing it with jam or preserves to make ‘peanut butter and jelly’ sandwiches (a concept that has since further inspired cupcakes, bars and cookies) or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – a very popular candy, peanut butter is an integral part of the American pop culture. They really seem to incorporate it into everything! Knowing this, it wasn’t a surprise when my husband, having spent many years in the US for his higher education, mentioned loving peanut butter. I was inspired to finally do something about that lonely jar screaming for attention. While I’m still working on finding the idea of coupling peanut butter and jam appetizing, I thought I’d take baby steps and start with a peanut butter version of one of my favourite cookies – chocolate chip! 

PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients for the Cookies

1 cup flour
¾ cup peanut butter (both creamy or crunchy work)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
½  cup (approx. 110gms) butter at room temperature
1 cup chocolate chips

Other Things You'll Need

Cookie tray

Rubber spatula

Mixing bowl

Electric hand mixer

Ice-cream scoop

Creating the Magic

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and keep aside
3. With an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. 
4. Add vanilla essence, peanut butter and egg one at a time, beating until smooth (not if you’re using crunchy peanut butter). 
5. Bit-by-bit add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula with broad strokes till the mixture is well incorporated. 
6. Using an ice-cream scoop (if you don’t have one, use a spoon) drop small balls of dough on the cookie sheet at least an inch apart from one another. 
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven (they may look a bit under-cooked and doughy still, but remove nonetheless) and allow to cool. Devour immediately after!

  

Baking with Lady Shortcake: Pavlovas with Mango & Kiwi

There couldn't be a simpler yet thoroughly sophisticated dessert than the Pavlova. I had never heard of a Pavlova, let alone tasted it, till a year ago while on vacation in Goa. It’s not commonly found on dessert menus (at least in my experience) in India for some reason. To put it very simply, a Pavlova is a meringue topped with whipped cream or chocolate mousse and fruit. It’s crunchy on the outside and soft and marshmallow-like on the inside. The Pavlova was created in honour of Anna Pavlova, a famous Russian ballerina while she toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. Whether it was first conceived in Australia or New Zealand is apparently still a matter of debate. Regardless of who invented it, we’re just glad someone did! Even though they take a while to prepare, they’re infinitely adaptable (both meringue and topping) and also gluten-free. Yay!

Pavlovas make an elegant summer dessert; they’re light and airy with bursts of fruit in every bite. While in the west 'summer fruit' includes strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries, in India summer signals mango season, so how could I resist?

It’s important to know that traditionally the colour of a Pavlova is off-white. To ensure this, your oven needs to be not too hot as this caramelizes the sugar in the meringue and turns it a pinkish-brown colour. This is merely an aesthetic blemish and doesn't affect the taste at all - even if it was to change colour slightly don’t worry because it’ll still taste great! 

 

PAVLOVAS WITH MANGO AND KIWI

Makes 6 mini Pavlovas

Ingredients for the Pavlova

4 egg whites

1 cup super fine/castor sugar

1 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla essence

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tablespoon (tbsp) cornflour

Ingredients for the Topping

2 mangoes

Juice of 1 lemon

Handful of shredded mint leaves

3 kiwis

1 cup double cream

Things You'll Need

A mixing bowl

A rubber spatula

An electric hand-beater

A baking tray

Butter paper
A coffee mug
A pencil

Creating the Magic

PAVLOVA

1. Preheat the oven to 90 degrees Celsius. It’s important to note that Pavlovas bake better at lower temperatures for a longer period of time. 
2. Line the baking tray with a sheet of butter paper and on it stencil out six, evenly-spaced circles of about 4 - 4.5" each (I used the mouth of a coffee cup to do this). Turn the butter paper over so that the pencil marks are facing the bottom.
3. Beat the eggs till white, soft peaks form. This is best done with a hand-beater.
4. Slowly add the super fine sugar spoon by spoon, and continue to mix vigorously till it’s well incorporated in the egg whites.
5. Add the vanilla essence and blend well.
6. Gently fold in the vinegar and cornflour with the help of a rubber spatula.
7. Using the spatula spread the meringue mixture into the circles drawn on the butter paper. Make sure the edges of the meringue nests are higher than their centre so that later they're able to hold the whipped cream and fruit mixture.
8. Pop the tray into the oven and bake for about 60-75 minutes or until the outside of the meringue is dry and very slightly pink in colour. 
9. Once done, switch off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the meringues inside to cool slowly. Don’t be alarmed if cracks develop as this is typical of the cooling process.
10. Once completely cooled, the meringues will appear crusty on the outside and marshmallow-like on the inside. They can either be served immediately with toppings or stored for upto 3-4 days in an airtight container.

TOPPING

1. Chop the mangoes into small cubes and mix with lemon juice and mint leaves. 
2. Cut the kiwis in slices and keep aside.
3. Whip the cream with the hand-beater till soft peaks form. Spoon a generous amount atop each Pavlova.
4. Spread the mango topping over the cream layer and garnish with kiwi slices. Serve immediately!

Baking with Lady Shortcake: Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

This is the first post of a new baking column by Lady Shortcake. 

Every other week she'll bring you foolproof, drool-worthy recipes to try at home with ingredients you can find at your local store. It's party time, folks!

I've loved baking since I was a little girl. It’s true that many times I couldn't even reach the stage of putting the cake in the oven because my best friend and I had managed to eat the entire batter and lick the bowl clean. With age came patience, and I’m proud to say I can now even manage to restrain myself till the icing process is complete!

For the past few months, the urge to bake has had me spending hours perusing recipes online, in magazines and in cookbooks. I must admit I have a soft spot for cupcakes, pies and cakes, because of which I usually end up trying exciting variations of each. 

This week I decided to bake Cookies & Cream Cupcakes. I got inspired when I came across a packet of Oreo cookies in the kitchen cupboard - the thought of dunking them in a glass of milk (like the cute kid in the tv commercials) and devouring them was extremely tempting, but I resisted. Instead, I began looking for ways I could use the Oreos in my baking. The most appealing vehicle was a soft, crumbly, moist cupcake. I have adapted a dozen recipes to get my version of a perfect cookies and cream cupcake - I hope you try it. It's really easy and the cupcakes look like they came from some fancy bakery!

For the cream cheese frosting I first used Flander’s quark cheese, but found the frosting too runny and had to immediately pop the cupcakes in the fridge for it to set. However, the second time, I used Philadelphia cream cheese and though it’s almost four times the cost there was a distinct difference in the texture of the frosting. I suppose all the fuss many amateur bakers make about using Philadelphia might actually be valid . . . 

COOKIES & CREAM CUPCAKES

Makes 12 divine cupcakes

Ingredients for the Cupcakes

Adapted from Joan’s Food Wanderings 

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup milk 

1¾ tsp white vinegar

2 egg whites

¾ cup sugar

56g butter at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla essence

12 Oreo cookies halved, keep both sides

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Annie’s Eats and the Hummingbird Bakery Book

1 cup icing sugar

125g cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla essence

50g butter at room temperature

1 tbsp heavy cream

Creating the Magic

CUPCAKES

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (or 350 degrees F) and line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners. 

2. In each of these place an Oreo half with the cream filling side facing up. Break the rest of the Oreo halves into small pieces and keep aside.

3. Make some buttermilk by adding 1¾ tsp of white vinegar to ½ cup milk and letting it stand till the time it is needed (minimum 5 minutes necessary).

4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and keep aside. 

5. Cream butter and ½ cup sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. This is best done with an electric beater or stand mixer, but if you’re feeling energetic and want to build some muscles, you could do it by hand. 

6. Add the vanilla essence to the butter mixture.

7. In another bowl beat the egg whites till foamy. Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat till soft peaks forms.

8. Fold ½ the dry ingredients slowly into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon until just combined. 

9. Add ½ the buttermilk to the batter followed by the other half of the dry ingredients and then the rest of the buttermilk. 

10. Stir the batter gently and only until all ingredients are well incorporated. Remember to avoid over-mixing as this will lead to dense cupcakes; a definite no-no.

11. To this batter add a part of the beaten egg whites and stir momentarily. Then add the rest of the eggs whites and stir till combined. 

12. Finally, fold the roughly broken pieces of Oreos into the batter.

13. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners till about  ¾ full. 

14. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before frosting.

FROSTING

1. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on a medium-high speed until smooth. 

2. Blend in the vanilla essence followed by the icing sugar and beat till well incorporated. 

3. Add a tablespoon of heavy cream and whip the mixture till smooth, light and fluffy.

4. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the help of a frosting bag and finish with a slight sprinkling of Oreo crumbs. 

5. Try not to eat all the cupcakes at once!

I'd love to hear from you . . . how did these cupcakes turn out in your kitchen?

Happy baking!