Chocolate Crinkles

Today, I baked the Chocolate Crinkles that were featured in the Sunday Times recently. These cookies are also called Black and Whites, a fudge like chocolate cookie that is encased in a coating of confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar.

I forgot to coat mine with icing sugar, so it ended up as cracked little mounts of chocolate cookie. But nonetheless, it tastes so good. I used the best ingredients I have. Valrhona dark chocolate, Valrhona cocoa powder and madagascar vanilla essence. Its so chocolatey that after just one cookie, I could almost feel a sorethroat coming. :-(


These are my crinkles.

Apologies for a ill-focused picture.

The real crinkles are meant to look like this. Taken from Joy of Baking.

Look so much more lovely, doesn't it. I still have some dough in the fridge. Will try to coat the second batch tomorrow.

The recipe is adapted from Field Guide to Cookies by Anita Chu.
Make about 20-22 cookies (I made about 22, with leftover dough for about another 8 cookies)

Ingredients

170g dark chocolate
85g butter
1 Tbs brandy (optional)
185g plain flour
2 Tbs cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking power
115g sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt

Method
1. Melt chocolate, butter and brandy together bain marie or using the microwave. Stir well and set aside to cool.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and smooth using a mixer. Add vanilla and the melted chocolate. Mix until combined. Add the flour and cocoa mixture and the salt. Mix until well combined.
4. Scoop the dough out into a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 170 degree C. Take the dough out of the fridge and let soften for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. (I did not wait 20 minutes, only 5).
6. Line cookie sheet with baking parchment. Scoop out generous tablespoonfuls of dough, roll into balls and place on the cookie sheet about 3cm apart. The balls should be about the size of an unshelled walnut. Place the unused dough back in the fridge.
7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the tops are cracked. Remove from oven, let cookie cool for about five minutes then transfer them to metal rack to cool completely.
8. Store cookies in air tight container.

Update:

Tried coating with icing sugar. Need to do it really fast as the icing melts easily coz the dough is wet.

Kitchen Capers store

Since Gina of Kitchen Capers opened her store in Kallang Bahru, I've been meaning to visit. And I finally did last Tuesday, 9 June, during lunch time.

I picked up quite a few things, had a very nice bowl of soya chicken noodle at the hawker center and had a chat with the very friendly Gina. Gina was very generous with her tips on decoration with fondant when I asked her some questions.

These are the things that I picked up:

Valrhona chocolates!

Never buy them before. Was looking forward to bake the chocolate crinkles featured on Sunday times. These chocolates will be perfect.

Fondant. I've tried quite a few brands and also homemade ones, but not these. I heard these are quite good, but it feels really soft.. am worried that it might be difficult to cover cakes with. But Gina say they work fine, so I bought two packets to try.

Miscellaneous - lollipop sticks -> for making cheesecake pops when I get the time. Silicon cups in rainbow colours... will be perfect for cupcakes and environmentally friendly too.

The Kitchen Caper store is located at:

Kitchen Capers

Block 71 #01-531F

Kallang Bahru

Singapore 330071

Tel: 6392 0159 Fax : 6392 0259

Opens daily from 10am to 9pm

Spare ribs with Garlic, Fermented Black Beans and Pumpkin

This is one of the first dish I ever cooked and probably the only one that I am totally satisfied. Try it if you have a chance.

Recipe from '100 homemade dishes' by Huang Mei Feng

Ingredients

450g pumpkin

450g spareribs

2 cloves garlic (sliced)

1.5 tbsps fermented black beans

1 sprig spring onion (shredded)

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Marinade

1/4 tsp sugar

1tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

ground white pepper

1/2 tbsp caltrop starch

1tbsp oil

Seasoning

1.5 cups water

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

Caltrop starch solution (mixed well)

2 tbsps water

2tsps caltrop starch

Method

1. Peel pumpkin. Seed and cut into pieces

2. Chop up spareribs. Wash and wipe dry. Mix with marinade. Leave for 15 minuts

3. Heat oil in wok. Stir fry fermented black beans and garlic until fragrant. Put in spare ribs and stir fry until golden brown. Sizzle shaoxing wine. Pour in seasoning and simmer for 20 minutes. Add pumpkin and simmer for another 10 minutes (or until pumpkin is soft). Thicken with caltrop starch solution. Sprinkle with shredded spring onion. Serve.