Baked Sweet Diamond Cuts

 As a kid this was one of my favourite snacks.It always reminds me of summer holidays during my school days.My mom used to take a week or two off from work during holidays,the other days were  usually spent at the day care or I was packed off to my Grandmas place down south.My mom used to make lots of these and fill big ever-silver boxes with these.She would roll the dough while I would cut it into shapes.Back then we always fried them and they definitely taste better when deep fried.I wanted to try a healthier version so ended up baking them.Most fried snacks don't taste well when baked but these turned out real yum !

    Cutting them into diamonds is the easiest way of making them,but my daughter wanted to cut flowers with her cookie cutter.We are so different me and my daughter,I was so tom boyish as a kid while she's into all kind of girlish flowery stuff :)

  What you'll need:

   Wheat flour/Atta - 1.5 - 2 cups

   Sugar - 4 tbsp

   Ghee or Butter - 3 tbsp (melted) or oil and ghee each 1.5 tbsp

   Baking powder - 3/4 tsp

   Cardamom or nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

   Method :

•  Sieve the Flour with baking powder.Then add the sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. 
•  Add the ghee or oil and mix with your fingers so that it comes to the consistency of bread crumbs.
•  Add cold water little by little to the mixture and knead to make a soft dough.Cover and let the dough sit for at least 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 5 or 6 balls.Dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough balls into thin sheets. Then cut into diamond shapes.Arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking sheets.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/150° C and bake for 15 minutes.Rotate the baking tray in the middle of  the baking time to ensure even baking.It tends to burn easily so it's better to keep an eye.My first batch was almost blackish brown :)
• Remove from the tray and let it cool.Then store in airtight containers. Done !

Note:
-You could also replace half of the whole wheat flour with All purpose flour.
-To make  a spicy version of it replace the sugar with 1 tsp Chilli powder and 1/2 tsp crushed cumin and carom seeds.
-If your want to indulge,just fry them instead of baking them :P

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Baked Mini Donuts

At last I have a PC that works ! And it feels so good to be using a big keyboard,the last time I tried to use my blog on my tab I ended up deleting all the comments instead of posting them.Thanks a lot for the comments ppl :) The football season is over and I really miss the excitement in the air. I'm a football fan,and honestly these days I think twice before I tell this:) .People in India seem to feel that being a football fan is something to do with staying abroad.And it's almost like you aren't patriotic if you aren't a fan of cricket :).Guess it's like the Shah Rukh Khan's dialogue in ' My name is Khan','I'm an Indian and I'm not a big fan of cricket' :). The last football world cup was very close to my heart,though most of my favourite football teams were out by the semi finals.I was in my last week of Pregnancy and every time I got excited with a goal ,hubby used to get tensed.I could see that he was scared that he might have to rush me to the hospital :) But this world cup was a real treat to watch.Most of my favourite teams made it to the last few rounds ,except for Ghana.The semi-finals where my two favourite teams Germany and Brazil were pitted again each other was something I'll never forget. I was almost close to tears with every goal that Germany scored against Brazil,well that was a match that will go down in history.The finals was a very exciting event which we got to watch along with a crowd in a big public viewing screen.We did have to get back home to watch the last extra time of the match as it was getting late and my daughter somehow managed to blow her football flute exactly when Argentina was playing well,getting us a few angry stares :p I simply love the German football team,which has nothing to do with me staying in Germany, and was happy to see them win.Guess I've ranted a lot already :)
 Coming to these Donuts,I love donuts but the frying part is a big problem with my persistent weight gain :) So when I found these cute donut pans I was more than happy to buy them,not to mention that it was on a discount sale.These are very cute and yummy and bake in not time.And they just melt in your mouth .I've just shared a basic version here and will soon be posting other versions too (hopefully:p)!



You'll need:
Makes about 15 small donuts
All purpose Flour - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Egg - 1/2 a large one
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Whole Milk - a little less than 1/2 a cup
Sunflower oil - 1.5 tbsp
Vanilla essence - a few drops.
For the Glaze:
Whole Milk -  2 tbsp
Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup
For a thicker Glaze use just 1 tbsp of Milk

Method:
-Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 175 C.
-In a bowl sift together the flour,baking powder,cinnamon,nutmeg and salt.
-In a big bowl whisk the egg and the sugar together,then add the milk,oil and essence.Whisk until the mixture is well combined.Add the flour mixture to this and mix only until there are no lumps.Be careful to not over beat.
-Grease the pan with a little oil or butter and fill each mould with 3/4 th of the batter.Bake for 7 to 10 minute,until a skewer or toothpick inserted in it comes out clean.
-Remove the pan from the oven and holding them above  a plate such that the backside of the pan faces you.Gently pat them two or three times and the donuts willf all out.If some of them remain sticking to the pan just loosen their edges with a toothpick and they will fall out.

If you love watching your cakes puff up,then watching these donuts puff up would be a real delight ..

For the Glazing:

-In a bowl whisk the milk and the sugar well.And when the donuts are still hot dip them in the glaze.You can add sprinkles on them and let them dry.They dry very quickly !

I had a helper who was very eager to help me with the sprinkles,well more than half of the sprinkles ended up in her mouth.:)

-I wanted a thin glaze so I added 2 tbsps of milk,for a thicker whiter Glaze add just a tbsp of milk.

-They are so cute and yummy that you'll find yourself reaching for more :)

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Channa Tikki - Chickpeas Patties

The needle in my weighing scale simply loves to move towards the right.Well I've almost given up trying to make it dip towards the left,all that I expect is that it stays where it is :) This was one more effort at keeping that needle in place.I actually boiled some chickpeas as it makes a very healthy snack.But then my taste buds wanted something more appetizing,so I ended up making these patties.They are real yummy and healthy and can be whipped up in no time.For an even healthier version you could bake them in the oven.This makes a great snack for kids too,just skip the green chillies !

You'll Need:
Makes 14 -15
Chick Peas/Kabuli Channa/Garbanzo beans - 3/4 th cup - 125 g
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Carrot - 1 medium(finely grated)
Cabbage - 1/2 cup(grated)
Coriander Leaves -  2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Capsicum - 1/2 a small one(chopped finely)
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder -1/4 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 tsp(chopped)
Corn Flour - 1 - 2 tbsp
 salt as needed

Method:
-Soak the Chickpeas overnight or for 6 -8 hours in sufficient water.Rinse the chickpeas and pressure cook with 2 cups of water & salt for 1 whistle and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes or until well cooked.
-Drain the chickpeas and preserve the water.You can add the water to other curries or use it for kneading chapatis.
-Grind the chickpeas without adding water to a coarse paste.
-Add all the ingredients except the oil and mix well.Check for salt.
-Make small patties.
-Heat a little oil in a pan on medium flame.Cook the patties on both sides till they turn golden brown.
-Alternatively rub a little oil on the patties and bake in a pre heated oven at 350°F / 175 °C for 25 -30 minutes.

Thanks for stopping by ! Happy Cooking !

Sending this to Gujaratizaika’s winner’s choice giveaway  ,100th Post GiveAway at Cutchi Kitchen