24
Dec
Posted by: Vanillicious / Dessert type:
Uncategorized
Gingerbread cookies
This post is being published in a super-late manner. I initially planned to present you with this recipe way in advance , so you can enjoy it during the holidays. Seems like this Christmas, this recipe is going to be useful for the more spontaneous ones. Though it’ll always be useful for the years to follow. And besides, you can have gingerbread cookies all year long. There’s nothing wrong in re-living the holidays spirit!
The following recipe will provide approximately 50 cookies. The cutters I used were 7-8cm long (the tree and leaf shapes).
If you wish to decorate your cookies, the beginners’ way is by icing it. Icing is generally used as a simple top coating on a cookie. It makes a beautiful top coating, which can be considered as decoration. You can’t, however, decorate with it in the traditional (and more advanced) sense of piping with it, for example.
To create the icing, simply combine icing sugar with a little bit of liquid and food coloring. I used small portions of white, red and green icing. Each of the three icing mixtures contained 1 tbsp water, approximately4 tbsp of icing sugar and few drops of food colouring. If still too liquidy, add some more icing sugar. Allow the icing to rest for 15-20 minute. After decorating the cookies, allow to rest again, before you start enjoying them, as it will harden as it dries.
Disclaimer: I do not encourage the consumption of artificial food colouring in any shape or form and take no responsibility for such consumption.
Click here to read up this recipe!
16
Dec
Posted by: Vanillicious / Dessert type:
Quick and Easy Desserts
Banana Bread
Doing some pre-holidays baking around here, and today I was baking a Banana Bread, which is probably the quickest and simplest dessert I’m going to prepare this holiday season.
I had the chance to read a lot about banana breads, in forums as well, and it seems like it never lasts more than a day anywhere. Anywhere but here… And since I’m going to be the only one in this house eating a baked banana whatever, what’s left of it will be appreciated by some friends tomorrow. Sharing is caring! The more the merrier! My most important principles and guidelines when it comes to surprising my closest ones with sweet treats!
Three more reasons to share: banana bread can’t last for more than 2 or 3 days, otherwise it’ll get a strange odor, extremely sticky, somewhat disgusting texture and a rotten flavour, of course (the bananas continue to ripen, even after being baked).
Though it’s not necessary to refrigerate the banana bread within its life expectancy, it really tastes great when you do!
12
Dec
Posted by: Vanillicious / Dessert type:
Quick and Easy Desserts
Vanilla Puff Pastry Cases
Here’s another idea for a quick treat for a cold, wintry weekend.
I prepared these treats as personal cases. If unavailable, can be replaced by a 23cm loosed bottom flan tin, though not too recommended, because when you’ll divide into individual slices, they might not hold the filling. But hey, it tastes exactly the same, and besides, that’s what I used to do until I bought those useful babies!
Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
Click here to read up this recipe!
05
Dec
Posted by: Vanillicious / Dessert type:
Uncategorized
Pancakes
Here’s a not too original idea on how to upgrade your Sunday brunch for tomorrow – pancakes!
By the way, you don’t really need a photo, do you?.. I’m pretty sure you can imagine how wonderful they taste, especially since you get to decide what you’ll have with it!
I bring you the basic pancake recipe but highly recommend you play with it a little. How exactly? Use your imagination! And don’t forget to top the pancakes with some of your favourites.
Pancake ideas:
- Add crushed banana or two and some cinnamon to your mixture, and have banana-cinnamon pancakes
- Add finely chopped apple and cinnamon, and have apple-cinamon pancakes
- Add (fresh) berries to your mixture or spread some (frozen ones) when cooking your pancakes, and have berry-pancakes
- Add fruit salad to your mixture, and have fruity pancakes (thanks Elie)
- Add melted chocolate to your mixture, and have chocolate pancakes
And here are ideas for pancake toppings:
- Syrups and sauces: maple syrup, honey, hot blueberry sauce, jam
- Dairy and chocolate based: ice cream, whipped cream, vanilla cream, chocolate sauce (or melted chocolate), nutella spread
- Fruits: fresh berries,apricot, pineapple, apple, banana, cherries, fruit salad, hot blueberry sauce, Berries Purée
- All sorts of nuts and coconut
Click here to read up this recipe!