I love to collect recipes, especially recipes for baking. There is something about the smell of freshly baked bread or the joy of eating warm cookies straight from the oven that, to me, is simply therapeutic. I tend to experiment a lot with chocolate. With chocolate-based recipes aplenty on the Internet, the weekends are spent indulging my sweet tooth. Here are some of my favourite recipes. Unfortunately, over the years, I have no clue which sites or even cook books I have borrowed them from but they have all been faithfully jotted down in my book of recipes and marked ‘yum’.
Chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups chocolate chips (you can also chop two dark chocolate bars)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda. In another large bowl, stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips and walnuts, if using and stir to distribute evenly. Drop dough by tablespoons onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking rack.
Eggless chocolate chip muffins
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour, levelled
1/2 tsp baking powder, levelled
A pinch of salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Wet ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar (you can use unrefined cane sugar)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp olive oil or neutral tasting oil (you can also use melted butter)
Method
Line a muffin tray with muffin liners. Sieve the dry ingredients and keep aside. Preheat your oven to 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat water till its warm. Add sugar to the warm water. Stir until it dissolves. Add three tbsp oil and stir well. Add vinegar or lemon juice. Add vanilla essence. Stir and mix well again. Add the dry ingredient to the wet ingredients. Mix into a smooth batter but do not over mix. Add chocolate chips and mix again. Pour or spoon the batter in muffin liners. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes till the tops are brown and a tooth pick inserted in the muffins comes out clean. After three to four minutes remove the muffins from the pan and place on wire rack for cooling.
Chocolate cake
Ingredients
2 cups maida
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coffee powder
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Chocolate frosting
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup cocoa
5 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coffee powder
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degree. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by buttering and lightly flouring.
For the cake
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and coffee powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about one minute to add air to the batter.
Distribute cake batter evenly between the prepared cake tins. Bake for 30 to 30 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
For the chocolate frosting
Sift cocoa in a large bowl. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well combined. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding one cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute, Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added. Add vanilla extract and coffee powder and combine well.
If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
If it appears too wet and does not hold form, add icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
