Brazilian Coffee Cookies Recipe

I have been trying a variety of cookies recently. We really loved this coffee flavoured cookies. While baking these cookies our flat is filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee…. If you are a coffee lover I am sure you will love these cookies…

Brazilian Coffee Cookies Recipe

(Recipe from here)

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups

Salt - ½ tsp

Baking soda - ¼ tsp

Baking powder- ¼ tsp

Butter- ⅓ cup (75 gms)

Brown Sugar - ½ cup

White sugar - ½ cup

Egg - 1

Vanilla essence – 1 ½ tsp

Milk - 1 tbsp

Hot water - 1 tbsp

Instant coffee powder - 2 ½ tbsps

Method:

• Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.
• Add hot water to the coffee powder and keep aside.
• In a bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the milk, vanilla essence and egg until light and creamy. Add the coffee mixture and mix.
• Mix in the sieved ingredients until just blended. Cover with plastic foil and place in refrigerator for 10-15 miniuts.
• Prepare small lemon sized balls and place on baking sheet that has been lined with butter paper. Place each ball about 2 inches apart as they spread. Lightly flatten the balls with a fork. Sprinkle some sugar on top of each ball.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200˚C for about 10-12 mts till the edges are slightly toasted or till done. Once baked, the cookie will feel soft on touch but once cool it will harden.
• Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in airtight container.

Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

Palak Paneer is a popular paneer dish served in road side dhabas and in restaurants. Lightly fried paneer is cooked in a pureed spinach-tomato gravy. Goes well with boiled rice, chapathi or Nan.

Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

(Recipe adapted from NitaMehta's Paneer All the way)

Ingredients: 

Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms, cut in to 1" cubes

Palak (Spinach) - 1/2kg (1 bunch)

Onions - 2

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic  - 5 cloves

Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped

Green chillies - 2, chopped

Red chilly powder -1 tsp

Cardamom powder - ¼  tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and chop palak. Cook with 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes on low flame after the first boil. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
• Grind onions, garlic and ginger together.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan and slightly fry cubed paneer. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat rest of ghee in the same pan. Add onion paste and cook till onions turns golden and ghee separates.
• Add chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook for 5-6 minutes on slow fire, till ghee separates.
• Add ground palak, add a little water if too thick.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes on slow fire. Add salt.
• Add cardamom powder and fried paneer. Mix well and remove from fire.
• At the time of serving, heat 1 tbsp ghee,add 1 tsp red chilly powder. Remove from fire and pour this over the heated palak paneer.
• Mix well and serve at once with Rice,Chapathi, Paratha or Nan