Chocolate Sables

And so for Son1 who has a more sophisticated taste bud, won't be so impressed with Rainbow sprinklers anymore. C'mon Mom, he's a b-i-g boy. He likes cookies,... in fact, his first love would gladly be chocolate cookies. But tooooo bad, this boy has a sensitive throat, anything baked and dry and cookie-like will just send his throat red and sore.

Yet, he wanted something chocolatey but not cakes, nor brownies, nor muffins, nor bread-like. So I settled on this... Sables.

Ohhh... Chocolate Chocolatey Sables... how should I describe this cookie? This has to be the easiest cookie recipe that I have whipped.  It is amazing, you have got to try them yourself.

It is light, airy, delicate, and literally melts in your mouth, dissolving itself away, much like sand. It is sensational, chocolatey and not to say, addictive. Much of the addiction was trying to figure out how did it disappear so readily in your mouth! LOL!!

Here's what you'd need:

* 140gm Plain flour
* 20gm Cocoa powder
* 140gm Butter (room temperature, softened)
* 60gm Icing sugar
* Pinch of salt (omit this if you are using salted butter)
* 2tbsp egg white (lightly beaten)

This is what I did:

1. Preheat oven to 170degC. Line baking tray with greaseproof baking paper, set aside.

2. Prepare pasty bag fitted with large rose petal swirl tip, set aside.

3. Sieve dry ingredients together -- flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.

4. In a mixing bow, beat butter, sugar and salt at medium speed till light and fluffy.

5. Add in egg white and beat until well incorporated.

6. On low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredient. Mix until well combined and transfer dough into piping bag.

7. Pipe dough on baking paper, about 1inch apart. Bake for 12 minute. Tops. Not any longer!

8. Lift baked sables onto wire rack to cool completely. Store in air tight container (that is, if you have any left).


Psst psst... Sables is French for Sand. Ahhhhh... now you know! You can get creative, and pipe into other shapes -- Chocolate Sables was originally piped as a "W" to represent Wittamer pastry shop in Brussels. I managed to make about 40 sunflower-sables from this dough, largely dependent on how big you pipe them.  And you can also add in chocolate chip or raisins at the flower's eye. 

Hop over to Ann and see her beautiful Sables! Envious. (Recipe was loosely adapted from hers).

Chocolate Cupcakes

Can you believe it?! We are at the end of the school term!!!

It really seems like yesterday that I was psyching my Sons for their first day of school. Preparing them for a new year in a new environment. Son1 in his first formal education in Primary One, and Son2 officially donned on his uniform for Pre-Nursery, congratulating them for being b-i-g boys now, and getting all excited about their Orientations, and fretting over the fetching and picking logistics arrangement, and going through menus for best-for-lunchbox-packed-lunches...

Wow! 11 months have since passed. What have I done?!

Time to reflect for the year and collect my memories.

Each boy has their to-bring list of party items for that last day of school. Chocolates being their favorite were their natural request. Son2 was more precise. "Chocolate Cupcakes" and nothing else. In fact, Chocolate Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinklers. So I did it just the way he wanted it.

Added about 35gm of natural unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's here) to the vanilla cupcake recipe, and to make up for the increased dry ingredient, I increased milk by a slight 1/4cup (loosely). And a scant 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to accompany the cocoa powder (omit this if you are using Dutch-processed cocoa powder. There is a Science to this, can't quite remember what I read, something to do with acidity and alkalinity).

End result? Very soft. Very spongy. Very fluffy. Very nice. Not cloyingly sweet. Tender, moist-ily spongy. This time I used only 120gm sugar. Think I have found my perfect combination. 120gm is the right sweetness for this Vanilla Cupcake recipe -- for me.

I attribute the softness and sponginess to the creaming of the butter and sugar. This time, I baked at night when my boys are soundly asleep (translated to mean, NO interruption!) and I had more time to pay attention to the beating process. Very important.

Needless to say, it has everything to do with my long-awaited-much-drooled-on KITCHENAID!!!! Hip Hip Hurray!!! Amazing piece of machinery! *Smooch smooch kiss* (show you next time ;)

Chocolate Truffles

I'm posting this ONLY because it is pretty and sooooooooo happy looking. They are dying to be seen.

Other than its looks, really there was NOTHING worth mentioning about them. It borders between yucky and unthinkably distasteful. No good. In fact, lousy! I used the famous highly reputed French chocolate (without naming names; chocolate bakers, you must already know...) and I have NO clue why it turned out tasting weird!

I am resolute to try this again. Should try with a semi-sweet chocolate next time. Try a different grade. Coz these are really a breeze to make, what a waste!