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Sunday, December 27, 2015

TOP 10 RECIPES OF 2015

Top 10 Recipes of 2015 @ treatntrick.blogspot.com

First of all,  a big  thank you  to all my visitors and followers for your continued support.  I can't tell you how inspiring it is when I receive comments from readers who have tried my recipes and love it.

At the end  of the year,  it's time for the annual round up of  most popular recipes on Treat and Trick As we look back at 2015, they are a lot of lessons  learned and so many ways I have grown in my journey of blogging.   It is so fun to see what everyone loved and I am so glad creating and photographing all of them although some photos do need an update.

There was no surprise that  my  Eggless Marble Banana Cake was  voted the most popular  recipe  for 3  consecutive years. Despite being the easiest and no fuss recipe, it has attracted some of my readers to try it out.

Another recipe that was most tried and get positive feedback   was Spiral Apple Bread. and Healthy Breakfast Bars.  My Spiral Apple Apple has been tried and featured in  few popular blogs also my Healthy Breakfast Bars get re-pinned ever since I shared the recipe in 2012.


Below is the list that make up my Top 10 Most Popular Post of 2015.  Click on the title of each post to view full recipe.

10.  EGGLESS APPLE CAKE


09.   LOW FAT BANANA CAKE EGGLESS


08.  SPIRAL APPLE BREAD


07.  MONKEY BREAD FROM SCRATCH


06.  SOTONG MASAK HITAM (SQUID IN BLACK INK)


Sunday, December 20, 2015

CORNFLAKES CHIVDA I SAVORY SNACK MIX



I had a box of cornflakes that is  sitting in my cupboard.   Normally we had  our breakfast with cornflakes  or adding this cereal for making cookies or coating the batter.

So I need to  do something  to save the cornflakes  before  it  passes its expiry date.   What I have in mind were turning them into dessert or a snack.

For  long long  time. I have prepared a crunchy and savory snack so this is the perfect time  to make my favorite Cornflakes Chivda that is  made from roasted nuts, roasted gram, curry leaves and spices. You can vary the selection  from among peanut, cashew, walnut, pistachio, pumpkin seeds  or sunflower seeds.

Turn this chivda into a healthier  version thus cutting out the oil used. Did not fried the peanut and roasted gram in oil but dry roasted them.  The only time I used oil when frying the curry leaves along with chili powder and turmeric.

Adjust the chili used according to your heat tolerance and  add sugar if you like but love without it.

Cornflakes Chivda  to  be enjoyed any time and would last for good 1 week if kept in airtight container.


Sunday, December 13, 2015

EASY ROCKY ROAD CAKE

Easy Rocky Road Cake Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com

Am always attracted to rocky road desserts for their luscious topping of crunchy nuts, chunks of biscuits  and fluffy marshmallow coated in melted chocolate. ,   The topping varies from country to country,  you could learn more about this through Google.

This week, I try to include "rocky road" elements in my cake by adding chocolate chips, almonds and crushed biscuit in the batter.

What I love about this recipe was super easy to make, no creaming of butter or beating of egg required.  You need only one bowl to incorporate all the ingredients except the almond slices.  It uses as a garnish.  Most importantly, it was lighter when compared with other rocky road cake.  Easy Rocky Road Cake uses oil instead of butter  Added peanut oil but other vegetable oil works too.

Easy Rocky Road Cake  is great fun to make with all the family and the best part is you can  personalize your cake by mix and matching the ingredients with your favorite sweets and biscuits.

Made as a surprise for our guest and  it was a total hit!  Everyone loved it so much and going to try this again with different variations soon.

Easy Rocky Road Cake Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com

Sunday, December 6, 2015

CORNFLAKES CRISP BARS

Cornflakes Crisp Bars Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com


It is always fun to bake each and every week. While scratching my head as what to make this week, I stumbled upon a box of cornflakes that was sitting in my cupboard.

Used my  M & M Cookie Slices  as a guide and little tweaking. I made this Cornflakes Crisp Bars for the kid to nibble,

It is super easy to bake and most of the ingredients are mostly available in your  kitchen.  For smooth cutting, you can blend the cornflakes but not too fine,  Just crushed mine with rolling pin and you'll find some still in a bigger piece.  This is what give these bars a crunch when you bite into it.

For final touch, you could dress them up however you like by adding  chocolate chips or even  mini M & M  but this is optional. Added a bit of grated chocolate since that is the only one I have.

These Cornflakes Crisp Bars are truly delicious,  a satisfying crunch  with simple ingredients make these a wonderful snack.


Cornflakes Crisp Bars Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 29, 2015

BRAIDED MASALA BREAD

Braided Masala Bread Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com


Most of the time, I baked sweet bread with filling but this week trying a savory ones  made with  my trusted bread recipe. .  .

This Braided Masala Bread is a small buttery bread, braided and stuffed with onion, green chili  and cilantro.   The filling compliments this lovely loaf perfectly. It is braided from three strand of dough, a similar fashion how you braid your hair.

If you have a mixer or bread machine, the process is even easier because these gadget knead the bread for you.  But if you don't have them, no worries, kneading with your hands is perfect and a good workout too.

Since I opt for buttery dough and stuffing  it  with onion, it becomes more sticky and hard to handle, Adding more flour is required  in order to make it easier to shape.   Actually you can shape into any shape you like but I want my bread in different shape.  Despite it turns out not so pretty ( poor braiding)   but  the taste was *so* good.  .

Braided Masala Bread  is an awesome bread!  It takes a bit of extra time to assemble but the  bread itself is very soft and baked beautifully. .

Braided Masala Bread Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 22, 2015

GINGER COFFEE CAKE

Ginger Coffee Cake Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com


Nowadays a cake is a must for any occasion, such as for birthday, wedding or parties. This Ginger Coffee Cake is good for small gathering or just to satisfy your sweet tooth.   It is a typical cake recipe whereby you beat sugar and butter until light and thick.   In this recipe I have used only half a cup of butter,  additional coffee and  yogurt to moisten the batter.  In case you don't like coffee, you can add very strong tea instead.

We love the kick of heat the ginger brings to this Ginger Coffee Cake.  If ground ginger is not available  you can substitute it  with  3/4 in of  grated fresh ginger that would work too. In future, would  double up the ground ginger since the  ginger flavor was still quite subtle.   Love a fierce gingerly flavor in my cake so am not adding any spice, anything else is a mere distraction

Drizzle over your favorite icing on top of the cake  but I like to keep it simple.  Embrace the ginger. It can only make you feel better. And what are your other favorite ginger recipes at this time of the year?


Ginger Coffee Cake Recipe @ treatntrick.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

PIZZA DOUGH APPLE HAND PIES

Pizza Dough Apple Hand Pies Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com


These  Pizza  Dough Apple Hand Pies  are  made from yeast free pizza dough.  I follow this  recipe with slight changes.  Omitted dry milk and use evaporated milk instead.

The crust is less buttery since we are using 5 tablespoon of melted butter/oil when compared with regular pie crust.   This suits for those looking for lightened up pie crust that was flavorful,  easy to handle and bake beautifully.

Cut  the apple into a half inch  cubes then coat  with the rest of the ingredients for the filling. You will get some liquid after some time, only scoop the apple but leave behind the liquid  when stuffing the hand pies.

Any variety of apple such as red delicious,  gala or  macintosh  can be used instead of granny smith. Another tip is to bake these Pizza Dough Apple Hand Pies on the lowest rack of the oven for 10 minutes,  This trick  ensures a nicely cooked, never soggy bottom.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

PUMPKIN BARS

Pumpkin Bars Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com


When my friend gifted me with pumpkin, am thinking what to do with it.  So far I have baked Pumpkin Galette,  Mini Pumpkin Tarts. and  Pumpkin Banana Bread, all made with pumpkin.  So decided to bake Pumpkin Bars this time.

The main ingredient for this recipe is pumpkin puree, to get this I steam the pumpkin until it turns soft. Mash the pumpkin while it  is still hot.  Now it is ready to be used.

Used  only ground cinnamon but you can add nutmeg and ground ginger as well.   Making these Pumpkin Bars are incredibly easy, no  mixer needed.

It turns out fabulous, super moist and beautifully sliced.   Feel free to add frosting of your choice to dress it up a bit.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

VANILLA CAKE IN A JAR I HOW TO

Vanilla Cake In a Jar Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com



A simple and easy way to make individual  servings of dessert that are perfectly portable  is baking in a jar,  These are super cute  and a great  way to put up my canning jars for a good use. Baking in jars give you an opportunity to present packaged baked  goods to your friends and family.   Wrap  pretty ribbon around the sealed jars complete with a special card.

You can use any basic cake recipe but I  prefer  this simple and quick ones.  There are  so many recipes that can be baked in jars.  Vanilla Cake In a Jar is baked with melted butter instead of oil and added just half a cup of sugar, this suits my taste.

This  Vanilla Cake In a Jar recipe  filled  3 jars of  18-oz, this  is  the size I had at the moment.   By using a 12-oz jar, you could get more than 3 definitely.  It is important to use wide mouth canning jars for filling the batter with ease and would slide out easily.  Make sure the use a proper jars that can withstand the heat and safe for baking..

Vanilla Cake In a Jar Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 25, 2015

PEAS & POTATO SAMOSA

Peas Potato Samosa Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com


After a long gap, I haven't eaten samosa and the last time I made was this  Mini Samosa .   Samosa  is made by two parts, the crust and the filling.  Traditionally shaped into triangle and deep fried,

I came across other interesting filling such as cheese, chocolate, fruit and nuts  instead of potato or meat.  Some make it  healthier by baking them. .

There are  ton of recipes for samosa with varied spice combo, some without onion, coriander, cumin or garam masala either way you choose it still turned out tasty, Done without mango powder but added  some lemon juice for this Peas & Potato Samosa.

The secret to perfect samosa was the way you fried them.  It needs time to get that golden brown and crisp exterior by using medium heat only so be patience.

You would like to pair these Peas & Potato Samosa with green chutney or ketchup but we enjoyed them without those.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

EGGLESS LIGHT BANANA CAKE

Eggless light Banana Cake Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

This Eggless Light Banana cake is incredibly easy to make, egg free and very flexible. If you're using self rising flour, you could avoid the baking soda and baking powder in the recipe.

Added  only half a cup of sugar since bananas are already sweet but add 3/4 cup if you want it sweeter. Also used canola oil and water to moisten the cake.  For richer taste substitute water with milk or  if you are a coffee lover, feel free to include coffee for making this Eggless Light Banana Cake. 

If you don't have time to bake this when your banana are fully ripened, stuff those bananas in a plastic bag and freeze them until  ready to make it (thaw them first before using).

So pleased with the outcome, the cake turns out gorgeous, extremely moist and no cracks on top. You won't be able to  tell this cake is  egg free and low in fat.  This can be baked in any size pan or muffin tins, just adjust the baking time.

Eggless light Banana Cake Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com


EGGLESS LIGHT BANANA CAKE
Yield  :..10-12 servings   :

1.5 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
5 banana mashed
4 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 170 C. Grease your 7 in cake pan.

Sift flour together with baking powder and baking soda.

Mix in salt and sugar.

Combine banana, oil, vanilla essence  and water in a bowl.

Stir in banana mixture onto the flour,  combine well.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for  50-60 minutes  or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

Eggless light Banana Cake Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

Other  Eggless recipes:

Eggless Peach Cake
Rock Cakes
Carrot Apple Muffins

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Sunday, October 11, 2015

HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe @ http://treatntrick.blogspot.com


Am looking for a new bread to try out and saw this Hawaiian Sweet Rolls over the net.  The important ingredient for making this roll was  crushed pineapple.

So confused to go through the recipe, some added milk and some without,  can you tell me which  is the authentic recipe?   Not only that the quantity of butter, eggs and yeast differ from one another.

After browsing so many recipes, decided to try out mine  using the recipe below.   Be careful, the dough turned out quite sticky and hard to handle.  Add 1-2 tablespoon of flour when kneading.  Also the dough takes longer time to rise, mine took 2 hours.  After shaping, let sit for another 1 hour  more before baking.

Baked these rolls for 15 minutes @ 180 C but this depends on individual oven so adjust accordingly.

We are very pleased with the result, these Hawaiian Sweet Rolls turned out soft and  fluffy  with  just the right touch of sweetness.