Lengua de Gato

Ingredients
3 eggwhites
1 c. of cake flour
1/2 c. of white sugar
1/2 c. of butter
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350oF. Grease and flour 2 baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream the eggs and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the eggwhites while beating continuously. Fold in the flour, salt and vanilla mix until blended.

Put the batter in a pastry bag with a plain round tip. Pipe out the mixture about 2 inches long leaving an inch apart in between. Bake in in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the sheets at once. Cool and store in sealed containers.

Banana Cookies

Got this recipe from SIMPLY RECIPES and planning to try it this coming sunday.

Ingredients
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookie

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour, sift or stir before measuring
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Preparation
Preheat the oven at 375°F
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars; beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour mixture, blending well. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls; place on greased baking sheets. Flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork; dip fork in flour periodically to keep it from sticking to the peanut butter cookie dough.
Bake the cookies at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

DONENESS TESTS

When a recipe says to 'bake until done', that sounds like a specific instruction, but in reality you must learn what constitutes 'doneness', and use your own judgment. To one person, a bread that is dark golden brown and very crisp is 'done'. To another, light gold is the correct color, with a more moist interior. Whatever your personal preference, there are standard doneness tests you must learn before you can begin experimenting. First of all, always begin checking your cakes, cookies, or breads at the earlier doneness time specified in the recipe. In fact, I like to set my timer a few minutes earlier than the shortest baking time called for. You can always bake longer, but overbaked or burnt products are ruined!

Cakes

* A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake will come out either clean or with only a few crumbs clinging to it. If there is uncooked batter or many damp crumbs on the toothpick, return the cake to the oven and continue baking. Remember to set the timer again! I usually check after 3-4 minutes if the cake isn't quite done when I first test it.
* When a cake is done, the edges will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. This is an indication that the internal cake structure is firm and will hold after the cake is removed from the oven.
* Usually cakes are baked until they are an even golden brown color over the entire surface. The edges can be slightly darker.
* Using your index finger, touch the cake lightly in the center. If the cake feels springy and the indentation fills up when you remove your finger, the cake is done.

Quick Breads

* Breads should be golden in color, slightly darker around the edges.
* A large crack running down the center of the bread is normal. The inside of the crack should not look wet.
* The edges will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
* You can use the toothpick test for quick bread doneness too.

Cookies

* Cookies should be evenly golden in color.
* Cookies usually cool on a baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing. The residual heat from the cookie sheet will continue baking the cookies, so if the cookies don't look quite done in the center, they will finish baking in this short time.
* When cookies look done, they are done. You can use the fingertip test, but you'll usually be able to tell they are done just by looking at them. Make sure to follow the doneness instructions in the recipe. Brownies, for instance, are usually considered done when you 'observe a dry, shiny crust'.

Yeast Breads

* The crust should be an even golden color.
* The bread will pull away from the sides of the pan.
* The bread will sound hollow when you tap it lightly

Source : http://busycooks.about.com

Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk ( fresh )
2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and milk and beat until well blended. Mix in all the rest of the ingredients, mix until no trace of flour is visible. Put the batter in a pastry bag and pipe it out into 2 inch lengths, with about 2 inch space in between cookie. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and allow to cool at wire rack.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

Ingredients

1 cup butter
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups flour
1 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cups sugar
1/2 bar 8oz.Chocolate Bar (grated)
2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (your choice)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts.

Roll into balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Oatmeal Cookie

All time favorite cookie, loved by the kids and kids at heart.
Ingredients
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup butter shortening
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the butter and shortenng with sugar then add the eggs one at a time. In another bowl mix all the dry ingredients, except oats and raisins. Combine the dry ingredients with the butter mixture, stir in oats, raisins. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack for cooling. The cookies will overcook if left on cookie sheet.

COOKIES

The word cookie comes from the Dutch work koekje which means small cake. And it was what the very first cookie were. Drops of cake batter were used to test the heat of the oven. Cookies come in different size, shapes and textures.
Different types of Cookies :
BARS - cookie batter is spread in a pan then baked. After baking they are cooled then cut into bars.
DROP – cookie batter is dropped by teaspoonfuls into cookie sheets.
REFRIGERATOR – cookie dough is formed into a log and then chilled. After chilling it is sliced thinly and baked.
ROLLED – cookie dough is chilled for easier handling them rolled out with a rolling pin, cut into different shapes and baked.
MOLDED – cookie dough is shaped by hand after chilling or pressed ino ready-made cookie mold.

Baking ????

The lingering smell of cookies or cake being bake in the oven sends anyone smelling it into the kitchen, like ants pouring around a mound of sugar. And the pride and satisfaction of the baker gets as his goodies are heartily consumed make the time and effort that go with the preparation of those palate delights all worth his while.
Aside from the time and effort, this blog aims to tell you what you need and what you should do to come up with mouth-watering baked goodies such as cookies, breads and cakes. I do not promise to turn you to a professional baker, but guarantee to you that you will be able to bake simple yet tasty goodies that can bring smile and wink of approval from anyone who taste them. And who knows it can help you financially by selling the most loved goodies that you learned.
What is baking? according to Wikipedia : Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, and cookies.