Mini Checkerboard Cookies

Checkerboard cookies is always on my to-do baking list. Here it goes. This is a failed one actually, cos it has only 4 instead of 9 combination. I changed it in the beginning because my dough fail to stick. It will only stick to 4, 4 it is. Mini checkerboard cookies then. Haha. =P

Ingredients:
"Black" Dough:
60g butter
30g sugar
1/2 egg
20g milk
90g cake flour
20g cocoa powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

"White" Dough:
60g butter
30g sugar
1/2 egg
20g milk
110g cake flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Steps:
1. Beat the butter, sugar and egg till combine. Add in milk and then the dry mixture and mix till combines. It is the same for both dough. Shape each dough into rectangular log shape. Wrap with cling wrap and put in the freezer for 1-2 hours. (Is a MUST!)
2. Take it out and cut into 4 square small long logs. Assemble alternately with one black dough and one white dough (as seen in the picture above). Wrap with cling wrap again and put in freezer for another 1-2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the firm cookie dough into 1-inch cookie, and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Be careful not to burn the cookies.
4. Cool completely on wire rack and enjoy!

The shape is not very pretty, because I did not push the dough against each other firmly, so it shows a little broken. Be sure to push them towards each other to form a nice, clean checkerboard cookie dough before putting it into the freezer at the second time.

Happy baking =)

3-Color Butter Cupcake

Initially, when I wrote this recipe down, I had in mind to make a butter loaf cake. I changed my mind after I have made the banana cupcake. It's easier to make it into cupcake form. Save me some time for cleaning the pan after the baking. Hehe.. Just too lazy I guess. I love to minimize all the workloads...>.<..

3-Color Butter Cupcake (16 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
130g sugar

4 eggs
230g flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
(a)*1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp coffee powder, 5 tbsp hot water
(b)*1/2 tbsp green tea powder, 4 tbsp hot water

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 360 F. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Cream butter and sugar till creamy and pale in color.
3. Beat eggs one by one to avoid forming lumps.
4. Add sifted flour mixture (flour+baking powder) into batter. Add milk and vanilla extract.
5. Divide the batter to 3 portions. Put aside 1 portion for original taste. Add (a) into the 2nd portion and mix well. Add (b) into 3rd portion.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake liner. First put original batter, then green tea batter, then cocoa batter. (Any combination will do too. You can swirl the batter with toothpick or not, based on own choices, I did both.)
7. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Cool completely on wire rack.

Very moist cupcake, and you can smell three different smells, not a bad combination! Although I think loaf pan format will be nicer, you can see the color difference more obvious.

I did this on Friday, I said that I will make something once I'm home. Make me happy and tired at the same time. Haha.. Okay, till next time!

Enjoy =)