Saturday, January 26th, 2008 |
Just went to Yong Sheng the other day because I know they sell really fancy New Year goodies, and after sampling all the varieties and being waited like a princess, I got hooked and get the smallest hamper plus a box (or a tin?) of cheesy pineapple cookies. The hamper is RM50, the only affordable one for a poor student like me.
The two flower shaped tin contains cheesy pineapple cookies and almond cookies. They look like this, and they taste yummy! If you are skeptical, head towards Yong Sheng or find their booth in shopping centers; they give out free samples willingly. 
Pineapple Cheese Cookies are my favourite.
Almond cookies are not bad too!
These pictures were taken two years ago, and I am amazed that I am kind of a loyal customer. Heh!
So, after studying the hamper for awhile, I think its not THAT HARD to wrap a hamper. You will need stuffs like:
-cellophane tape, lots of it
-scissors
-a basket for all the stuffs
-decorations, such as ribbons, flowers, paper cuttings, etc
-clear, transparent plastic wrapper in any hue, with or without patterns or motifs (so that the goodies in the hamper could be seen from outside)
-the stuffs that you want to wrap
Of course, the thing that you bought, it is best to have a bottle of some sort depends on your budget. Wine, champagne and sparkling grape juice are the usual ones found in ready bought hamper.
Some boxes of cookies, chocolate and anything else. Remember, they must be in boxes. And some other plastic bag wrapped stuffs, if you like.
Some canned lychee, longan or abalone, again depends on budgets.
To start, estimate how high your hamper would be. Put the basket in the middle. Start with the biggest box first. Lay them upright with the front facing the supposed front of your hamper. Try to arrange the boxes on the four sides of the hamper, assuming that your basket is rectangular. Place the canned stuffs at the corner. Try stacking all the stuffs, leaving the core or middle empty, but try to cover the empty hole with a box of something. Secure everything with cellophane tape, the more the better. Lastly, put the bottle at the top of the pyramid, and secure that with even more cellophane tape.
Congratulations! You are done stacking! Now all you have to do is to wrap them.
Estimated how much plastic wrapper you need, cut the amount required and put the hamper right at the center.
Lift the two ends up and over the hamper, and try to work on how to wrap the hamper nicely.
Secure everything nicely with cellophane tape. Tie the bottle neck with ribbons and decorate as you wish.
Don’t worry if it looks ugly. Afterall, its the thought that counts! 
Popularity: 42% [?]
Posted in Chinese, Cookies, Festive Food, Tips and How-to | 1 Comment »
Sunday, January 20th, 2008 |
I’ve baked cakes and I’ve baked tarts. Heck I even baked quiches, so this time round, its cookie time! Isn’t it the perfect time, now that Chinese New Year is just a few weeks away?
Again, my mum, the fairygodmother just have to wave her wishing wand, and voila! She have her Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookies freshly baked from her very own kitchen!
The original Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe:
Chocolate chunks and walnut
Cream together
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
Add
2 eggs
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
Mix together
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ cups oatmeal (blended into a fine powder)
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
Mix all ingredients well, then add one 24-ounce bag of milk chocolate chips and 1½ cups chopped walnuts (or pecans). Drop dough balls on ungreased cookie sheets, two inches apart, and bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes. Makes approximately 60 cookies.
After I changed them all into metrics:
250g butter
125g confectioner’s sugar
125g brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
160g oatmeal
180g all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
250g semi sweet chocolate chopped into chunks (or chocolate chips)
120g nuts of your choice (pecan, almond nibs, walnuts, etc)
For the extra kick, I also added 2 tablespoons of Nescafe powder. Trust me, it makes a whole world of difference
Some tips that I grabbed from here:
Tips for success with the Mrs. Fields cookie recipe
Always use real butter, not margarine. It DOES make a difference.
Use melted butter instead of room-temperature softened butter, which improves both the consistency of the dough and the texture of the baked cookies.
Double the amount of vanilla specified in the recipe. (Real vanilla extract, not “vanillin,” which is a cheaper substitute that doesn’t taste nearly as good the genuine article.)
Add a tablespoon or two of milk when mixing the dough. The cookies will come out softer and less crunchy.
Look at how they expand!
And the long winded instructions:
In a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time into the creamed butter and sugar.
Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius
In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and both the sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well with wire whisk. Set aside.
Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed until just mixed. Do not overmix.
Lastly, mix in the chocolate chunks and chopped nuts.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2″ apart. Bake 22-24 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool surface with a spatula.
Popularity: 34% [?]
Posted in Baking, Chocolate, Cookies | No Comments »
