Horse Cashew Cookies

 This unplanned bake happened because my friend gave me a bag of raw cashews!

I made the cookies sugar-free to make it more diabetic-friendly but you may use regular sugar.

(Makes about 30-34 cookies)

Main dough:

125g toasted cashew flour*

125g plain flour

50g icing sugar*

1/4-1/2 tsp salt*

20g peanut or cashew oil*

45g neutral oil*

Egg wash:

1 yolk or 1/2 egg lightly beaten + 1/2 tsp water, sieved

Others:

1/16 tsp cocoa powder 

Cashew halves for decorating

Edible marker 

Please see the reel for the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjnY9xCVQS/?igsh=MXdxMDQzZDA3Yjd2bA==

1. Whisk together cashew flour, plain flour, icing sugar & salt

2. Add peanut oil & mix well

3. Gradually add neutral oil until you are able to form a ball of dough that doesn't break apart when rolled between hands. This ensures that the texture of cookie is light & melts in your mouth while being cohesive enough that it doesn't crumble too easily. You may not need to use all the oil

4. Reserve 5g of dough & add cocoa powder. If the dough is too dry & crumbly, add a drop of oil to make it cohesive again. This step is optional if you aren't making horses

5. Divide main dough into 10-11g balls & place on lined baking tray. They can be placed really close together as they don't expand much in the oven

6. Press halved cashew on top of dough ball (for non-horsey cookies) or create horse design as shown

7. Apply egg wash

8. Bake in preheated oven at 170C fan/180C for 15 min or until golden brown. Rotate tray halfway

9. Cool on baking tray for 5 min before moving to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight condition for up to a few weeks.

* NOTES FOR INGREDIENTS:

🔸Toasted cashew flour: 

I made my own flour by baking raw cashew nuts at 150C for about 10-15 min until aromatic & lightly browned before grinding into powder. You may purchase cashew flour if you don't want the hassle of processing your own nut flour which can be tricky if you are not careful as you may end up with nut butter instead. I strongly advise toasting the store bought flour to have a more nutty cookie! Just bake at 150C until aromatic & lightly browned

🔸Icing sugar:

I wanted to make the cookie more diabetic friendly so I replaced the icing sugar with 15g Lakanto (Erythritol with monk fruit extract), 10g Alchemy Fibre (a blend of inulin & edible gum) & 25g Maltitol. Taste isn't compromised (you can't tell it's sugar-free because there's no weird aftertaste!)

🔸 Salt: 

Adjust amount according to preference. My family prefers the higher end as salt really brings out the nutty flavour for a more savoury cookie

🔸Peanut/cashew oil: 

I used some peanut oil instead of neutral oil only to enhance the nuttyness of the cookie, but not all peanut oil as it would overpower the cashew flavour. If you have access to cashew nut oil, go ahead & use it 😊. I don't have it easily available. You may replace with neutral oil for simplicity 

🔸 Neutral oil: 

I used canola oil but you may use corn, soybean or sunflower oil too

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Horse 马蹄酥 (Ma-Ti-Su)

 It's the Year of the Horse (马年) so of course I have to make some 马蹄酥 horses!

A closer look at the flaky pastry and gooey filling!

Recipe For 马蹄酥🐴 (horse shoe pastry horses)
(makes about 7 horse pastries)

A.k.a. Beh Teh Soh or Heong Piah in Hokkien dialect or Heong Paeng in Cantonese dialect.

Recipe is adapted from Yeo Min's Chinese Pastry School cookbook. 

For those of you not familiar with the pastry, it has a crisp, flaky crust and a gooey, fragrant, savoury and sweet filling with maltose, shallot oil and toasted white sesame seeds as the stars of the flavour profile.

Filling:
35g sugar (caster or light brown)
55g maltose
1/2 tbs toasted white sesame seeds
10g shallot oil
1g salt
15g cooked glutinous rice flour

Oil dough:
54g plain flour
27g vegetable shortening 
1/16 tsp cocoa powder

Water dough:
70g plain flour
10g caster sugar
8g neutral oil
4g shallot oil
35g warm water
5g maltose
1/16 tsp salt

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp hot water
1/8 tsp cocoa powder

Others:
Black edible marker
A little maltose or honey

Watch my reel to see the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUhCmpGieCh/?igsh=MXR3YTVna2hhYXo2MQ==

METHOD:

1. Prepare filling. Warm maltose and sugar in microwave oven/double boiler. Mix in the rest of ingredients. Rest for 10min. Divide into 15g portions. Freeze for 10min before reshaping to horse face shape. Keep frozen till assembly.

2. Prepare water dough. Whisk all ingredients except flour together to emulsify oil & water. Pour at once into flour. Mix until dough forms. Cover and rest for 15min. Knead until elastic and passes windowpane test. Keep covered

3. Prepare oil dough while resting water dough. Rub shortening into flour and form a ball of dough.

4. Laminate 18g water dough and 9g oil dough as shown in reel. Keep laminated balls of dough covered to prevent drying out.

5. Add 1/16 tsp cocoa powder to 6g of oil dough. Roll to 3mm thick between parchment paper and cut out horse mane. You may use a template and knife. I made a homemade cookie cutter out of an empty can to make it easier. Bake at 150C for 10 min or till done. You may do this after the pastries are baked to have a better gauge of the size of the mane needed.

My homemade cookie cutter for the horse's mane

6. Use leftover oil dough for forming the ears.

7. Roll laminated dough flat, about 8-10cm. Place filling in the middle & enclose. Pinch seams together & place it seam side down. Make sure the seams are properly sealed or the filling will burst out during baking.

8. Prepare egg wash. Dissolve cocoa powder in hot water. Add to egg yolk & mix well. Sieve before using.

9. Brush the tops of the pastry for horse face pattern. Attach ears and egg wash as shown in reel. Make holes for nostrils using toothpick. Imprint the mouth using a straw cut as shown in reel. You may need to deepen the mouth by using the toothpick to indent the smile deeper or it may disappear after baking

10. Bake in preheated oven at 170C fan/180C for 30 min (or until lightly browned). Rotate the baking tray halfway through baking. 

Very helpful tip from Yeo Min: 

Bake pastries on preheated baking tray or hot stone to quickly set the pastries for reducing risk of leaks. That's why I placed each horse on parchment paper squares so that I can yeet them into the oven directly onto a hot surface, baking 3 horses at a time. This tip really works wonders! 

11. Cool slightly before drawing eyes with black edible marker. Attach the mane using a little warmed and softened maltose or honey. Best enjoyed freshly baked or retoasted until warm if stored in airtight container to enjoy the pastries with the filling in a gooey state.

with love,
Phay Shing

Read More »

Chili Crab Choux Pastry

 Decorative Choux pastries need not always be sweet. Here are some savoury, spicy and sweet cute choux pastries --- chili crab choux!

A closer look at the insides filled with chili crab diplomat cream that has real crab meat! This filling really works together with the crunchy pastry case! 

I will be sharing how to create these yummy treats which are inspired by one of Singapore's iconic dishes in an April class. Please click on the link below for more information or to register:

https://shop.redmanshop.com/products/chili-crab-choux-pastry-class-phytsv00006

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Assorted Piped Butter Cookies

 Whether it's the upcoming Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas or any day, an assortment of butter cookies is always a welcome 😊. I adapted the recipe from Buttermilk Pantry to make a more delicate cookie by increasing the butter to flour ratio.

Orange/vanilla:
65g Golden Churn butter
15g French butter of choice
26g icing sugar
4g milk powder (or replace with icing sugar)
Scant 1/8 tsp fine salt
30g cornstarch
65g cake flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract/bean paste (optional for orange)
3-4g orange zest (omit for plain/vanilla)

Chocolate:
65g Golden Churn butter (already salted)
15g French butter of choice (may replace with Golden Churn)
35g icing sugar
12g Dutch processed cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
20g cornstarch
63g cake flour
1/8 tsp fine salt

Matcha:
65g Golden Churn butter 
15g French butter of choice
35g icing sugar
6g Matcha powder (use high grade)
24g corn starch 
65g cake flour 
Scant 1/8 tsp salt

Method:
1. Whisk softened butter, sugar & salt until lightened in colour but not too fluffy.

2. Sift in cornstarch & milk powder/ cocoa/matcha. Whisk until smooth

3. Add orange zest &/or vanilla if using. whisk until combined 

4. Sift in cake flour & fold in using a spatula until no trace of flour is seen 

5. Transfer into large piping bag fitted with open star tip of choice. I used 1M but you may use others like #827. Double up your piping bags if it's thin to prevent it from bursting. Clip the end & separate the dough into two portions within the bag as shown in reel for ease of handling

6. Pipe rosettes onto lined tray. Freeze for at least 1h or overnight if you wish.

7. Bake in preheated oven from frozen according to your preferred cookie texture*. Start at a lower temperature, bake for a longer time & end off high for crispier texture. Start high & end off low, baking for an overall shorter time for a more tender melt-in-your-mouth texture. Use a perforated mat help to contain the spread of the cookie in the oven during baking. Cool on tray for 5min before transferring onto cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

* The aim of the baking profile I used is to get a delicate texture throughout the cookie with a light crunchy bite & slight toasty notes. This cookie won't be so delicate that it crumbles too easily when stacked & stored, but also not so hard that you have to bite hard before it crumbles. The long baking time I used is for a thoroughly crisp cookie that crumbles when you bite softly. Bake in preheated oven at 140C fan mode/ 155C (as read by an accurate oven thermometer) for 10-12 min, rotate tray & bake for another 10 min. Increase temperature by 20C & bake for 1 min. Rotate tray & bake for 1 min. 

Please see the reel below for more visuals:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT6as78CQ9d/?igsh=YzdoZGE5eGlkZTJj

with love,
Phay Shing

Read More »

Judy and Nick Pistachio Mixed Berry Macarons

 My friend requested for some Judy and Nick macarons and brown sugar cookies for her daughter's birthday. It's the 12th consecutive year I am baking for her! I am sharing the macaron version in this blog post.

The macarons are filled with one of the yummiest flavour combinations I have made: pistachio Swiss meringue buttercream and strawberry raspberry jam. I used only added 10% sugar by weight to the fruit puree to make the jam so it remains very tart and fruity. I reduced the puree to half its original weight over low heat until it is thick before storing in the refrigerator.

According to my friend, the macarons were so yummy even her elderly mother loved it!

The fillings were rather time consuming to make too because I make all the components from scratch.

Here's the recipe for the pistachio Swiss meringue buttercream.

Ingredients:

75g egg whites (about 2)
1/16 tsp salt
65g sugar 
140g unsalted butter, slightly softened*
10g milk powder*
140g pistachio butter*

Steps:
1. Double boil egg whites with salt & sugar, whisking constantly until mixture reaches 71.1C. 
2. Whip till stiff, glossy peak, & cooled to room temperature.
3. Add butter 1tbs at a time. Continue beating 8-10 min on med-high speed until light & fluffy. 
4. Add milk powder during the last min of beating until incorporated. 
5. Stir some buttercream into the pistachio butter to lighten it up before adding it back to the buttercream. Fold the lightened pistachio butter into the buttercream in a few additions. You may use it immediately or freeze in airtight condition until use if making ahead of time. Briefly whip with a spatula after defrosting.

* Additional notes for ingredients

Butter: 

You may replace partially with vegetable shortening if you are not able to serve this in a cool environment. I live in the tropics so the filling may soften quite a lot at 30C non air-conditioned room temperature. But if your environment is cool, use all butter because it's yummier 😋.

Milk powder: 

You may toast the milk powder for a caramel flavour as well! To toast, bake in a thin layer in the oven at 140C, stirring every 8-10 min until golden brown but not too dark.  Total duration depends on whether you are toasting in bulk or small amounts. Milk powder adds stability to the buttercream too.

Pistachio butter: 

Toast shelled pistachios at 150C for 10-15min or until aromatic. Remove the skins first if you wish by blanching and rubbing between a towel. Blend with a little salt to taste. Using a powerful blender helps as you don't need to thin out the mixture with oil.

You may refer to this reel to have a peek at filling the shells:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTh0m2bCULh/?igsh=MXJtMGc3M3RrYzI4OA==

I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe to make the macaron shells.

Here are some pictures of the undecorated macaron shells..

I used edible marker, royal icing and edible paint for adding in the details.

You may see this reel to see how I piped Nick:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTunc8PCVpH/?igsh=MXUzZXp6b3UwZXZxZw==

And see this reel to see how I piped Judy:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT1RsuSCVk1/?igsh=MWxkNXM5NzA0dzczZA==

Do read the captions of the reels as I share some technical tips on how to work with complex shaped characters with many colours and details.

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Caramel Earl Grey Cat Box Cakes

 These cat box cakes are not only cute, they are delicious too!

Here's the cake composition:

🔸Earl Grey honey chiffon sponge (as the base)

🔸Light coloured Earl Grey vanilla chiffon sponge (as painting canvas)

🔸Caramel Earl Grey custard cream

🔸Crunchy Biscoff spread

🔸Earl Grey cinnamon honey tea agar jelly

🔸Freshly ground salt

I used the printing technique for the painted chiffon so there is no need to mess around with a patterning batter. This "cheat" method yields great results while saving the environment by eliminating the use of piping bags and cutting out a ton of washing. 

Painted chiffon using the printing method

A peek at halfway through assembling

A peek at the cross-section!

You may see the process of making these in this reel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTKkS9viQAv/?igsh=eWYyNTZxcGJiNWls

If you are interested in learning how to make these cakes, I offer both studio and online classes for it. The grey and white cat designs will be shared in the class.  Please refer to the respective links for more information or to register:

Studio class:
https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/cat-painted-chiffon-box-cake-class

Online class:
https://www.bakersgym.com/product-page/cat-painted-chiffon-box-cake-class-sgd-88-usd-68

with love,
Phay Shing

Read More »

Hojicha Yuzu Horse Macarons

Welcoming the Year of the Horse with these Hojicha Yuzu horse macarons!

Here's a peek at the hojicha chocolate ganache and yuzu jam fillings!

The ganache is made dairy-free and temperature stable enough for gifting in tropical Singapore so you may share this with your family and friends during this Lunar New Year without fear of it melting into a puddle during transport. All post-baking decorations are made using edible cookie dough and edible marker. 

I will be sharing the recipe and technique for this in an upcoming class. Please click on the link below for more details or to register:

https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/hojicha-yuzu-horse-macaron-class

Here's a peek at the process of making the macarons:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTKkS9viQAv/?igsh=eWYyNTZxcGJiNWls

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »