I'm such a scatterbrain when it comes to the kitchen. Imagine this scene:
Oh gosh! What's next? Where's my note? Quick! The egg's gonna... Oh dear, it's overcooked already... Ouch!*burns hands*...Or should it look like this? Quickly... Ahh!
Totally unglamorous.
This is what happened that day when I was making pineapple cookies - which ended up charred on the outside and brittle on the inside. I'm, therefore, vehemently compelled by my own dogged will, to post this recipe completed with pictures, and with a much more detailed instruction.
I have to make at least one decent cookie... *hands on hips with angry brows and nose*
In retrospection, I wonder how my grandma could whip up all those countless dishes through sheer memory. During the Chinese New Year, more than 20 years ago, I remember...
When the extended family came to visit us at our kampong hut, grandma would prepare dish after dish of glorious food which practically filled the dining table to the brim. And with all that 'mountains' (as I see them) of food presented, I'm sure there wasn't a single note or recipe that grandma hid in the kitchen. I supposed, she cooked everything by means of 'agak'ration, or estimation by experience.
Amazing lady, I say. *salutes!
Hmm, guess I simply lacked the faculty to be a bona fide cook like my grandma and is destined to be a 'textbook' cook. Well, I'm pretty fine with this and will continue to fumble myself silly over the stove. At the very least, I know I'm giving my heart and soul, and that my food is usually edible. ;)
Anyway.
I've previously made sultana cornflake cookies but for variation, I'd tried this same recipe with pineapple paste instead and it was a hit for my hubby! He loves this pineapple version more because of its sweet and tangy zing. Likened to pineapple tarts, which is one of the main festive snacks of Chinese New Year, I find this variation less sugary and more healthy.
And look at them in that auspicious golden hue, somewhat resembling the ancient chinese gold ingots - an archetypal symbol of wealth. I'm so definitely gonna make these for every Chinese New Year!
To my dear grandma, who may be looking down on me from heaven, how I wish that you could sample my cookies and perhaps suggest some amendments via 'agak'ration.
And to you still reading this, thanks for sticking around :) and may you enjoy making and sharing these (what I call) Bonding Cookies with your loved ones. Till the next post, take good care!
PS: These cookies were much more presentable compared to the earlier hideous versions - although they tasted the same. Do try your hands here in the æsthetics department. Good luck :)
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| Pineapple (left) and sultana (right) cornflake cookies. Don't they look Chinese New Year ready?? |
Recipe
Makes about 50 cookies, each cookie 30kcal
40g Salted Butter, softened/room temperature
40g Fine Sugar
1 Egg (53g, w/o shell)
100g Self-Raising Flour (SRF)
3Tbsp Cornflour (mixed into SRF)
1.5 cup/50g of Cornflakes, coarsely crushed
1 cup/100g of Pineapple paste/filling (or other fruit paste/small dried fruit that you like)
1. Whisk soft butter and sugar till batter turns white.
2. Mix in egg. And then fold in cornflour and SRF to acquire a sticky batter.
3. Next, mix in pineapple paste which is pre-moulded into little portions.
4. Using a teaspoon, scoop some batter with 1 to 3 portions of pineapple paste and drop them onto a plate of crushed cornflakes. Roll them and mould them into little balls. Then, line them on baking pan and flatten them a bit with a fork.
5. Using low to medium fire, heat them on a stove for about 8 minutes on each side. If using oven, try baking for 15 mins at 170 degree C. Enjoy the fruits of your labour!
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| Harvested raw cookies waiting in the 'oven' line |
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| Finally found rosehip tea (hibiscus not intended). Tastes like warm red wine. Flowery and aromatic. Mmm! Goes well with the cookies :) |