Chocolate Panna Cotta

Here is a perfect dessert treat, "Chocolate Panna Cotta" to celebrate the 4th year anniversary of "Poornima Cookbook"!

I am excited and thankful to my family, friends and followers for their encouragement & support throughout this journey.

Feedback from those trying my recipes, keeps me motivated to post more and more.

Pannacotta is a classic, popular, easy to make Italian custard. Pannacotta means "cooked cream" in Italian.

It is made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar; mixing this with gelatin and letting it cool until set. You can try out adding different flavours, but this one is for the chocolate lovers!

Check Vanilla-pannacotta-with-pomegranate jelly which is one of my earlier posts!

Let's go through the recipe now.

PREP TIME

10 min

COOK TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME 

20 mins

                                                                                                                                                   

Recipe for Chocolate Panna Cotta

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4 (approximately)

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 cup (250 ml)

Heavy Cream - 1 cup
Un-flavoured Gelatin - 2½ tsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Dark chocolate - 150 g

Baked Date & Chocolate Rolls / Breads (Eggless)

Here is a healthy, soft Bread Roll / Braided Bread stuffed with tuitty fruity, chocolate chips and dates (you can also add nuts with this).

Preparing bread at home is quite interesting and easy; even beginners can try this without second thought. I have adapted the recipe from Treat n Trick, one of the famous blogs for baked goodies. 

Actually this recipe is given for Bread Roll, but I also tried the Braided Bread, out of my interest and it came out very well. Every one liked it as well.

Also check my Jewish Challah Bread / Three Strand Braided Challah recipe which I posted earlier! Soon I will be posting more healthy & yummy stuffed baked goodies! 

This is my first food photo using my Nikon D5300; looking forward to your feedback!

Baked Chocolate Pudding / Brownie Pudding

Here is my baked Chocolate / Brownie Pudding for January month's Home Baker's Challenge.

Rafeeda AR of Big Sweet Tooth  who is hosting this month's challenge has given many varieties of baked pudding recipes.  I have selected the one with chocolate as my kids love that very much!

This delicious pudding is easy to prepare, using common pantry ingredients and perfect to treat your loved ones!  I have adapted the recipe from here.

Thanks to Priya Suresh for starting the group.  To know more about Home Baker's Challenge click, here.

Serves - 5 to 6

Ingredients:

Sugar - 2 cups
Eggs - 4
Butter - 1 cup
All purpose flour - ½ cup
Cocoa powder - ¾ cup / Cooking chocolate - 150 g
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

5 - 6 ramekins (oven proof bowls)
A large shallow baking tin to keep the bowls.

Chocolate Fruit Cake / Chocolate Christmas Cake

As Christmas is around the corner  I am here, with the Chocolate Fruit Cake recipe to celebrate this occasion, perfect alternative for traditional fruit cake/ plum cake.

This cake doesn't require prior soaking of dry fruits and  a perfect treat for chocolate lovers.

The combination of dry fruits, mixed spices and chocolates gives a nice, rich taste and giving moist texture to the dense cake.

Try and enjoy this yummy cake with your family and friends.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour -2 cups
Dark brown sugar – 1½ cups
Butter -1 cup
Eggs - 3
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Cocoa Powder - 3 tbsp
Dark Chocolate - 100 g
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Mixed Spice - 1 tsp
Mixed dried and Candied Fruits - 2 to 2½ cups (Sultanas, Tuitti Fruitti, Raisins, Glazed cherries(chopped), Dates(pitted and chopped)) 
Mixed nuts – ¾ to 1 cup (chopped) ( cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios or walnuts)
Orange -1 (Grate the rind from one whole orange and juice from ½ of the orange and keep aside)
Lemon -1(Grate the rind and keep aside)
Rum or Brandy - ½ cup (optional)

For spice mix:
Cinnamon – 1 medium stick
Cloves- 10 pieces
Dry ginger – 2 small pieces

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles are deliciously soft, brownie-like cookie that are coated in a generous coating of confectioners sugar. The name "Crinkle" probably refers to how the powdered sugar "crinkles" or "cracks" as the cookies bake, revealing a little of the chocolate underneath. This recipe is adapted form Simply recipes.

This cookie is perfect for to celebrate Christmas; we all especially my kids love these delicious snack!

Try this and enjoy with your family and friends!

Yield: 18 to 20 cookies medium sized cookies

Ingredients:
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Cocoa powder – ½ to ¾ cup
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Instant Espresso powder – ½ tsp(optional)
Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp (optional)
Salt – ¼ tsp
Sugar – ¾ cup
Eggs – 2
Vegetable oil – ¼ cup
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

For coating:
Confectioner's (Powdered or Icing) sugar  – ½ cup

Chocolate Burfi - Using Milk Powder

Chocolate burfi is a delicious and also easy to make sweet treat to share with your loved ones for this diwali especially for kids!

This burfi is perfect to gift your friends and relative; you can store this up-to 4 to 5 days.

Yield: 8 to 10 pieces

Ingredients:

Milk Powder - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Mixed nuts (chopped) - 3 to 4 tbsp
Ghee ( clarified butter) - 2 tsp + for greasing

Mango Chocolate Marble / Bundt Cake - Eggless & Butterless Version

Hi friends, here is my  Mango Chocolate Marble Cake recipe for Home Baker's Challenge, administered by Priya.

This month Mrs .Sangeetha Vijay  is hosting the event and she has selected Mango Chocolate Marble Cake as a challenge. Though she had suggested both egg and egg less version; I preferred to bake the healthier version (egg less and butter less) which came out so soft, moist and delicious.

Thanks to Priya Suresh for starting the group and Sangeetha  Vijay for hosting this month's event and challenge. To know more about Home Baker's Challenge click here. 

Ingredients:

All Purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking powder, 1 ½ tsp

Baking soda -  ½ tsp

Salt - ½  tsp

Sugar -    ½ cup (powdered)

Olive oil  - ¼ cup

Mango Pulp - 1 cup (I used store bought mango pulp)

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Yogurt -  ¼  cup

Milk -  ¼ cup

Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp
Warm water - 2 tbsp

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 deg C and prepare your bundt tin (grease with butter / oil and dust it with all purpose flour); keep aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and keep aside.

In a separate bowl add oil, yogurt, milk, mango pulp and powdered sugar;  blend until it is mixed well. 

 Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and beat on medium speed until mixed thoroughly. 

Now take a small bowl, add cocoa powder & 2 tbsp warm water and mix well. Keep aside.

Divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Stir the cocoa paste into the mixture in one of the bowls. 

Place the batters into the prepared bundt pan by alternating spoonfuls of vanilla batter with the chocolate batter. 

  
Take a skewer and gently draw swirls through the batter to create a marbled effect.  Don't over mix.

Pour batter into the greased bundt  tin and bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a cake comes out clean (temperature may vary for different ovens).

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. 

Once it is cooled completely, remove loaf bread / cake from the pan to slice and serve; or drizzle with chocolate glaze to satisfy your chocolate craving.

For preparing Chocolate Glaze (Optional)

Ingredients:

Cocoa Powder - 1  tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Icing sugar -  

 ½ cup

Warm water - 2 to 3 tbsp (adjust according to the desired consistency)

Vanilla essence - ½  tsp

Directions:

In a bowl, mix sugar, butter and cocoa powder.  

Using a fork, gradually stir in the water until the mixture is smooth and glossy without any lumps. 

Now, stir in the vanilla essence. 

Keep covered with plastic wrap until you use it so that the glaze doesn't get hard.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Wishing you all a Very Happy Valentine’s Day!

This perfect chocolate cupcake is very rich, soft and best treat for chocolate lovers. 

Yield: 20 - 22 muffins

Recipe adapted from Hershey's

Ingredients

All purpose flour – 1¾ cups 

Sugar – 2 cups (powdered)

Baking powder – 1½ tsp 

Baking soda - 1½ tsp 

Salt – ½ tsp 

Cocoa powder - ¾ cup 

Vegetable oil –½ cup 

Egg – 2 

Milk – 1 cup 

Hot Water-  ¾ cup 

Vanilla essence - 2 tsp 

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. 

Line the cups of a muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside. 

In a separate bowl add oil, egg, milk and vanilla essence and blend until it is combined well. 

Mix the dry ingredients into wet mixture and beat on medium until combined.  Then, stir in hot water (this batter will be thin). 

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling each  about 2/3rd of a cup.

Bake at 180 deg C for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Remove the pan from the oven and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, and then transfer the muffins with their paper cups to a wire rack.

Enjoy with your favourite frosting. 

Note:

I don't prefer frosting because there is already enough sweet to relish, so I just sprinkled some icing sugar in the heart stencil for valentine day spirit!

I am sending this recipe to

Sending to What is with my cuppa and Nupur's page"

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Brownies Recipe

Here is a classic treat for chocolate lovers.  This  receipe is from famous celeberity cook Nigella Lawson.  I love to watch her cooking shows in TLC.

Actually this receipe calls for nearly 40 - 45 brownies, but I reduced the quantity into half and also omitted walnuts and chocohips. 

This chocolate treat is easy to make and great to munch at any time of the day.

Ingredients (20 - 25 pieces)

Butter – 190 grams
Dark chocolate – 190 grams
Eggs – 3
Caster sugar – 250 grams
Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
plain flour – 115 grams
Salt – ½ tsp
Walnuts or choco chips - 150 grams (optional) 

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 deg. C and prepare the baking tin; keep aside.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave oven (I have kept in microwave oven for 1 minute). Take it out and give it a mix. Allow to cool.

Sift together flour, salt and keep aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the caster sugar (powdered) and vanilla essence.

Stir the chocolate butter mixture and then fold in flour and nuts or chocolate chip.
(Remember to cool down completely, otherwise it will become scrambled egg)

Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and bake on preheated oven at 180 deg. C
for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
(When it is ready, the top should be in light brown colour, but the middle is dark and dense).

Cut into pieces and enjoy the brownies with ice cream or eat as it is.

Choco Chip Cookies

This chocolate cookie is wonderfully quick and easy to make.  These cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle.

Ingredients:

All-Purpose Flour – 1 ¼ cup

Baking Soda – ½ tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Unsalted Butter – 125 grams

White Sugar – 1/3 cup

Brown sugar – 1/3 cup

Eggs – 1

Vanilla – 1 tsp

Chocolate Chips – 1 cup

Walnuts – 1/3 cup, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 deg. c.; grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter (softened), brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

Beat in the vanilla, egg, and until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips, nuts using a spoon.

Drop by rounded tablespoon or make balls with your hands and place onto greased baking tray. Press gently with fork or fingers.

Bake cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, (check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted.

Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Double Chocochip Muffins

This yummy chocochip muffins is going to be favourite for all especially kids.I have made this 
2 -3 times and its a big hit.

Yield: 18  muffins

Ingredients

½ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup powdered white sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup milk
Extra chocolate chips to sprinkle on top

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line the cups of a muffin pan with paper liners. In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs ,milk , vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.  Stir in the ½ cup chocolate chips Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling each cup about three quarters full. 

Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 180 C  for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, and then transfer the muffins with  their paper cups to a wire rack.