Godiva brownies

Continuing from 2008's "michigan contest", another contestant, Rose Sickle, who was the winner in a category called Baking contest.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups Pioneer granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed Pioneer brown sugar
3 tbsps Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
2 cups white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter, Pioneer white and brown sugars, vanilla extract and Godiva liqueur until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the flour mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cooled, cut into squares. Makes 24 squares.

Beverly Hills Brownies

This is one of my favourite brownies recipes that i've found from "michigan cake contest" in 2008. In one of the four classifications of the "Michigan's Best Brownie Recipe" challenge, a Holland bread cook ruled.

Aimee Misovich as of late won for "Best Old Fashioned Brownie" in the nineteenth yearly "Michigan's Best" heating challenge supported by AAA Living magazine, Michigan Sugar and Zehnder's of Frankenmuth.

Of more than 350 formulas submitted, 10 finalists in each of the four classifications were chosen to take brownies for judging.

INGREDIENTS
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces fine quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 cups Pioneer sugar
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 13-by-9-by-2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Melt butter with chocolate in large metal boiler set over s a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Stir together flour and cocoa in a separate bowl and stir into butter mixture with sugar and salt. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and tester inserted into center comes out with crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours, before cutting into squares.

Raspberry jam cookies

INGREDIENTS
125 g butter, softened
100 g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
190 g (1 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
Plain flour, to dust
115 g (1/3 cup) raspberry jam

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Sift flour over the butter mixture and stir until combined.

2. Use lightly floured hands roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on prepared trays, about 5 cm apart. Use a lightly floured finger to make an indentation in the center of each ball. Pour 1/2 teaspoon jam in center of each cookie.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, or until the biscuits are cooked through and light golden. Remove biscuits from the oven. Set aside on trays for 30 minutes to cool completely.

Old school outmeal cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 1/2 cups raisins

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. One at a time, beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in the oats and raisins by hand.
  
3. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.  

4. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Thai fish cake (original)

INGREDIENTS
1 lb (.454 kg) white-fleshed fish fillets
6 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into thin strips with scissors
3 Tbsps coconut milk
2 Tbsps fish sauce
1/2 tsp shrimp paste OR 1 extra Tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/3 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp brown sugar
3 green onions, sliced
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic
1 red chili, sliced, OR 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili
1/3 to 1/2 cucumber (to accompany cakes)
oil for high temp. frying
To SERVE: Thai sweet chili sauce, lime wedges, handful fresh coriander

DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse fish and pat thoroughly dry (if using frozen, the fish will be more moist so be sure to dry it as well as you can). Cut into chunks and place in food processor or large food chopped.

2. In a cup, combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, shrimp paste, chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, and brown sugar. Stir with a fork to combine, then pour into the processor over the fish.
   
3. Add remaining ingredients (kaffir lime leaf strips, green onion, galangal/ginger, garlic, and chili). Pulse to create a thick fish paste.
   
4. Picking up a small amount in your hand (about the size of a golf ball) pat the paste into a small cake and set on a clean plate. Note that traditional Thai fish cakes are small (about 2 inches in diameter and 3/4 to 1 inch thick) and not too thick. Tips: If your paste is too wet to easily form into cakes, add a little flour or breadcrumbs to the mix. As you continue making the cakes, it helps to rinse your hands every so often with cool water to prevent paste from sticking.
   
5. Set plate of cakes in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up. Meanwhile, prepare your pan for frying as well as your garnishes. Cut the cucumber length-wise, then dice up into small cubes and set aside. Pour oil into a small frying pan or wok (at least 1 inch deep).
   
6. Heat oil. When hot enough (a breakcrumb should sizzle and cook immediately when dropped in), gently place cakes in oil. Allow to fry 30 seconds to 1 minute before turning, gently lifting cakes from the bottom of the pan (they may stick a little). Fry until golden-brown and drain on paper towel.
   
7. Serve fish cakes immediately with the chopped cucumber and Thai sweet chili sauce drizzled over. Top with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime juice just before eating. Excellent like this, or served with rice for a main course dish.

Poffertjes

INGREDIENTS:
500 g Self Raising Flour (sifted)
2 Eggs (beaten)
800 ml Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 pinch Salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients and beat the mix for 3-5 minutes.
2. Allow to stand for 1 hour.
3. Melt butter in a frying pan and add teaspoon fulls of batter to create mini-pancakes. Flip once to cook both sides until just golden.
4. Serve with butter and icing sugar. Or with maple syrup and berries!

Vanilla sponge cake

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour  
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk  
3/4 cup vegetable oil  
4 eggs  
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder  
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13-inch rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan well.

2. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't overbeat. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan(s).

3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean. (A single rectangular pan will take longer to bake than two round ones.) Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a thin knife, then turn out onto a rack and peel off the paper. Let cool completely before covering with frosting, if desired.