Chocolate Chip Scones

  Hello. How are you guys today? I'm getting pretty bored, and school is just around the corner. All my summer work is done too, so I have nothing else to do. I have been reading the Harry Potter books and I have been baking a lot lately. Today, I baked chocolate chip scones, and some banana muffins. I haven't eaten scones in such a long time. I didn't want to buy one either. fearing how many calories one could have in a bakery. These scones are pretty good, if I say so myself. It was my first time baking them too. My brother loves these. I didn't know what to expect from the dough, and it was a bit stickier than I thought it would be, but it all worked out. Don't these look delicious? They're around 200 calories, instead of the usual 300 or 400 calories scones usually have. So, here's my recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2   1/4 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 cup salted butter                                         
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder.
2. Cut up the butter and mix it in with the flour mixture with your hands. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream and vanilla.
4. Slow mix in the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, until a dough forms.
5. Roll out the dough until about 3/4 inch thick, and cut into 14 to 15 triangles. 8 triangles, if you want huge scones.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Take out, and enjoy. If you want, you can also add a vanilla glaze on top.

 

 

 

Macaroni Tuna Salad

 Hello Everyone! Aloha! That's the only word I know in the Hawaiian language. Well, anyways, I made macaroni salad. I've been craving macaroni salad since eating it at Hawaiian restaurants. It's delicious, but it's hard to find a recipe that matches the tastes in the restaurants. I've looked for recipes online, and I've finally decided to combine some recipes together to make my own macaroni salad that suits my tastes. I would usually add some carrots to the salad, but, my brother doesn't like carrots, so I left them out. I think that the carrots make the salad taste better though. I'd also add mustard too, but my sister doesn't like mustard. You can add both of those ingredients to make an even better macaroni salad. Well, here's the recipe . I hope you guys enjoy it. It tastes pretty good. 

Ingredients 

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni 
• 1/2  cup mayo (or a bit more)
• 1/3  cup brown sugar (or granulated)
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• a small can of tuna
• 1 1/2 tablespoon mustard (optional, I say it's better with it)
• grated carrots

Directions

1. Add water to a large pot, and boil it. Once boiled, add in the macaroni and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. 
2. Rinse the macaroni under cool water and drain. 
3. In a huge mixing bowl that would be used to store the salad in, add in the sugar, mayo, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper (mustard too, if you are using it). Mix well.
4. Add in the cooled macaroni and mix well, making sure everything is coated.
5. In another bowl, mush up the tuna, and then add it into the salad. Also, peel the hard boiled eggs, and cut them up into pieces. Add to the salad too. You may also add in the carrots at this time. Mix well.
6. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better, so that the flavors have soaked in and blended together.
7. Serve and Enjoy. 

 

Chinese Hot Dog buns and Bolo Bao (菠蘿包)

您们好！ How are you guys today? Yesterday, I said I would post how to make the hot dog buns and Bolo Bao. This recipe has no filling for the Bolo Bao (菠蘿包), but I will explain the instructions on how to add the filling to the buns, though there won't be any pictures. It would take longer until the bread is done if you want to add the filling. Anyways, don't these bread look delicious? I think they do. I love baking bread. It takes at least 3 to 4 hours though, but it is worth it. Anyways, for the bolo bao topping, I used brown sugar instead of the usual granulated sugar because I had run out of granulated sugar. That's why the cookie topping looks a bit different. Here's the link to the other bread recipe, where my cookie topping for the bolo bao has white granulated sugar instead of brown sugar. It still tastes pretty good though. The cookie topping recipe is at the end of this post. The hot dog buns are yummy too. My brother loves these chinese breads, and they're quite delicious. So, here's the recipe for the bread. The recipe for the dough is a bit different from the other recipe, in that, oil is used instead of butter. If you like a more buttery bread, use butter. I believe it's a bit unhealthier though, so I decided to make a bread recipe using oil. Have fun making the bread. Enjoy. :)

Ingredients: 

Dough:

• 3 3/4 cup bread flour
• 3/4  cup sugar
• 1/2  cup warm milk
• 1/2  cup warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1/4  cup oil

Fillling Options:

• red bean paste
• BBQ Pork 
• hot dog
• lotus seed paste

Instructions

1. In a bowl pour in the warm water and warm milk. Mix in the sugar. 
2. Add in the active dry yeast and let it poof for about 10 minutes.
3. Mix in the egg and oil. 
4. Slowly add in the flour, cup by cup,  until a dough has formed. Knead the dough. It should be elastic, but it shouldn't stick to the bowl. 
5. Cover it with plastic, and let it rise for about an hour in a warm place. 
6. Push the dough down to let out the air.
7. Divide the dough into 15 pieces, and let them rise for an hour.
8. For the hot dog buns. roll out the dough like play dough until it's long, and then wrap it around the hot dog. There are pictures for this step, if you are confused. Let it rise for 30 min to and hour.
9. If you are making the bolo bao and are adding the red bean filling, flatten the dough with your hand and stretch it out just a tiny bit. Add the filling, and then fold in the edges together. Roll it into a ball and let it rise for 30 min to an 1hr. One hour is more ideal, so that the bread would be bigger. 
10. If you are making the bolo bao without the filling, it's time to bake them. Take a piece of cookie dough. flatten it out, make tiny criss cross marks, and but the cookie on the bread dough. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for about 20 minutes.
11. For the hot dog bread, and bolo bao with the filling, after it's done rising, it is time to bake them. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Add the cookie topping to the bolo bao. Bake the hot dog buns for 15 to 20 minutes. The bolo bao would take about 20 minutes. Use your eye and judgement. The bread grows and rises while it's still in the oven. Enjoy your bread. :)

 

 

 

 

The Pineapple Bun Topping recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sugar (or a little bit more)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

                                                                 Directions: 

1. Beat the egg and sugar too. Add the egg yolk, baking soda, and the milk. Combine the flour and baking powder and then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for an hour before use.  

Delicious Cinnamon Rolls

Hello Everyone! ¿Cómo están ustedes? Estoy muy feliz!! jaja. Yo hice "Cinnamon Rolls". La primera vez. These were so good! I made cinnamon rolls because I was in the mood for them. I hadn't had a cinnamon roll in such a long time, and these really hit the spot. I've been wanting to make cinnamon rolls for a long time, but the thought of rolling out the dough, and cutting them up overwhelmed me. I finally did it. And, the results are quite good, if I say so myself. They don't look half bad. The taste is pretty good, if I say so myself. It's a special treat before going back to school soon. These took 4 hours to make. I decided to be daring and make cinnamon rolls along with the hot dog buns and the bolo bao, since, my brother also wanted to eat those too. It was so much work, but it sure pays off. The buns and cinnamon rolls are delicious. Here's the link to the bolo bao and hot dog buns. I'll post how to make the bolo bao and hot dog buns in the next post. So, here's the recipe for the cinnamon rolls. By the way, those who are watching the calorie count, it is around 488 calories. You can round up to 500. It is a lot, but it is worth every calorie. Just watch what you eat the rest of the day. ;)

Ingredients

Dough:

• around 3 3/4 cup bread flour
• 3/4  cup sugar
• 1/2  cup warm milk
• 1/2  cup warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1/4  cup oil

Inside Filling:

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2  1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• softened butter (around 2 tablespoons)

Icing:

• 1 1/2  cup powdered sugar
• 3 1/2  tablespoon milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a bowl pour in the warm water and warm milk. Mix in the sugar. 
2. Add in the active dry yeast and let it poof for about 10 minutes.
3. Mix in the egg and oil. 
4. Slowly add in the flour, cup by cup,  until a dough has formed. Knead the dough. It should be elastic, but it shouldn't stick to the bowl. 
5. Cover it with plastic, and let it rise for about an hour in a warm place. 
6. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, for the filling. 
7. After an hour. push down the dough to let the air out. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, then, spread the softened butter onto the dough. Then, sprinkle on the brown sugar filling. You can add raisins and nuts if you wish. 
8. Roll the dough together. Cut the dough into 12 rolls. You can use string to cut through the dough, like I have shown in the picture. 
9. Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
10. Bake the rolls for 20 to 30 minutes. While baking, make the icing. Just mix all the ingredients together. Once the rolls are done, let them cool and spread the icing onto them. 
11. Enjoy your homemade cinnamon rolls. :)