Procedure1 In a large mixing bowl sift all the dry ingredients except oats and sugar. Stir in the oats.

2 Take out the butter from the refrigerator, cut up into small pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender further cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If you don’t have a pastry blender you can do this with your fingers or fork too, but it’s more work.

3 Stir in the sugar and add milk little by little to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth.

4 Press the dough into disk, wrap in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off start preheating the oven at 375F for 15 minutes. So by the time the oven preheats it will be 30 minutes and you can start working on the cookie dough. Also butter 2 cookie sheets.

5 Lightly flour the surface. Roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll and continue the same procedure until all the dough is used.

6 The cookies tend to stick to the floor, so use a spatula to lift and transfer the cookies to the baking sheets. Place them 1 inch apart. Prick all over with a fork.

7 The baking time depends on the thickness of the cookies and the material of the baking sheet. Note that cookies baked on a dark colored non stick baking sheet tend to bake faster and if not alert the bottom will get burnt. My second batch cookies were thinner than the first batch. So the first batch took 13 minutes, while the second batch was done in 10 minutes. Look for golden color cookies. If baking both the batches at the same time, place each baking sheet in individual racks and shift sheets halfway through baking.

8 Leave the cookies in the baking sheet itself for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Taste These digestive cookies taste exactly like sweet chapathi (or what we call chakkara roti in our house). I don’t if everybody makes this chapathi. First you roll out the chapathi dough, apply generous amount of ghee and sprinkle sugar all over, then fold it and apply ghee and sugar on each fold and roll it out once again and then cook it on a hot tava. So these cookies taste exactly like that. If you like the sweet chapathi you will definitely like this one too. Initially you may feel that it is very sweet but once you eat one cookie you will get addicted to the sweetness and will reach out for one more.

As for the texture, it is crispy but not “melt in your mouth” type of crispness but quite similar to a hard candy. After reading hard candy don’t assume that you cannot bite it. It’s definitely chewable and very tasty.

Procedure1 Preheat oven to 400F. Grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liner. If using a paper liner, after lining grease the liner by spraying with a non stick spray so the muffins will come out of the paper easily.

2 Combine the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. From granola to baking soda.

3 In another medium size bowl, whisk together the applesauce, milk, brown sugar, oil and yogurt.

4 Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

5 Divide evenly into prepared muffin tin, approximately 3 tablespoons of batter per muffin or 3/4th of the tin. Sprinkle little granola/oats on top.

6 Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I baked mine for about 26 minutes. Always set the timer for the minimum time mentioned in the recipe, test for doneness and if it’s not done, increase the time for 2-3 minutes at a time. (Check My Notes, point 5)

7 Let cool slightly in the tin and then remove to a cooling rack.

Taste I have to say that I did not like the muffins immediately (unlike my son), but started liking it from the next day. These granola muffins don’t have a fluffy texture but feel more like a dense cake. Also they are not overly sweet, in fact the sweetness is very mild, which is perfect for me. The mini chocolate chips and the raisins which you bite on here and there give the right balance. Also they did not taste cinnamony (I know it’s not a word, but you get it right!)

Will I be baking it again? Definitely.

My Notes1 I measured the applesauce using a dry measuring cup, not the liquid measuring mug.

2 If you prefer sweet muffins, either use sweetened applesauce or increase the quantity of brown sugar to 1/2 cup.

3 The original recipe did not use oat flour, I used it because I had it. So if you don’t have oat flour just use 1 cup of all purpose flour or in a food processor finely powder quick cooking oats.

4 Walnuts and semi sweet chocolate chips were not mentioned in the recipe. I added it to lure my son to eat something healthy and it worked! The chocolate chips also gave the sweetness. Always try using mini chocolate chips because you can cut down on calories, sugar and fat. In place of using 1 cup of chocolate chips, you can use just 1/2 cup of the mini without affecting the taste.

5 I had some flavored yogurt (which we did not like by itself) so I used it instead of eggs. I used peach flavored yogurt. Also while using yogurt to replace eggs, instead of measuring exactly 1/4 cup of yogurt, use 3 tablespoons of yogurt and 1 tablespoon of water or any liquid. For this recipe I emptied directly two small containers of yogurt and while mixing felt that the muffin batter was very thick and then I had to add extra water, which made it very watery. I think this is the reason I had to bake it for around 26 minutes. So while using yogurt measure 3 tablespoons of yogurt and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup, whisk it well and then mix it to the other ingredients or simply use buttermilk.

Procedure1 Preheat the oven to 400F for 15 minutes. Line the muffin tin with paper liners or grease the tin.

2 In a medium size bowl combine together the milk, butter and buttermilk.

3 In another large bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.

4 Add the sugar, chocolate chips and nuts to the flour mixture and stir well.

5 Slowly stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, but do not overdo it.

6 Fold in the mashed bananas.

7 Fill each muffin cup with 3 tablespoons of batter.

8 Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

My Notes1 The bananas I used were extremely ripe, so I simply mashed it with a fork. If the bananas are not that ripe you could cut into pieces add few drops of water/milk and blend it in a blender/food processor.

2 The original recipe used chocolate chunks. Since I did not have it I went with semisweet chocolate chips. If you have chocolate chunks, chop 5 ounces of semi sweet chocolate into large chunks and use it instead of the chips.

3 The sweetness was perfect for us. Not very sweet like the ones you get in stores. If you have a very sweet tooth you would have to increase the quantity of sugar or chocolate chips.

4 You could substitute vegetable/canola oil instead of butter to make it healthier. I have tried it in couple of other recipes and it works. Since I wanted to finish the butter in the refrigerator I did not do this substitution.

5 You could also substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour. I didn’t do it this time because the brand of wheat flour I’m using right now is not good in banana muffins. A couple of days ago I tried a banana muffin recipe with whole wheat flour and did not like the taste. I liked it when I made something similar a year ago, but that was a different brand of wheat flour, so I went with all purpose flour itself.

Cake Procedure 1 Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan and dust it with cocoa powder.

2 Grate the bottlegourd/zucchini, if using. After grating I also coarsely chopped it with a knife. Measure 1 cup and transfer it to a bowl. Let the water secrete from the gratings. If using the water you may omit the 1/4 cup of milk later.

3 In a large bowl sift together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar. Make a well.

4 Add all the wet ingredients one by one.

5 With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined. Do not over beat it.

6 Add the grated bottle gourd/zucchini, if using. Mix together.

7 Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Tap the pan a couple of times so the batter is spread evenly and there are no air bubbles.

8 My cake was ready only around 38 minutes. I think it took longer because it was a dense batter with the whole wheat flour, applesauce and the bottle gourd. So start checking from about 20 minutes, depending upon the ingredients you are using. Toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come clean.

9 Once out of the oven, transfer the pan to a wiring rack to cool. After about an hour remove the cake from the pan and let the cake cool completely before frosting.

1 I think my cake had too much moisture content because of the milk, hot coffee and the water from the bottlegourd. I think that’s also one of the reasons it took so much time to bake. Also when I removed the cake from the pan I found that it was very wet. I had to use a couple of kitchen paper towels to blot the water. So I also refrigerated the cake for a couple of hours before frosting it. That’s the reason I have mentioned to omit milk if using grated bottle gourd or zucchini.

Frosting 1 In a medium size bowl add the margarine, ovaltine (powdered sugar) and cocoa powder. Start beating with an electric mixer on low speed. At this stage it may seem to be very dry. Don’t panic. Wait until you add the milk.

2 Add milk little by little and continue beating the mixture till you get a nice spreadable consistency. I used around 3 tablespoons of milk.

3 Now transfer the cake to a plate and start frosting it. I’m very lousy at it. Somehow managed to cover the cake with the frosting. But it was easier this time when compared to my first attempt. The frosting was in the correct consistency.

4 I saw this technique of using the back of a spoon to create swirls on the frosting. Tried it and I think it looked somewhat close. Create an indentation on the frosting with the back of a spoon close to each other.

1 The recipe for the frosting is from 1001 Low Fat Vegetarian Recipes. The original recipe requires margarine or butter. I didn’t have both. So I used the Promise blend which we have it on our toast. I was worried if it would work or not, but was so excited to see that the frosting came out beautifully.

2 There are 2 types of Ovaltine available. I used the Ovaltine which is fortified with 8 vitamins and minerals. I used Ovaltine because I didn’t have confectioner’s sugar at home, but in a way it worked out for the best. 4 tablespoons of Ovaltine (ie) 1/4 cup has 15gms sugar whereas the sugar content in 1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar is 29gms. I checked it in the grocery store. So I think this frosting is even better and healthier than the original one. Even though Ovaltine has lesser sugar content than confectioner’s sugar, I found the frosting was a bit too sweet for my taste. Then imagine how it would have been had I used powdered sugar.

3 If you are going to try the ovaltine frosting, I would recommend decreasing the quantity of sugar in the cake to even 1/2 cup. I think this cake is a pretty healthy cake but for it’s sugar content.

Cake Procedure 1 Preheat the oven at 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Lightly oil the cake pan you are using.

2 Stir together all the dry ingredients (flour to cocoa powder) and create a well in the center.

3 To the well add all the wet ingredients one by one. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix. It’s ok to have some lumps.

4 Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Mine was done by 24 minutes. If baking cupcakes, check around 13-15th minute.

5 Cool completely on a wire rack. I left it for an hour.

6 To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake.

7 Cool completely before frosting. Actually frosting is not even necessary for this moist cake. You may simply dust with confectioner’s sugar and top with fresh raspberries.

My Notes 1 I read that apple cider vinegar is better than white distilled vinegar when it comes to baking, because you will not even have that very mild smell or after taste I was referring earlier.

Pudding Mix Frosting Ingredients:

Procedure:

1 Pour milk into a large bowl. Add the pudding mix. Beat until fluffy for 2 minutes.

2 Blend in the thawed Cool Whip thoroughly.

3 Frost the cake/cupcakes and refrigerate it at least for 3-4 hours before serving.

My Notes:

1 This frosting is not very sweet, but it was perfect with the cake and for us. We don’t like overly sweet cakes and frosting.

2 This measurement will be right for a 13×9 inch cake or a layer cake. I had at least a cup of frosting left over, which I intend to serve in ice cream cones for my son.

Cherry Cola 1 Mix equal parts sparkling water/seltzer and the cherry juice. I tried this with both artificially sweetened and unsweetened seltzer and liked both. The sweetened version tastes exactly like Coke/Pepsi and the unsweetened cola tastes more like flavored club soda.

2 If you have frozen cherry juice cubes use it instead of regular ice cubes in the cola.

Cherry Chocolate Milk 1 Mix 1/4 cup of cherry juice, 3/4 cup of milk and 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of chocolate syrup until well combined.

Strawberry Juice Ingredients:
Strawberries, fresh or frozen (no syrup or sugar added) – 2 and 1/2 cups
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Yield: 2 cups of Strawberry Juice

Procedure:
1. Boil the berries, water and sugar in a medium sauce pan.

2. Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. The book mentions to mash the strawberries with the back of a spoon. But I used an immersion blender to blend the mixture thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and press the strawberry pulp with the back of the spoon until all the liquid is released. Save the pulp to add to smoothies.

5. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze 1/4 cup portions.

My Notes:
1. Buy organic strawberries because it is one of the 12 items which is most contaminated with pesticide residues.

2. This strawberry juice can be used in so many ways. Few recipes listed in the book are, freezing it in ice pop molds for natural and low sugar popsicles, mix it with sparkling water, mix it with lemonade, make berry syrup for pancakes mixing it with maple syrup etc.

Blueberry Juice Ingredients:
Blueberries, fresh or frozen – 2 and 1/2 cups (no syrup or sugar added)
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Yield: 2 and 1/2 cups of Blueberry Juice

Procedure:
1 Boil together the berries, water and sugar.

2 Turn heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes.

3 The original recipe instructs to mash the berries with the back of a spoon or a potato masher to release their juices. But I felt that this trick did not work for me. So I used an immersion blender to blend the berries at high speed until smooth.

4 Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer until all the liquid is released. Save the pulp for smoothies.

This juice can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or can be frozen in small portions in sealed plastic bags or containers.

My Notes 1 In the original recipe for Blueberry Milk, only milk and the juice were mixed. But when I tasted it was definitely not sweet enough to persuade my son to drink it. So I decided to add some maple syrup.

2 Using this blueberry juice, blueberry cola can be prepared by mixing equal portion of the juice and sparkling water. I made this too and it tasted awesome. We should definitely avoid giving carbonated drinks to children of all ages. But in this era of rigorous marketing and ads all around the place for Coke and Pepsi, it’s difficult to make the kids understand the effects of soda. So why not give them a cola which at least is not artificially flavored!

3 Cherry and Strawberry juice can also be prepared in the above method and similarly flavored milk and cola can be made using the juice. But try to buy organic cherries and strawberries, because these fruits are on the “dirty dozen” list (Apple, Cherry, Grapes, Nectarine, Peaches, Pear, Raspberry, Strawberry, Bell Pepper, Celery, Potato and Spinach) , produce most contaminated with pesticide residues.

These juices can be poured in ice pop molds and be frozen for a naturally flavored popsicle.

Step-by-Step Procedure 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add pumpkin and vanilla.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well.

5. Fold in raisins.

6. Drop by teaspoonfuls (I used 1/2 tablespoon measurement to scoop the dough) 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets.

7. Preheat the oven at 350F for 15 minutes. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Mine took exactly 14 minutes for the batch which I baked in an aluminum baking sheet. The dark non stick baking sheet batch began to brown at 12 minutes itself. So watch closely.

8. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For Frosting:
1. Melt butter in a small saucepan.

2. Stir in the sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

3. Frost cooled cookies.

My Notes 1. Since this was my first experience with shortening, when I began to cream it with sugar I was sure that the cookies would not bake properly, because it does not cream like softened butter and sugar. Shortening is more solid than butter, even at room temperature, so even after creaming it with a hand held electric mixer for more than 7-8 minutes, it was sort of in a semi solid state. Or maybe that’s what is light and fluffy, I do not know. But anyway I proceeded with the recipe, but the cookies did bake good enough.

2. I think either using freshly prepared pumpkin puree or adding some more liquid (like milk/soymilk) if using canned pumpkin would make the cookies even more light and crispy. I used the canned puree and it’s solid packed, so it does not have enough moisture. Already the creamed mixture did not release any moisture and the pumpkin puree also was solid, so the cookie dough was stiff. I was literally praying that the cookies should come out properly or I would have to run out to the store at 9 in the night to get something for the kids next day. Fortunately it came out well. Since I have not tasted pumpkin cookies before, I don’t have anything to compare with. But we liked it very much. As I have mentioned earlier, the cookies were chewy and not crispy.

Basic Payasam & Kheer Recipe 1. Cut the pumpkin into small cubes. If using a pressure cooker, drop the pumpkin cubes and add water just to cover it and leave it for 1 whistle and switch off the stove. Once the pressure releases, take out the pumpkin, remove the skin (it will peel off easily) and blend it smooth in a blender. Alternatively, you can also peel the skin and then pressure cook it. The pumpkins can also be cooked in a microwave oven. Remove the skin and grate the pumpkin, place it in a microwave safe bowl with little water, cook it for 5-6 minutes and then blend it.

2. Meanwhile in a saucepan bring the milk to a boil.

3. Add the pumpkin puree to the milk and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. Switch of the stove and add the sugar. The sugar will melt in the heat itself.

Kheer Recipe:

You can also do the following. This gives a badam kheer taste, which we all love and I always prepare the kheer like this.

1. Soak the almonds overnight, so that removing the skin will be easy the next morning. If your are using blanched almonds, soaking is not necessary. Cook the almonds with the pumpkin and blend it together.

2. In the 3rd step above, also add the MTR Badam Feast to the milk along with the pumpkin puree.

3. In a small frying pan add the ghee and once it heats fry the cashews and add it at the end after adding the sugar. If you wish to add saffron strands, in a small cup add 2-3 tablespoons of the boiling milk and put the saffron in it and leave it for a while. At the end the saffron strands, cardamom powder can also be added.

My Notes 1. Sometime back I tried this recipe with the canned pumpkin puree. I don’t know for what reason, but the milk curdled once I added the puree. But recently I tried a pumpkin milkshake with the canned puree and it tasted awesome. Simply blend a couple of tablespoons of the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated and/or regular milk (preferably whole or 2%), sugar (according to your taste) and optional flavorings like saffron strands and cardamom powder. Note one thing though, canned pumpkin puree has a strong smell, which I’m not a fan in particular. So I used only little puree. The pumpkin puree which we prepare right from scratch does not have that smell at all.