Oreo and Cream with Reeses Chips Cookies

I cannot remember when was the last time I posted a cookie recipe....that's bad. :P Especially since my kiddos are quite a fan of those home baked tollhouse like cookies. But being in this hot and humid country, cookies just makes me feel dry and heaty all inside. :P Hence I tend to opt for baking a cake verses baking cookies. Furthermore, getting the right texture for a good cookie ain't as easy as one thinks! Especially in this kind of humid country, the cookies will turn soft and miserable within hours. Perhaps the saving grace would be a cookie that still taste good even when it is soft and stays chewy after a day or two (if there's any left!). And guess what...I might have found THE COOKIE. ~happy dance~

So what's so special about these cookies you ask? Ohh almost everything about it. From the addition of cream cheese, the Oreo cookie chunks, Reese PB chocolate chips and of course the combination of it all to yield this wonderful piece of sweet indulgence. And of course this awesome recipe is adapted from one of my all time favourite baker, none other then Joy The Baker herself. 

Let us have a look at those ingredients shall we and get that oven working!

Recipe for Oreo and Cream with Reese Chips Cookies (makes 18 to 20 medium to large cookies)

115 g cream cheese at room temperature (Please use Philadelphia brand, tastes better)

115 g unsalted butter at room temperature

220 g soft brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

195 g all purpose plain flour

60 g milk powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

160 g Oreo cookies (about 18 cookies), broken into smaller chunks

150 g Reese PB chocolate chips (or any chocolate chips you like)

Method

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together till light and fluffy. Making sure there are no lumps after beating.
• Next add in the brown sugar and continue to beat till it is fluffy and creamy.
• Crack the egg in, add vanilla extract and continue to beat the mixture.
• In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in. 

• Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold till all is well incorporated.

• Lastly, add in the Oreo chunks and Reese PB chocolate chips in. Fold in till combined. 

• Chill the dough in the fridge for an hour or more. Overnight is fine too.
• After an hour, remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 180C.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease an ice cream scoop.
• Using the ice cream scoop, scoop the cookie batter on to the baking tray. Leaving about 2-3 inches apart from the other scooped cookie dough balls.

• Bake them in the preheated oven for 13-14 minutes to till the cookies are golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the rack completely before serving. With milk!

My kids were the happiest that afternoon. They were so happy enjoying these delicious cookies. 

Best enjoyed with a glass of cold creamy white milk. :9 My hubby even commented that these were the best cookies I have churned out. :D

Okay folks, do try this out. I personally love it to bits. Such a comforting treat to have and share with the love ones. Make this your weekend project, especially this long weekend!

Enjoy guys and happy baking!

White Loaf Bread

I think every baker not only should have a good banana bread recipe, they should very well have a good white bread loaf recipe as well. Bread is such a quintessential part of our daily meals. Whether it is for a quick morning bite, or an afternoon sandwich, it can also be that toasty bread that wipe clean that stew you have for dinner. Some may think of grabbing those less then 2 bucks loaf off the store shelves. You're right, it is easier, I'm guilty of that sometimes...but frankly speaking, the number of times I buy those in a year, I can use my fingers to count. So think again guys, those bread has additives that we can't even pronounce it properly. :P Home baked are always better for sure...well that is if you have the time to do so. Well, at least the recipe I am posting today is a simple straight dough method with ingredients that you can definitely find in your pantry. Life is too complicated to  have too complicated bakes!

Oops pardon my poor shaping skill to allow that small hole on top. :P But these are the kind of things that happened in the rising process that one is not able to control sometimes. ;P #excuses 

But overall the loaf turned out beautifully. And I'm stoked that it is a straight  dough method! Less waiting! This recipe calls for egg white, which coincidentally I always have some in my fridge. :P Especially after Chinese new year or some tart baking. The egg white helps enrich the dough. It also retains water content to counteract the drying effect when the bread left out at room temperature.

Enough chit chat, let's take a look at the ingredients!

Ingredients for White Bread Loaf

350 g bread flour

90 g egg white

40 g caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 g instant active yeast

155-160 ml fresh milk

30 g unsalted butter, room temperature

• In a stand mixer bowl, add in all the ingredients except the butter.
• Knead it well using the hook attachment, the dough will slowly come together. Continue to knead and eventually it will pulls away from the side of the bowl. That will take about 10-12 minutes. You can stop the kneading for 2 to 3 minutes to have a break in between. 
• Add in the butter and continue to knead till it is very elastic and reaches the window panel.
• Leave dough in a greased bowl, covered and let proof till it doubles in size or for 1hr.

• When it is well proofed, poke in the center. If it doesn't rise back up, the dough is ready to be shaped.
• Punch out the air and weigh out 4 portions of 150 g of dough. Roll round and cover to rest for 5 minutes before shaping. The remaining dough can be used for other small buns, up to your own creation. ;)

• Take a portion of the dough and roll it out flat into a rectangle. Roughly the length of 20 cm by 15 cm. Then fold in the longer sides in as shown below.

• Then roll in from one end like a swiss roll, then seal the edges.

• Repeat with the rest of the 3 dough portions and then place them into a greased loaf tin.

• Cover and let rise till it fills 90 percent of the tin. Remember to preheat the oven to 170C. 
• Then bake in the oven for 28 minutes or till golden brown. Nope, I didn't brush any egg wash.

• Remove from the loaf tin immediately and let cool completely on the rack before slicing.

The result? Nice golden brown skin but still thin. Interior is cotton-candy like texture. Very fine composition, soft and fluffy! I couldn't be more happy!

I couldn't show you enough of the lovely texture. :D And it is home baked! (by you!)

I always like my old school way of enjoying fresh baked breads....kaya and butter! Yummeh :9 

Hope you all will give this simple recipe a try. If this is your first time baking a bread, try this out. ;)

Happy Baking!