Friday, April 13, 2012

my kitchen: peanut butter smores cookies & hello kitty version



Peanut butter smores cookies! With all the goodies lying around my kitchen and a cookie craving, I had to experiment.


I used salted chocolate caramels and marshmallows from Costco and threw in some Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal instead of graham crackers. Tossed in a few eggs and tablespoons of oil and sugar into a bowl with a bag of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie mix from Carrefour (just follow the directions).

I tried making the cookies three ways- (1) stuffing the smores in the center for fat cookies, (2) stuffing the smores in the center and then stuffing in a Hello Kitty silicone mold, (3) chopping up the caramels and marshmallows and mixing them for regular sized cookies.


Experiment with half or quarter sized marshmallows and chocolates- or dice it up more finely to spread the love.

With detailed molds like this, I use a ball of dough to push into the grooves first and then fill up the rest.


I LOVE this Hello Kitty silicone mold! I'll have to do a post about all the different experiments I've tried with this mold- for Hello Kitty shaped ice cubes, biscuits with nutella, cornbread, chocolates, even pineapple cakes!

The Hello Kitty cookies turned out kind of like muffin cookies, with the dough spilling over the top, but when you flip them over you get a surprise. The bottom parts were softer and more cake-like.


It's best to let the cookies cool down considerably before trying to take it out. Otherwise, you'll get the picture below- this is what happened when I tried to take it out straight out of the oven. I can never wait and always have to sample first. I love it when its all gooey and hot and sticky.


Out of the three versions I made, I liked the chopped up version the best taste-wise... it tasted the most like smores with the marshmallows getting all toasty and salted chocolate caramels melting even further for a very chewy cookie.


I had to share so that I didn't end up eating them all myself. But I find it amusing that my Taiwanese friends offer up compliments like "It's really good, it's not too sweet" when I think the cookie is ridiculously sweet with three times the sugar of a normal cookie (marshmallows + chocolate + caramels). I think the peanut butter and salted caramel plays well with the smores and makes the flavors more layered and more palatable than regular chocolate chip or oatmeal chocolate chip. And as you guys know, it's tough to find a good chewy cookie in Taipei. If you're looking, try We Love Cookies or Subway. Have you found them anywhere else I should try?

Monday, April 09, 2012

event: 2012 TAIPEI INTERNATIONAL BAKING SHOW



Last year, I managed to only catch the end of the Taipei International Baking Show, I made sure to look for it when it rolled around this year. So once I spotted the discount voucher at one of the bakeries in February (NT$100 off a NT$200 admission fee), I rounded up a few friends who wanted to join and made my way to its new location at the Nangang Exhibition Hall.


This year it seemed like there were tons of student groups in uniform on field trips, filling the aisles and loitering near the Pizza Hut at lunchtime. But we were on a mission to work our way through over 700 booths in a few hours. First we were to skim through the industrial side which had heavy duty machinery of every kind and a few things to shop for, like cupcake wrappers and baking supplies. Then move onto the bakery side, which had lots of food, cakes, snacks, chocolates and sweets for sale.


It's a great peek into the trade show side for the restaurant/bakery business...

mixers for giants
donut makers


If you're willing to wade through the crowds to wander around each aisle, you might spot something you want to take home like maple syrup or cake decorating supplies. 


cupcake liners
hello kitty tea

There were quite a few areas that would tempt the home baker- especially if you are looking for pastel colored silicone cupcake trays or Wilton candy molds or frosting gear.









Samples are available if you're willing to wait...


fresh pasta demo

Even shaved ice machines and shaved ice.


After I stocked up on cupcake liners and mini muffin liners, we ran to the food side, which I miss out on last year. From traditional Taiwanese snacks like nougat candies and pineapple cakes to trendy chocolate iPhones and Jeremy Lin cakes, there was much to drool over and see. 





Taiwanese nougat candies


"cow tongue" crackers

chocolate iphones

Freshly popped rice crackers came in original, shrimp and wasabi flavors.



Skipped past the few familiar names like Florida Bakery, Gino Pasco and Lady MaCa...



every inch must be covered with butter!

 as well as discovered some new shops like Devil Dessert.



While I wasn't surprised to see so many breads, chocolates and sweets on display and for sale, I noticed a lot of pineapple cakes and traditional snacks available too.


 

colorful Catamona tea display

 





There was even photography lighting kits available that folded flat into a zip up case. Tempting!


One big part of the Taipei International Baking Show each year is the competitions that it holds. This year's City Bread Championship's chefs were hard at work to impress the serious looking judges at the tables.




And wedding cakes and impossibly tall sugar sculptures on display to admire.




So whether you're thinking about starting your own little cafe or just have a heavy duty sweet tooth, mark your calendar for March next year for the 2013 Taipei International Baking Show.

:)