Green Tea Chocolate Chips Cookies

I have an affair with matcha powder recently (shh.....don’t tell this to my first crush: chocolate J).  I love everything with matcha green tea flavored, especially matcha chocolate, not to mention that it has so many wonderful health and taste benefits.  Last night, I was having a cookie craving, but I had minimal ingredients so I decided to make some sugar cookies.  I needed a recipe that was fast as well as delish so I searched the internet and found this on Kirbie's Cravings!! Geez, I am glad I did.  What a hit!  All the ingredients were simple and in my pantry, but…hey, don’t let the simplicity fool you.  This recipe makes the most fantastic cookies.  Everyone raved about them.

Haven’t you heard the wisdom of our lives that the simple things are often the best?  Okay, these cookies were the proof.  They were simple and easy to make with ingredients that you usually have on hand, the dough was a perfect consistency, and the taste was heavenly.  I did make some changes—as a chocolate addict—I  added ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips and  added matcha powder to 3 tablespoons  to bring out the green color.

Most sugar cookie recipes make you refrigerate or freeze the dough for  a couple hours, but this one was a cinch to make.  Cookies flatten out on their own in the oven.  The cooking time is right if you want a nice chewy cookie, if not around 10-12 minutes for a crispy one.  I used a cookie dough scooper (about the size of a tablespoon) making sure it wasn’t overstuffed.  They may seem too soft to be done, but when they dry, they’re so chewy and yummy.

The result was a delicious buttery cookie, crispy on the outside and chewy within. Picture-perfect and awesome! I could see why they went so fast and everyone liked them.  I guess I’ll never buy a ‘store bought’ sugar cookie again. With ingredients on hands, I can make them anytime I get a sweet tooth!

Green Tea Chocolate Chips Cookies

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients

·         2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         1 cup butter, softened

·         1 ½ cups white sugar

·         1 egg

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         3 tablespoon matcha green tea powder

·         ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.       In a small bowl, stir together flour, matcha green tea powder, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside.

3.       In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Add in chocolate chips.  Roll dough into balls about one inch in diameter and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

4.       Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan

·         2 ¾ cups tepung terigu serbaguna

·         1 sdt baking soda

·         ½ sdt baking powder

·         1 cup mentega, suhu ruang

·         1 ½ cups gula pasir

·         1 butir telur

·         1 sdt ekstrak vanilla

·         3 sdm matcha (teh hijau) bubuk

·         ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cara

1.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 375 derajat F (190 derajat C).

2.       Ayak tepung terigu, matcha (teh hijau) bubuk, baking soda, dan baking powder.  Sisihkan.

3.       Dalam mangkuk besar, kocok mentega dan gula sampai lembut (sekitar 3 menit).  Masukkan telur dan vanilla, kocok.  Masukkan bahan kering secara bertahap, aduk rata.  Masukkan chocolate chips, aduk rata.  Buat bulatan-bulatan (bisa juga menggunakan sendok es krim) kecil  dengan diameter sekitar 1 inch.  Letakkan di atas loyang yang telah dialasi kertas roti.

4.       Panggang selama 8 sampai 10 menit.  Biarkan selama 2 menit sebelum dipindahkan ke dalam wadah.

(Copycat) TGI Friday's Green Bean Fries

I’m beginning to see a pattern:  vegetables + breadcrumbs = crunchy success!

Have you ever been to TGI Friday’s? They have fried green bean appetizer which the menu called ‘addictive’.  Have you heard people rave about them?  They were right.  Really delicious. You should try and you will understand why.

Sometimes I go to TGI Friday’s just for the crispy green bean fries.  Hot and crispy, cooled down with a quick dip in some creamy cucumber-wasabi ranch, they make eating your veggies a pleasure instead of a chore.  Even your kids will think so! I couldn’t stop eating them.

I was wondering if there was a recipe for a copycat version so I can make them at home.  So here is my version.  I made this last night.  The result was very close to Friday’s—tender and crispy.  The breadcrumbs make a light, crispy crust, much better than just flour.

I have tried many fried green beans recipes and this is the easiest and best by far.  So easy to make at home.  A wonderful treat and so much more flavorful than traditional french fries.  I made sure that the green beans were rinsed with very cold water to make sure that they remained crisp.  I also went crazy adding lots of seasonings to the breadcrumbs and it ended up great.   Super yummy and totally addicting.

Okay, it’s a little time consuming, but worth every minute to prepare.  Completely addicting.  Just like the ones I order at Friday’s, only now I can save myself the trip, the crowd, the wait, not to mention the cost.  My family LOVES these.  My daughter actually prefers these over regular french fries.  The beans lasted all of 5 minutes and poof!....they were gone J

Copycat TGI Friday's Green Bean Fries

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients

For the beans:

·         1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         ½ cup milk

·         3 cups chicken broth, low salt

·         2 eggs

·         2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

·         1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon onion powder

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         Vegetable oil for frying

For the cucumber-wasabi ranch dip:

·         ½ cup ranch dressing

·         ½ cup cucumber, peeled, chopped, seeded

·         1 tablespoon horseradish, drained

·         1 tablespoon milk

·         1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

·         2 tablespoons wasabi powder

·         1 pinch cayenne pepper

·         Kosher salt

Directions

1.       Fill large bowl with ice water.  Bring the broth to a boiling saucepan over high heat.  Add the green beans and cook until tender and bright green, about 5 minutes.  Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water to stop cooking.  Let cool in water, then drain and pat dry.

2.       Whisk the egg and milk in shallow bowl.  Put ¾ cup flour in another shallow bowl.  Combine the breadcrumbs , the remaining ¼ cup flour, the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl.

3.       Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss the green beans in the flour and shake off excess.  One at a time, dip the beans in the egg mixture, dredge in the breadcrumb mixture and lay on the prepared baking sheet.  Freeze until the coating is set, about 30 minutes.

4.       Heat 3 inches oil in a deep pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Fry green beans in batches until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer the beans with tongs or a skimmer to a rack or paper towels to drain. Serve with dip.

5.       For the cucumber-wasabi ranch dip: puree the dressing, cucumber, horseradish, milk, vinegar, wasabi powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste in a blender until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan

Untuk buncis:

·         1 pound (450 gr) buncis segar, cuci dan buang ujungnya

·         1 cup tepung terigu serbaguna

·         ½ cup susu cair

·         3 cups kaldu ayam dengan sedikit garam

·         2 butir telur

·         2 cups tepung roti kasar (panko)

·         1 sdt cabe bubuk

·         1 sdt bawang putih bubuk

·         1 sdt bawang bombay bubuk

·         Garam dan merica hitam

·         Minyak sayur untuk menggoreng

Untuk saus:

·         ½ cup ranch dressing

·         ½ cup mentimun, kupas, iris, dan buang bijinya

·         1 sdm lobak pedas, keringkan

·         1 sdm susu cair

·         1 sdm cuka apel putih

·         2 sdm wasabi bubuk

·         Sejumput cabe bubuk

·         Garam

Cara

1.       Tuang air es ke dalam mangkuk besar, sisihkan. Didihkan kaldu, masukkan buncis dan masak sampai empuk dan berwarna hijau terang, sekitar 5 menit.  Angkat dan pindahkan buncis ke dalam mangkuk berisi air es.  Biarkan dingin dan tiriskan.

2.       Kocok telur dan susu dalam mangkuk.  Siapkan ¾ cup tepung terigu dalam mangkuk lainnya. Campur tepung roti, sisa tepung terigu, bawang putih bubuk, bawang bombay bubuk, cabe bubuk, dan garam dan merica untuk perisa dalam mangkuk ketiga.

3.       Siapkan loyang yang telah dialasi kertas roti.  Tuang tepung terigu dan buncis, aduk hingga semua buncis tertutup tepung.  Goyangkan loyang untuk membuang kelebihan terigu.  Celupkan masing-masing buncis ke dalam adonan telur, lalu gulingkan di atas campuran tepung roti yang sudah dibumbui.  Letakkan di atas wadah/loyang.  Simpan dalam lemari pendingin sampai tepung roti benar-benar menempel, sekitar 30 menit.

4.       Panaskan minyak sampai  mencapai suhu 350 derajat F (175 derajat C).  Goreng buncis sampai berwarna coklat keemasan, sekitar 1-2 menit.  Angkat dan tiriskan. Sajikan dengan saus celup.

5.       Untuk saus: haluskan semua bahan dengan menggunakan blender.  Tutup dan dinginkan sampai siap untuk disajikan.

Cool Mint Oreo Chocolate Brookies

Let’s face it, Mint Oreos are delicious! ღ

And brownies?  Ahh, brownies. What is not to love? Chewy, chocolatey, gooey.  I’m a huge fan of brownies, especially those that are a slight twist on the classic recipe.

What about combining these two?

Personally, I love mint and chocolate together.  Ever since I was young, I have loved anything that involved mint and chocolate. It’s one of the best classic combinations ever, maybe right next to peanut butter and chocolate. It’s truly a match in heaven ♥‿♥

Mint and chocolate are meant to be together, but never so wonderfully amazing as when you add Oreos to the mix, and the color that they made when they are together always tempting me.  If you love mint, love brownies, and loves Oreos, you will L-O-O-O-VE the combo in this recipe.  You’ll be whipping up a second batch soon after the first has been inhaled.

I love the mint flavor, but these would still be delicious with regular Oreos (you only have to add few drops of mint extract to the batter).  You could also play around with other chopped up cookies or even candy bars.  Even without the Oreos, these brownies would still be amazing.  They are very fudgy, not  for cake-like brownie lovers.  Just imagine one of the moistest brownies you’ve ever had and then throw in some chopped up mint Oreos. Taaa-daaa!  That is basically what these taste like. 

These brownies, straight out the freezer, are hands down my favorite late night snack.  They are fresh minty and creamy chocolatey with bits of crunch, chewy, and substantial.  In all honesty, if you are a chocolate fanatic—as I am—don’t hesitate to make them.  Get your green on by adding Mint Oreo cookies to brownies!

Cool Mint Oreo Chocolate Brookies
For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients:

·         10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I love using Hershey’s Dark, but you can use either regular or dark)

·         ¼ cup unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

·         2 tsp vanilla extract

·         ½ tsp salt

·         ½ tsp peppermint extract or mint extract ( do not use peppermint oil)

·         2 tbsp brewed coffee, optional but recommended

·         2 cold eggs

·         ½ cup all-purpose flour

·         20 cool mint oreos (if you can’t find cool mint you could just use regular oreos and add ½ tsp to the brownie batter)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the edges.

2.       In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, sugar, and salt, about 1 minute in high power. Whisk until smooth.

3.       Add eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition.   Stir in vanilla extract, coffee, and peppermint/mint extract (be very careful not to over-add or your brownies will taste like mouth-wash). Whisk until smooth.  Stir in the flour until just combined, don’t overmix.

4.       Pour half of the batter into the baking pan. Lay the Oreos (I use 16) in a single layer on top of the brownie batter.  Top with the remaining brownie batter.

5.       Using a sharp knife,  quarter remaining 4 Oreos and place them onto top of the batter, dispersed evenly. Push them down with your fingertip just far enough into the batter, but do not submerge.

6.       Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes (depends on your oven, mine was done in 35 minutes) or until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean with no batter. If you like firmer and drier brownies, bake for a few minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  For best result, refrigerate brownies a few hours or overnight before serving.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         10 sdm mentega tawar, lelehkan

·         1 cup gula pasir

·         ½ cup coklat bubuk tawar (saya memakai Hershey’s Dark, tapi Anda boleh memakai yang regular )

·         ¼ cup coklat masak tawar, cincang kasar

·         2 sdt ekstrak vanilla

·         ½ sdt mgar

·         ½ sdt ekstrak peppermint atau mint (jangan gunakan minyak peppermint)

·         2 sdm kopi seduh, tambahan tetapi disarankan

·         2 butir telur dingin

·         ½ cup tepung terigu serbaguna

·         20 Oreo cool mint (jika tidak ada, boleh gunakan Oreo biasa, tetapi jangan lupa tambahkan ekstrak peppermint/mint ke dalam adonan)

Cara:

1.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 350 derajat F (175 derajat C).  Siapkan loyang ukuran 8x8 inch yang telah dialasi dengan kertas roti atau aluminum foil.  Olesi dengan minyak, sisihkan.

2.       Masukkan mentega, gula, bubuk coklat, chocolate chips, dan garam ke dalam mangkuk.  Panaskan dengan menggunakan microwave dengan selang waktu 1 menit.  Aduk sesekali sampai mentega meleleh dan licin. Atau bisa juga dengan cara memanaskan di atas kompor dengan api kecil. Biarkan hangat.

3.       Tambahkan telur satu per satu.   Aduk agak lama (sekitar 40 adukan) sampai licin dan mengilap.  Masukkan vanilla, kopi, dan ekstrak peppermint/mint (jangan tambahkan terlalu banyak jika tidak ingin brownies terasa seperti pencuci mulut J).  Aduk rata. Tambahkan terigu dan aduk hanya sampai bercampur saja.

4.       Tuang setengah adonan ke dalam loyang.  Susun oreo (saya menggunakan 16 oreo) di atas adonan menjadi 4 x 4 baris. Tutup dengan sisa adonan. 

5.       Potong sisa oreo masing-masing menjadi 4 bagian dengan menggunakan pisau tajam. Sebarkan secara merata di atas permukaan adonan.  Tekan sedikit dengan menggunakan jari, tetapi jangan sampai tenggelam.

6.       Panggang selama 30-40 menit (tergantung oven masing-masing)  dan lakukan tes tusuk.  Pemanggangan selesai jika pada tes tusuk hampir tidak ada lagi adonan yang menempel.  Jika ingin brownies yang lebih padat dan kering, tambah waktu pemanggangan selama 5-10 menit. Biarkan dingin sebelum dipotong.  Untuk hasil terbaik, dinginkan brownies selama beberapa jam atau semalam sebelum disajikan.