Eggless Coffee Walnut Cookies

       

        

                    Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.  ~Jessi Lane Adams

I LOVE, LOVE COFFEE!! I love nuts. And these two together, is one of those matches made in heaven. Like orange and dark chocolate, chocolate and nuts, coffee and cream, coffee and chocolate... ummm.. 

Baking cookies is something I very rarely do. If you have noticed, this is the second cookie in a year I am posting on this blog.  Its not that I don't love cookies, its just the thought of rolling, cutting out the dough batch by small batch, that puts me off. If you have baked cookies in a small oven you will know what I mean. I baked cookies today after a long time and delicious ones at that! Am so happy! I made some of these Eggless Coffee Walnut Cookies which I had bookmarked from Deeba's blog(That leaves just the rest of those utterly gorgeous cakes and bakes on the uber gorgeous Passionate About Baking,left to be baked:) What an inspiring thought!!.  

This recipe is a very simple and quick as it involves using butter straight out of the fridge, no creaming the butter, no rolling and cutting out cookies. And it was quite easy to make, the results... yuu..mmm...If you are someone (like me) who shies away from baking cookies for the effort involved or need a quick to put-together batch of nutty, coffee rich, aroma filled cookies, this is just the recipe for you. Thanks so much Deeba for this lovely keeper of a recipe.

---

This recipe is from PAB, original recipe from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert. This book supposedly has simple, but sensational desserts,  added to my growing wish list of baking books.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour – 2 cups

Walnuts – 1 cup (roughly chopped)

Sugar – 3/4 cups

Salt – 1/4 tsp (I skipped this)

Unsalted butter – 3/4 cup / chilled & roughly cut up

Instant coffee- 3 teaspoons (Divided use, original recipe has fresh ground coffee beans)

Coffee Essence – 1 tsp (You can get this at Nilgiris)
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Milk- 1.5 teaspoons (I added this, as the dough was very crumbly, use only if needed) 

Coffee beans – 40-50 to put on top. 

Procedure

• Put the walnuts, flour, sugar and salt if using, in the bowl of a food processor and pulse till the walnuts are finely ground. I did this in parts in my small mixie jar as I do not have a food processor. 
• Pulse again with 2 teaspoons of coffee till well blended. (I have taken the entire flour mixture in large bowl and continued the procedure with my hand mixer). 
• Add chilled butter and pulse again till breadcrumb like mixture forms
• Add the coffee extract and vanilla essence; pulse just until the dough begins to form lumps around the blade. I have used my hand mixer on medium high speed, pushing the dough together till it roughly came together.(A food processor I am sure, can anytime do a better job here)
• Take out the mixture; pull together to form a dough; knead briefly to make it smooth. The dough in itself is quite tasty, resist the temptation to eat it as is and carry on with the rest of the procedure:-))
• Roll into logs (I made 4 small round logs) wrap in cling wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

•  Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C / 375 degrees F.
• You will need 2-3 un-greased cookie trays.(the dough has quite a lot of butter and oil from the walnuts, so the release will not be a problem) I have used my largest rectangular cake tin, reused it.
• Take logs out , slice 1/4″ apart. Push a coffee bean firmly in the center of each cookie. Roll the edges of a few in the remaining coffee if you wish. (If your cookies do not get a good round shape when sliced like the one on the bottom, extreme right, just shape it holding it gently but firmly and shape it against your palm)
• Place the cookies slightly apart as they will expand a little as they bake.

Bake for about 10 minutes till the cookies are light brown in color. Your house will now be smelling gorgeous, filled with the aroma of coffee and butter. So, the cookies may get you sudden visiting neighbors;-)

The baking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of the cookies, so try to keep the cookies size uniform and keep watching closely for the first batch. The cookies will feel slightly soft (but not too soft) when they are done. They will continue to cook and harden slightly on the cookie tray when removed form the oven, so take care not to over bake or they will become too hard.

• Once the cookies are done, remove the tray from the oven, allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a couple of minutes. Once cool, gently remove from the tray.
• Cool completely on cookie racks. Store in airtight tins.

  
  

  If you want a milder coffee flavor, use 2 teaspoons coffee and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. 
  
  
  

  
  

These cookies are supposed to stay good for a month (if you do not add milk). Well, we may not be able to test this at all as its highly unlikely that these cookies will remain uneaten for so long:-)).

These cookies are being sent to Champa's Bake-Off

need something yummy to make for dinner?

try this delish baked potato soup - i recently posted the recipe on my recipe blog a few scrumptious things. or your could try jelissa's bbq chicken pizza...it looks amazing.

juuuuust a few ideas.

Caramelized Popcorn

Ingredients :

Unsalted Popcorn : 3 cups
Jaggery : 1/2 cup


Method :

Mix the jaggery and water. The amount of water should be just enough to soak the jaggery and make syrup of soft ball consistency. Combine the popcorn and jaggery syrup and mix very well. Let it cool completely and serve as a time pass snack.

For the basic popcorn recipe, refer here.

harrypotterparty.

i know i can't shut up about it but i have to say it one more time, i love harry potter. so imagine my delight when i got an invite in the mail from my dear friends kat and kalie {the most fabulous party planners in the world} for a hogwarts christmas dinner! and then kat asked me to make cupcakes {cauldron cakes} for the party...i was in heaven. cupcakes+hp+dinner party+bffs=fabulous. and it truly was perfect, complete with all the harry potter fixings - cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, butter beer, pumpkin juice, wands, acid pops, and a delicious feast.

i loved it. and will try really hard to stop talking about harry. i promise.

Champa's Guest Post On My Blog

SHE IS IN LOVE WITH YEAST, big time! And yeast loves her to submission. You get the picture..You give her a set of ingredients and she will transform it into a wonderful loaf. In all the 5 plus years she has been baking breads,  there have been only a couple of occasions when she has bought bread from the store. Can you beat this??

She is an extremely efficient homemaker, mother of two little girls and an IT professional who works from home - out of her kitchen to be precise. Yes, she writes SQL programmes in her huge kitchen while her breads and cakes bake.

She has over 280 recipes  in her more than a year old blog, recipes from breads to mousses, cakes, cookies, desserts, Indian recipes etc and a series on cake decorating as well. She is a certified Wilton cake decorator to boot!! She has a voracious appetite for baking and she has a whopping collection of over 100 cooking and baking books. Her passion for baking, breads in particular is very inspiring. So many people (me included) find working with yeast intimidating and Champa has inspired so many of us to strike up a camaraderie with the yeast beast, introducing us to the pleasure of baking gourmet bread at home.

She would, in her college days, travel in a bus instead of an auto, just so that she could eat the Aloo buns at the bakery. Hahaha, now isn't she is a true, true foodie? Her zest for baking is really commendable. Even when she was advised bed rest during her pregnancy and allowed to stand only for short periods of time at intervals, she has managed to bake bread!

I love her blog, Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen for all those wonderful breads she has out there, the accuracy of the recipes, the helpful tips and possible variations for the same she suggests. Though almost all her breads are bookmarked, some of my must tries are Aloo Buns, Fatless Banana Choco Chip Bread, Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry bread, Sweet Ricotta Loaf, Vegan Whole Wheat Bread, Cream Cheese Sweet bread.. the list goes on and on...I love her extremely versatile basic white bread recipe which you would have seen here.

This lady, with the golden touch for baking breads has been my source of inspiration for getting started and keeping me going with yeast , a new but a ooh.so..wonderful acquaintance. Thanks so much Champa, keep baking, keep inspiring !!

I know, you are off to her blog now, but do come back for a drool-worthy, inspiring recipe from the Bangalore Baker shortly.

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Tips for making best Waffles

Ingredients:

Flour, Milk, Sugar, Eggs, Salt, Vanilla. The many varieties of waffles comes from the additives to the batter, or toppings added when served. Other than that, they are basically the same.

The Batter

Tip 1:

The batter should have regularity similar to gravy. This may call for more or less of the milk called for in the recipe. Only experience will tell you when it looks right. Don't worry though; you will still get good waffles. They just may be a little thin if your batter is too thin. And if too thick, they will be a little chewy, but still good.

Many recipes call for a little oil in the batter. Some do not. You should always put about 1/2 tablespoon of oil (cooking oil/vegetable oil) in your batter. It helps develop the outer crust. It does not matter if you make your waffles crisp and crusty or if you cook them soft like pancakes, the oil is needed.

Tip 2:

DO NOT BEAT THE BATTER VIGOROUSLY! This makes tough, chewy waffles. Gently stir the batter only long enough to thoroughly moisten the dry ingredients. Do not worry about the small lumps in the batter. You will never know they were there after the waffles are cooked.

Your Waffle Iron (Griddle):

Tip 1:

This may seem to be a "no brainer", but I have seen so many people pour their batter in a waffle iron that they turned on 1 minute earlier. The batter will not rise properly in an iron that is not fully up to temp. You will get heavy, flat waffles. Most waffle irons today have lights that tell you when the iron has reached cooking temperature. If you do not have such lights on your waffle iron, be sure to allow it to heat up at least ten minutes.

Tip 2:

Manufacturers of waffle irons direct you not to use cooking spray on your iron. Yes, I know, it is suitable and it seems to work well to prevent sticking, but the manufacturer’s state that, over time, spray will damage the non-stick surface of your griddle. Instead, you should use a vegetable oil (Crisco works well). Just take a basting brush or a paper towel and cover the surface lightly with oil. Your waffle iron will last much longer and Crisco seems to make a better crust on the waffles.

Vanilla and Sugar:

Unless you are making some exotic, jalapeno waffle, always add a touch of sugar and a little vanilla to your batter. Many recipes do not list sugar or vanilla in their ingredients. But it will add that little extra "something" you can not identify...and it is so good.

Eggs

No matter what kind of waffles you are making, always add beaten egg whites. You can add the yolks or not, but beaten egg whites are necessary to light waffles. The egg whites should be beaten until stiff (like whipped cream) and then gently folded into the batter as the last step.

Check our recipes and use these few easy tips and your next waffles will be the "best" waffles.

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thankgiving.

thanksgiving was lovely this year. my mom made the most delicious meal - i was so sad when i was full after like 5 minutes. and the see's chocolate turkeys were the perfect favor. i can't wait to munch mine. oh, and i made my very first pie. not bad, not bad at all.

after our fabulous meal we headed up to park city to meet isaac's family for our fun tradition of spending the night, eating yummy food and shop shop shopping {see my recap of last year here}. we went to the midnight madness at the outlets and scored big time. 50% of j. crew and banana republic! i was in heaven and got some amazing pieces for quite the steal.

dear thanksgiving,

you were quite the holiday this year. thank you.

love,

emma.

Asparagus Thoran (Curried Stir-fry)

Asparagus is supposed to be one of those negative calorie vegetables - which means that it takes more calories to digest than the calories it actually contains. Well, that's definitely an added bonus, given that this herb is rich in essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. So, I couldn't resist trying to make something interesting and spicy with it. Beans thoran being one of my favorites, it inspired me to put it to similar use.

Ingredients: (serves 3)

asparagus - 1 bunch (about 50 spears, chopped fine)
grated coconut - 3 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
carom seeds - 1 tsp
ginger - 1 inch piece
red chillies - 5
turmeric powder - a pinch
salt - 3/4 tsp (adjust according to taste)

Method:

Soak coconut, cumin and carom seeds in water for half an hour. Pulse in food processor along with red chillies and peeled ginger. Cook chopped asparagus with salt and turmeric powder for about five minutes. Pour the coconut mixture on top and cook covered for a few more minutes, until the asparagus is cooked.

Notes:
1. While chopping asparagus, the thick, whitish end needs to be removed.
2. Add very little water to make the coconut mixture, just enough to make a thin paste. Excess water might have to be drained, causing loss of nutrients, or will make it soggy.
3. Use warm water to soak the seeds and coconut, to reduce the soak time.
4. Ginger paste (1/2 tsp) can be used instead of ginger.

What's your favourite?

Quality Street are synonymous with Christmas and I know in our house the fight was always over two sweets. The green triangle (mums favourite) and the purple one (my favourite) - we used to watch other family members like hawks making sure they didn't take our favourite. Hardly the festive spirit I know but I'm sure most families are the same.

So, when I was trying to think of festive Christmas cupcakes for Cupcake Club, organised by Kelly from An American Cupcake in London, one of my first ideas was, the purple one. For those who don't know the purple one is a caramel filled chocolate with a hazelnut inside.

The cake is Mary Berry's Devils Food Cake in cupcake form, which I've made several times before and is one of the easiest and tastiest chocolate cakes I've found to make.

I then took a chunk out of the cooled cupcakes with my trusty apple corer, and filled it with dulce de leche and a roasted hazelnut. I nearly set fire to the house making the dulce de leche as I forgot about the tin and it very nearly boiled dry. I'm doubtful my lovely Lakeland milk pan will never recover but it tastes divine so was (kinda) worth it.

Now I could've taken the obvious route and just covered them in lashings of gorgeous caramel frosting, but I wanted to make the frosting something festive also. And what is more festive than my favourite Winter tipple, Baileys! So the frosting is basically butter, icing sugar and lashings, and lashings of Baileys. I have a feeling one of these cupcakes will put you over the limit for driving so if you're coming to Cupcake Club be warned!
Also I only got 7 purple ones in a whole tin of Quality Street so if you want one topped with a sweetie you'd better be quick. If not you'll have to make do with a glitter one!

Topped with some festive glitter

My second cupcake for the evening is my winning cupcake from Cupcake Camp in October - the sprout cupcake.

Fresh out of the oven

I slightly altered the recipe from last time, adding more cinnamon, a bit less raisins and more coconut and walnuts as I prefer those. If anyone wants the recipe I shall post it up.

The cupcake that is one of your five a day

I then topped it with a cream cheese and cinnamon frosting and a sprout for decoration. Don't worry it was just for the photos - I wont force anyone to eat a raw sprout. Nor will I force anyone to eat the sprout cupcake. I'm only bringing 4-6 along with me, solely for those who want to try it!

The sprout cake in all its naked glory

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One last pumpkin dance

So winter is well and truly here

And yet I still have one more pumkin recipe for you. It's the ultimate pumpkin recipe really, as it is the one I grew up with. As I am at my parents' house in Eastbourne, and there has been a pumpkin sitting in the kitchen since the last time I was here (in September!) which my mum didn't know what to do with, I thought I'd take advantage and remind her about a childhood dish that she used to always make for me at this time of year when we were still living in Poland, and for a time after we moved too. She wasn't sure if she remembered how to make it anymore, but it turned out that her hands had a memory of their own thankfully, so the Polish pumkin soup will live on after all. This is a pumpkin soup with a difference though, because it's sweet and eaten for breakfast

  

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin

150-200g flour

1 egg

700ml milk

1tsp salt

1tblsp sugar

Water

 

Sorry about the photo up there, my mum decided to make the "zacierki" when I was asleep and take the photo herself, and unfortunately it turned out fuzzy. Let me start off by explaining the concept of "zacierki" - they are a cross between little pasta shapes and dumplings, and you can use them in a variety of dishes. They are an integral part of the Polish pumpkin soup. You make them by combining the flour and egg with a little water and forming a dough ball. The dough ball is ready when it stops being sticky and falls away from your hand - just add more flour if it's too sticky. At this point, you have a choice about whether to make the "zacierki" yourself by ripping little bits of the dough ball to form little maggotty shapes - sorry for the comparison, that really is the only way I can think of to exactly describe the size and shape of the thing. Or, if you have time, then you can do what my mum did and put the dough ball in the freezer. Then, once it is hard and you are ready to cook, you take it out and grate it, as shown on the photo. For the actual soup, you cook the pumpkin chunks in a little water until soft, which can take up to 20min. In a separate pan, you cook the "zacierki" in the milk, which takes about 5min. Then, you combine the two, adding sugar and salt to taste

 

It's a really lovely, comforting soup, but then when you have grown up with something, I guess it always is comforting. It may actually taste unusual to a different palate, especially a British one, but anyhow, if you're adventurous, then it's worth giving it a go, because it is something a bit different... I am starting a course of antibiotics today - whopee! It may be a strange thing to get excited about, but I haven't slept properly for a week, and I want my life back. There's some horrible bugs going around out there, so keep warm and look after yourself!

May the force be with you

I was asked to put together a guest blogger Christmas Wish List by Rebecca of I Wanna Be a Domesitic Goddess and while looking for items I wanted I came across these and couldn't resist sharing them for all you sci fi fans out there.

First up the Star Wars cupcake kits.

They come in a choice of two - Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance. I'd get the Galactic Empire ones as they  have the Stormtroopers, and they're my favourite.

As well as cupcake kits there are, Star Wars cookie cutters.

Star Wars pancake molds

And perhaps most awesome of all, after the cupcake kits of course, the Darth Vader spatula.

He's not very fearsome as a flexible spatula is he? Although when he came to our school, as the Green Cross Code man in the 70's he wasn't either. More sparkly than scary thanks to his silver outfit!

Lets hope they make Ewok cupcake kits next - they were always my favourite.

The Lalit Ashok, Food Tasting And Foodie Blogger Friends... Jab We Finally Met !

 When Deeba sent me a message on FaceBook if I had a list of Bangalore Food Bloggers, excitement shook off my post-lunch languor.  I managed to make a small list and mailed it to Deeba..she quickly put me in touch with Tinky, PR Executive, Perfect Relations, a company which is into image management . Was thrilled to get an invite to the 2nd Brand Anniversary Celebrations of the LaLit Suri Hospitality Group. This included an invite to the Golf Tournament at the Bangalore Golf Course, dinner and Food Bloggers event at the OKO, the Pan Asian roof top restaurant. The Lalit Ashok, needs absolutely no introduction, being one the oldest and very famous 5 Star hotels in Bangalore.

A meet for Bangalore food bloggers was too good an opportunity to miss. After all, not everybody can relate to food obsession and passion more than fellow bloggers can... don't you agree?? And bonding over good food, in a great setting is something, me as a true-blue foodie can never resist. Food, I sincerely believe, is the best way to bond. I was sure there were more bloggers than what I had in  my list. Madhuri of Cook-Curry Nook very efficiently provided me with the details of more bloggers and  we had a list of about 30 plus Bangalore food bloggers. All women!! (Apologies if I have missed anybody here!). Unfortunately, due to short notice and prior commitments, the majority could not make it and it was just a handful of us finally turning up. Hope to meet the rest of the community some time soon.

Having interacted only virtually so far, we finally met!!!! And what a whale of a time we had...

  

This will sound like a paragraph from of a newspaper...from left to right, that's me, Shubhada of Shubhada 123's Blog, Madhuri of  Cook-Curry Nook, Ramya of Mane Adige and Geeta of The Fragnant Kitchen.

The warm and soothing ambiance, replete with colorful fresh flowers and the fragrance of the aromatic candles made my wait for my fellow bloggers a very pleasant wait. We were all ushered to the terrace where the OKO is and we were greeted by the smiling, cheerful Chef. The view of the al fresco seating area was beautiful with the subdued lighting, the pristine comfy couches, the warmth of the ambiance taking away a bit of the chill in the air.

Looks magical...doesn't it??

The efficient and courteous staff took the orders for our drinks and we chatted away nineteen to the dozen... about food, kids and girl talk. Tinky played the perfect hostess, making sure we were comfortable. Japanese food!!  Not much of an adventurous eater,  I admit that this was the first time ever I was about to sample Japanese food. A moment of panic and we requested Tinky for vegetarian fare as all of us were vegetarians. And the Chef made sure we got some delicious vegetarian food. Thank you Chef!!

A view of the bar...

We sampled some Sushi and Assorted Mushrooms with Malaysian Spices.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Char Grilled Okra in Teriyaki Sauce and Tofu with Vietnamese Spices which was mildy spiced skewered  tofu and unabashedly asked for second servings.  Eventually we had eaten quite a lot of the starters and had to remind ourselves that the main course was still to be eaten. And we got so carried away talking away and relishing the starters, we missed the subtle hints the staff threw at us about the dinner being served. 

The elegant restaurant...

A walk down to the restaurant told us that we would have to wait for a few minutes. As it was already quite late by that time, food was served to us at the seating area near the bar. Though I was almost full, ate a few spoonfuls of the Tom Kha Phak (Thai style soup with coconut milk, flavored with kafir lime leaves). Some of the delicious Wok tossed noodles with vegetables and some Nasi Goreng and I was scared I would not be able to budge out of the seat:)).

My sweet tooth wouldn't let me skip sampling the desserts.  Sweet Azuki Bean Jelly, a selection of exotic fresh fruit and a couple of bite sized pastries satiated my sugar cravings. It was a pleasing meal, but felt that the dessert options could have been more of authentic Pan Asian cuisine. I would have hugely appreciated more of choices in the vegetarian menu for the main courses as well.

Thanks to The Lalit Ashok for inviting us, it was a lovely evening and we had a memorable time. Thanks Tinky for bringing us all together for that fun evening, looking forward to more such meets. 

Chilakada Dumpala Kobbari Vepudu ~ Sweet Potato and Coconut Fry

Ingredients :
Chopped Sweet Potato : 1 cup
Dry Coconut Powder : 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 1 tbsp
A big pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method : Wash, peel and chop the sweet potato into small pieces and set aside. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the chopped sweet potato and turmeric powder and mix well. Cover with a lid and let them cook for till soft. Stir occasionally. Open the lid and fry until light golden color. Add the dry coconut powder, red chilli powder and salt and fry for few seconds. Turn off the heat and serve with hot steamed rice.

Other Names : Chilagada Dumpa Kobbari Karam, Sweet Potato and Coconut Fry.

a little gift guide.

hooray for the day after thanksgiving! let the christmas shopping begin! {i'm almost done...feels so good} i loooove it when my favorite bloggers do gift guides and the other night while doing a little online shopping i thought "hey! i should do my own little gift guide!" and here you have it. some of my favorite picks for under $25!

1. old navy printed flannel lounge pants $15
2. the complete magnolia bakery cookbook $13
3. forever 21 sparkle nighttime clutch $8
4. frenchie dot tights $12
5. carole flower stud earrings $6
6. essie nail polish four-pack $20
7. old navy ruffled keyhole top $25
8. gap pom pom slippers $25

i may or may not be working on my favorites for under $50...it's a secret.

Gutti Vankaya Ulli Karam ~ Stuffed Eggplant with Onion

Ingredients :

Eggplants : 6
Onions : 2
Tamarind Pulp : 1 tsp
Ginger : 1 inch piece
Garlic Pods : 1 or 2
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 to 1 tsp
Salt to taste
A big pinch of turmeric
Oil : 2 tbsp

Method :

Grind the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, salt, red chilli powder, tamarind pulp and turmeric powder to a paste. Heat a table spoon of oil in a pan. Add and fry the onion mixture for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool. Wash the eggplants and make a plus shape slit and set aside. Heat a table spoon of oil in a wide pan, add the eggplants and close the lid and let it cook completely. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. Stuff the eggplants with fried onion mixture and serve with hot steamed rice.

give thanks.

{image}

happy thanksgiving!!! i truly love this holiday. i myself have to work this morning, but will be off just in time to have a big dinner with my family and then head up to park city for the weekend. can't wait!

i have loved reading what everyone is thankful for recently, and now it's my turn to share a few things that make my life so so happy.

my isaac.
my family.
my job.
my sweet sweet friends.
my heavenly father and the wonderful gospel i belong to.

have a happy day!

Nuvvu Chimmili ~ White Sesame seeds and Jaggery Laddu

( నువ్వుల చిమ్మిలి )
Ingredients :

White Sesame Seeds : 1 cup
Grated Jaggery : 3/4 cup


Method :

Dry roast the sesame seeds till it becomes light golden color and let it cool completely. Grind the sesame seeds into powder and add the soft jaggery. Grind the sesame seeds powder and jaggery together. Divide into equal portions and shape them into round balls.

Other Names: Nuvvundalu, Nuvvula Chimmili, Nuvvu Pappu Chimmili, Noopappu Undalu, Till Laddu, Sesame Seeds Laddu.

half shifts blow chunks.

i worked my first shift alone yesterday - it was crazy. i worked a half shift {1 pm-7 pm} because i had my nurse residency class in the morning and you would think a half shift would be nice and easy. um, no. every time i work the last 6 hours of the day shift i want to scream and cry. it is always so crazy. i wish i could share with you the insanity that happened {i almost got punched...thank goodness for male coworkers} but something about patient confidentiality keeps ringing in the back of my mind. okay, i'm done complaining. i really do love my job.

today i'm planning on spend the entire day in, there is no way i'm facing the last minute thanksgiving shoppers/the icy icy cold snow. no way. two things i do not like. my plans include continuing my harry potter fest {i'm almost done with book 1}, baking some pumpkin snickerdoodles to take to work tomorrow {i'm working another half shift! at least it's the front half or i might cry}, baking a pecan pie for my lover boy/fam to enjoy on thanksgiving, and possible putting up my christmas decor - minus the tree. yay!

i love thanksgiving. the end.

Kuchen ist sehr gut

Thursday was our first day in Berlin and after some breakfast at the local butchers and a loooooong walk to a record store, in the rain, that wasn't open (grrrr),  we headed to Cupcake for some sustenance, a sit down and a hot drink.

This was my 3rd visit to Cupcake in Berlin and it certainly won't be my last as every time I visit I fall in love with it a little more.

I opted for the Elvis - a double chocolate cake topped with peanut butter (and banana?) frosting. The cupcake was amazingly moist and the frosting was some of the tastiest I've had. I'm not sure how they made the frosting taste so incredibly light when its peanut butter, which can be a bit  heavy, but it was awesome. Which is good as the cupcake was slathered in lashings of the frosting! Not that I was complaining!

hmmmmm lashings of delish frosting

Cookies n Cream - magnificent

Manny as usual was tempted by the chocolatey'ist cupcake he spotted, the Hot Chocolate, but resisted and went for something different, the cookies 'n' cream. I tried a smidgen of the frosting, as much as I could grab before losing a finger and it was really nice and again very light and tasty.

Manny looks rather happy considering he's not slept in 24 hours!

We stayed about 10 minutes walk away from Cupcake for 5 days and had planned to make it back again to sample some more of their lovely cakes, but alas too much of this...,

Usurper of Proclamation*

Schofferhofer, and this...

Glühwein at AlexanderPlatz Berlin

We didn't get time to pop by for more of these...

Damn it! I really wanted to try a Raspberry Beret, and maybe a Peppermint Party!

We will however be back, probably next year for Nuclear War Now festival. If you're in Berlin I highly recommend popping into Cupcake! Not on do they do cupcakes, but cheesecakes, brownies and a selection of vegan goodies too. Also where else in Berlin can you buy Heinz beans on toast?

*In my opinion an hour staring at Usurper from Proclamation makes up for the lack of cupcakes, however others may disagree!