Maple Walnut Squares

The ground hog has long woken up, it means Spring is at our door. And when one says "Spring," I think "Maple."

At last, it is now maple season! Whether you have already been to the sugar shack or not, you should not hold yourself from this treat! Thinking that it might be too sweet? Try it yourself and let me know!


Alright, less talk.

Timeline:
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 32-35 minutes
Time ready: 2 hours

Ingredients:
(base)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup butter (soften to room temperature)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

(top filling)
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven at 350°F.
2. In a mixer, combine the soft butter and brown sugar. Beat to maximum speed until it becomes fluffy, and then add milk to the combination. This step should take 6 to 8 minutes.
3. When the mix is combined to the butter and milk, add the oatmeal and all-purpose flour and beat at medium speed. This will be the cookie base dough.
4. In a 8"x8" baking pan, place a baking sheet and work the cookie base dough on. Evenly spread the dough and gently press to make it firm and not hard. Then use a fork to pierce the dough.
5. Bake the dough for 20 minutes.
6. While waiting for the cookie base to bake, chop the walnut and mix it with egg, brown sugar and maple syrup.
7. When the cookie base is ready, spread the maple walnut filling on top and spread it evenly. Put it back to the oven and bake it for 12-15 minutes or until the filling looks dry on the surface.
8. After taking the maple walnut bakery out, use a knife to run around the base so that it will be easy to remove later. While it is still hot, it is the right time to cut the bakery -- either squares or diamond (like I did in the picture). Let it sit for an hour and it will be ready to serve.

Good luck and enjoy! 

Wake-You-Up Coffee Rum Balls - No Added Sugar

There was chocolate chip and a LOT of broken cookies at home. I didn't want to make chocolate cookies or anything that looked too... "Normal." So I took the initiative to integrate ingredients with stronger tastes and interesting flavours. So this is how I came up with a rum ball recipe that is adaptable to many people's palate.

There is no sugar added to the ingredients. The sweetness comes from the semi-sweet chocolate, the cookies and the rum. So this is how I would describe the taste: chocolatey, not too sweet, not too rum-y, very coffee-y and most of all... coconut-y!

FYI, I recently got a new camera, and somehow, suddenly, pictures don't look the same as in the past. It just saves me from Photoshop editing time!

Alright, less talk.

Ingredients:

350g semi-sweet chocolate chips
75g (5 tbsp) heavy cream
25g (2 1/2 tbsp) rum
10g (2 tbsp) coffee beans
25 g (2 1/2 tbsp) coconut powder
8 to 10 graham, social tea or any kind of cookies you have at home
1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. In a bain-marie, melt the chocolate with milk
2. Mash the coffee beans with the cookies. If you don't like it rustic, you can always grind the coffee.

3. Add in some coconut powder. If you don't have powder, you can add shredded dry coconut as a replacement, but not that the taste and texture will be more coconut-y at the end.
4. When the chocolate is well melted and mixed to the heavy cream, add in the rum and mix well.
5. When the rum is well incorporated in the chocolate, add in the dry ingredient mix. Stir well.

6. Remove the ingredients from the bain-marie and start shaping into balls.
7. When the balls are shaped, place them in the fridge for 1 hour so that they solidify and preserve its form.
8. In a bowl, place 1 tbsp of cocoa powder. Place the cooled rum balls in the bowl and shake to distribute the cocoa powder evenly.

9. Let it sit overnight for the rum to settle. And at last, it is ready to serve.

Good luck and enjoy!