Bake with Kids

Hot Chocolate in a Stick – Edible gift idea

December 10, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

Rich and decadent, with just four ingredients, hot chocolate in a stick just takes minutes to make. However, it is devoured slowly and cozily. Perfect for the holidays.

It’s a delicious combo of different kinds of chocolate, condensed milk, with a touch of coffee too.

I saw this on Pinterest a couple of years ago and had pinned it, and I finally decided to make it this year. Here is the original idea Inakatrinakitchen. What a delicious idea, and it’s so great for edible gifts.

‘Tis the season of giving, of togetherness and support. A sensitive subject I’d like to touch upon during this season of giving is giving credit….

BEST Coffee-Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Mascarpone cream

December 4, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

Get your caffeine fix with these super moist, flavorful, eggless coffee chocolate cupcakes, topped with caramel mascarpone cream. It’s my favorite recipe, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser for the upcoming holiday parties.

Say Hello to the best coffee chocolate cupcakes that I’ve made. The exact recipe that I’ve been making for the last many years, and one of the first recipes I posted on this blog, was this CUPCAKE. The frosting is a beautiful, delicately flavored cream which holds well with a touch of mascarpone. The coffee is pronounced, but not bitter, and will not keep you up :). It’s a coffee lover’s dream….

Pecan Coconut Chocolate Cookies

November 18, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

These pecan coconut chocolate pie cookies are inspired by the famous pecan pie, and they are oh so good.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

It’s a perfect early evening, with a glass of apple sangria in hand by the fire place, listening to Al Green.

The weather’s been a bit muggy last week, and it oddly makes me happy. I enjoy bundling up and not moving around in this weather. That’s also maybe because I am a hermit :). It’s finally feeling like the holidays are approaching….

Rhubarb-Pistachio Mini Cakes & A Giveaway!

May 1, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

These Rhubarb Pistachio Cakes are made with olive oil, and can be made in a cake pan or mini muffin tins like this. The rich pistachios combined with cardamom make for a tasty, addictive treat. Thanks to Revol for sending me some of their pretty pieces.

Happy May!!

A favorite month of mine, mother’s day and a special birthday.

As spring is setting in, I immediately dream of warm days, long evening walks, and vacations. Light sunny days, and mildly cool nights. I struggle to choose between Autumn and Spring; I love them both.

Subconsciously, salads make more of an appearance. My humongous cane fruit basket is filled with fruits and summery melons. There are rolling hills to one side, and strawberry and vegetable patches to the other. I stop by every week at the local farm, and the guy fondly asks how the kids are and gives me an extra basket of strawberries.…

Matcha No-bake Cheesecake bars flavored with cardamom

February 24, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

This time it’s this beautiful, luscious, simply easy, smooth cheesecake with a hint of this naturally enhancing matcha and a rich cardamom flavor hidden. Add the Toffifay, the caramel hazelnut chocolate treat to elevate the dessert. One bite of this will make you want to stop and think of every little thing you have just experienced. Then you might not want to stop at one slice:)

For the love of chocolate, Matcha and all things pretty.

For me the end of winter is all about open windows, fresh chilly air, full of grassy smell and leaves scattered everywhere. The mild heat from the fireplace spreading around, and snow on the mountain tops slowly melting away. Water dripping from the windowsill, a strong desire to wear a lacy dress and wander the vintage streets, camera in one hand to take pictures of the beautiful green mountains. A hope for something new, something fresh and something beautiful.

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5 Deliciously EASY CAKES for Mother’s Day

May 3, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Hi my friends,

Some parts of the world celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend.

“What do you want for Mother’s Day?” asked my little one. To that I thought for a few minutes, and responded, “Nothing, I just want to sit at home, on my couch, in my pajamas, all day, watching movies, eating junk, and most of all, no one asking me anything. Lastly, I don’t want a messy kitchen!” I added quite sternly.

He looked at me like, I just wanted to know what to make for you. Oh, well.

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Pizzelle – Brown Butter – Almond Pizzelle

December 22, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

In the words of my teen…….

It was a dark winter night. There was rain dripping outside, but it was only a pitter-patter. The night was tranquil, and in my room, I felt sluggish. In this mood, I pondered over the question I was asked time and time again. “What do you want for Christmas? Tell me.”

At first I was so irked by that question. But then, thinking about it, I realized I was being unfair. It was a sweet, endearing question that I had rebuffed every single time. On my bed, about to sleep, I thought about that question. A few weeks ago, he had won a $100 Amazon gift card after winning a cricket championship, and without question was spending it on Christmas presents for the family. Without regret, he kept smiling and asking me what I wanted for Christmas.

I sat up and was really in awe. We admonished him for not keeping a secret and even not to bother us much. It was such a selfless thing for someone to do, and after all, he is only 10 years old. Of course, we will love the gifts, but none of us will ever forget the thought and selflessness of this little boy, our baby bear. I’m so proud of my little brother – we all are – who truly has the spirit of giving, the spirit of the holidays within him.

5.0 from 6 reviews

Pizzelles - Brown Butter - Almond Pizzelles

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

8 mins

These crispy thin cookies make great cones for ice cream or sandwich cookies or plain with some tea.

Author: Ash

Serves: 24

Ingredients

4 egg whites at room temperature
⅔ cup coconut sugar or plain white granulated sugar
3-4 drops almond extract(optional)
⅓ tsp vanilla extract
⅓ tsp salt
⅓ cup almond flour
⅓ cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp browned butter or melted butter
Few tbsp of melted butter

Instructions

Preheat the pizzelle maker.
In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites with sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract and salt. Whip for a minute until lightly frothy.
Add the almond and all purpose flour and the melted butter and mix everything until well combined.
Brush the pizzelle maker with some butter and pour a tbsp of the batter and cover, cook for 3 minutes.
Take it out and put it on a cooling rack. It gets crispier very quick, so if you plan to make a cone, make it immediately before pouring the next batch.
You can store these in an air tight container and stays for long.

Notes

Few Options:
You can make these gluten free by substituting the all purpose flour with coconut flour, buckwheat flour or oat flour. You will be compromising a bit on the taste but not a lot.
Here you can even substitute the butter with coconut oil or vegetable oil. Again the butter is a great flavor inducer.
You can add coconut flakes, chocolate chips, powdered spices, grated orangerind and lemon for the extra flavoring.
Once cool, pack in airtight containers and they stay good for a while.
TIPS TO MAKE A PERFECT PIZZELLE:
Make sure to brush some melted butter on both sides of the griddle before pouring the batter.
Do not pour a lot or a little. A tablespoon is good.
Let the pizzelle heat up and turn to green light before you add another batch of batter. That way it will cook well.
After it cooks, always put it on a cooling rack so that it crisps up.

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Happy Holidays and a Very Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

How is your Prep coming along? Big plans for New Years Eve? Wow it’s almost 2016!!

I am overcome with gratitude and filled with happiness for the support you have shown me over the years. I’ve always loved hearing from you and learning about you. I’m always excited to share a small piece of our lives. Thank you all for reading, and your never-ending kindness and responses.

Thank you. Love and Hugs.

Asha

Sesame-Almond Apple Cake

November 19, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Have you ever asked yourself, “If I were to re-live the last 10 years, would I do some things different?” I definitely ask myself that sometimes.

We rush to achieve perfection in everything, and try to juggle a ton of stuff when all we can do is manage one. After all, we are just human. I would like to change small things. I didn’t have to vacuum everyday. I didn’t have to buy that perfect gift and drive around 4 hours to find one. I really didn’t have to eat that whole bag of chips (although I enjoyed it then). I would’ve loved to visit family back in India more often.

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Coconut-Cashew-Chocolate Fudge/Ladoo – Quick 30 minute recipe

September 15, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

This Chocolate Coconut Ladoo is a must-make Diwali sweet. It’s an instant 10 minute recipe that is easy, impressive and your friends will leave with the recipe for sure. It’s no wonder the recipe is such a huge crowd pleaser!

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi to all who celebrate!!

It is one of the biggest festivals of India this week. It is the birth of Ganesha, the Elephant God. To me, I love the vibes that this festival brings. I’m enamored with the colors and the mood it creates.

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Instant Savory Vegetable Cake- Handvo

July 29, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

It is probably the 5557th time he has asked me, “What time is the flight landing?” The baby bear of our home is a big fan of his dad. He calls themselves “the twins.” To him, his dad can’t do anything wrong or say anything wrong. His trust and love for him is unparalleled. When I am cross, it doesn’t take him a moment more to say I was wrong. He’s around his dad every minute possible. He’s the biggest fan of his dad, and takes every word his dad says to heart, and those are the final words. Imagine a kid who sounds squeaky and loud going daddy, daddy this, daddy that. It can get quite annoying, but it’s too cute for us not to smile.

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