Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s been a very long time, about 9 months, since I last posted. I am sorry, but I do have a good excuse for my absence. So much has happened during this time, and the big news is that almost 4 months ago I delivered a healthy baby girl. Lately I’ve missed the blog a lot and my intention is to get back to it and post as much as I can given my very busy halal-mama-of-five life.

You may not be very excited about another chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I am. I did not grow up eating and baking cookies of any kind. We are cake people. You crave something in the afternoon, you bake a cake and brew some coffee to have with it. However, since I have five kids and live in this country, I feel I should learn how to make cookies for bake sales and classroom parties. I had never, until now, made satisfactory chocolate chip cookies. For some reason they would always turn out very thin and crispy.

With Ramadan coming early this year, I feel pressed to learn fast some good cookie recipes to have some around for that time. I decided to start with a basic one by Dorie Greenspan as I have always been lucky with her recipes. Sure enough, it is a winner. So, here it is for you. Hope you come back soon to check new recipes that I am looking forward to sharing. As always, I would very much appreciate hearing from you here or via email, which I promise to go back to checking frequently again.

Mango Bread (Fresh Mango Loaf Cake)

As you have probably already noticed I have a thing for fruit cakes, especially those with lemon. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate. I really do...especially Swiss chocolate with nuts. But, quite honestly, I am not too crazy about chocolate cake. I am still searching for a chocolate cake that will inspire me. If and when I stumble across something interesting, I promise to write about it.

Citrus-berry Terrine

As you know my kids love fruit and eat tons of it for breakfast, snacks and after meals. They also like jello, halal only of course. I don’t make it as frequently as they would like as I am not much of a fan. So it is not hard to imagine why this dessert has become a favorite in my house even with my husband.

Banana Ice Cream

There can never be enough bananas in the house for my boys who love all kinds of fruit. But for some reason this week, either because they overlooked them or my husband bought just far more than they could possibly eat, some bananas got too ripe sitting in the fruit bowl.

Of course using these in cake or muffins are the first thing that came to my mind but then I remembered my recent trip to Brazil and the wonderful ice cream I had there. So I decided to make banana ice-cream. Can you tell I am still thinking wishfully of summer?

Rugelach

Since we have been posting quite a few healthy recipes lately, I thought it was time to post something sweet and rather decadent. Recently I decided to make rugelach since I had been craving these amazing cookies for awhile but hadn’t made them since… I guess, since last summer. Rugelach is quite easy to make but a bit time consuming as you have to refrigerate the dough twice during the process. This time around I made the dough in the evening and then put it in the refrigerator overnight and finished making the cookies in the short period of time the twins went to preschool. Part of the dough I kept in the fridge and part in the freezer. Although both worked fine, I thought the frozen portion worked a bit better as the dough tends to start getting too soft too easily. I took the dough out of the freezer and after about 20 minutes I was able to start working with it after first pummeling it a bit with a rolling pin.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake

by Jill



In the midst of a cold and dreary Chicago winter it's nice to eat a little something sunny to get you through the day. And what could be more sunny than a lemon cake? I love this recipe because it's sweet and super moist and the little bit of cornmeal added along with the flour gives it such a unique taste.

While I planned on whipping this together quickly to bring to a dinner party tonight, instead I baked quite leisurely while enjoying a brief afternoon with Katia as she filled me in on her recent vacation to Brazil where she and the kids enjoyed seeing family and having a rendez-vous with summer down there south of the Equator. It's always hard to leave a warm vacation spot to come back here to the Arctic but what lays much heavier on the heart is leaving the comfort and love of one's parents and extended family never to know when or if you'll see them again. My heart goes out to you, my friend. It's a heartache I share with you when I return from visiting my family as well. I truly get it. It's the half a life you leave behind that just pulls at you. I hope the little bit of sun we shared today in the form of good company and a sweet treat helped let a little light back into your heart.

Farmer Markets, a Brazilian tradition (Feiras) and Avocado Shake Recipe

These days many in the US are turning more and more toward buying fresh food from local farmers and neighborhood street markets. Brazilians have been doing this forever. Street markets, “feiras” as Brazilians call them, have always been where we shopped for much of our home goods. Sure, retail chain supermarkets are increasingly gaining in popularity for the same reasons of convenience they've always been a hit in the US, but feiras are still are the preferred source of fresh produce for the majority of Brazilian homes.

All over Brazil, every neighborhood has a weekly street market that sells fresh produce, meat, poultry and fish, spices, and other things such as dairy products and flowers. As a child, I really enjoyed these visits to the feira with my mother because I couldn't wait to visit the lady that sold handmade clothes for my Barbie dolls.

White Chocolate Custard (Brigadeirão Branco)

It is wonderful to go back to the place you grew up and be together again with loved ones. Being with family is truly the best place to be!

And of course there is no family reunion without a lot of food, at least when it comes to my family. From my first meal back in Brazil I bring you a dessert prepared by Odete who has been helping my family for over 20 years. Her food is delicious and her desserts, amazing!

Chocolate Orange Mousse

Along the lines of the dessert-a-palooza that has taken over my blog, here is another Ina Garten recipe that I made for the Thanksgiving Day Potluck.

Lemon and Blackberry Olive Oil Cake

While I was never a super-dutiful blog follower, I did like to visit a few specific food blogs time and again. This was all before I began my own blog. Once I started blogging myself, I simply stopped being a blog consumer. I didn't do this consciously...rather, I had just simply stopped, totally unconscious of any reason why. Looking back, I initially figured I had gotten too busy. But then, the other day I was talkling about this with Jill and I realized more fully why I was avoiding the very blogs I used to enjoy perusing. I didn't want to somehow be influenced by them when commiserating on what to write about in my own blog. I would hate to subconsciously, out of some reverence for something I had come across, end up writing about something or photo-featuring something that someone else had already blogged. I always like to give credit where credit is due.

Almond Cake Roll with Dulce de Leche

This week was my first grader's first field trip to a pumpkin farm. He was very excited that I was leaving his twin brothers with a good friend so that I could come along with his class. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and the field trip to the patch was cancelled due to the crazy "Cyclone" that hit Chicago.

Dreamy Fig Ice Cream

As you certainly must know by now, one of the things I enjoy most when visiting new places is the more unusual food unique to each destination. And, believe me, Morocco has a lot more to offer beyond tagines and couscous.

Walnut Milk Fudge - Camafeu de Nozes

This is the last week of Ramadan so if I don’t have time to post again, Eid Mubarak! InshAllah I hope you and your families were able to reap the great rewards of this past most blessed month of Ramadan.

As our family gears up to celebrate the end-of-Ramadan holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, sweets are on my mind. Because, as we all know, you can't celebrate Eid without some serious dessert on hand. I thought this recipe would make a nice addition to your confection table. Called Camafeu de Nozes, literally translated as walnut cameo brooch, these Brazilian sweets are traditional at weddings and, where I grew up, at birthday parties as well. The inside is a walnut fudge (no chocolate) covered by fondant and decorated with a walnut. Served individually on candy cups (mini-muffin liners), these treats are both elegant and delicious.

Chibakias

Ramadan Mubarak! I haven’t posted in awhile as the last few weeks I spent in Morocco where quite busy. And, coming back home has been a bit hectic as well. But, regardless, I'm back!

There is nothing like Ramadan in Morocco. You just get swept up in all the excitement. As you can imagine, a lot of the day is spent cooking and the culmination of our hard work is always a wonderful Iftar filled with delicious treats. After Isha’a prayer, the streets are filled with people shopping, gathering at cafes and restaurants. Cities literally awake at sunset during Ramadan in Morocco.

Rice Pudding

Rizogalo in Greece, Budino di Riso in Italy, Arroz con leche in most Spanish speaking countries, Roz bil Halib in the Arab world - baked or boiled, these are all slight variations of simple, yet delicious rice pudding dessert. In Brazil every family has its own recipe and tricks for turning out this fabulous treat we call Arroz Doce but most always include the following main ingredients: milk, sugar, cinnamon and of course rice.

Brazilian Condensed Milk Flan

I must admit I wasn’t very happy when Brazil got disqualified from the World Cup. Not to worry though, I moved on by taking comfort in a dessert filled with fabulous childhood memories. A classic Brazilian Flan can lift anyone's spirits.

Coconut Custardy Cake

It is quite true that in the summer lighter meals are so much more appealing. I just wish these hot days similarly diminished my sweet tooth. But really, what could be better than a nice homemade cake after a day out at the pool? This is a great recipe for those sultry afternoons where nothing says summer better than coconut. This custardy coconut cake is so moist and seasonal that it makes you feel like you are in the tropics even if you actually are in the Midwest. The real beauty of this cake though is that you can simply throw all the ingredients in a blender, turn it out into a pan and bake - simple as that!

Fresh Fruit Tart

Recipe Updated!

Sorry for not posting anything in a week. Summer is a busy time for mamas. But stay on the lookout for new and delicious recipes coming this week to Halal Mama’s World Kitchen.

Yesterday I made this fresh fruit tart again but used a new tart shell and changed a bit the cream. The result was a much tastier and egg-free tart. So I have made changes to this recipe to reflect this new version.

One of my favorite things about the warm weather months is how perfect the timing is for fruit desserts! I made a festive fruit tart as one of my dessert options for last weekend's picnic. I love this fresh alternative for a summer dessert because you can top it off with a variety of favorite fruits of the season and it is always visually impressive.

Peach and Raspberry Crisp

My fondest food memories from childhood always included fun gatherings with family and friends. Most weekends we went away from São Paulo to the beach house but would still make it back to the city for Sunday lunch back at my grandmother's home. The whole family and many times friends too would gather for some Brazilian-style barbecue or for some of my grandmother’s delicious macarronada (pasta dish).