Coconut-Raspberry Jam Cookies

Its been a long time since I wanted to share this recipe with you all. What makes these cookies special or different from other thumbprint or jam n jelly cookies is the coconut. And they look so pretty ....I could not resist posting 'too many' pics of them .

The recipe is simple, you make the cookie dough, chill it , make cookie size balls , roll it in coconut , give them your thumbprints, drop the jam n bake them. You don't use any coconut extract/essence , the shredded coconut lends its flavour.



Ingredients:

3 sticks/1.5 cups of unsalted butter, at room temperature,
1 cup sugar,
1 tsp. vanilla extract,
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1/4 tsp.salt,
1 egg beaten with approx. 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut,
Raspberry jam

Method:

Sift together the flour and salt.

Cream together the butter and sugar until just combined using an electric/hand held mixer, add vanilla extract, the flour mixture and mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into small, walnut size balls.

Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop a little jam into each indentation. Bake in an preheated oven , at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

You can use any jam you like. Using different color jams like mango, grape or even mixed fruit will make a colorful presentation . Also if you dont find the sweetened shredded coconut, I have also tried these with dessicated coconut and it works just fine :)

These are all boxed and packed and shipped to Zlamushka's beautiful event Spoonful of Christmas

Its ME time :)

Before the labor day weekend Zlamushka tagged me for a MeMe. What happened then was, I went to Bar Harbor and then took a blogging break for Ramadan and since the time i started blogging again, this ones been a work in progress...... until Jeena tagged me :) I thought its high time i complete both the Memes.

SO first up, Zlamushka asked me to write about me / my qualities beginning with each letter corresponding to my middle name. I saw many of the fellow bloggers, due to certain reasons of course, took the liberty to use their own name, and I did the same (I hope its ok ....?...)

Realistic

Absent minded (of course!)

Homely

Indian (Hindustani) at heart

Nature lover (plz....who is not ?.... :D)

Since the words are self explanatory and I have few more things to say , I wont elaborate on those.

Next up , Jeena asked me to share random things about me , well the first one in the series would be , I am bad at talking about myself :) , its not that easy for me :D



I have an inclination towards learning languages,

I like to travel, different people, cultures, traditions, cuisines fascinate me,

I like things to be organised, I think it simplifies ones life,

I appreciate 'good' poetry,

I never thought I could cook,

I am not a big movie buff , i do enjoy music occasionally

I believe simplicity is beauty.....simplicity is happiness

Finally,Thanks to Zlamushka and Jeena for tagging me. Though it was a bit intimidating at first, I really enjoyed participating and had fun writing these memes....

Fish Fry

As a child I would eat fish cooked only by my mom , because it would not smell fishy at all, and of course it would be very tasty. Though i love macchi ka salan (fish curry) , my husband prefers the fried fish. You get the Indian varieties of fishes like Pomphret, at the Indian grocery stores, but this is for the first time that i tried the recipe using Indian ingredients with Mahi Mahi, and its a winner!

Before going to the ingredient list , this is my moms tip to get rid of the fishy smell. All you do is sprinkle some lemon juice and salt over it , let it sit for 10 mins, then sprinkle any flour you have handy e.g. maida, besan , rice flour and scrub each piece. Now wash each piece at least 5-7 times, just rinse it. If you have any other way of getting rid of the fishy smell , plz share :)




Ingredients :

6-7 fillets of mahi mahi / pomphret or any you like :D
1 tsp. red chilli pdr,
1 tbsp. dhania pdr/pdrd. coriander,
juice of 1 lemon/ or tamarind pulp,
1 tsp cornflour,
salt to taste,
1/2 tsp each of ginger paste and garlic paste,
1/4 tsp turmeric pdr./ haldi,
1 cup All purpose flour,
Oil for frying.

Method :

Mix all the ingredients together, except the all purpose flour/maida, and make a paste, use little water if required. Apply this paste on each side of the fillet and keep aside for few minutes. Now heat a griddle , place fish n pour sufficient oil from sides. Fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel, and serve hot. If the fillets are thick, make slits on them and apply more paste , also you may want to shallow fry them.

I am sending this recipe for the "Power" less cooking event, hosted by Easy Crafts of Simple Indian Food

To me this was an exciting event, a way to sit back and remember the good old ways of cooking ! I have relatives who still prefer the stone grinder to make their idli batter :D