A Change In Plans....Supernatural Brownie

Let's have an update to my life shall we? Well, most of my friends have left for college yet again and I'm stuck doing nothing for a whole month. However, with the time I have until classes begin, it has got me thinking about my future. I've been jumping around in majors since the very beginning. It was first nursing, then nutrition, then back to nursing, then to pharmacy, then business, then back to nursing and now pharmacy. But the thing is, the closer classes begin, the more I don't want to take the science courses such as chemistry and biology. I don't exactly enjoy taking those classes. I am so confused as to what to do. I want a better life for myself and my parents want the same. It only seems like to be successful you have to be in the medical field. Gahhhhh!! If only I can just buy a lottery ticket and win! Then I'll be set! haha. Until that day, it's time to do some hard thinking this month and figure out what's best.

Back to food! So, this weeks creation was supposed to be a Molten Chocolate Cake but with this whole egg fiasco, I decided not to. I mean, what can be worst during an egg fiasco than eating Molten Chocolate Cake? Molten Chocolate Cake is essentially a cake that isn't fully baked and is still runny and since the cake has eggs, it sounds like a bad idea to eat during the egg fiasco. I'm going to push back the Molten Chocolate Cake a couple of weeks and see where this egg fiasco is at to do it. So for now, I went and made Brownies part deux.

After trying Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies, I was still on the search for a good brownie recipe from scratch. People suggested this recipe and so I tried it out. I am kind of confused who this recipe actually belongs to. haha. Is it David Lebovitz? Is it Nick Malgieri? Are they the same people? lol. Whoever it is, this recipe for "Supernatural Brownies" is just alright for me. It just wasn't spectacular. I mean, it definitely passed the "look test", to a point. I love that "crack-ly" top it created, just like the box, but the one thing I didn't like about it was that it was crisp and stayed crisp even the next day. It was essentially a crust on the brownie and I didn't like the texture it gave. I was hoping it would soften but it didn't. The color of these brownies are of a light caramel which may fool you to think these aren't chocolately at all. Well, they weren't CHOCOLATEY, per se. They had a mellow chocolate flavor with a caramel undertone. They were more on the cake-y side rather than like fudge candy which I liked but they did seem to "fall apart". Overall, I'm sorry but it wasn't that great. I'm just so addicted to the box mix that I still love the box brownies more. With the box brownies, I find myself always going back to the pan to get a slice every 10 minutes. ha. I only took one slice out of these and didn't want anymore for the day. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. Here's the recipe and my tips!

**Tips

-After mixing the brownie batter, pouring it into the pan and spreading it out, lift it about a foot in the air and drop it on the table. Do this about 3 to 5 times. It enables the air bubbles to escape the brownie batter. I even like to pop some of the bubbles that come to the top with my fingers if they are too big. If this is not done, you will have a ton of "baked bubbles" in your brownies.

-Half way through the baking process, rap the pan on the oven shelf. What I do is I simple bang it on the shelf like a crazy person. lol. It allows the air to escape and the brownie to bake more evenly. I also find that it creates a flatter, even brownie whereas if this is not done, there's a dome.

Supernatural Brownies (Makes 24 Small Brownies)

Ingredients

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional.

Directions
Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

-Aaron John

My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure

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And The Winner Is......

Drumroll please.......The winning number is 17!! This means that Michaelappelgate_2013 is the winner of a $60 Gift Certificate for CSN Stores. Congrats!! I will contact you for your prize.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered! A special thanks to CSN Stores for allowing me to do this giveaway as well!! Doing my first ever giveaway was a blast and would not have been possible without you guys and the help of CSN! Also, hello to all my new followers of my blog! :) I hope you guys like my blog! I guess that's about it for this post. Once again, thank you to everyone for participating!! Tune in next time because who knows what new and crazy things I will be giving away or doing on my blog!! :D

-Aaron John

My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure

Facebook Fan Page

My First Giveaway Entrants And Your Numbers

My first ever giveaway is now closed! :D So, I decided to number the entrants in my first giveaway myself and give out your numbers to make it easier when using Random.org since the numbering on the side of each comment didn't work so well because of multiple entries by people and some not being able to enter due to CSN not being available in their location. I simply numbered them in order in which you commented, when you commented and by how many entries you had. So, Good Luck to all entrants and the winner will be announced soon. For now, look for your name below, check your numbers and come back soon to see if you've won. If there are any questions, shoot me an email. Otherwise, Here are your numbers:

Jess@Sugar High: 1, 2

Ashley: 3

Domestic Diva: 4

Michael Toa: Sorry about CSN not being in the UK. :(

Le: 5

Kerry: 6, 7

Tim: 8, 9

Lisa: 10

Claire: 11

Jaja: Sorry about CSN not being in the Phillipines! :(

Bao.carmen: 12

Cheryl: 13, 14, 15

Michael: 16, 17

SolDucky: 18, 19, 20

Pixie: 21, 22, 23

Thatlittlehouse: 24, 25

Sharon: 26, 27

April8114: 28

-Aaron John

My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure

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Cinnamon Rolls

Seriously, this week has been the best ever!! Having a Seattle Adventure with my close friends and just messing around was a blast!! Definitely have a ton of food places to review so don't forget to check out my other blog, AJ's Food Adventure, for the reviews when they're up. Sad to say, it's now time for everyone to start heading back to college while I stay here in Seattle to attend UW for my second year. Boy do I wish summer would last forever. haha. Anyways, back to this post.

After making bread doughs for probably 5 times now, I think I've got the hang of it!! Don't worry, unlike my Sticky Buns that I made last time, I didn't break my new hand mixer!!! Oh what? I didn't tell you? I got myself a new Cuisinart Hand Mixer which I am totally excited about!! :DD Any who, so how was I not able to break this mixer? Well, I used good ol' fashioned elbow grease to knead this dough. Took me a good 20 mins kneading the dough but it's all worth it. This is my second time making this recipe. I forgot where I got this recipe but I do remember searching for a copycat recipe for Cinnabon's Cinnamon Roll last year. I came up with this one and thought it was really good the first time so I kept the recipe. The recipe is below with my tips!!

One more thing. If you haven't entered my giveaway for a $60 Gift Certificate to CSN, get to it!! Tomorrow is the last day to enter!! You can have up to three entries. Any entries after tomorrow will not be counted. Well, head over to my Filipino Coconut Macaroons post and enter to win!! :D

**Tips

-Never use a hand mixer to knead dough, even if it comes with dough hook attachments, don't do it!! This is learned from experience. Unless you want it to break, go for it. lol.

-The way to tell if bread dough is kneaded enough is to stretch it slightly into a square. If you can see light through it without it breaking, it's ready! :D

Cinnamon Rolls (Makes about 12 cinnamon rolls)

Ingredients

Dough

2 eggs

1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/3 cup softened butter

Cream Cheese Icing

4 tablespoons softened butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Let it stand for 5 min. During this time, mix together the flour, sugar and salt in a separate bowl. After 5 minutes, in a new bowl, beat together the egg, melted butter and the yeast and milk mixture. Then, add your dry ingredients and knead with a mixer for 8 minutes. Dough should be sticky but not extremely sticky to where you can't handle it with lightly floured hands. Once kneaded, place the dough ball into a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and put in a draft free area to rise for one hour.

While it is rising, mix together your brown sugar and cinnamon. After one hour, roll the dough into a rectangle that is 24 inches by 10 inches. Spread the softened butter over the dough. Then spread the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of that. After that, roll the dough into a log and cut into 1 ¾ inch slices. Once cut, place into a lightly greased baking pan and flatten the cinnamon rolls just a bit. Place in a draft free area to rise for 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once preheated, place the cinnamon rolls into the oven and bake for 22 minutes. While it is baking, make the frosting by mixing together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon zest. Set aside. Once done, let the cinnamon rolls cool and then frost with the icing.

-Aaron John

My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure

Facebook Fan Page

Coconut Macaroons (Filipino Style) And My First Ever Giveaway!! (Giveaway Now Closed)

That's right! The major role you guys play in this blog post is that you guys get to enter my first ever giveaway!! Let me explain a little bit about the giveaway, talk about this week's food creation, then back to the giveaway, okay? Once again, I was approached by CSN stores. Remember how I was able to review a product for CSN? Well, they're back and this time you guys get the opportunity to win something great in my FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY! Trust me, this is a great giveaway!! Definitely give CSN a look see. They have so many great products for your dining room such as Kitchen Tables, for your kitchen such as appliances and baking pans, and even things for dogs! They have so many websites specified to different products that the possibilities are endless. More on this giveaway later. Time for this week's food post.

For a coconut lover, coconut macaroons must be a top favorite because they are so jam-packed full of coconut. That slightly chewiness and "crunchy" texture from the coconut is to die for. However, these aren't any other macaroons. These are the Filipino Coconut Macaroons. I mean, basically all Coconut Macaroons use the same ingredients: eggs, sweetened condensed milk and coconut of course. However, the Filipino Coconut Macaroons are made in paper cups and sometimes a crust. Why did I decide to make these? When I made Granola weeks ago, I used coconut and when my mom saw that, she immediately said "Are you making coconut macaroons?". My mom told me that when she was living in the Philippines, at every wedding anniversary of her parents, her parents' cousins always served the Filipino Coconut Macaroons and it was her favorite. She described it as the same coconut macaroons but the difference was it had a crust to it. So, I went searching for a recipe like that one but no such luck. There was no recipe that contained the crust. I did find a recipe for Macapuno Tarts but my mom said it was different. So, I just made the Filipino Coconut Macaroons with paper cups as stated.

What was the result? These were chewy, had a nice crust to them, moist in the center and had a great texture from the coconut. However, it was a little sweet for my taste so I may reduce the sugar a bit in the future. Overall, really good recipe. My mom even liked it. The recipe will be at the end of this post!

Now, back to my FIRST EVER, SPECTACULAR GIVEAWAY!!! (Now Closed)

Like I said before, I was approached by CSN to do a giveaway this time. What's this SPECTACULAR GIVEAWAY you ask? CSN Stores is giving you the chance to win a $60 Gift Certificate for any of their online stores! Sounds fantastic, right? I don't exactly know what to do for a giveaway but I looked around at how other people formatted their giveaways and here's the criteria to enter:

You must be a follower of "AJ's Cooking Secrets" through the Google Friend Connect located on the left side bar of my blog to enter this giveaway. If you are not a follower, your entry and/or entries will not be counted.

You have THREE chances to enter!! (Be sure to place your email in your comment and, if entering multiple times, make different comments for the entries. It makes it easier for me)

1. Leave a comment stating what you would like to buy from CSN Stores with the fantastic $60 Gift Certificate along with your email.

2. Follow me on Twitter @aaronjohn04 and leave a comment below stating that you have become a follower. If you are already a follower of my twitter page, leave a comment stating that you are.

3. Become a fan/liker of my Facebook Fan Page : AJ's Cooking Secrets and leave a comment below stating that you have become a fan/liker. If you are already a fan/liker of my FB Fan Page, leave a comment stating that you are.

**If entering all three times, leave three different comments.

Important Guidelines:

-Must be a follower of this blog, "AJ's Cooking Secrets", through Google Friend Connect located on the left side bar for your entry/entries to count. Anyone who "enters" without being a follower of this blog will not be entered into the drawing.

-The Giveaway will last until Sunday, August 22, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be drawn using Random.org. The winner will then be announced in a blog post, on my facebook page and emailed that they are the winner. From there, the winner will be contacted by CSN Stores where you will receive a Gift Certificate Code.

Great giveaway, right? Remember, have your email in your comment!! The more entries you have, the better chance you have to win!! :DD Good Luck to all!!

Filipino Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

14 oz. of shredded coconut

14 oz. can condensed milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup butter

½ cup light brown sugar

3 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once butter has softened add it to mixing bowl and cream it by gradually adding sugar until blended. Then add vanilla extract, eggs and condensed milk. Mix all ingredients well. Once mixed, add coconut and stir into mixture using a spatula. Once all ingredients are incorporated spoon into mini muffin cups and bake for approx. 15 – 20 minutes until they are slightly golden brown on top.

-Aaron John

My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure

Facebook Fan Page

Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

After Saturday's Sour Cream-Chocolate Bundt Cake debacle, I was still craving a quick chocolate cake that won't waste a lot of ingredients and would be quick. Well, what kind of chocolate cake is enough for one person, quick and uses little ingredients? My Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake! I received a recipe request for this cake about a week ago and thought it would be great to make a blog post about it. How did I come up with this cake? It all came out of the Chemical Engineering class I took at the University of Washington-Seattle.

I know what you're thinking. You're saying "Dang! A Chemical Engineering class?! He must be smart!" Sorry, but no. haha. This class wasn't exactly a Chemical Engineering class. It was more of a creativity class. Weird right? Anyway, for our final, we had to come up with an idea, our first step to create the idea and present it to the class of 400 people. My idea was to create a Microwaveable Chocolate Cake Mix that would be easy enough for someone living in the dorms to make. That's how I came up with this cake recipe. I tried different recipes, ones with eggs, some with butter but I found this to be the best. The best part is that it requires no eggs! Definitely super easy to make. You taste the chocolate, it's moist and not rubbery if you don't overcook it. Great late night snack! I mean, it doesn't beat an actual chocolate cake baked in the oven but it'll do for something quick. Here's the recipe and my tips!!

**Oh!!!! Remember to check out my blog post on Coconut Macaroons on Saturday, August 14, 2010!! Something special will be happening and you guys play a major role in it!! :DD

**Tips
-Transform this recipe into individual cake mixes! Measure out the dry ingredients and place them into ziplock bags for later use! Pour the mix into a mug, add some oil and milk and Bam! Instant Dessert!

-Don't overcook the cake!! Once a toothpick comes out clean, it's done. Mine usually cooks in 30 secs. Overcooking will result in a rubbery cake. Don't worry if there's a little liquid around the edges when you scoop out a bite. It's fine and since there's no eggs, no need to worry about getting sick.

Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons milk
3/4 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (Optional)

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients. Add milk, vanilla extract and oil and until well blended. Spray a microwave-safe cup with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the cup.

Microwave at full power for 1 minute. Depending upon the strength of your microwave and shape of your cup or container, you may need to cook the cake longer in 15 second increments until done. Check the cake for done-ness after 30 secs.

As long as you don't overcook it, it won't turn rubbery. Since it contains no eggs, you don't have to worry about salmonella with the short cooking time. Also, the cake will puff up so don't fill a very small container. It needs some room to rise.

It's not a fancy cake but when you eat it warm with whipped cream, ice cream or a chocolate glaze, it tastes pretty good.

-Aaron John

My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure

Facebook Fan Page

Sour Cream-Chocolate Bundt Cake

So, Sour Cream-Chocolate Bundt Cake is the cake for today. In addition to this cake, it's also time to do a review from CSN. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned in my Baklava post that I was approached my CSN to do a review and/or giveaway. Well, here it is! One of the items I was able to obtain to review from CSN was a 10 inch Bundt Pan made by Faberware. I got this pan specifically for this cake and I'm glad I chose it. This pan is heavy duty, non-stick and is super easy to clean! What a great pan! In addition, I love how there's an "extension" of the edges to create a sort of "handle" for easy placing and removal from the oven. It makes life so much easier. Overall, CSN is a great place to buy products. You get your items within a week or so, so the wait isn't bad.

Now, back to food! So Sour Cream-Chocolate Bundt Cake. Let's see. There are a TON of recipes for a Chocolate Bundt Cake out there so how did I decide which one to use? Well, the recipe looked really good. It had a ton of chocolate in it. The amount of cocoa powder was half the amount of flour!! Plus it had required more melted chocolate! Say whaaaa?! Heck yeah! haha. In addition to looking at the recipe for the cake itself, a majority of them used a ganache to top it off. I personally didn't want that. The reason behind this was, many years ago, my mom brought home a slice of a Chocolate Bundt Cake that her co-worker made and it was seriously the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten that didn't have a frosting. It was a simple chocolate cake and nothing more but it was SOOOO GOOD!!. This cake, didn't have a ganache on it. Instead, there was this sort of outer coating of sugar? You know when you make an icing with powdered sugar and milk, it hardens? Well, the coating had the sort of same texture of that but the whiteness from a powdered sugar icing wasn't there. So what was it?! I don't know! haha. This recipe from Williams-Sonoma was the only recipe I was able to find that had a cake recipe that looked good and had a brushing of simple syrup instead of ganache. It seemed like a winner to me.

What was the result? I don't know quite yet. It will be served later tonight. However, I did make mini cupcakes out of the batter to have a taste test and I was disappointed with the flavor. It didn't have a rich chocolate flavor even though it had a ton in it. In addition, it's extremely dry!! I don't know what cake the reviewers of this recipe were eating but this cake wasn't very good unless you like dry, unchocolate-y cake. I'm kind of embarrassed to serve this. I mean, the cake is alright but I was expecting a deeply rich tasting chocolate cake. It was missing that "umphhhh" to really take it to the next level. Maybe the bundt cake will taste better than the mini cupcakes testers.....Here's the recipe and my tips!!

**Update, I sliced a tiny piece to taste and this cake is still dry. I will not be serving this. Thanks Williams-Sonoma for wasting 2 sticks of my butter, a ton of chocolate and 1 lb of sour cream. Ya'll are great.....

**Tips
-Mix the batter well but don't over beat. The ingredients need to be incorporated completely.

-Instead of using flour when buttering and flouring a pan, use cocoa powder for chocolate cakes. It prevents white marks.

-Most Important Of All: Don't use guests as guinea pigs....Make a recipe beforehand!

Sour Cream-Chocolate Bundt Cake (Serves 16)
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

For the glaze:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs. chocolate liqueur

Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Whipped cream for serving

Directions
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease and flour a decorative 10-cup Bundt® pan.

To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; repeat until well blended. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until blended. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating each addition until incorporated before adding more, until the mixture is thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes; stop mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla.

Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour, until just blended and no lumps of flour remain. Then gently fold in the chocolate.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are about 1 inch higher than the center. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and cool the cake upright in the pan for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the granulated sugar and water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate liqueur.

Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Generously brush the warm cake with the glaze. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Top slices with a dollop of whipped cream.


-Aaron John
My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure
Facebook Fan Page

Puto (Filipino Steamed Rice Cake)

Hey guys! First of all, did you notice my new blog layout? Nice, huh? I've been wanting to make a layout be my "own creation" for a long time and I've finally done it! The banner/header is definitely my favorite part of the blog. I think it really sets my blog apart from the rest. What do you guys think?

Now, let me tell you about this post. So I am a follower of this great blog, Becoming Lola and she came up with a brilliant idea to have a challenge called "Whipped" where she posts mystery ingredients from a random ingredient generator and the goal is to bake something from those three ingredients (You can use one or all three). Basically, anyone can participate in it. You just need a blog and your baked creation from the mystery ingredients. Sounds fun right? It just so happens that this week's mystery ingredients are Red Onions, Toffee and Rice.

When thinking about what to make, I looked at the three ingredients and immediately ruled out the red onion. I mean, perhaps it would be possible to make it into something sweet. Maybe candy the red onions by boiling it in a simple syrup then rolling it in granulated sugar and use it as a topper for something? But I said to myself. Nahhhh. (I'm not really challenging myself, huh?). Then I looked at toffee. Well, a lot of people are probably going to do that. I mean, mix it in some cookie dough and Bam! You're done. Um, yeah, that's not gonna happen with me. lol. Then I got to rice. For the longest time, the only thing I could think to make was Rice Pudding. I just couldn't get it out of my mind and if I was thinking it, others are probably thinking it as well. After about a day of thinking, it hit me and I knew what I was making!

Instead of rice itself, why not use Rice Flour? I mean, it's the same. It's just ground up sweet short grain rice. So, what dessert can I make from Rice Flour? Puto! Now I know what you're thinking. If you took or speak spanish, your jaw probably dropped at this very moment. Am I right, or am I right? I'm right, aren't I? haha. But no, I'm not talking about that Puto. Puto is a bad word in spanish so let's make that word into something good. Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake. It's definitely one of my favorites. It's sticky but still is somewhat "cake-like" in texture, slightly sweet and bite size. It actually takes me 3 bites to eat these little guys. But this was my first time making Puto so I was kind of nervous. I'm not going to lie. haha.

When making the Puto, I combined two different Puto recipes. This makes this recipe my own right? The batter is really straight forward to make. Traditionally, there are special Puto molds you use to make these but since I didn't have any, I improvised by using a mini cupcake pan. So, I poured the batter into the pan. Next step was steaming the Puto. Once again, I didn't have the necessary equipment. haha. I don't have a steamer so what I did was baked it in the oven in a water bath.

It baked for about 30 minutes and when it came out, I wasn't happy about the appearance. When you buy Puto in the store, it's nice and fluffy on the top. These were flat. In addition, the Puto in the stores are white where as mine came out yellowish probably due to the egg and butter. They did have a nice taste to them though. The texture however was almost there but not quite. They were too sticky like mochi and not as "cake-like". Perhaps if I actually follow instructions and steam them, they would come out a lot better. But this is what I had happen. My mom told me that the Puto taste better when you use the actual grains of glutinous rice, soak it, and grind it. Looks like it's time to search for another recipe. Here's the recipe I used and my tips!!

**Tips
-You can't use regular rice flour for this recipe. You have to find one that says either "Sweet Rice Flour" or "Glutinous Rice Flour". That is why Puto comes out with a "sticky" texture. I used a Japanese brand called "Mochiko"

-When making the batter, it should have the consistency of pancake batter.

-Make sure to beat out all the lumps!

-If anything, definitely try to legitimately steam them. It will make all the difference I think.

Puto (Filipino Steamed Rice Cake)
Ingredients
2 cups Rice Flour
2 large Eggs, beaten
2 tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cups Milk
1 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Margerine, melted

Directions
In a big mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sugar. Gradually add in milk, eggs and margarine until completely mixed together.
Pour the batter into the cupcake molds until nearly full.
Place the cupcake molds into a steamer basket. If you have multiple layers, place a cloth between the trays to avoid water drips. Put enough water to steam, and 1 tbsp of vinegar. Then steam for 20-25 minutes. After steamed remove from tray and mold then serve after the Puto has cooled to touch.

Notes
If you do not have access to a steamer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven. Pour your batter into greased muffin tins and place the tins into a large high sided pan; place onto the rack of the preheated oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the large pan, so that it reaches half way up the sides of the muffin tin. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.


-Aaron John
My Food Outings: AJ's Food Adventure
Facebook Fan Page