Halloween Pandan Ricotta Cookies with Carrot Icing

This recipe was inspired by a recipe that Giada DeLaurentiis made on her cooking show Everyday Italian.  Ricotta in cookies may seem strange, but it makes the cookies oh-so moist and chewy. Giada made lemon ricotta cookies with a lemon glaze, but I thought it would be fun to modify the recipe for Halloween.

I added pandan to the batter to give the cookies a spooky green tint. After baking, I covered the cookies with a carrot glaze. The orange color really evokes Halloween. To finish the cookies, I sprinkled on some orange, green and black Halloween sprinkles. 

This Halloween, while the kids are over-loading on sugar from too many cloyingly sweet candy bars, the grown-ups can have something to enjoy, too.

Chocolate Filled Pandan Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are my little munchkin's favorite sweet treats. I took the girls to our neighborhood park this afternoon and I brought along a box filled with the fun-looking thumbprint-shaped sablé cookies. The other fun thing about the cookies is that it's easy to mix and match the flavors and add fun colors.

I have flavored these cookies with cardamom, star anise seeds, mango and even durian! Today I made a combination of pandan and dark chocolate with a fancy little touch of vanilla.

Needless to say, everyone was very tired and hungry after jumping up and down on the monkey bars and on the swings. All the cookies were gone, so it's a good thing I took pictures beforehand so that I can share them with you.

Pandan and Coconut Brioche

Brioche is a French bread made out of eggs and butter. I remember every morning getting a brioche from the neighborhood bakery when I was a student in Paris. It tastes very buttery, slightly sweet and it has a fluffy texture.

I made some pizza today and I had some dry active yeast left. We got some Asian powdered coconut candies from the Asian market and I had a few knick-knacks like pandan paste from the pantry. I haven't baked in a while so I decided to make something original and give a twist to the traditional brioche.

Rau Cau (Coconut, Mocha, Pandan flavored Vietnamese Jello Cake)

Rau câu is a Vietnamese jello cake that is made out of agar agar, which is a seaweed by product similar to gelatin. It's made out of coconut milk, condensed milk and layers of your favorite flavorings like mocha, vanilla, coconut, banana, chocolate and durian (if you're adventurous!).. It has the same texture of pana cotta. 

It's a great alternative for vegetarians who do not want to use animal (usually pork) gelatin in desserts.

Pandan Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies

Today is Christmas Eve and the girls decided we would leave some milk and cookies for Santa tonight. The little 4-year-old thinks she'll get more presents this way.

No one can argue with the fact that American cookies are the best. When I lived in Paris and came to the US, I kept bringing a ton of American cookies home to my friends and relatives. Cookies are always a nice treat no matter the age of the cookie monster or the occasion being celebrated. We thought Santa would appreciate and taste some of our homemade cookies with an exotic twist for a change.