Easter Pecan cupcakes

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
Hersheys chocolate frosting
Oreo cookies (crumbs)
Starburst fruit chews candy

Sift all dry ingredients together into large mixing bowl.
Combine egg, oil and milk. Blend until smooth.
Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
Add in pecans.
Spoon batter into muffin-pan cups (2/3 full).
Bake in 400F for 20 minutes or until muffins are cooked.

Topping:
Spread chocolate topping over muffins.
Sprinkle oreo crumbs.
Melt starburst fruit chews in microwave. Shape it into a small carrot. (One starburst candy makes two carrots). Score sides of carrots with a knife and rub some cinnamon on it to make it look "dirty". Make a small hole on top of carrot with a toothpick. Shape green fruit chews into thin strips to look like carrot tops and insert into hole on top of each carrot.
Arrange carrots on top of the cupcakes.

Peanut pancake

This is a Malaysian pancake, commonly found at the night market. Also called "Ban Jian kuih".
I got this recipe from Lily's blog, but I omitted the "lye water" (potassium carbonate & sodium bi-carbonate solution) and substituted it with water and white vinegar, and added brown sugar to the ingredients. The brown sugar is acidic and the alkaline in the baking soda needs this to react and neutralize, hence no honeycomb texture but the taste is right.

Ingredients :
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vinegar (add to the milk)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Filling :
1/2 cup Peanuts (chopped)
1/4 cup Castor sugar (mixed together with peanuts)
1 tbsp Butter (cubed)

Mix all the dry ingredients together and slowly add in the milk liquid into the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth. Leave aside for 30 minutes (covered)

Lightly grease a pancake pan or any 10 inch non-stick skillet. Set stove on medium low flame.

Pour in all the batter and using the base of the scoop/ladle , spread the batter evenly around and to the sides of the pan. Cover pan.

When bubbles are seen on the surface of the half cooked batter, sprinkle the peanut and sugar filling over. Spread the cubed butter over the filling.

Cover and cook for another 45 seconds (or until batter is cooked).

Use a spatula to release the sides and bottom of the pancake and fold into half.

Cool before cutting into wedges.

Serve warm.

Yam cake pudding (Wu Tau Koh)

This is a Malaysian delicacy from my Aunt's recipe!

Ingredients :
Purple yam (cut into small cubes)
100 gm all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tbsp corn flour
salt
pepper / five spice powder
soy sauce
Fried onions
Green onions (spring onions)

Stir-fry the yam with a little bit of oil
Mix the flour, corn flour, salt, pepper and five spice powder. Add in water slowly.
Combine the yam.

Steam for 45 minutes.

Sprinkle with fried onions and green onions.

Thelma's Chocolate Pie

Caution : This is a super rich chocolate pie !

Ingredients :
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
8 tsp cocoa + 3 tsp butter
5 tsp corn starch
dash of salt
2 1/4 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix sugar, cocoa, salt, corn starch
Add egg yolks. Mix well.
Add milk and butter. Cook on top of stove until thickened. (about 30 minutes)
Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract.
Place in unbaked crust (Jiffy mix) and bake 30-40 minutes in 350F oven.

For the meringue, I used Martha Stewart's recipe :
2 cups sugar
8 large egg whites (1 cup)
3 drops freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine sugar, egg whites and lemon juice in a bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.

Transfer bowl to the mixer stand fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat on medium speed for 10 minutes.
Increase to high speed and beat until stiff glossy peaks form, 10 - 15 minutes more.

Spread meringue on top of cool pie.
Bake in 350F until slightly brown.

Serve

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Crust : 2 cups crushed pretzels, 3/4 cup butter (melted), 4 tablespoons sugar.
Mix together and press onto a 13x9" dish
Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes
Remove from oven and cool.


Next layer : 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 8 oz (1 tub) cool whip
Whip together and fold in cool whip
Spread over cooled pretzel crust
Next layer : 6 oz package strawberry jello, 2 cups boiling water
Mix together until jello dissolves.
Add 20 oz of slightly thawed frozen sliced strawberries and mix until mixture is cooled

Pour evenly over cream cheese mixture.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.