Happy Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year falls on 7 Feb this year, which is less than two days from now. I just want to sneak in for a quick note to wish all who are celebrating the Lunar New Year a happy and prosperous new year. May your stomaches be filled with pineapple tarts, love letters, peanut cookies, nian gao, bak gua and all the delicious food lay in front of you. And those who are single, your pockets be spilled with lots of red packets!

Instead of meeting up with friends, I spent most of my time in KK baking at our new kitchen. I have lost count on the number of batches of pineapple rolls we baked.Even though we keep baking, the pineapple rolls keep disappearing. Some have undoubtedly ended in our stomachs, but most have been packed and given away to friends and relatives.

I also made 3 batches of horlicks animal cookies, in which they are supposed to look like doggies. However, as I was shaping them, the doughs seem to have a mind of their own, and some decided they should be piggy and bears,some wanted to be a hybrid of piggy+ bears, and the rest, hybrid of dog + piggy...Not exactly the way I have set out but I like how unique they each look nonetheless.

I will be bringing some of these back to Singapore tomorrow, hopefully OCT's nieces and nephews will like them.

I enjoy shaping the cookies but not so much on eating them. Horlick is definitely not my cup of tea. Our friends who have tried them thought they taste pretty good though....

Horlicks Animal Cookies
adapted from my blog buddy

180g butter, soften at room temperature
80g Horlicks (original flavour)
200g top flour or cake flour
25g corn flour
25g milk powder
100g chocolate chips (I used Hershey's kissable chips)
some chocolate rice
some Koko Krunch

Pre-heat oven to 140deg C. Line baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

Sieve cake flour, corn flour and milk powder.

Cream butter and Horlicks for about three minutes at low speed. Do not overbeat.
Put in cake flour, cornflour and milk powder and beat for about one minute to form
dough.

Divide dough into 10g each. Put three chocolate chips into each piece of dough and roll into balls.

Insert two pieces of Koko Krunch to form the 'ears', chocolate rice for the "eyes", and a mini chocolate chip in the centre for the 'nose'.

Bake at 140 deg C for about 25 minutes. Depending on your oven, it may take another 5 to 10 minutes more for the cookies to be ready.

Leave to cool on wire rack before storing in an airtight container.