Melting Moments 牛油曲奇

早陣子在BBC有一個節目，叫 The Great British Bake Off，是一個全英國的業餘烘焙比賽。每週都有不同的主題和三個不同的比賽項目，由兩位評判選出最弱的1-2位淘汰出局。我是這個節目的fan，除了每集追看，後來看到節目內部份食譜被收錄成書，就立刻忍不住買了回家。

其中一個食譜叫 Melting Moments (中文大約可譯為「融化的一剎」吧)，這其實是一種頗傳統的英式牛油曲奇。這種曲奇一般不叫 cookies 而稱為 shortbread，很多年前在香港第一次在超市買到包裝式的 Shortbread，只覺名字很奇怪，為甚麼要叫「短麵包」呢? 因為它小小的短短的一條嗎? 最近看了一些烘焙書後，才知道 short 在古代的意思是「脆的、易碎的(crumble)」，甚至到現在也會看到有人用 short 去形容甜點的質感。shortbread 叫 shortbread 自然就是因為這種易碎的、鬆化的迷人口感吧。

正如名字所說，這種曲奇一放進口，就鬆化得立刻像融化一樣，吃過一塊後就明白一點也不誇張，跟紅茶配搭吃起來就更完美了。我想這是我做過的曲奇中最讓我滿意的，唯一的缺點是這種曲奇要用上很多很多的牛油，不能吃得過量啊!

參考食譜:
"Melting Moments" from Great British Bake Off.

材料: (約36-40塊曲奇)

• 麵粉  250克 (plain flour)
• 粟粉  60克 (corn flour)
• 糖粉  60克 (icing sugar)
• 無鹽牛油  250克 (unsalted butter)
• 香草精  1茶匙 (vanilla extract)
• 牛奶  微量

做法: 

1. 一小時前將牛油至雪櫃取出，在室溫中放軟。將麵粉和粟粉混合好，過篩。
2. 以一張A4紙畫上12個直徑約3.5至4厘米的圓形，我用了一個小小的圓型玻璃蠟燭台作模。每個圓型之間最好留上4厘米(或1.5寸)左右的距離。
3. 牛油切小粒，加入糖粉打發至鬆軟，顏色變淺。以電動打蛋機大約需要5分鐘，手打大約要15-20分鐘。加入香草精後再打發幾秒至均勻。
4. 將篩過的麵粉和粟粉拌入打發好的牛油中，若此時麵糰太硬，可加入微量牛奶打發，否則很難從擠花袋擠出曲奇。拌好後放入已套上大星型花咀(star-shaped nozzle)的擠花袋(piping bag)中。
5. 將畫有圓形的A4紙放在焗盤上，再放上牛油紙，以擠花袋擠出跟圓形差不多大小的麵糊。完成後放入冰箱急凍櫃(freezer)待15分鐘。這可以避免曲奇在烘焗時變形，幫助焗出來的曲奇保持漂亮的形狀。
6. 預熱焗爐至180度(Fan)，將焗盤放入焗12分鐘。
7. 出爐後先待幾分鐘，然後小心將曲奇連牛油紙放在架上待涼(因為很易碎啊!)，再放入存氣的盒子內。

 

我的小筆記:

• 十分十分十分的好吃。真的。這麼多牛油的曲奇，怎能不好吃?!
• 這種曲奇的保鮮期很長，我做好後當天用密封盒子帶了回香港讓父母嚐嚐，吃了幾天還是非常鬆脆，口感不變。而且成本很低，做40塊曲奇的材料才要£1.5。
• 注意，這麵糰很硬，絕對不能用即棄的膠擠花袋，因為連我的尼龍擠花袋，最後也被弄破了，下次再做必須要再多加一點牛奶。若沒有厚身非即棄的擠花袋，可考慮不加牛奶，用桿麵棍 (rolling pin) 桿開再用曲奇模套出形狀。
• 另，這種麵糰可滾成圓柱狀後用保鮮紙包好，放在冰箱上待一兩個月。想要吃的時候才拿出來解凍，再用刀子切成薄片，拿到焗盤上即焗即吃。
• 我家的冰箱不算太小，但長年也有其他東西，哪有空位一次過將三盤曲奇放進冰箱freezer中呢? 我想出了一個方法: 就是每一次只放一盤，待拿出那一盤放到入焗爐中時，才放另一盤入冰箱。12分鐘後第一盤烤好了，從焗爐拿出來後，又會再等幾分鐘才搬到架子上待冷。這時候第二盤曲奇也就冷藏夠，可以入焗爐了。用這個方法，無論焗多少盤曲奇也不怕冰箱沒位置。
• 製作時間: 約1小時
• 主材料成本: 大約£1.5

Chocolate Walnut Brownies

Adapted from, with heavy modifications:

"Chocolate Chunk Cookies" from The Great British Bake Off.

My Ingredients: (Makes 24)

• 150g flour
• 125g unsalted butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 50g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 100g walnut pieces
• 50g dark chocolate (86% cocoa)
• good pinch of salt
• Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

My Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Put the walnut pieces on a baking tray and toast them for 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, break the chocolate into smaller pieces. Use a knife if needed.
2. Put the soft butter into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the egg and the sugars and beat well.
3. Sift the flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking powder into the bowl and mix in with a wooden spoon.When thoroughly combined, work in the toasted walnuts and chocolate pieces.
4. Spread the dough onto a baking tray lined up with parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes or until the brownie is lightly golden. Rotate the tray halfway through the baking time so the brownie cook evenly.
5. Remove from the oven and leave the brownie on the baking tray to cool and firm up for 5 minutes. Cut it up into 2cm x 8cm pieces into mini brownies. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

One-line Verdict:

It's a MISTAKE.

Verdict:

• It is important to toast walnuts or any other nuts before baking because nuts can never get hot enough to toast while baking due to the presence of other ingredients surrounding them. Toasting nuts beforehand can help reduce the bitterness of raw nuts and give them some extra crispiness.
• After the test bake, I found that the cookies were more fudgy that I'd like and tasted more like brownies. Hence I baked the remaining dough into brownies in a tray. This change of texture could be caused by the reduction in chocolate so the same amount of leavening agent gives the "cookies" more "raise" and result in a "cakey" texture resembling brownies.

• I replaced half of the chocolate (100g) specified in the original recipe by 30g of cocoa powder as I want to have less chocolate-y bakes. I also used 86% cocoa instead of 70%. I should have added extra butter to compensate the loss of chocolate. The substitution should be: 40g of chocolate can be replaced by 30g cocoa powder plus 14g of butter. It means I should have added 35gram more of cocoa powder plus 35g of butter.
• The cookies/brownies are not too sweet but drier than most brownies as a combined result of the reduction in chocolate and the use of higher cocoa %. But honestly I am quite happy with the sweetness. If I make this recipe again, I might add 35g of extra butter but I won't use the chocolate bar with 70% cocoa as suggested.
• Muscovado sugar should not be replaced by golden caster or any other brown sugar because it is significantly moister than other brown sugar.
• Approximate cost of the main ingredients: £2