Category Archives: dessert

Back to school – Double chocolate chip cookies with origami paper pouch fold tutorial

Posted on September 8, 2015 | 1 comment

Back to school means summer is over. I still recall this period of time from my childhood; full of excitement and concern. But this time is different, it’s my precious boy’s first year at school. Yes, my baby love is all grown up now… I have mixed feelings; i am happy, proud and anxious.

Hopefully it will be a good new beginning to a promising future. I wish you all the luck habibi Nady.

Like all kids of his age, he is fond of chocolate. I said why not preparing together a nice chocolaty dessert for his first day at school; double chocolate chip cookies for double happiness!

To prepare these rich cookies you will need

½ cup butter (100g almost), softened
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup cocoa powder sifted
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 180°C, and prepare your baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and flour. Mix well then dump in your chocolate chips. I am telling you it’s very simple to make it 🙂

Shape the cookies, place them on the tray and bake for 10 minutes. This quantity makes 12-14 big pieces. Let them cool before serving.

These cookies have a fudgy texture, they melt in your mouth, leaving an after taste of heaven. When you shape them, make them a bit thick to enjoy the taste.

These cookies are meant to be part of Nady’s lunchbox. So we need to wrap them in a nice way. I prepared a paper pouch for each cookie. You already know i am fan of origami.

These pouches are really easy to make. Easy like 2 minutes! trust me. Follow this step by step tutorial:

1- Cut a square paper (color and size of your choice)
2- Fold it in half diagonally
3- Fold one of the lower corners to the middle of the other side
4- Fold the other lower corner to the middle of the opposite side
5- Fold down one layer of your top corner to create your pouch
6- Now it’s ready to fill in your cookie

This type of folding is called diaper fold pouch!

You can use it not just for cookies, you can fill it with corn flakes, sandwich, pop corn or anything of your choice. Maybe just a paper with a message 🙂

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

1 Comment

Posted in design, dessert, DIY, kids food, special occasions

Tagged design blog, diaper fold pouch, doha, double chocolate chip cookies, food blogger, jaymmy, kids activity, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, origami, recipe

Watermelon slush – Say goodbye cheers to Lebanon summer days

Posted on August 31, 2015 | Leave a comment

Our vacation has come to an end, it’s time to pack and go back to Doha!

I became so damn professional in packing, i can fit a whole house in my bag! It became as easy as drinking watermelon 😉

A perfect watermelon slush to beat the heat and say goodbye cheers to beautiful summer that brought me a lot.

This refreshing drink comes together in just 5 minutes. All you need is:

3 cups diced seedless watermelon (or almost 500g)
1 cup ice (7-8 ice cubes)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
one lime juice optional

Place watermelon, ice, sugar and lime (optional) in a blender and blend until smooth. This quantity serves 4 cups.

You can replace the lime with lemon, it also works and gives the tanginess you need in your drink, or keep it simple and sweet as is without any addition.

To booze it up, add vodka and enjoy!

There is another way of making this slush, if you have time, by putting the seedless diced watermelon in freezer a day ahead or overnight. This way you eliminate using ice cubes, you only blend the watermelon, sugar and lime (optional) until smooth! I like this method, the flavor turns out stronger!

Watermelon is in season now, you find plenty everywhere you go. Now i find a way whenever i have extra in the fridge, how to make use of them and enjoy.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

Upside down peach cake

Posted on August 20, 2015 | 10 comments

I’m currently having a very busy and sleepless summer especially after delivering my baby. But being in Lebanon with the abundance of fresh fruits, I couldn’t but turn the oven to bake this upside down peach cake.

A very easy and quick recipe, and doesn’t require too much ingredients. I am sure you all have them at home even the peaches, it’s the season and it is at its peak (in July and August).

Who can resist this mouth watering cake. Preheat your oven and go ahead do it, trust me it took less time to prepare it than writing the post 🙂

You need:

3/4 cup softened butter, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
4-5 peaches sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 9″ pan with a quarter of the softened butter. Dust it with the brown sugar then layer the peach slices over.

In a deep bowl beat the remaining butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, beat well then add the milk. Spoon the mixture over the peaches.

Bake for 30 mns or until an inserted wooden skewer (or toothpick) comes out clean. Let it cool before inverting onto a serving plate.

Serve it warm or cold, as per your taste. I personally like it cold. If you want to jazz it up, serve it with ice cream to beat the heat, especially it’s too hot nowadays!

I am sure this cake will be the center piece of your table, whether for dessert after lunch or when snacking. It’s fairly sweet and fruity, quenches your thirst on summer days or warm your hearts with a cup of tea. Enjoy!

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

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Posted in dessert

Tagged blog, dessert, food blogger, how to do, jaymmy, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, peach, qatar, recipe, upside down peach cake

Meghleh (floured rice pudding)

Posted on August 7, 2015 | 4 comments

Meghleh, is a traditional Lebanese sweet, served on a special occasion such as the celebration of a child birth or christmas. It’s a floured rice pudding spiced with caraway and cinnamon, and garnished with shredded coconut, assortment of nuts (almonds, pine seeds, walnut, pistachio) and dried raisins.

The word meghleh in arabic means boiled, knowing that this dessert is served cold, after being boiled for almost 45 mns.

If you are expecting a baby or simply you want to enjoy a quick, easy and flavorful dessert, don’t hesitate to give it a try.

You will need:

1/2 cup floured rice
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp ground caraway
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
5 cups water

To garnish you will need shredded coconut, almond, pine seeds, pistachio, walnut and dried raisin. All the garnish is optional and depending on your taste. Personally i like them all, and i soak the nuts in the water before serving to become softer.

In a deep pot add the water, floured rice, sugar, caraway and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Stir over medium heat until the mix comes to a boil (20-30 minutes) Continue to cook the pudding while stirring over medium low heat for 5-7 more minutes, or until the pudding is thick. You know it’s done when it drips from the spoon as a sharp line.

The secret of success of meghleh is in the continuous stirring over medium low heat. Make sure to stir continuously and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent the pudding from sticking.

Remove the pudding from the heat and pour it into ramekins and set aside to cool completely before garnish.

This pudding should stay put, try not to shake the ramekins so the surface doesn’t get cracks.

It is said that this brown pudding is symbolic of the fertile rich soil, and the nuts on top are like seeds that will sprout and grow on this soil – a perfect symbol for birth. Welcome my baby boy Joud!

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

4 Comments

Posted in dessert, special occasions

Tagged blog, dessert, food blogger, jaymmy, lebanese traditions, marmite et ponpon, meghleh, newborn, qatar, recipe, rice pudding

A recipe to elevate your date cake to the next level

Posted on June 29, 2015 | 41 comments

Living in the gulf, offers abundance in dates. You find it everywhere, specially now it’s ramadan. I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe for a cake, which meets my expectations, not being too sweet.

I’ve been told eating dates leads to a shorter labor. There is no study that proves or negates, but what’s the harm?! I was thinking why i don’t incorporate dates in my daily regime. I would do anything if it leads to easier labor.

This perfect recipe of date walnut cake, enliven your classic recipe and takes it to the next level. It will be your favorite breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or juice, or at anytime of the day, you will love it.

250g dates, pitted and chopped
4 tbs softened butter (almost 60g)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup hot coffee
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 200°C. Combine dates, butter, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot coffee into the bowl and combine. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes before adding the egg, vanilla, baking powder, and flour, mixing gently until smooth. Stir in the walnuts. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 35-45mns or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

The reason we put hot coffee is that its acidity reacts with the baking soda to produce rise. Plus it gives a subtle dimension to the flavors without being identified in the final outcome. You can substitute with just water but it won’t be that moist and a bit more dense.

After it is completely cool, you can slice it and serve it with coffee, juice or topped with cream cheese. Wrap it airtight to store at room temperature for several days or in the fridge for longer storage.

It’s a really wholesome cake i recommend, i am sure if you are dates lover you will be making it more often. You will be addicted to it!

This might be my last post now from qatar, as i am traveling to Beirut to deliver my precious “Joud”. I’ll try my best to post at least once a week. I will miss you 🙂

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.