Basic Vanilla cookies

Hat tip to my friend Sonia Dey. I changed the measurements a bit.

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter (I used Strauss European style organic unsalted butter) 4 oz (113 g) or one cube
Good quality vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Sugar to taste (I used 1/3 cup)

Plain flour or maida 1 and 1/3 cups
Baking powder 1 tsp

Method:

1. Whisk the butter (at room temperature) with vanilla essence and sugar.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together. Pour to the butter mix. Mix well. Use a spatula or a dough mixer.
3. Roll the dough into a log. Refrigerate for 2 hrs.
4. Cut the dough into pieces. Place on parchment paper on a cookie tray. Bake for 15-20 mins in preheated oven at  350 F or until the edges are brown. Let them cool at room temperature.
   
   I also tried a second batch with chocolate chips. 

Mini Malpoa

It is Poush Sankranti, and I heaved a sigh licking my mouth around delectable memories of peethe-pulis I had as a child.  When the craving got really bad, I got up after I had dinner and decided to make some mini malpoas instead of feeling sad.

I mixed 4 parts Maida, 2 parts Sooji, 1 part Mawa, Sugar to taste and evaporated milk for the batter. I used measuring spoons, if you use cups, then 2: 1: 1/2 parts (same thing).

I fried lightly in clarified butter (ghee) and drained them in paper towels. Very difficult to stop, but I reined in after I had 5. I skipped the sugar syrup because I prefer them crispy. If you want, you can make sugar syrup with cardamom/ saffron and dip the poas for a while.

With a little modification you can make kolar bora out of it by adding mashed bananas to the batter, Honestly, I liked eating the batter raw as it tasted a lot like shinni. Nowadays I am having the weirdest food cravings.