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Jump To Recipe Jump To Video This is a classic Italian Neapolitan dessert. It is made of up deep-fried dough balls, roughly the size of marbles, traditionally coated with honey, and usually shaped in a wreath. This is why it is served during Xmas season. Shaping the dough into marble sized balls doesn't have to be perfect. It will look gorgeous at the end. This recipe is pretty simple and straightforward but the tricky part is to coat the dough balls with honey at the right time. All the important details are written down below. You can decorate your Struffoli however you want. I love mine with cherries and sprinkles. Slivered almonds will be fantastic, or you can dust some ground pistachios too. It's Xmas, so why not? Anyway, here I wish you lovely people a Merry Xmas! Ingredients: (Serve 8) Unsalted Butter, 25g Demerara Sugar, 25g + 15g Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 250g Baking Powder, 4g Sea Salt, 7g Cookie Spice Homemade , 1 TSP Beaten Eggs, 100g Rapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, For Frying High Quality Pure Honey (I'm using clover), 185g Fresh Lemon Zest, 1 Lemon Sprinkles, For Garnishing Glazed Cherries, For Garnishing Slivered Almonds, For Garnishing (Optional) Equipment: Heavy Sauce Pot Dutch Oven Hand / Stand Mixer Directions: Please visit my " How To Make Cookie Butter " page for the cookie spice recipe. In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy with a hand or stand mixer. Followed by sugar. Cream until well combined. In another large bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Mix to combine well. Whip this flour mixture into the butter mixture, 1/3 portion at a time, until well combined. Add in eggs and knead until it comes together into a dough. Once it comes together into a dough, knead lightly inside the bowl to pick up all the nooks and crannies. Form into a ball. *If the mixture is too dry, add more beaten eggs, 1 TBSP at a time. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour, 1 TBSP at a time.* The dough should be tacky, but not sticky. Cover and set aside to rest for 30 mins. In a dutch oven over medium heat, add about 3 inches of oil. *You can check the temperature of the oil by inserting a wooden chopstick into the oil. If bubbles start forming around the chopstick, the oil is ready for frying.* On a lightly floured surface, pinch a small dough and roll it into a long log with a small diameter of about 1/4 inch. Slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Roll each piece into small balls. *Keep the rest of the dough covered to prevent from drying out.* Gently drop the dough balls into the oil. Use a spider to gently move the dough balls around. This is to prevent them from sticking to one another. Do not crowd the dutch oven. Fry in small batches. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove the dough balls. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining dough. Set aside to cool down slightly. In a sauce pot over medium heat, add honey and sugar. Stir to combine well. The mixture will bubble up and then subside. At this point, immediately add lemon zest and the fried dough balls. Using a spatula, mix to coat the dough balls well with the honey mixture. Once the honey has almost evaporated but is still fluid, remove the mixture onto a tray and set aside to cool down slightly for about 3 mins. Transfer onto a serving plate and use a spatula to shape it into a wreath shape. It should be sticky enuff to hold its shape. *You have to move quickly or the honey will harden and make it impossible to shape.* Scatter sprinkles and glazed cherries over the top. You can add slivered almonds too. Slice and serve immediately. *You can reheat the Struffoli at a preheated oven of 90 degree celsius or 195 fahrenheit for 8 to 10 mins or until the Struffoli is soft enuff to slice.* Mama Mia... Merry Xmas! Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video As I said in my previous post, I wanna do something different for Xmas this 2022. Initially, I was planning on making a Panettone. But somehow or rather, this German Stollen intrigued me. I did some research and went down the rabbit hole (as I normally would). There are loads of variations online. And 1 caught my attention. That is the masterful Richard Bertinet ! He used Frangipane as the fillings (which is genius) and he finished the bread off with a liqueur infused butter. That wowed me! You can check out his full recipe here . I am not a fan of marzipan as it is coked up with sugar and corn syrup. Not a fan. I am 100% sure that Frangipane will be an excellent alternative. And I am right! As for the dough, I still stick to Peter Reinhart's version. He used a sponge as a starter which will further enhance the bread's flavor and texture. You can get his recipe from his famous cookbook: The Bread Baker's Apprentice . Yes, this requires a full day work, but I guarantee that it is 100% worth it! You can even wrap this up as a Xmas gift. Speaking of which, Merry Xmas lovely people! Ingredients: Inspired by Peter Reinhart and Richard Bertinet (Make 6 loaves) Sponge: Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 128g Active Instant Dry Yeast, 25g Whole Milk Lukewarm, 227g Fruit Mix: Golden Sultanas, 340g Dried Fruits Mix (I'm using Foodsterr ), 340g or A Combination of Raisins, Sultanas, Currants, Dried Apricots, Candied Orange Peels, Candied Lemon Peels, Dried Cranberries. Kirsch / Cointreau, 227g Dough: Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 567g Demerara Sugar, 28g Sea Salt, 10g Cookie Spice Blend Homemade , 2 TSP Fresh Orange Zest, 1 Orange Fresh Lemon Zest, 1 Lemon Eggs, 2 Unsalted Butter Softened, 141g Fresh Orange & Lemon Juice, 113g (If Needed) High Quality Olive Oil, For Greasing Frangipane: Unsalted Butter Softened, 125g Granulated Sugar, 125g High Quality Almond Meal, 125g Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 50g Sea Salt, Pinch Eggs, 2 Stollen: Slivered Almonds, Fillings Egg, 1 Sea Salt, Pinch Unsalted Butter, 250g Icing Sugar, For Dusting Equipment: Sauce Pot Hand / Stand Mixer Oven Directions: Please visit my " Cookie Spice Blend " page for the recipe. Prepare the sponge. In a large mixing bowl, add flour and yeast. Mix to combine well. Stir in the milk until well combined. *The milk has to be lukewarm.* Cover and set aside for 1 hr or until doubled in volume. Prepare the fruit mix. Combine everything in a large bowl. Cover and set aside until ready to use. Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cookie spice, orange and lemon zest. Knead in the eggs and butter until it's starting to come together into a dough. Knead inside the bowl to pick up all the nooks and crannies. *If the mixture is too dry, add the fruit juice, 1 TBSP at a time. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour, 1 TBSP at a time.* The dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky. Transfer onto a floured surface and continue kneading for 5 to 8 mins. At this point, drain the fruit mixture and reserved the liquid. *I like to transfer the dough and fruit mixture into a large bowl, because I do not have a large working surface to knead everything together.* Knead the fruit mixture into the dough. It may get too wet because of the fruits, add in more flour if necessary. Continue kneading for about 3 to 5 mins until well combined. *I still prefer to knead my dough with hands, so I can feel the dough. You can of cos do this on a stand mixer.* Grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer in the dough. Cover and set aside to rise for 45 mins to 1 hr or until doubled in volume. While the dough is rising, prepare the frangipane. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy with a hand or stand mixer. It should resemble a mayo consistency. Add in the sugar and continuing creaming until well combined. Followed by almond meal, flour and salt. Lastly, add in the egg and 2 TBSP of that reserved liquid. Whip until fully incorporated. When you hold up the frangipane, it should hold its shape and not fall off from a spatula. Cover and set aside until ready to use. Shaping the dough. After 45 mins or 1 hr, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Weigh and divide into 6 equal portions. Keep the rest of the portions covered with a lint free kitchen towel while working on 1. Shape into a ball. Coax the dough into a rectangle with about 1/2 inch thick. Flip and spread a very thin layer of that frangipane onto the dough with some gap along the edges. *Do not over spread or it will ooze out during the shaping and baking process. If you have any leftovers, you can freeze it for your next baking adventure.* Sprinkle some slivered almonds onto the frangipane. Fold the top edge about 3/4 way down, pinching it down lightly. Fold the bottom edge over that folded edge, pinch it down lightly as well. Seal off the 2 ends. Transfer onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Gently coax into a crescent shape. Repeat the steps for the remaining dough. Cover and set aside to rise for 1 hr. Baking and finishing. Preheat the oven to 175 degree celsius or 350 fahrenheit. Lightly season an egg with salt and beat with a fork. Brush 2 layers of that beaten egg onto the dough. Wack into the oven and bake for 20 mins. Remove from oven, rotate and continue baking for another 20 to 50 mins or until it is dark amber in color. Once the bread is baked, remove from oven and set aside to cool down slighly. Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add in all the reserved liquid. Mix until well combined. Set aside until ready to use. Prepare a large tray with lots of icing sugar. When the bread is slightly cooled, but still warm, brush generously with that melted butter, or if your pot is large enuff, dip in the bread. Dredge the bread with lots of icing sugar. Dust off any excess sugar. Repeat the steps for the remaining bread. Set aside to cool down completely. Stored in paper bags. It will taste better the next day. It can be kept at a cool and dry place for up to 1 week. Slice and serve. Did I nail it? Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video One of the comments on my parsley tea on TikTok was asking about a liver cleansing tea. I did some research and found out that chamomile and jujube actually help to detox our liver. Jujube is Chinese dried red dates. They will plump up and softens after cooking which makes them super yummilicious. Be sure to use orangic chamomile. As for the sweetener, you can totally omit it or you can use maple syrup or pure honey. When it comes to honey, make sure it is 100% pure honey. There are loads high fructose corn syrup pretending to be honey in the market. PS: This is not a miracle tea. Please consult a doctor for your liver problems. Ingredients: (Serve 2) Chamomile Preferably Organic, 3 TBSP Jujube (Chinese Dried Red Dates) Pitted Halved, 9 Adjust To Preference Water, 500ml Maple Syrup, 2 TBSP (Optional & Adjust To Preference) Equipment: Sauce Pot Directions: Transfer all the ingredients to a pot over medium heat. Stir to combine well and until the maple syrup, if using, has dissolved. Bring it up to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 5 mins. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside to infuse for 10 mins. Strain to a serving cup and add some jujubes. Enjoy immediately. Cheers! Cheers! Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video Moringa leaves have been used in India for medicinal purposes for more than 4,000 years. It has loads of antioxidants. Studies also suggest that it helps lower blood sugar as well as cholesterol levels. If you still have any doubts, you can do some research. I cannot find any fresh moringa in Singapore. I got my hands on some moringa leaf tea blend which consist of moringa, lemongrass and tulsi. If you can get your hands on fresh moringa, please use it. I added some mint for extra flavors and health benefits. PS: This is not a miracle tea. Please consult a doctor. Ingredients: (Serve 2) Moringa Leaf Tea Blend / Fresh Moringa Preferably Organic, 3 TBSP Fresh Mint Coarsley Chopped, A Handful + More For Garnishing Water, 500ml Maple Syrup, 2 TBSP (Optional & Adjust To Preference) Fresh Lemon Slices, For Garnishing (Optional) Equipment: Sauce Pot Directions: Transfer all the ingredients to a pot over medium heat. Stir to combine well and until the maple syrup, if using, has dissolved. Bring it up to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 5 mins. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside to infuse for 10 mins. Strain thru' a sieve lined with coffee paper over a pitcher. Set aside to drip. Pour into serving cups. Garnish with some mint leaves and lemon slices. Enjoy immediately. Cheers! Cheers! Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video These 2 ingredients have been appearing in the comment section of my parsley tea TikTok post. I thought why not combine the 2 together? I decided to take a cold brewing route for this recipe, cos ya know, sometimes I enjoy a cold cup of tea. You can of cos simmer the water with nettle and fennel, strain and enjoy it hot. You should know the drill by now. Simmer for 3 to 5 mins, cover and steep for 10 mins. Anyway, nettle leaves are great for painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis and gout. Fennel seeds are also great for regulating blood pressure. PS: This is not a miracle tea. Please consult a doctor. Ingredients: (Serve 2) Water, 500ml Nettle Leaves Preferably Organic, 1 TBSP Fennel Seeds, 1/2 TBSP Maple Syrup, 2 TBSP (Optional & Adjust To Preference) Lemon, 2 Slices Equipment: Sauce Pot Directions: Bring a pot of water up to a simmer over medium heat. Add in nettle, fennel and maple (if using). Stir until well combined. Remove from heat, cover and steep for 10 mins. Transfer to a sterilized jar and add in the lemon slices. Chill in the fridge overnight. The next day, strain into serving cups and enjoy. Cheers! Refreshing... Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video There are lots of comments flying around (at my parsley tea TikTok post) about black seeds, turmeric and golden milk. So me being me, went and did some research. The comments are right; this golden milk has loads of health benefits. One of which is fighting respiratory issues such as post-covid19! This golden milk tea will not cure Covid19, but it helps with lung inflammation. It is also very soothing for the throat, especially Post-Covid19. It also can boost your immune system. This is best consume before bed. You can totally omit the tea to keep this caffine-free. On a side note, you can also use black tea leaves as an alternative. PS: This is not a miracle beverage. Please consult a doctor. Ingredients: (Serve 2) Oat Milk Homemade / Or Any Desired Milk, 500ml Ground Cinnamon, 1 TSP Black Pepper, 1/2 TSP Black Seeds, 1 TSP Turmeric Powder Preferably Homemade , 1 TSP Ginger Grated, 1" Tahini, 2 TSP High Quality Maple Syrup, 2 TSP (Optional & Adjust To Preference) Tea Leaves of Preference (I'm Using Red Tea), 1 TBSP (Optional) Equipment: Blender Sauce Pot Directions: Please visit my " How To Make Turmeric Powder " page for the recipe. In a blender add all the ingredients, except for the tea leaves. Blitz until well combined. Transfer the milk mixture into a sauce pot over medium heat. *You can consume this golden milk, without any tea, simmer for 1 to 2 mins.* Add in the tea leaves and stir to combine well. Bring it up to a simmer. Cook for about 1 to 2 mins. Remove from heat and steep for 10 mins. Strain into serving cups and enjoy. Serve immediately. Earthy and cozy... Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video My daughters have been asking me to make a non-alcoholic mulled wine. I was literally laughing. How can you remove alcohol from wine and yes, decaf coffee is a joke. Right? This just popped into my head: if I cook the wine long enuff, the alcohol would've evaporated right? How do I add more fruity flavors without incorporating more alcohol (other than the wine)? By adding fresh juices. I have loads of apples on hand, so why not make fresh apple juices outta them? And voila! This version of mulled wine is born. Merry Xmas! Cheers! Ingredients: (Serve 4) White Wine Preferably Sauvignon Blanc, 750ml Fresh Apple Juice, 250ml Apple Cider Vinegar, 50ml Fresh Orange Slices, 1 Orange Fresh Lemon Slices, 1 Lemon Cloves, 3 All Spice Berries, 5 Green Cardamoms, 2 Bay Leaf, 1 Cinnamon Sticks, 2 Equipment: Slow Cooker Blowtorch (Optional) Directions: In a slow cooker, add all the ingredients. *Be sure to discard any seeds from the oranges and lemons.* Give it a stir to combine everything. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hrs. Strain into serving glasses and enjoy. This is optional: Burn some cinnamon sticks with a blowtorch and immediately cover them with the serving glasses. Spoon granulated sugar over some orange and lemon slices. Using the blowtorch and brûlée until caramelized. Set aside. When about to serve, pour the mulled apple wine into the smoked glasses and garnish with the brûléed orange and lemon slices. Cheers! Merry Xmas! Cheers! Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video One of the lovely people asked if I had tea for rheumatoid arthritis. I did some research and found out the benefits of green tea. Besides easing the pain from rheumatoid arthritis, it also reduces the risk of heart diseases, boosts metabolism, and improves blood sugar control. And jasmine came into my mind as there is a very popular canned jasmine flavored green tea beverage in Singapore. I also did some research on jasmine. To my surprise, it can actually speed up wound healing and is beneficial for skin diseases. Cheers! PS: This is not a miracle tea. Please consult a doctor for health problems. Ingredients: (Serve 2) High Quality Green Tea Leaves, 2 TBSP Jasmine Flowers Preferably Organic, 1 TBSP Water, 180ml Equipment: Sauce Pot Tea Pot Directions: Transfer tea leaves and jasmine into a tea pot. Add water into a sauce pot over medium heat. Once you see bubbles start to form along the sides, remove from heat and transfer the water into the tea pot. Cover and steep for 1 min. Strain into serving cup. Enjoy immediately. Cheers! *You can reuse the tea leaves and jasmine for up to 4 times. Repeat the water heating and brewing process.* I took a bit more effort in my presentation this time... Cheers! Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video After my previous pineapple tart recipe, you should probably know that this will be the next recipe. Don't throw out the pineapple peels. They are useful for making this awesome pineapple tea. You can also grow the pineapple head into a plant too. If you do not intend to make any pineapple jam, it is perfectly fine. If you decided to make some pineapple jam, do not wash the skillet after transferring out the jam. Use the same skillet to make this tea. You will thank me later. Let's reduce food wastage together! Ingredients: (Serve 2) Pineapple Peels, 1 Pineapple Cinnamon Stick, 1 Cloves, 5 Green Cardamoms, 3 Water Red Tea Bags, 3 Maple Syrup, 2 TBSP (Optional & Adjust To Preference) Equipment: Sauce Pot Directions: Transfer pineapple peels, cinnamon, cloves and cardamons to a pot. Add just enuff water to submerge. *If you are making pineapple jam from my previous pineapple tart recipe, use the same skillet after transferring out the jam.* Bring it up to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 to 8 mins. Remove from heat, cover and steep for 5 mins. Strain into a sterilized jar or bottle. Discard all the residue. Add in the tea bags, cover and give it a shake. Chill in the fridge overnight. The next day, fish out the tea bags. Pour into serving glasses. Add any maple syrup if desired and enjoy. Cheers! Refreshing... Recipe Video:

Jump To Recipe Jump To Video The more I research the more I know that jujubes aka Chinese Red Dates are beneficial for our health. They are full of antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber. In other words, they can boost immunity, lower blood sugar levels, prevent constipation, reverse free radical damage, and even help us sleep better at night! You can switch the ginger for star anise and cloves to bring more depth to this tea. Or you can use jujubes on their own. It would still be an excellent cup of beverage nonetheless. Don't forget to consume the jujubes as they are packed with nutrients. PS: This is not a miracle tea. Please consult a doctor. Ingredients: (Serve 4) Jujube | Chinese Red Dates, 50g Ginger Coarsely Sliced, 15g Cinnamon Stick, 1 Water, 720g Equipment: Sauce Pot Directions: Transfer all the ingredients to a pot over medium heat. Stir to combine well. Bring it up to a simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 mins. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside to infuse for 10 mins. Strain thru' into serving cups. Enjoy immediately. Cheers! Cheers! Recipe Video: