Over compensating/-/ Cardamom pistachio crisps

Let me start off by saying, Thank you readers!! I had no idea that my cupcakes would be so popular. I just wanted to win a kitchen aid…. Anyway I would love to thank you all you lovely comments about them. This has to be the best gift you readers could give me for my 21st. Even though I know this post will not reach a majority of you, I would like to think that they know how appreciate them for taking such an interest in them.

EDIT:I HAVE JUST BEEN PUBLISHED!
The daily mail has written an article about these cupcakes. I am too thrilled that my fish and chip cupcakes have become so popular. Please take a look and celebrate with me! LINK to the article

Who has a problem with excess? Like overestimating the amount of food you need for dinner or number of shirts you need when travelling While sometimes over estimating can be a good thing however I need to be overcompensated leave me with a lot of left overs.

I have noticed this in my kitchen habits that I tenancy to over compensate the amount of ingredients I need for recipe. This means my kitchen is often filled more baked good than I original planned to make. Now sometimes I can just give it to my dad to eat aka. The man with the iron stomach, but I am worried about his health. So, no more left over melted chocolate for him anymore.

For instance, I often have to make icing for cake and as good as icing is straight up, a girl cannot live on icing alone. My birthday just past has left me with a considerable amount of slightly tainted egg whites. This would not be problem if I they did not have little drips of egg yolk I them but unfortunately you can’t *sigh*. Well what can I say? Better safe than sorry (Rationalization, my favourite defence mechanism).



I guess I should consider it a positive as I give me chance to be more creative in the kitchen, sort of like the mystery box challenge from master chef only without the corny lines and feeling of dread. Now winter approaching here in Australia, means that You guy in North are heading towards summer right? Lucky ducks…




Now while I am taking joy in the fact winter means you can rug up with a cup of hot coffee and cookies without worrying about noticeable weight gain(bless sweat pants); you guys in the North are about to hit beach season. This seems to have sparked a trend of eating healthier, inspired once again by my follow US food bloggers, I have a cookie that is gluten free, sugar free and fat free. Now I do not often use these terms to describe my baking but I am willing to give it a shot.



The thing I have noticed about cooking sugar free goods is that browning properties are different to normal sugar. Also depending on what sweetener you use will change the texture, taste and overall success of the final product. Now Australia has recently started to embrace the wonder of stevia, we seem to be a bit slower than the rest of the world culinary speaking. Here I have used stevia in it liquid droplet form to sweeten these crisps. Remember it is very sweet! Only a few drops for me please.

These egg white crisps utilise the additive combination almond meal, coconut milk powder and roasted pistachios to form an awesome dunking biscuit. These are thinner than tradition biscotti and are a “healthier version” of the almond bread you can sometime get in the Asian bakery. Of course the cardamom is just for flavour and can be replaced with any spice you fancy. I would recommend the flavour combo of orange zest and cinnamon. These are hybrid cookie of all the trend I have noticed in baking, funny how the best baked good come from the left overs?



Cardamom Pistachio crisps

Makes 40 -50 crisp breads.

70g egg whites (Mine had a few drips of egg yolk in it but it works better with all whites)

10 drops of stevia liquid concentrate

3tbsp coconut milk powder (casein free)

130g almond meal

1 lemon worth of zest

4g ground cardamom

140g roasted shelled pistachios

Pre heat oven to 180c. Line a loaf tin 8cm by 27cm tin with baking paper, extending the paper 3cm above the tin on each side.

In a food processor blend your milk powder spice, lemon zest and almond meal. Set aside.

In large bowl, Whip your egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold in your dried ingredients from the food processor. It will go a bit flat, but that is OK. Then stir in the nuts till just combined.

Place the mix in the pan, spread and smoothing it out as you go ( Note: I did not smooth mine out enough so that why it is rounded, if you like to have shape you can just roughly spread it)

Bake for 30 minutes, until it a barely brown on top. Cool in tin until it complete cool(overnight is best).

Preheat oven to 150C. line two baking trays with baking paper.

Use a toothed knife to cut length ways down the loaf. You should aim to get them as thin as possible, just go slowly here because it tough loaf to handle. Place on tray.

Once filled bake for 20 minutes, leave to cool on trays to dry out some more.