HONEY CAKE

                                            Remembering is easy, it's forgetting that's hard.- Brodi Ashton

Standing behind the iron railed balcony, I would look at the clock to turn 3.45 p.m. My aunt's office bus would drop her off at the end of the road. I could see her walk from the corner, a little tired but glad to get home. For a 9 year old that was a long 3 minutes to wait.  The moment she reached within eyesight, all I was interested in was if she had a plastic bag in her hands.  If she did, I could not contain my happiness.  I knew what she got for us.  It would either be the Apple cake or Honey cake. After patiently waiting for her to serve it to us, it was so hard not to eat the cake fast. I would take small bites, slowing down as I get to the bottom of the cake, which, by the way, was the best. It was juicy, coconutty, sweet and heavenly.

When I think of this cake, I can feel the taste and my mouth waters immediately.

This was way way back then..feels like yesterday. Fast forward and my boy shares the same passion for this cake as I do. He wishes for this cake to be a'surprise' family birthday cake every year. I guess, he secretly doesn't want to share it with anyone(can't blame him)..:)

This was quite a popular cake in Bangalore(Southern part of India), which is known as the Iyengar Bakery Honey Cake.

What's a girl to do when she craves this in the middle of the day now...now that she is way way way away from home town. Of course GOOGLE it and get to the bottom of the recipe, which I did. I've probably made this 17 times in the last few years.  It's special.

It almost tastes the same and an absolute favorite among friends too.  You have to try it, if you love honey and coconut, this might be something you will fall in love with. I Love my Honey, coconut and this cake.

This version is quite different compared to the Jewish HONEY CAKE which is quite popular here.
It's a sponge cake doused  with orange, honey, cardamom syrup. The cake sits with the sweet syrup on top, slowly getting soaked in.  The more it soaks, the better it gets.  Perfect for potlucks, make it the previous day and take it to a friend place, scoop it or cut it, it's good anyway. 

ENJOY YOUR LONG WEEKEND!!

Yes, I haven't forgotten.  Thanks a lot for commenting on my 50th post and the winner of the giveaway is VEGAN MIAM. Congrats and thanks again for showing me some love, love you back.

HONEY CAKE
(sponge cake drowned with honey,orange and cardamom syrup)

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
2 sticks butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the syrup:
1 1/2 water
1 cup orange honey
1 cup coconut powder
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 tsp fresh cardamom powder
a pinch of red color if you want

Method:
1. In a pan on medium flame add all the ingredients for the SYRUP except the cardamom and boil for 10 minutes.  Take off the stove and add the cardamom powder, let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. In a mixing bowl, whip the butter till light and fluffy. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time and beat well.
4. Add one egg at a time along with vanilla extract and beat well.
5. Mix the dry ingredients well.  Fold it in the butter mixture and do not over mix.
6. Bake the cake in a 8" casserole dish or a baking pan anywhere from 40-50 minutes depending on how your oven works.  Mine took 50 minutes.  Check with a skewer.
7. Let cool the cake for 20 minutes.
8.  Pierce the cake with wooden toothpick randomly and drown it with the beautiful SYRUP,making sure to mix the syrup well before pouring, because the coconut tends to float.  Let sit at least 2 hours before serving.
ENJOY!!

NOTE: Coconut powder is a coarse dried unsweetened powder. You can check the link out..Here.

RICOTTA COCOA WAFFLES - Whole grain with fruits

                                                                 HAPPY SUNDAY GUYS!!

My week was quite an eventful one.

Have you ever silently scolded someone and a few moments later thanked them(in your mind)? 

We were in a small store which sells school uniforms. I finished my purchases and quickly decided to check my receipt with the number of clothes. Left my phone for 40 seconds on the counter. A minute later realized that I didn't have my phone and I was standing exactly in the same place. IT WAS GONE...

I used the store to call my phone a few times.  Completely panicked and helpless. A good guy who was working in the counter kept trying my number as we intently listened if it rang somewhere close. No where, no where we could find it.
Heads down, disappointed, worried, angry and annoyed, we decided to get home and find a way to get the phone back. I  gave the good guy my home number and asked him to call me if he ever hears about it. My teen told me he has the 'Find My iPhone' app, and we decided to come home and try out our luck.

For 15 minutes I felt like my life was paused...gosh...have we given our phones that much control over us??  Well, walking out to our car,  a van with 4 women stopped and shouted out, 'go check in the bathroom stall, we saw some phone..', we did ...and GUESS what?, we found it in a bathroom stall! OK, I have no clue how it went there or what happened in a minute...especially because we hadn't gone to the bathroom, but was I glad, really glad. Got in the car all happy and promised myself to be more careful and completely forgot about the good guy in the store, and guess what, saw him running towards me.  He heard from one of the customers that we found the phone and he was so happy for us.  I apologized for not informing that I found it and felt so guilty. 

It was a bittersweet day and today is a bittersweet Sunday too. School starts tomorrow and we are celebrating with these RICOTTA COCOA WAFFLES. 
  

This is one of those things I make almost every month and I have all good intentions to freeze some for the next week, never happens.  It's that good. Simple, add everything to mix up and leave it for 30 minutes and make your waffles, comes out perfect every time. The batter can be mixed the previous night and made fresh in the morning. Very fancy, healthy and oh so yummy.

Cheers to a finding the phone, a sweet guy who cared, to the person who decided to leave my phone alone, cheers to a great week. Happy week my friends.But, before I sign off, have you every being so mad at someone but actually thanked them later? 

RICOTTA COCOA WAFFLES
Prep time- 10 mins
Cook time-  5 mins
Makes 12-15

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1   cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 overripe banana
1/2 cup of strawberries or raspberries
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup butter milk 
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Add ricotta cheese, butter milk, eggs,banana,strawberry in a blender and mix well.
2. Add oats and sugar and blend it well.
3. Pour in a bowl and mix in all other ingredients and make sure not to overmix.
You can leave it for 30 minutes to overnight to make the waffles.
4. Preheat waffle iron.  Spray the iron with non stick butter spray and pour one ladle of the mix and cook for 5 minutes or until it's cooked. Serve HOT.
ENJOY!!

Note:
The batter is perfect made the previous night.  Mix it a bit when you make it the next day.
These waffles freeze really really well.
For FLUFFIER waffles, you could whip the egg whites separately and fold it in. 
I've doubled the recipe, that why I have 4 eggs and a lot more in the pictures. 

BUCKWHEAT/FLAX SEEDS SPICY CRACKERS with GRILLED GOLDEN BEET DIP/HUMMUS

I am not Vegan.

I eat gluten in some form every day.  

Healthy food habits...not all the time.

We do go sometimes Vegan for a week, just to see how it feels. Being a South Indian, rice is a huge part of our daily meals, we naturally follow a gluten free diet to a certain extent. 

Now about eating and following a healthy lifestyle, wish I was more consistent with it.  We eat quite healthy, actually very healthy, but after a good healthy meal, we go out for  Gelato:). My new favorite flavor FicoPistachio, oh yum. 
OK, I don't eat ice cream everyday, but I need a sweet something after dinner time.  Do you crave a dessert after your dinner?

Another thing we love after dinner, especially during weekends is music. The guitar comes out, karaoke mike turned on, fighting over who goes first with their choice is usually a scene on a Friday night.  It's so much fun that we started our monthly karaoke get together with some friends who enjoy singing. Well some of us do sound like Cameron Diaz(including me) from 'MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING', but hey, we have fun. Do you think you sound different during karaoke?,I definitely think I do.

 This month for our karaoke meet I got to make these crackers and dip. After some unsuccessful guesses as to what went into the dip, they couldn't believe it was Golden Beets and loved how light and good it was.  Served it with Roquefort and goat cheese coated with pistachios and drizzled with pineapple marmalade. A good evening it was.

The crackers are crispy and spicy and they go perfect with the dip which is light and tasty.Of course, I haven't given up on my chips and salsa, but I love this combination too.  In fact this dip makes for a very good sauce for pasta, so double whammy there right..?

Here goes the gluten free, vegan and very easy crackers and a healthy dip to go along. 

BUCKWHEAT/FLAX SEED SPICY CRACKER AND GOLDEN BEETS DIP

CRACKERS:
Ingredients:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour(you could get buckwheat and grind it)
1/2 cup finely ground flax seeds
1/4 cup almond flour
2 finely chopped garlic
2 finely grated green chilies
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds(optional, for crunch)
1/2 tsp salt(or accordingly)
Water to mix.

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients except water and mix it with a whisk.
2. Add 2 tbsp of water at a time and mix everything so that it forms a dough.  Do not add more water.  It has to be a stiff dough.  Let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Roll the dough pretty thin on a turned baking sheet or rolling mat.  Use pizza cutter or a knife and cut to any shape you want.  Transfer the cookies very carefully to a lined baking sheet.
4. Bake at 300-325 degrees in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it browns lightly on the sides.  If you want crispier crackers, turn off the oven and leave the cracker in the oven for another hour.
ENJOY!

DIP/HUMMUS

Ingredients:

2 jalapenos
3 small golden beets
1 cup white beans/cannellini  beans(I used canned)
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 large lemon juiced
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt(or accordingly)
fresh crushed pepper

Method:

1. Slice jalapenos and golden beets.  Grill it indoors or on an outdoor grill.  Once it is grilled and cooked, take it out and wrap with aluminum foil and keep aside. I leave the seeds in the jalapenos, you could remove it if you want.
2. Using a food processor to grind the jalapenos and golden beets..
3 Then add all the other ingredients and grind till you get a nice hummus texture, then grind some fresh pepper and mix well.
4. Serve with little crushed pepper and drizzle of olive oil on top.

ENJOY!!

Have a great week and thank you so much for your kind words on my previous post.  I truly appreciate your comments, I feel more inspired and motivated by your kind words.  

THAI COCONUT CURRY SOUP- Spicy topped with NOODLES - 50th post and Giveaway/gift

                                         Yes, it's my 50th post and I can't believe I made it this far.

These last 3 months have been beyond what I could ask for. You being a huge part of it. Can you imagine that you work so hard on your recipe, your writing, your pictures, and you see 3 views? That sucks big time. I also saw that those views were mom's, my teen's and mine.

I remember when I was overwhelmed at the very thought and process of creating a blog. There were questions like 'Honey,  how can I make this picture bigger' to 'Nik, can you please teach me how to add links'. They seem simple right, but too much for me then. Technical details seemed to pass through me without touching me.


The thrill when I got the first comment (apart from my baby boy) is indescribable. The first like on my facebook page by a big blogger Rosa from Yummy Yum Yum was an awesome day.

The pictures constantly getting rejected from Foodgawker and Tastespotting is not fun..In fact I have a whole post planned up for listing all possible rejections:).

But time goes on, and soon you see more views and more comments. Next thing you know, you feel you are a part of the blogging world!

I do feel very blessed to be doing what I enjoy, and the hard work gets paid off when I read comments. Even more precious are the friends I've made in the process.



 One thing,thank GOD, that I have  control of is the FOOD,  and photography is fun.  I have a long way, a really long learning way to go in both.

What I've got a kick out of is, showing off to my hubby, who thought I would give up after a week and blaming it on him:). Oh, well,  I've given him reasons to believe that.  Have I mentioned how much I HATE COMPUTERS..?? Wow,it's hard to believe that I didn't until now!


It's quite rewarding, fun and challenging.  I have met a lot of fellow bloggers, chatted with some very cool nice people(you know who you are and thanks), exchanged comments with many and bullied by some(not the fun part). I do think and I hope I am motivated enough to stay this positive for a long time...Thanks for all the support you show this blog and to me. HUGS.

To  this amazing simple Thai COCONUT CURRY SOUP, a combination of Thai and Indian flavors. My friend, who is a great cook, makes some of the best Maharashtrian  meat dishes.  This is her version which we all love.  I've just made slight changes to her recipe to make mine a vegetarian version and combined some thai flavors.



Now, that said, I am on my 50th post, yay!

 I want to give away a gift to one of you, my friends. This is not a sponsored product.  I have one of this, I've used it in parties, and love it. I hope you like what I chose for you.

All you have to do is share your thoughts/comments and make sure your link is present. If you like what you see on my page, please do subscribe and like my fb page(not necessary for the giveaway). We will chose 1 lucky winner and announce exactly who it is two weeks from now.  You can comment on this post until August 27th and it is only for US residents( sorry non-residents).  
It is a beautiful painters palette serving platter 16", porcelain, which will look beautiful for your desserts or appetizers. 

THAI COCONUT CURRY SOUP

Ingredients:

Grind to a powder:

1 tsp of white poppy seeds
1 tsp of seasame seeds
2 tbsp of cashewnuts
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

Grind all of the above to a fine powder.

For the Soup:

2 cans of light coconut milk(2 cups of fresh coconut milk)
3 cups of vegetable stock(home made is the best,but some of the carton one's are great too)
1 inch ginger 
4 cloves garlic
3 green thai chilies(accordingly)
3 green onions
1 stick lemon grass
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt or to your taste
1 tsp sugar(optional)
handful of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
2 cups of boiled whole wheat noodles or rice noodles
raisins to add in last(optional)

Method:

1. In a large heavy pot, add oil and let it get hot. Add bay leaves,ginger and garlic and fry on low heat.  Crush the lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves and add it to the pot.  Fry for a minute.
2. Add slit green chilies and chopped green onions and the vegetable stock.  Cover the lid bring the stock to a boil and then simmer it for 20 minutes.  
3. Add the coconut milk and the ground powder  and bring it to a boil with salt as required.  
4. Pass the whole soup through a sieve so you will get a smooth soup. Bring the soup again to a boil till it reaches a good consistency.
5. Serve with boiled whole wheat noodles or rice noodles. 
ENJOY!!

Note:

You could use shredded chicken to it.
You could use chicken stock too, tastes really good.
You could add fish sauce instead of salt.
This goes very well with some steamed rice too.

SPICED WALNUTS with Balsamic and Curry Powder

          

            Happy Monday Friends.  How was your weekend? 

Our weekend just flew by with the realization that there's only two more weeks of summer vacation.  We are trying to fit in dinners with friends, cooking workshops and a lot of movies in between. 

The boys seem like they are in no rush to start their routine.  I can say they've having fun.

My teen has learnt how to make lunch to survive at least.He made some balsamic noodles and they were good, maybe a bit too strong for my taste, but he loved it.
My little one is adorable, learnt how to break an egg without messing his hands and no shells in the bowl. Now he just wants to show everyone how well he breaks an egg and we have a lot of eggs for lunch and dinner these days..




Cheering up with these nuts.  We make every kind of spiced nut, we snack on it a lot.  This might be a continuation to my Couscous topped with balsamic nuts.  This combination is something I tried this summer and we love it so much that I've made it at four times. Bottled it for some friends and they loved the unique flavor of balsamic vinegar. Now I share it with you..

It's perfect topped on salads, perfect as is with some hot coffee. 

BALSAMIC and Curry SPICED WALNUTS

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar plus brown sugar(equal quantities)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp curry powder(recipe below or your could buy it at any store)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Method:

1. In a pan add balsamic vinegar, sugar, chili powder, curry powder, salt and the butter. Bring it to a slow simmer until the sugar has dissolved completely.
2. Add the nuts and toss well.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment, sprayed with oil.  
4. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes, let cool and break it apart.  You can store it in air tight containers.

Curry Powder:

2 tbsp whole coriander
2 tbsp whole cumin
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp dried meethi leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
10 whole dried red chillies

Fry everything on low heat in a thick bottomed pan for 2-3 minutes.  Then cool it and grind it to a fine powder. Alternatively you could use powdered spices instead of whole spices and instead of roasting it, just mix everything and bottle it up.
ENJOY!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND GARBANZO COUSCOUS With BALSAMIC CANDIED WALNUTS

                                                    "I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is two weeks"- Totie Fields

Do you love crazy scary rides?

We were in Disney for the weekend.
We ate Churros, Mickey Ice creams, cheesy pasta, frozen lemonade and a lot in between. I am not even making  up what I ate, it was a little too much. I feel stuffed and not so a little guilty to have eaten my way to happiness. Now, I fear the scale. Why am I only talking about food, we were in  Disney right???...

 The boys rode crazy rides many times and I stood by, 1. feeling too full, 2.feeling too scared.  In reality big scary rides scare me more than it used to, wonder why?? I used to be a daredevil, bungee jumping, even sky diving but a 100 foot ride just churns me up from inside even without sitting on the ride.

Food looked better than the rides to me.The churros were so good, warm, lightly crispy on the outside, sorta chewy and soft on the inside with cinnamon sugar dusted all over it,...wow, I sure miss those.

Back to some healthy stuff..
I can't live without a good spice blend, I've been using this one from couple of weeks on vegetables and sweet potatoes, I do like it. To wake up the flavors, I try to add some fresh herbs and some lemon juice. It is a nice blend to have. No, they didn't pay me, although I wished they did:).



I  enjoy cauliflower in any form but I'm sure you are with me on roasting them. Roasting just brings out the best in them.

I tossed in some garbanzo beans while roasting cauliflower and it was perfect. Had to have some crunch, so,  made some BALSAMIC CURRIED WALNUT and tossed everything with some couscous, which I cooked in some vegetable stock.  To make this even more perfect, lightly shredded some Parmesan cheese. It was delicious and I would consider this healthy compared to my bread and cheese lunch couple of days ago.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER COUSCOUS 

2 cups pearl couscous
1 cup vegetable stock               
1 1/2 cup of water
1/2 large head of cauliflower florets
1 cup garbanzo beans( I used canned, drained very well)
1 tsp of any spice blend(use any of your own spices, if you don't have this)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp Balsamic candied walnuts for garnish
cilantro for garnish.

Method:

1. Add pearl couscous with water and vegetable stock and add 1/2 salt and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until the water is fully absorbed. Then cover and let sit for 5 minutes and fluff it up with a fork.
2. When the couscous is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the cauliflower florets, garbanzo beans, curry powder, spice blend, 1/2 tsp of salt and oil.  Toss it well and put it on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, making sure the cauliflower doesn't overcook. Once it exits the oven, squeeze some lemon juice for a fresh taste.
3. Assembly.  In a large bowl, add cooked couscous and roasted veggies and toss it in.  Add the candied walnuts, some shaved or grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

BALSAMIC CANDIED WALNUTS:
(adapted from Epicurious)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts

In a non stick pan, add balsamic vinegar, sugar and bring it to a simmer.  Let the sugar dissolve, add the walnuts and let it simmer until thick and every walnut is coated well, making sure it doesn't burn.  Take it out on a wax sheet and cool.  Bread it to pieces and use it on any salad or just as a topping.

ENJOY!! 

CHICKEN PATTIES with APPLE CORIANDER CHUTNEY

               Some things are just easy.

         Some things are comfort.

            Some things just bring back memories.

       I met her 6 years ago,a lady with an attitude of gratitude.

She was the lady who carried a cane basket filled with different fresh greens.  She came every morning door to door to sell greens.  A simple yet strong woman.  I fell in love with her(my keerai lady/greens lady).  Why, you might ask?

Her husband abandoned her.  She adopted a little girl at 2 months and she started living for the little one.  She sold greens in the mornings and did household chores in the afternoon for a living. 

Many people struggle, why was she so special?

She had a smile every time I saw her.  She spent at least 10 minutes talking to me everyday. She never once complained of how difficult her life was.  All she spoke was how beautiful her little daughter was.  She said she lived for the little one, she worked for the little one, the little one was her life.

I met her on two of my visits to India. Then, boom, she was gone,and I have no clue where she lives and what she's doing. I asked around, but what was tough was I have no clue what her name is, but she made an impression. I do love her. She will remain in my heart as the 'Greens lady'(keeraikaari). 

Have you met someone who made a lasting impression on you, who you wish you took the time to know better?

Now to the recipe after my emotional speech..The greens I used in this recipe(got it in an Indian store), I have no clue what it's called in English. Do let me know if you know what the name is.
It doesn't taste anything like spinach, it's got a unique flavor to it.  I am sure it's got a lot of healthy properties.
The patty freezes very well, surprise guest, NO PROBLEM, defrost and pan fry it and you will be a star.  The patties are so easy to make, so moist, it's almost like, add everything and it turns out perfect.

CHICKEN PATTIES with APPLE/CILANTRO CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

1 pounds minced chicken
2 cups packed finely chopped greens
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala(spice mix) 
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 green chillies very finely chopped
1/4 red onions grated
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp oil for pan frying.

Method:

1. In a large bowl add minced chicken, greens, ginger/garlic paste, green chilies, grated onion, grated ginger and salt and mix it very gently.  DON't overmix.
2.  Make 8 portions into patties and rest it for a bit.
3. Pan fry it for around 4 minutes on each side on medium heat or you could grill it.
4. Serve with APPLE CHUTNEY or any chutney of your choice.  
You could stuff it in Pita bread or use as a burger on BURGER buns.  

APPLE CORIANDER CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

1 gala apple
1 large bunch cilantro(chopped)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin/jeera
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 green chilies
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt or to taste.


GRIND everything to a fine paste and serve with the patties.

ENJOY!!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

                        Cocoa, chocolate chips, chocolate covered almonds and coffee beans. Cookies.
        

We adore them. It's the BEST!- I've heard( not too humble huh..). I can't restrict myself in calling them the best.

If there's one thing kids ask(almost demand) when they come to our place, are these cookies. Now coming to think of it, I'm not too sure it's just them asking or one chocoholic teen who makes them ask...

The cookies are slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, little like a cushioned brownie. They are quite chocolaty with hints of crunch from the almonds and coffee beans. 

The idea of using coffee beans came from the beautiful Chef Giada De Laurentis, she used them in her cookie recipe and I thought it was an ingenious idea.

I've bought chocolate covered coffee beans(now try saying that 5 times:)),..ate it all even before it made to the batter.  This time  I bought my chocolate covered coffee beans last and added it first.

We couldn't  wait for it to get out of the oven, it's one of those things which tastes out of the world crazy good when it's warm.

Turn on a movie, .Sit in your spots, warm up the cookie a bit and close your eyes and take a bite, it is perfect..

It's OK, all the craziness with chocolate but what's  NOT OK was, I had a boy bouncing off the walls. What remained was boxed for later.

What is YOUR favorite cookie?

I leave you with this chocolate heaven. Hope you all have an awesome weekend.  

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
(lightly adapted from Food Network)
Makes 24 cookies
300 degrees for 12 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup All purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cocoa powder(I used Hershey's)
1/3 cup chocolate covered coffee beans/almonds
4 tbsp or 1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 ounces  semi sweet chocolate baking barks/squares 
1  large egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract( I used Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract)
2 tbsp brewed coffee 
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. Mix all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, chocolate covered almonds/coffee beans,cocoa powder together and keep aside.
2. Melt butter in a microwave till it melts and note not to burn it.  
3. Chop the Semi sweet chocolate squares and add it to the warm butter and mix well until it is smooth.
4. Whip butter, both the sugar well. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well, add 2 tbsp of brewed coffee.
5.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well using spatula.
6. Add the chocolate chips to it.
7.  Use a small ice cream scoop to make portions.
8.  Use parchment sheets so the cookies don't stick to the baking sheet.
9. Bake at 300 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Leave it to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
ENJOY!!

Note:
 Please do not over bake these..
They will be a bit soft after 12 minutes, leave it on the tray and carefully transfer.
If using a darker cookie sheet, it might take a little lesser time to bake.
If you want to make it egg less, it's also perfect without the addition of 1 egg, just add 2 tbsp of either flax seeds powder or 2 tbsp apple puree.
If you want to omit the chocolate covered beans( for kids) or you feel it might get stuck in the teeth(it did a bit), please go ahead, doesn't change the flavors a lot. You can just use chocolate covered almonds.