California Raisins partnered with Chef Miko Aspiras and came up with an easy-to-prepare snack recipe in time for the back-to-school season.
I love using California Raisins in my dessert because they are naturally sweet, consistent in size, texture, and chewiness,” Miko Aspiras, pastry chef of Scout’s Honor and Le Petite Souffle.
Here are the ingredients for Chef Miko’s California Raisins Cookies:
170g California Raisins
85g brown sugar
85g white sugar
112 g unsalted butter (softened but not melted)
2 pcs egg whole
195g All-purpose flour
2g baking soda
2 g iodized salt
1 g baking powder
2 g vanilla extract
Chef Miko made the event more exciting by dividing the audience into 3 groups with 5 members each. Every group’s participant will choose among the toppings below for the cookie dough he prepared. Each group will choose which of the topped cookie would be their entry.
Procedure:
- Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a standing mixer, cream the butter, white and brown sugars using a paddle attachment until mixture is light and airy.
- Add in eggs one at a time, add in vanilla extract.
- Using a rubber scraper or spatula, fold in dry ingredients lightly and evenly.
- Lastly fold in raisins.
- Spread mixture in a flat baking tray and chill until dough is firm.
- Scoop cookie mixture (30g each) on a non-stick baking tray
- Bake at 170°C for 6 minutes.
And here’s our entry during the contest, tadaaa!
The rightmost cookie at the lower section was mine. Unfortunately, we lose haha!
But moving on, I learned a lot about my favorite snack ( or should I say finger food haha). Raisin Administrative Committee Trade Promotions Director (Southeast Asia) Richard Lieu shared:
California Raisins recipes are very easy to prepare, so parents won’t have a hard time making snacks for their children”. He also added that “parents and kids can also snack on California Raisins straight out of the box which makes them a healthy snack alternative for people on the go.
Sweet naturally, California Raisins has no added sugar, preservatives and colorants. They are fat- and cholesterol-free and provide a source of fiber, potassium, vitamins and minerals. Also, California Raisins blend well with both sweet and savory dishes.
California Raisins are carefully harvested, naturally sun-dried and backed by strict USDA inspection standards to ensure they are the cleanest and highest quality raisins in the world.
Two thirds of California Raisins are being consumed in the U.S. and Canada, while one third is exported to over 50 countries. Japan and the UK are the top export markets, but from August 2014 to July 2015, the Philippines was the 12th most important destination in the world for Natural Seedless California Raisins. This makes the Philippines the largest California Raisins importer in Southeast Asia today.
From the Vitis Vinifera species, raisins are made from green grapes. The light to dark brown color of the Natural Raisins comes from the natural sun-drying process that takes place during the oxidation and caramelization of its sugars.
On the other hand, California Golden Raisins are the same seedless grapes that are used in Natural Raisins production except that they are being dried in mechanical dryers. During the drying process, Golden Raisins are cured with a bit of sulfur dioxide in order to prevent the fruit from darkening and to preserve the Vitamin A and C as well.
Get a glimpse on some of the awesome California Raisins-inspired meals that was served to us:
California Raisins are available in leading supermarkets nationwide. To know more about California Raisins, visit http://calraisins.org/ and www.caraisins.com or like them at Facebook at www.facebook.com/RACASEAN/.
About the Raisin Administrative Committee
The Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC) is a non-profit organization made up of California raisin grape growers, packers and public members to promote and market California Raisins to all relevant customers around the world. Headquartered in Fresno, California, the RAC is directly overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture.