Brown Sugar Coconut Bubble Tea

I have an unadulterated love for chewy things. Chewy bread is my first love. Chewy desserts are second up and probably the reason why I navigate myself towards tapioca pearls and mochi cake.
I saw this recipe and I made it immediately, mostly for the fact that it reminds me of one of my favorite Vietnamese dessert/ drinks called "Suong Sa." It's basically a lightly sweetened coconut milk based drink filled with grass jelly and tapioca pearls. That's probably why I love tapioca pearls so much, because a LOT of Vietnamese desserts use tapioca pearls and I grew up chewing on the stuff and now it's my crack!

See how pretty they are? Glassy, gelatinous and chewy. This drink was really good, and almost exactly like my favorite Vietnamese drink! I really loved it. Next time, I'll probably add some grass jelly to complete it. The coconut milk makes it really smooth and rich, so the fact that it's lightly sweetened is smart, because it could get very heavy, very easily.

Mmmm, rich & refreshing!

Brown Sugar Coconut Bubble Tea

Yields: 2 servings

Adapted from here.

1/2 cup large pearl tapioca

1 tbsn. honey

2 tbsn. brown sugar

1 cup black tea, cold

1 cup ice

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup almond milk, or regular milk

Cook the tapioca pearls according to the directions on the package, drain, then stir in the brown sugar and honey. To make the bubble tea, combine the black tea, coconut milk and almond milk. Divide the ice and tapioca pearls (along with the syrup) among two tall glasses, then top with the tea. Add more sugar if desired.

Lychee Green Tea + Routin 1883 Syrups

I'm a very lucky blogger. I know I haven't been blogging that often lately, but this space is something I can call my own and a place to share my loves with you guys. To all of my readers, you mean a lot to me and your kind comments mean even more! I'm even luckier to have been able to receive so many nice gifts from various companies.

The latest are these unbelievably unique syrups from Routin 1883. They kindly let me choose what flavors I wanted to try, and of course lychee had to be one of them! You all know how much I love tea, so lychee syrup in tea is just another form of heaven for me. I fell in love with speculoos about a year or so ago when I made a foodie trip to New York and tried the Wafels & Dinges truck. They had this speculoos spread that they served with their waffles that was just... divine. When I saw that Routin 1883 offered a speculoos flavor I knew I had to try it!

Aren't the bottles just lovely? Anyway Routin 1883 is a brand that hails from France that specializes in decadent and specialty syrups that you could add to almost anything. I like to use my lychee flavor in tea and the speculoos flavor in lattes but I'm just about sure I could add them to anything I'd like... and believe me, I will! These syrups are concentrated in flavor and add just the right amount of sweetness. 

If you're interested in trying some, grab some here!

Lychee Green Tea with Boba

Yields: 1 serving

1 1/2 cups water

1 jasmine green tea bag or 2 tsp. loose leaf jasmine green tea

1 oz. Routin 1883 lychee syrup

1/4 cup boba, cooked (optional)

ice

Heat the water till almost boiling, either on top of a stove or in the microwave. Steep the tea, and immediately place in the refrigerator to cool for 15 - 30 minutes. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the syrup and cooled tea. Shake vigorously to cool, about 1 minute. Place the cooked boba in a tall glass. Strain the cooled tea mixture on top. Enjoy!

* Using a cocktail shaker is completely optional. You could plainly serve the tea over ice but I think shaking it makes it a bit more fun :)

Seriously, so delicious. I finished it in no time.

Chambre de Sucre

The lovely Kathy of Chambre de Sucre was so lovely as to send me a generous amount of samples. When she contacted me, I was excited. I drink tea almost daily, if not multiple times a day and even though most of the time I prefer it unsweetened, there are those days when I do need a little sugar fix.

The sugars from Chambre de Sucre are the most exquisite and delicate sugar fix you could ever get your hands on. Each type of sugar I was sent was beautiful and perfect. I never thought I'd describe sugar as such, but visit their site and you'll see how adorable everything is. Perfect for tea parties or get togethers with your girlfriends.

Anyways, I just love getting sent such beautiful products! Gives me the opportunity to shoot the heck out of them and then devour them afterwards - what a good deal.

I decided that the best match for such beautiful sugar was my most delicate tea, rose tea!

Their rock sugars were my favorite. I just love the rawness and natural look of it.

Visit their website here.

Chewy Matcha Chip Cookies

I did the unthinkable. I still can't believe I did it; something magical, something so beautiful I thought it only existed in dreams. I made matcha chips. Yes, yes I love tea. Blah blah blah, I say it so many times I don't think I need to say it again. I'm always searching for new ways to get tea into my baked goods and people, I have struck the tea-in-baked-goods gold!

I was inspired on a day of boredom to create such goodness. I've recently seen Nutella being made into chips, which of course, I plan on making soon as well - I mean, come on, how could I not? With the last bit of my matcha, I decided to mix it into some melted white chocolate and voila! Matcha chips, literally in 10 minutes. It... could... not... be... simpler! 

Kermit, you were surely wrong. It is very easy being green - especially when you are as lovely as Matcha. I mean come on with that stunning color! Of course, I had to toss these into these a chewy cookie batter and then nom, nom, nom on them as if my life depended on it! Oy vey... such is the life of a baker.


About the matcha chips, I only had 1 tablespoon of matcha powder left, so that's what I added to my melted white chocolate. After they had hardened, and I popped one in my mouth, the matcha flavor was not as distinct as I had wanted them to be, so in the recipe, I upped the amount to 2 tablespoons. Although, after being baked into the cookies, the matcha flavor was a bit more prominent - score! But next time, I still would double the matcha since a "pow" of matcha flavor is highly welcomed.

The cookie dough in all of its wispy, lovely goodness:

A celebration of GREEN!

Chewy Matcha Chip Cookies

Yields: 24 - 30 cookies

Highly adapted from here.

For the cookies

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 tbsn. strong-brewed green tea

2 cups matcha chips

For the matcha chips:

2 cups white chocolate chips

2 tbsn. matcha powder

To make the matcha chips, carefully melt the white chocolate over a double boiler, making sure not to burn it. Once smooth, whisk in the matcha powder until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into 'chips' onto a piece of foil. Allow to harden completely, about 1 hour or you can speed this up in the freezer.

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until very smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and green tea. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until well combined. Fold in the matcha chips carefully. Roll rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, then place on the prepared cookie sheet, about 1 1/2" apart. Use your palm to press them down slightly. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely on a rack.

Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

There's something so thirst quenching about Arnold Palmers - just the perfect hint of sweetness from the lemonade with the subtle earthiness from the tea - I love it so! I think it's pretty swell to have a drink named after yourself - especially one as delicious as this. Hmmm... I wonder what kind of epic drink I could create? For some reason though, I don't think a drink with the name 'Michelle Huynh' would catch on as well!

Anyways, I adapted this recipe from Hannah. It's the perfect recipe with just the right amount of sugar and the right amount of tanginess. If it's a bit too strong or too sweet, the recipe is easily adaptable - just add water! I used jasmine green tea since it's my favorite but you could use whatever you'd like. Hannah told me that it's imperative to drink with stripe-y straws, so that I did! It was fantastic.

Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

Yields: 6 - 8 servings

Adapted from here.

4 - 6 tea bags, depending on your preference of strength (I used jasmine green tea, but you can use any)

6 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup water (for the simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice (from 4 - 6 lemons)

Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat, add the tea bags and allow to steep for 8 - 10 minutes. To make the simple syrup, heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Combine the lemon juice, simple syrup and steeped tea in a pitcher, stir and refrigerate until cold. Enjoy!

Thai Iced Tea

I freaking love Thai iced tea. But until now, I've always either bought it or asked my mom to make it. It's simple I know, but I never knew how to make it, arghh! So finally my mom taught me how, and since I love it so, I thought it imperative to pass the knowledge on. Please enjoy soon!

Slowly watch the half-and-half swirl around in the Thai tea goodness.

Tapioca pearls/ boba may be optional for you. They are necessary for me ;)

Thai Iced Tea

Yields: 6 - 8 servings

6 cups water

1 cup Thai tea

1 cup sugar

1 - 1 1/2 cups half-and-half

tapioca pearls/ boba, optional

Bring the water to a rolling boil in a large saucepan. Add the tea, then remove from the heat. Stir gently to submerge the tea into the water. Steep for about 3 - 5 minutes. The liquid should be dark orange in color. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or a coffee filter into a pitcher. Add the sugar, stir until dissolved. Refrigerate until cool. If you want tapioca pearls/ boba, cook them according to the directions on the package. Strain, then keep them in some warm simple syrup. When ready to serve, add some tapioca pearls/ boba, fill the cup with ice, then pour the tea into the cup until 3/4 full. Add the half-and-half until light orange in color (about 3 - 4 tbsn.). Repeat and enjoy!

Green Tea & Strawberry Daifuku

Spring. It's here and although Winter is my all time favorite season, it's time for that much needed sunshine. I went to the market today and was greeted by a flurry of gorgeous fruit: berries, peaches, and nectarines galore. I was literally a kid in a non-artificial candy store.

What to buy? What to make? Oh the possibilities! I ended up making Daifuku, or Japanese mochi treats. I can't think of anything more fitting to welcome in the new season. Luscious strawberries wrapped in green tea tinged mochi. A perfectly refreshing snack for these warm sunny days.

At first, I followed the recipe to a tee which yielded in hard, very unmanageable mochi! Ick. But after some further research, I found that the mochi mixture only needs to be zapped in the microwave for a couple minutes (it's fixed in the recipe). Other than that, this is a quick snack that is fun to make and fun to eat, plus it's looks don't hurt either. So cute!

Green Tea & Strawberry Daifuku (Mochi)

Yields: 12 small Mochi

Recipe from here.

1 cup Mochiko flour or sweet rice flour

2/3 cup strong brewed green tea

1/2 tsp. matcha powder

1/4 cup sugar

6 strawberries, washed with green tops removed

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Stir together the tea and sugar, microwave for 30 seconds or until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the rice flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap, then microwave for 2 minutes. While the mochi mix is microwaving, commune the corn starch and powdered sugar and liberaly dust your cutting board, set the prepared fruit nearby and get out a spoon. Stir mochi and then cook another minute. Once done, carefully turn out onto the dusted surface, WATCH OUT, the mochi will be HOT! Dust your hands in the sugar-cornstarch mix and break off a piece large enough to cover the entire strawberry (eyeball it), flatten it out, then place a piece of fruit in the center. Pinch up the sides and seal, then repeat for remaining mochi dough but be sure to work fast before the mochi gets cold. Keep in the refrigerator or freezer.

Arabic Tea

I am a very big tea drinker. And by very big I mean drink-every-morning, drink-to-enjoy, drink-hot-or-cold, drink-with-a-smile-on-her-face tea drinker. I love tea. I love trying new kinds of tea. When I went to San Francisco, I had the opportunity to try Arabic tea at this place calledKan Zaman. It was ahhhhhmazing! Like nothing I'd ever tried before and so beautiful to look at because of the mint leaves floating about.

After much googling, my friend found how to recreate it at home, and now I'm showing you guys! This isn't traditional, traditional Arabic tea but this is a way to recreate the flavors at home even if you can't find the real deal. It's delicious and if you love tea, please try this recipe!

Arabic Tea

Yields: 2 servings

3 cups water

2 Lipton 'Yellow Label' tea bags

10 - 15 mint leaves or sage (I haven't tried this version yet)

Sugar, to your liking (I use 1 tsp. per serving)

In a large measuring cup, add the mint leaves and tea bags. Boil the water and pour over the tea bags and mint leaves. Let steep for 5 minutes. Add sugar to your liking and enjoy!