Cream cheese mini buns

Addictive, fluffy, light and delicious mini buns that make a perfect treat with your morning coffee or an evening tea. Serve them as a snack or as breakfast, these cute mini buns will make you fall in love with them.

Cream cheese has high fat content yet a healthy choice compared to other cheeses. It has a strong flavor and is a versatile ingredient. You can make a sweet or a savory dessert. I usually spread it on my wheat cracker for my evening tea. It has been a while since I have been wanting to bake something with it. Recently, I bought a pack of Cream cheese muffins and it tasted just delicious. That gave me an idea of what to do with the cream cheese spread I had.

This recipe is my own and I have added the ingredients that I had at home when I planned to make it. You can modify it however you like and don't forget to let me know your version if you did modify it. :) I have used brown sugar and absolutely no butter since cream cheese has very high fat content. I had to add eggs though but you can make it egg less by adding a banana or some ground flax seeds mixed in water(1 tbsp flaxseed+3 tbsp water for 1 egg).

I have also added some chopped dark chocolate but you can replace it with some chocochips or nuts. It goes very well with a cup of hot coffee or just cold some milk. You can also reduce the sweet content and serve it for breakfast. You can store them for a week without refrigerating and 2 weeks in refrigeration. Now, to the recipe-

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	82		Calories
Fat	3.4		%
Carbohydrates	10.4		%
Dietary Fiber	0		%
Sodium	87.1		mg
Vitamin A	3.2		%
Vitamin C	0		%
Calcium	6		%
Iron	0		%
Protein	1.7		Grams
Sugar	8.6		Grams

Ingredients
Wheat flour/Atta	1&1/2 cups
Eggs	2
Brown sugar	1/2 cup
Vanilla essence	1 teaspoon
Baking powder	1 teaspoon
Baking soda	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	a pinch
Cream cheese	4 tablespoons
Chopped dark chocolate/Chocolate chips	a handful

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend Brown sugar, eggs and vanilla essence. Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix. Add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients + cream cheese and mix well.

Add chopped chocolate and knead into a dough. Roll the dough into balls and punch them to make flat.
Place them on a baking plate lined with baking sheet.

Bake them for about 20-30 minutes according to your oven settings. Serve then warm.

Jolada mudde - Bassaru, Palya ~~Karnataka recipes

A warm and comfort platter for a Sunday lunch or a hearty dinner on a chilly evening, this combination of north and south Karnataka's delicacies will make your mouth water wanting for more!

Jolada mudde/ Jowar ball is not so different to cook compared to ragi ball though the taste is so very different. Jowar balls are a popular part of the platter in every North Canara's households. Jowar balls are usually served with a spicy curry.

Bassaru is made from the filtered stock from cooked dill leaves with lentils and once filtered, the remaining residue is made in to palya/stir fry. Bassaru- Palya is popularly made in Mysore and Mandya.

This platter is a perfect comfort home-food and it is light on your tummy even though you eat a ball of cooked Jowar flour! I have always loved Jowar balls since it is a part of my favorite childhood memories. I tasted Jolada mudde for the first time in my Aunty's place where my little brother and I spent our summer vacations. She cooked excellent North Canara food and she used to distribute each morsel to every one of us sitting around her. Her kaituttu (morsel served from hand to hand) is the best ever food I have eaten in my entire life. That's a lot of memories.. Anyway, back to Jowar ball - It is a healthy, tasty and perfect choice if you are in mood for a pure North Canara food.

Coming to Bassaru- Palya, they make a perfect combination with Ragi balls and Jowar balls. They are spicy, tangy and keep you smacking your lips for a long time. Bassaru and palya are (again) a healthy choice because the filtered stock is boiled again with ground spices which kind of acts as an appetizer. Palya is milder than bassaru and you can modify as you desire. I have prepared exactly how my mom prepares though there are a lot of versions to Bassaru. Hope you like this version too! :)

(Calories per serving of Jowar ball (45 gms), bassaru(1 cup), palya (45 grams) and broken wheat cooked (1 cup))

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	400		Calories
Fat	3		%
Carbohydrates	80		%
Dietary Fiber	16		%
Sodium	1		%
Vitamin A	0		%
Vitamin C	0		%
Calcium	2		%
Iron	14		%
Protein	31		Grams
Sugar	1		Grams

Ingredients
For Bassaru and Palya: Any Lentil(I used Toor dal) 2 tablespoons Dill leaves chopped 2 cups Horse gram or any legumes(optional) 2 tablespoons Water  As needed Salt to taste Sambar powder 1 teaspoon Oil 2 teaspoons Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon Chana dal 1/2 teaspoon Urad dal 1/2 teaspoon
For Jolada mudde:
Water	1 & 1/4 cup (divided)
Jowar flour	1 &1/2 cups
Salt	a pinch
Oil	1/2 teaspoon

To Grind:
Copra chopped or grated	1/4 cup
Onion chopped	1 whole
Red Chillies	5
Coriander leaves	a small bunch
Garlic cloves	2-3 cloves
Jeera/Cumin seeds	2 teaspoons
Tamarind	small lemon size

Bassaru:

Pressure cook Toor dal, washed and chopped dill leaves and horse gram with enough water. You can also add green beans.
Grind together the ingredients under "To Grind" table along with a tablespoon of ingredients that were pressure cooked.

Filter the pressure cooked ingredients. Add the ground mixture to the filtered stock and bring it to boil.

Add salt and boil it for another 5 minutes. I forgot to temper it  but you can temper Bassaru with mustard seeds and chopped garlic. 

Palya: 

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add chana dal and Urad dal. 

Once Urad dal turns brownish, add cooked dal, dill leaves and horse gram and fry for a minute.

Add salt and sambar powder and fry for few more minutes. Serve hot.

Jolada Mudde:

Boil a cup of water in a pan/Aluminium vessel. Add a pinch of salt and oil. Bring to boil.

Mix 1/4 cup of Jowar flour with 1/2 cup of water and make thick paste. Add it to the boiling water and stir well. Simmer the flame.

Once the mixture starts boiling, Add the remaining flour and cover with a lid. Cook for at least 7-8 minutes under low flame.

Stir well till there are no lumps and cover again. Cook for another 3 minutes. Make balls and serve piping hot.

* I forgot to temper Bassaru. Try tempering it with mustard seeds and garlic. It tastes so good.

* You can add chopped onions and greenchillies for palya instaed of sambar powder. I did this to save some time.

* You can add green beans for bassaru and palya. Tastes even better.

* I have served dishes with cooked cracked wheat. It reduces the carbohydrate level of this rich thali.