Sugar Cookies Decorated with Fondant

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on cookie cutter size.

Ingredients:

2 cups- All-purpose flour

¾ cup- Butter at room temperature

¾ cup- Powdered Sugar

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. vanilla essence

1 large- Egg

¼ tsp. Baking Powder

All Purpose Flour Extra for Dusting

For fondant:

2 cups- Mini marshmallows

2 tbsp. Water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pound- Confectioner’s sugar
Crisco or vegetable shortening

Corn syrup

Method:

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and quite fluffy.
2. Add the egg, salt, baking powder and vanilla essence and mix until they are well combined.
3. Sift the flour. Add to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are just come together you – do not over mix.
4. Put the dough into a container or cover with a Clingfilm and leave it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. On a work surface lightly dusted with floor, roll out the cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle a little extra flour on the top of the dough as you roll to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin.
6. Cut out your desired shapes. Place on baking trays lined with wax paper and return to the refrigerator to rest for at least 5-10mins.
7. Bake cookies in a preheated oven at 170°C/325°F for about 10-12 minutes. Cookies will be pale on top and slightly golden on the bottom.

8. Cool them before decorating.

Notes:
1. Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on cookie cutter size.

2. Keep baked and decorated cookies fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week.

3. Cookie dough can be refrigerated for two weeks or frozen up to a month.

For Fondant:

1. Grease a microwave safe bowl with Crisco. Pour marshmallows in bowl.

2. Pour water and vanilla extract over marshmallows.

3. Heat in microwave until marshmallows puff a bit, about 20 to 30 seconds. Stir well until fully melted and smooth and runny.

4. Put confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer with the flat beater (I greased the beater with Crisco).

5. Pour marshmallow mixture into the sugar and blend on low speed. continue blending until dough forms.

6. Knead briefly on a surface dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Wrap in plastic and let sit about 4-5 hours.

7. Divide the fondant and tint desired colors. (Tint fondant by kneading one or more drops of food coloring into a half of white fondant. For pastel colors, start with only one drop and add one additional drop at a time until desired color is reached.)

8. Roll out preferred color of fondant on a surface dusted with confectioner’s sugar to prevent sticking, and cut out the shapes.

9. Spread a small bit light corn syrup on a cookie and gently place the shaped fondant on top and smoothing the edges with your fingers.

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Vanilla Cake

Recipe by Habiba – Faisalabad, Pakistan

December 02, 2013

Ingredients:

150 gm. Flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp. Salt

4- Egg

¾ cup- Milk

175 gm. Caster sugar

6 ounces (150 gm.)- Melted unsalted butter

1 tsp. Vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In the bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy.

4. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

7. Add the flour mixture and milk, beat well.

8. Pour the batter in a prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

China grass Pudding

Ingredients:
1 litre. Full fat milk
1 can (430ml)- Condensed milk.
½ cup- Sugar
10 to 15 gm. Agar agar
½ cup- Water
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
for topping:
25 gm. Almonds, Cashew nuts and Pistachios, sliced
¼ cup- Grated coconut powder
3 tbsp. Sugar

Method:
1. Soak the agar agar in water for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Heat milk in a sauce pan and add sugar to it, stirring to dissolve. At the same time heat the soaked agar agar along with the water in another pan in medium to low heat.

3. When the milk starts to bubble, add condensed milk, reducing the heat to low and stirring continuously.

4. Add dissolved agar agar into the milk through a sieve and remove any undissolved residue. Stir well and remove from heat.

5. Add the vanilla essence and transfer to setting tray. Refrigerate after cooling until set for 1 to 2 hours.
6. Meanwhile prepare the topping: Roast the coconut in a pan, until light brown and fragrant. Add the nuts and roast for a few more minutes. When it becomes crispy, add sugar and mix well. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.
7. Serve topped with the coconut and nuts mixture.

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Sutlac (Turkish Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup- Short grain rice, washed and drained
1 ½ cup- Water

Pinch of salt
3 cups- Milk

1 cup sugar
1 cup- Half and half cream
½ tsp. Vanilla essence
3 tbsp. corn starch, melted in 4 tbsp. milk (use from 3 cups milk above)

Cinnamon powder

Method:
1. Bring water to a boil, then add the rice and lower the heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until a little bit of water is left.

2. Add the salt, milk, sugar, half n half cream and vanilla essence.

3. Then slowly add the dissolved corn starch. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat until you see bubbles on the surface. Turn the heat off after one minute.
4. Pour into small bowls and place in the refrigerator to chill them.

5. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top before serving.

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Pan Peda

Ingredients:
500 gm. Khoya
125 gm. Sugar

1 tbsp. Ghee
Pinch of Cardamom powder

Pinch of Yellow food color

Silver warq for Garnish

Method:
1. Mix together khoya with sugar and heat over a low flame.
2. When the mixture begins to thicken add ghee, cardamom powder and food color, mix well and switch of the flame.
3. Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape into a pan peda.

4. Garnish with silver warq and serve.

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Sweet and Sour Grape Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups- Green sour grapes (freeze them for 8-10 hours)

1/2 cup- Yogurt

2/3 cup- Cold water

1/4 cup- Sugar

Few drops- Vanilla essence

Method:

1. After freezing the grapes, blend all the ingredients until smooth.

2. Serve immediately this so yummy grape smoothie.

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Lemon Pudding

Ingredients:
2- Eggs

3 tbsp. Lemon juice
½ tsp. Lemon zest

1 cup- Cold Milk
6 tbsp. Sugar

1 ½ tbsp. All-purpose flour/Maida
1 tsp. Butter

Lemon slices for decorate

1 tbsp. Almonds, chopped

For the caramel syrup:
½ cup- Sugar
¼ cup- Water

Method:

1. Caramel syrup: Heat a thick bottomed pan and add sugar to it. Stir continuously till brown and add water to it. Stir well and keep aside after it boils.

2. Grease a round shaped pan with butter.

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add lemon juice add lemon zest and beat again.

4. Dissolve the sugar in ½ cup of cold milk and pour it into the egg mixture.

5. Dissolve the all-purpose flour in another ½ cup of cold milk without any lumps and pour this into the egg mixture and mix everything well.

6. Pour it into a buttered pan. Cook by double boiling method by keeping it in a closed vessel with water for about 25-30 minutes over low heat. 

7. Take off from heat and remove from pan, decorate with lemon slices and pour caramel syrup over the pudding after cooling.

8. Garnish with chopped almonds and serve chilled.

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Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 25 cookies

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups- All-purpose flour (Maida)

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 cup- Unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup- Sugar

¾ cup- Packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2- Large eggs

2 cup- White chocolate chunks

2 cup- Dried cranberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and combine; set aside.

3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add sugar and light brown sugars gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in vanilla, then beat in eggs.

5. Add about one-third of flour mixture and mix on low speed. Gradually add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in white chocolate chunks and cranberries.

6. You may freeze dough up to 1 month; defrost in refrigerator overnight before proceeding.

7. Drop by large tablespoon amounts 2-inches apart on cookie sheets; do not flatten.

8. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges and tops have just begun to turn light golden brown.

9. Cool pans on racks for 5 minutes, then slide parchment onto racks to cool cookies completely.

10. Cookies will keep for 4 days at room temperature in airtight container.

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Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

3- Bananas, peeled and sliced
1- Apple, cut in to small pieces
1- Orange, peeled and cut in to small pieces
1- Bunch Black Grapes
1- Guava, cut in to small pieces

1- Green Apple, cut in to small pieces

1- Kiwi, peeled and sliced

5- Strawberry, sliced
½ cup- sugar (or to taste)
1 lemon juice (or to taste)

Pinch of salt

Method:
1. Take all the fruits in a big bowl.

2. Pour lemon juice immediately on fruits.
3. In a little water add sugar and half melt it on heat.
4. Mix melted sugar to the fruits.

5. Add pinch of salt to the fruits and mix well.

6. Refrigerate it and serve the fruit salad chilled.

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Peanut Chikki

Ingredients:
1 cup- Peanuts

2 tbsp. Clarified butter/Ghee

½ cup- Jaggery/Sugar

A pinch of Cardamom powder
2 tbsp. Water

Method:

1. Heat 1tbsp of clarified butter in a pan and fry the peanuts until golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside.

2. In a same pan add sugar, remaining clarified butter and water, stirring continuously.

3. When the sugar completely dissolves add cardamom powder and cook until the mixture turns golden brown in color.

4. Add the fried peanuts and mix thoroughly.
5. Grease a tray and spread the mixture. Roll flat to 1 cm in thickness and allow to set.
6. Cut into squares when cooled and store in an airtight container.

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Fruit Custard

Ingredients:

4 cups- Milk

4 tbsp. Custard powder

½ cup- Sweetened condensed milk

1 cup- Sugar (according to your taste)

½ cup- Grapes

½ cup- Pineapple, cut in to small pieces
1- Apple, peeled and cut in to small pieces
¼ cup- Pomegranate seeds
½ cup- Strawberries, sliced
1- Banana, peeled and sliced
1 small- Orange, peeled and cut in to small pieces

Method:
1. Mix custard powder in a little milk.

2. Boil the remaining milk with sweetened condensed milk and sugar

3. Slowly pour dissolved custard powder in hot milk.

4. Stir continuously until it thickens. Remove it from the flame and let the custard milk to cool.

5. When the custard is cooled add the fruits and mix well.

6. Put it in the refrigerator till its cold and serve with decorated fruits.

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Pineapple Pastry

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 ½ cup- All-purpose flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

6- Eggs

1 ½ cup- Powdered sugar

1 tsp. Pineapple extract

For the filling and frosting:

1 cup- Heavy whipping cream

1 cup- Powdered sugar

Pinch of yellow food color

1 cup- Pineapple juice

1 cup- Canned pineapple chunks

½ cup- Cherries

½ cup- Almonds, sliced

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree C.

2. Grease two 9-inches round baking pans or a large baking tray with butter and dust with flour and cut the cake into half.

3. Separate the egg white from the yolks.

4. Beat each separately adding pineapple extract and little sugar at a time.

5. The egg whites should form stiff peaks. The egg yolks should be pale and thick

6. Fold the beaten egg yolks into egg whites.

7. Sift all-purpose flour and baking powder and fold into the egg mixture.

8. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

9. Bake for 15-20 minutes till cake is done or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.

10. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes and then invert cakes onto cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

11. Whip cream while slowly adding sugar and food color till cream is thick and stiff, do not overbeat.

12. Place one cake over a cake pedestal, poke holes with a fork in a few places on the cake.

13. Spoon the juice of the pineapple all over the cake in a till cake is moist.

14. Spread an even layer of the cream, place the other cake on top of this and repeat the moistening procedure.

15. Spread an even thick layer of cream on top and sides of the cake.

16. To finish decorate with pineapple chunks, cherries and sliced almonds. Cut and serve.

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Banana Burfi

Ingredients:
4 large- Ripe Banana (Pake kele)
1 ½ cup- Milk (Doodh)
2 cup- Sugar
2 tbsp. Clarified butter (Ghee)
75 gm. Coconut (Nariyal), grated
½ cup- Walnut (Akhrot), crushed

Dry fruits for garnish

Method:
1. Peel banana and mash them.
2. Now cook mashed banana along with milk in a pan until milk dries up.
3. Now add clarified butter and stir continuously till it turns brown in color.
4. Now add sugar, coconut and walnut and stir. Remove it from the flame.
5. Grease a plate with butter and spread the mixture in the plate.
6. Its thickness should be 1/2”. When it settles to be cut in pieces, cut barfi in desired shape.
7. Garnish with dry fruits and serve.

Recipe by Meena Bansal – Haryana, India

January 16, 2013

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Gajar ka Halwa

Recipe by Kiran Khan – Islamabad, Pakistan

January 14, 2013

Ingredients:

5 kg- Carrots

2 liter- Milk

1 ½ cup- Sugar

1 cup- Ghee

1 cup- Coconut

1 cup- Peanut & Almond

1 cup- Dry milk or Khoya

Method:

1. Peel and grate the carrots.

2. Put Carrot and milk in a saucepan. Boil on slow flame until thick and the milk is evaporated.

3. Once it starts thickening, stir continuously.

4. Add sugar and cook further till thickens.

5. Add ghee stir on low heat.

6. Add coconut, peanut and almond.

7. When its color changing add dry milk or khoya and mix well.

8. Cook on slow flame for about 5 minutes and serve.

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Eggless Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup- All-purpose flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

¼ tsp. Salt

2 tbsp. Sugar

1 can (14oz) - Condensed Milk

1 cup- Water

2 tbsp. Vinegar

1 ½ tbsp. Vanilla essence

½ cup- Butter, melted

¼ cup- Caster sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan and line it with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Add sugar to bowl and mix well.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the condensed milk, water, vinegar, vanilla essence and butter one by one. Stir the mixture together using a whisk.

5. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and tap the pan to even it out and break the air bubbles if any.

6. Bake it in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

7. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and remove the cake after 30 minutes. Place the cake on the rack for it to cool down completely before slicing it.

8. Slice the cake and dust with caster sugar.

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Easy Vanilla Custard

Ingredients:

1 cup- Milk

1 cup- Thickened cream

1 tsp. Vanilla essence

4- Egg yolks

1 tbsp. Corn flour

1/3 cup- Caster sugar

Method:

1. Combine milk, cream and vanilla essence in a small saucepan.

2. Place over medium heat, cook, stirring constantly until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.

3. Whisk egg yolks, corn flour and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl until well combined.

4. Pour hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

5. Return mixture to saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes or until custard thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon (do not allow custard to boil, as it might curdle).

6. Serve custard warm or cold.

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Badam Pak- Almond fudge

Ingredients:
250 gm. Milk powder
250 gm. Ground Almonds
6 tbsp. Ghee
1 tsp. Cardamom powder
1 tbsp. Almond and pistachio slivers

Silver warq for garnish
For sugar syrup:
250 gm. Sugar
¾ cup. Water

Pinch Saffron.

Method:
1. Add sugar, water and pinch saffron to the pan and bring to boil.
2. When syrup comes to 1 thread consistency turn off heat and leave to cool.
3. In a heavy bottom pan add the ghee and roast the milk powder on low heat till it starts to take on brown color (3-4 minutes).
4. Add the ground almonds and continue roasting till a rich aroma fills the room and mixture looks golden brown (7-8 minutes).

5. Mixture will look fairly dry don't be tempted to add more ghee.
6. Add the cardamom powder and stir.
7. Add the slightly cooled sugar syrup to the roasted mixture, it will start to thicken. Keep stirring mixture till it starts to leave the sides and come together.
8. Transfer mixture to an oiled tray and press it down and smooth with the back of a spoon.
9. Sprinkle almonds and pistachio slivers and silver warq. Keep aside to cool.
10. Once cool cut to desired shapes.

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Kiwi Dessert

Ingredients:

3- Kiwis, mashed

2 tbsp. Honey

300 ml- Yoghurt

1 tbsp. Milk

2 tbsp. Sugar

2 tbsp. Almonds, finally chopped

1- Kiwi, sliced

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Serve in glasses, decorated with slices of kiwi and little honey.

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