Cashew Cherry Cookies#SundayFunday

These are mouth melting cookies. I made them for Christmas. They so easy and quick to make. Try them and I assure you that you can't stop eating at one.

Ingredients
50 Grams Butter
50 Grams Vegetable Shortening
100 Grams Powdered Sugar
150 Grams All Purpose flour
100 Grams Cashewnuts - finely chopped
A Few Chopped Cherries
1 Egg - yolk & white separated
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Method

Cream butter and sugar well till light and fluffy, add the egg yolk, essence and flour, form into soft dough. Cling warp and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Then pinch small piece of the dough, roll them into balls.

Beat the egg white lightly dip the cookie balls in it and roll in chopped cashews. Pierce a chopped cherry in the center. Place them on a greased tray. 

Bake at 180°C for 12 - 15 minutes.
My Notes

If you do not want to use vegetable shortening then make them with all butter.
Labels: Cookies, Cashewnuts, Christmas Sweet, Baked, Sunday Funday, Cherry 

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. Our host for this week's event for the month of December 2021, is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm and the theme is "Christmas Cookies Around The World".
Here are some of the Recipes made by us.

• Food Lust People Love shares Candy Cane Meringue Kisses 
• Sneha’s Recipe presents Cashew Cherry Cookies 
• Palatable Pastime serves up Chinese Almond Cookies 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla gives us Hojarascas (Mexican Shortbread Cookies) 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni shares Karachi Biscuits 
• A Good Life plates Mexican Tea Cookies 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm discovers South African Double Crunchers 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures has Stained Glass Ornament Cookies with Orange & Cinnamon 
• Making Miracles presents Swedish Snowball Cookies 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories gives us Zimsterne - German Christmas Cookies

Coconut Filled Tartlets - East Indian#Foodieextravaganza

These tartlets are must in our Christmas Sweets Platter. To fill these tartlets my hubby helped me, since we must be quick while filling, the filling hardens quickly.

For our event this month for Foodie Extravaganza Party, we are giving a Virtual Baby Shower for Lauren, the author/founder of our group. These tartlets are prefect for the event which have the color pink and blue.

Ingredients
200 Grams All Purpose Flour
75 Grams Clarified Butter
60 Grams Powdered Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
3 -4 Tablespoons Chilled Water or as required
Method

Rub clarified butter into flour till it resembles bread crumbs. Add the powdered sugar and essence mix it well into the flour. Now add chilled water just enough bring it into a dough. Do not knead the dough. The dough will be soft and crumbly. Cling wrap it and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

Then take the dough and lightly knead it. Pinch a small ball and press it into tart moulds. Prick the tartlets with a fork. Make a handles of the remaining and bake these for just 4 -5 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 to 18 minutes or until the top start to turn slightly golden.

Remove and cool on a rack. Then un mold and keep it side to cool completely. These tartlets can me made well in advance they stay good for a month or more, if stored in an airtight container.

For The Coconut Filling

This process should be completed quickly as soon as the filling it ready or else it will harden and you will not be able to fill the tarts.
Ingredients
1 Cup Packed Freshly Grated Coconut
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
½ Cup Water
½ Teaspoon Rose Essence
Method

In 2 bowls add a pinch of gel color or liquid color and keep aside. Pink, blue and white, these are the colors.
Mix all ingredients in a non stick pan and cook stirring continuously till dry for 7 -8 minutes, the sugar should melt.
Divide the filling in the respective bowls and mix it well. Fill the tarts with the three colors. Press a handle in the center and let them dry.

Store them in container. The shelf life of the filled tarts is 5 - 6 days in our Mumbai temperature. If you live in a cold climate then these will last for 10 - 12 days.

Labels: Foodie Extravaganza Party, Coconut, Vegan,  Christmas Sweet, East Indian, Mini Tarts 

Foodie Extravaganza Party - December 2021 

• Classic Carol Chicken Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Cobb Dip from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Coconut Filled Tartlets - East Indian from Sneha's Recipe
• Melon Prosciutto Chevre Salad with Mint Dressing from Food Lust People Love
• Pink and Blue Sandwich Cake Cookies from Our Good Life 
• Red Velvet Cupcakes from Passion Kneaded
• Toasted Sesame Seed Crackers from Karen's Kitchen Stories 

Eggless Nankhatai#SundayFunday

Vanaspati Ghee is used which is also called clarified butter  with this  the nankhatai's are pure white. This is traditional East Indian cookies that is must for our Christmas sweet's platter and this my mother's recipe. The flavoring I, have used is cardamom powder. 

Also made 4 batches of these Eggless Nankhati's for the cute, unconditionally loving physically challenged children, that I work with, they called them snow cookies, since these are pure white.
Makes 18 to 20 
Ingredients
80 Grams Sugar - powdered

1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom powder
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg powder
125 Grams All Purpose Flour
100 Grams Vanaspati Ghee - melted and chilled
A pinch of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder
Nuts of choice as required

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

Sieve the cardamom, nutmeg, baking powder and flour, keep aside.

In a bowl add ghee, salt and sugar, beat it till light and fluffy and turns whitish. Add sieved flour and mix till it represents bread crumbs. Lightly start mixing with your hands to form a dough.

Make small marble size balls and press them down gently. Place them in the prepared baking tray with about an inch apart and gently press with a piece of nut. 

Bake in pre-heated oven for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown at the bottom.

Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

My Notes

You can adjust the sugar as per your taste. 

You can flavor them using orange or lemon zest. 

You don’t need any additional liquid to bind it into a dough. Only the ghee binds the dry ingredients. You can also use softened butter, just in case you prefer the butter’s flavor.

Labels : Eggless, East Indian, Biscuits & Cookies, Vegetable shortening, Vegan, Christmas Sweet ,Festival Sweets, Baked, Sunday Funday 

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. I thank our host for this week's event Wendy Klik of   A Day in the Life on the Farm 
Sunday Funday: Cookies for Santa! >

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Aztec Blueberry Linzer Cookies
• Food Lust People Love: Brown Butter Shortbread 
• Our Good Life: Chocolate Chunk Shortbread with Sprinkles
• Sneha's Recipe : Eggless Nankhatai 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies with Nutella Filling 
• Cooking With Carlee: Krumkake 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Macaroon Kiss Christmas Cookies 
• Making Miracles: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Salted Honey Pecan Thumbprint Cookies 
• Palatable Pastime:Toffee Coffee Bars

Milk Cream - East Indian

A dainty, delicate, taste so good, looks elegant , melt in mouth and is irresistible milk sweet. 

Milk cream is a must Christmas sweet in every East Indian household. Loved by all -  children as well as adults.   Its a sweet made with milk,  the process is tedious and requires lots of patience but the end product is really worth the effort taken.  Again this is another sweet which has no eggs, a complete vegetarian and gluten free.
Ingredients
A Liter Of Milk - (I used full cream milk)
425 Grams Tea Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cashew nut powder
1 Tablespoon Rose water
1 Tablespoon Ghee

Method

In a heavy bottomed base kadai or pan boil the milk and reduces half of its quantity on a very low flame stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, taking care it doesn't stick to the bottom. Add the sugar,  continue stirring till the sugar melts and again reduces , half of its quantity, now add the cashew powder and keep stirring it continuously, till it thickens, add ghee, continue stirring.

Once it starts leaving the sides take a  teaspoon full and check if you can roll it into a soft ball if its rolled easily,  the mixture is now ready or  when touched does not stick to your hand.

 Transfer to the greased plate and before it cools completely, form  small balls and press into  silicon moulds - shapes of your choice.  Take them out of the mould and store in a airtight container,  4 to 5 days at room temperature and then refrigerate (not in the freezer)..

My Notes

Stir this continuously on very low flame, to achieve a beautiful white color. 
Do not add too much of cashew powder if you want it white and creamy.

Labels: Milk, Festival Sweets, Christmas Sweet, East Indian, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Cashew Meal, Festival Sweets

Mix Flour Shankarpali / Shankarpara

Shankarpali is crispy, crunch and yet very soft like fried biscuit. This snack typically made in India during Diwali or Christmas, actually a festival is incomplete without this snack. It is made in two forms savory and sweet. Today, I am sharing the sweet version.

Makes 400 Grams
Ingredients  
1 Cup Level All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Level Wheat flour
1/2 Cup Level Fine Semolina
2 Tablespoons Heaped Ghee - melted and cooled
Salt a pinch
Oil as required to deep fry

For the Sugar Syrup to knead for the dough
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Water - for sugar syrup

Method 
In a small sauce pan mix sugar and water, bring this a boil only till sugar melts. Immediately take off flame add salt and ghee.  This syrup does not require any thread consistency . Allow to cool. When cooled then add the semolina mix it and let it sit covered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes take the whole wheat and all purpose flours into a big kneading bowl.   Add the sugar semolina mix little by little , mix well with the help of your palms. knead the dough. The dough should be of medium consistency. Not very hard nor very soft. 

Make equal sized balls and roll into 1/4 cm thick circle. Cut them into square or diamond shape. 

Heat oil, when the oil if medium hot then put the cut squares in to it. Do not fry on high flame, because they will remain uncooked from the inside. 

Fry the pieces till light brown and crisp. Once all are fried, place them aside to cool. They become nice crispy on cooling. Once cooled store them in an airtight container.

Enjoy these sweet, crispy yet melt in mouth Shankarpali.

Labels :  Festival Sweets, Shankarpali, Christmas Sweet, Mix Flour, Snacks

GUAVA CHEESE - CHRISTMAS SWEET

Guava cheese is a sweet prepared by Christians for Christmas. It's very easy and has a long shelf life. Tastes cheesy and soft, melt in the mouth sweet this is. Do give it a try.   This sweet has no flour or eggs, completely vegetarian, vegan, gluten free.

Ingredients 

4 Cups Guava Pulp ( 1.1/2 Kg Ripe Big Guavas)
5 Cups Tea Sugar
Juice of 3 Big Lemons
2 Tablespoons Ghee
Few drops of Pink or Red color

Method

Wash the guavas and cut them in halves, place it in a container and steam them in a pressure cooker (like you steam rice) on high for one whistle then reduce the flame and keep it for 10 minutes ( taking care that no water enters the container).

Cool the guavas completely then take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and keep aside, taking care that no seeds remain in the outer covering. 

Take the seeds pulp in a fine strainer and remove the pulp as much as possible.

Take the outer cover and chop it into small pieces and grind it to a fine paste without adding any water.

Measure the pulp and the ground paste in a cup or a bowl. Take the same bowl and measure the sugar ( sugar is one cup extra than the pulp). 

Place the sugar, guava pulp and lime juice in a heavy bottom base kadai and place on fire on medium low flame stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

While stirring take care to stay far away as it splutters. Keep stirring continuously, this take around 45 minutes to an hour. When the mixture thickens and starts leaving the sides add the ghee and color, continue stirring till forms a ball in the center. Take it our into a greased tray and spread it. Cool completely and cut into squares.  Store in airtight containers.

This stays good for 3 months in a cool dry place. 

I make this sweet of 3 to 4 kgs guavas and send them for my friends and relatives abroad.

Labels :  Festival Sweets, Gluten free, Guava, Lime Juice, Sugar, Vegan, Vegetarian, Christmas Sweet, East Indian