Author: Radhika Kalmegh

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Carrot Pudding / Gaajar Halwa

This is a very classic Indian dessert. It is a winter special delicacy. This recipe is full of sugar, fats and all things delicious. So, just a little is enough to savor the good flavor. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Milk Solids
  • 2 tbsp Clarified Butter
  • 1 cup Shredded Carrot
  • 3/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Raisins and Almonds
  • 1 tsp Cardamom Powder

Tip:

  • Use fresh and room temperature ingredients.
  • Do not heat anything at high flame and be patient with the pudding.
  • To check whether the carrots are cooked before adding milk, taste them and make sure they are not crunchy anymore.
  • Make sure to follow exact steps so as to not spoil the pudding.

Directions:

Carrot Pudding
  • Wash, dry, clean and shred carrots. Keep aside.
  • Add shredded milk solids to a pan on low flame.
  • Keep stirring and roasting milk solids till it starts to leave oil.
  • Take roasted milk solids off the flame and put it in a bowl and keep it aside.
  • Add clarified butter to a pan on medium flame, once it melts add shredded carrots to the pan.
  • Stir the pan occasionally till the carrots are cooked then, add milk to the pan.
  • Once the milk comes to a boil, let the milk totally be absorbed by the carrots .
  • Reduce the flame to low, then, add sugar, cardamom powder, raisins and almonds.
  • Stir the pudding till the sugar syrup is totally absorbed, take pan off the heat.
  • Let it cool and enjoy.
  • Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate.
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White Chocolate covered Strawberry Tulips

These are very classic and beautiful looking strawberry tulips. Strawberry and the sweetness of white chocolate goes together very well. Using colored chocolate gives a very beautiful marble effect on the strawberries. You can try a lot of different colors and chocolates to dip strawberries. This recipe is super easy and totally worth the effort. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups clean strawberries
  • 15 oz white chocolate
  • Red food color
  • Sprinkle sugar to decorate

Tip:

  • Use good quality chocolate and food color.
  • Wash strawberries with cold water before coating them with chocolate.
  • While mixing chocolate with cream cheese let chocolate cool to room temperature.
  • If the white chocolate thickens while covering the truffles just reheat it in the microwave for 15 -20 seconds.
  • Sprinkle sugar to strawberries as soon as they are covered with white chocolate otherwise it won’t stick.

Directions:

White Chocolate covered Tulips
  • Wash and dry strawberries. Keep aside.
  • Take cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks and put strawberries on top of them.
  • Melt white chocolate in microwave and divide it in two different bowls by adding 10oz chocolate in one bowl and 5oz chocolate in another bowl.
  • Add 3-4 drops of red food color to the bowl with 5oz chocolate bowl and mix well.
  • Once the chocolate is at room temperature add the colored chocolate to a piping bag and cut its tip.
  • Make some horizontal and vertical lines with colored chocolate on top of the white chocolate.
  • Take one strawberry stick, pull all its leaves downward, dump it in the chocolate, twist the stick and take it out and let the chocolate drip. This will give a beautiful marble effect.
  • Sprinkle colored sugar on top and keep the stick upright until chocolate solidifies. It will give a tulip like appearance to the strawberry.
  •  Repeat process for each strawberry stick.
  • After all the strawberry sticks are done wrap them with a gift paper to look like a bouquet.
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Cream Cheese Coconut Truffles

These are one pretty looking valentine’s day special truffles. Cream cheese cuts the sweetness of white chocolate just enough to make it work for you. And coconut gives it amazing texture and depth to the flavor. This recipe is super easy and totally worth the effort. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 5 tbsp coconut shredding
  • 12 oz white chocolate
  • Sprinkle sugar to decorate

Tip:

  • Use good quality chocolate to make truffles long lasting and taste good
  • While mixing chocolate with cream cheese let chocolate cool to room temperature.
  • If the white chocolate thickens while covering the truffles just reheat it in the microwave for 15 -20 seconds.
  • Sprinkle sugar to truffes as soon as they are covered with white chocolate otherwise it won’t stick.
  • If sweetness is too low for your liking you can either add milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate or add 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar to the mix.

Directions:

  • Take room temperature and soft (but not too soft) cream cheese in a glass bowl and whisk until the texture is smooth and there are no more lumps. Keep aside.
  • Add semi-sweet chocolate in a glass bowl and melt it in microwave at 30 second intervals until it is smooth.
  • Once the chocolate is at room temperature add it to the cream cheese and mix well.
  • Then, add coconut shredding, mix well and using “1 tbsp” measuring cup make scoops of the mixture.
  • Arrange them on a baking tray and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
  • Take the tray out of the refrigerator and make scoops into balls and refrigerate again for about 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, melt white chocolate in microwave to cover truffles with it.
  • Take tray out of the refrigerator and start covering the truffles with melted and room temperature white chocolate.
  • Add sprinkle sugar immediately after covering the truffles.
  • Store in an air tight container and enjoy.
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Cake Pops

This is very easy and simple recipe to make cake pops. You can even use leftover cake or cupcake and frosting to make it. I am making these especially for coming Valentine’s Day but you can change the flavor, shape or colors and “go bananas” with the possibilities. Cake pops are an amazing treat for any occasion birthday parties, anniversary parties or just special weekend dessert needs. Try it.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups red velvet cake or any other cake
  • 4-6 tbsp cream cheese frosting or any other frosting
  • 12 oz Red colored candy melts
  • 12 oz White colored candy melts
  • Cake pop sticks
cake pops

Directions:

1. In a big glass bowl, add cake and mash it to make crumb like mixture.

2. Add frosting to the mixture 1 tbsp at a time to adjust the consistency so that the dough holds together but is not too soft.

3. Take a baking tray, line it with parchment paper and spread the dough on the tray.

4.Keep the dough ¾ inch thick at least so the cake pop stick can hold the cake together later.

5.With the help of a cookie cutter cut dough in the desired shape. Make balls of the remaining dough. Try to make edges of the cake dough clean so there are no crumbs.

6. Arrange all the cake dough on the tray and put it in the refrigerator for 20 mins. Don not refrigerate any longer otherwise it will thicken the melted chocolate too fast later.

7. Meanwhile, melt the red and white candy melts in a microwave at 30 second intervals and put them in a glass separately, where it is easy to dip the cake pops.

8. Take the tray out of the  refrigerator.

9. Take one cake pop stick and dip in the melted candy, put it inside the cake dough deep enough to hold everything together and then dip the cake pop in the melted candy and wait till the excess candy is dripped off.

10. If the melted candy thickens, put it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to melt it again.

11. Arrange them on the tray and put in the refrigerator for 10  mins.

12. Put small amounts of remaining red and white candy melt in separate plastic bags and cut their tips a little. Then, decorate the cake pops.

13. Enjoy.

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Sandwich Cookies

Here is a simple and delicious recipe for sandwich cookies. Cookies are flourless, chocolate and fudge-like brownie cookies. Filling is made of cream cheese which is not too sweet and just right for your taste-buds. Give it a try.

Ingredients for cookies:

  • 1/3 cup oats flour
  • 2/3 cup almond flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup baking chocolate
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Sea salt to sprinkle on top

Ingredients for filling:

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 3 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter

Tips:

  1. Use the eggs at room temperature.
  2. Butter should be soft but not liquid.
  3. Melted chocolate should not be too warm while adding eggs otherwise eggs will be cooked.
  4. After the mixture is ready keep it in refrigerator for 2 hours so that it becomes easy to manage.
  5. Try to keep the size of the dough balls same, using 2 tbsp spoon, so that each of them takes same time to bake.
  6. Baking time depends on the kind of oven you are using so keep an eye on the cookies after 9 minutes. They can easily get over-baked and very hard to bite.
  7. Cookies should be soft but fudge like brownies.
  8. Sift the icing sugar before making the filling so it comes out of the piping bag flawlessly.
  9. Always fill the piping bag half way for easy use.
  10. If the consistency of the filling is liquid like, put it in refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.
Sandwich cookies

Directions for cookies:

  1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degree F.
  2. Add almond flour, oats flour and salt to a bowl, mix well and keep it aside.
  3. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave by putting the bowl in microwave for 30 second intervals twice.
  4.  Add sugar, eggs and vanilla extract to the chocolate mix and whisk it well.
  5.  Add flour mixture and mix well.
  6. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
  7.  Prepare a baking tray by lining it with a parchment paper baking sheet and take bowl out of the refrigerator.
  8.  Make 1tbsp dough balls and arrange them on the baking tray about 2-3 inches apart.
  9. Sprinkle sea salt at top.
  10. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are little     stiff but the middle is soft.
  11.  Let the cookies cool and keep them aside.

Directions for filling:

  1. Add cold but soft butter and cream cheese to a bowl and mix it.
  2. Add vanilla extract, salt and icing sugar to the bowl and whisk it well.
  3. Add filling to the piping bag.

 Making Sandwiches:

  1. Arrange cookies upside down and pipe filling on to them.
  2. Put another cookie on top and add a little filing on the top. Enjoy.

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Almond Biscotti

This is one of the classic recipes that goes with anything and everything milk, tea, coffee or just a evening snack, liked by kids and adults alike. There can be a lot variations to this recipe depending on which flavor of biscotti you want chocolate, citrus or with nuts. Here, is a very simple, quick and tasty recipe for a biscotti.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1cup all-purpose flour
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup almond flakes
  • 4 oz baking chocolate (optional)

Tips:

  1. Use ingredients at room temperature.
  2. If dough  sticks to the hand lightly grease your hands with butter.
  3. Baking time depends on the kind of oven you are using so keep an eye on the biscotti. They can easily overbake and hard to bite.

Directions:

Almond Biscotti
  1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
  2.  Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl.
  3. Add eggs, vanilla extract and almond flour to the bowl and mix well.
  4.  Sieve all the dry ingredients and slowly fold it with wet ingredients.
  5. Fold in almond flakes in the mixture.
  6.  Prepare a baking tray by lining it with a parchment paper baking sheet.
  7.  Divide the dough in two parts, make each them into a log and arrange them on the baking tray about 5-6 inches apart.
  8.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until light brown around the edges.
  9.  Let the logs cool and then slice them at an angle to make longer biscotti.
  10. Put the biscotti in the oven again for 13-15 minutes.
  11. Take them out and let it cool completely.
  12. Melt baking chocolate in a microwave at 10 sec intervals and dip biscotti in it and let the chocolate set in. Enjoy.
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Sugar-free flourless Lemon and Coconut cupcake

These are very flavorful and easy to make cupcakes. This is a very good option to bake for holidays and not feel guilty. Since, it’s a holiday bake I have given it a colorful look but if you don’t want sugar filled frosting, you can totally skip that. Now get to it already.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½  tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 2 tbsp sprinkles
  • ¼ cup coconut shredding

Buttercream Frosting:

  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter at room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cup Confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar
  • 3-4 drops Green food color
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Vanilla Extract

Tips:

  1. Use all the ingredients to make cupcake at room temperature.
  2. Try to fill the cupcake tray just halfway giving room the cupcake to rise and put frosting.
  3. While making frosting try to fluff the butter as much possible without breaking it.

Directions:

Sugar-free flourless Lemon and Coconut Cupcake
  1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
  2. Take a big bowl, add  all the wet ingredients including egg, maple syrup, olive oil, milk, lemon extract and mix well.
  3. Add the  almond and oat flour, baking soda, coconut shreddings and salt into the mixture.
  4.  Prepare a baking tray by lining it with cupcake liner.
  5. Fill the cupcake tray with batter and top it with sprinkles.
  6.  Bake for 15 minutes until the middle is cooked.
  7. Meanwhile, get the frosting ready by whisking the butter to make it fluffy. Then, add confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar little by little and whisk until you get stiff peaks of frosting. In the end, add vanilla extract, heavy cream , green food color and salt and mix well.
  8.  Add frosting to a icing bag with a icing tip.
  9. Take cupcakes out of the oven, let them cool completely, frost it and then enjoy.
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Chocolate Truffles

This one is a chocolaty treat great for birthday parties, gift giving or just as something to keep at home for offering to guests. These are super delicious and something you can make with your kids.

Ingredients :

  1. 4oz baking semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  2. ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  4. Sea salt and chocolate sprinkles
Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients for Coating :

  1. 4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate

Tips:

  1. Always use baking chocolate to make good truffles because they are easy to melt.
  2. For best results and easy maneuvering use ingredients at room temperature.

Directions:

Chocolate Truffles
  1. Put 4oz chopped chocolate in a glass bowl and add whipping cream to it.
  2. Microwave the bowl for 30 sec and let it stand for a minute before mixing the contents.
  3. Whisk until smooth. If lumpy, microwave in 10-second intervals until the mixture is smooth.
  4. Add vanilla extract and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
  5. Scoop the chocolate and make it into balls and place it on a baking sheet. Place all the chocolate balls in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
  6. Microwave and melt 4 oz chocolate in a bowl. Take chocolate balls out of the refrigerator.
  7. Using a fork, cover the chocolate balls with melted chocolate one by one.
  8. Sprinkle truffles with sea salt and chocolate sprinkles.
  9. Store in covered container in refrigerator.
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Sugar-free Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are a tasty treat for kids and a guilt free dessert for adults. This is a simple, quick and zero skill recipe for you to try with few ingredients. These cookies can be stored for a long time and can become a pantry staple.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup oat flour
    • 1 cup almond flour
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • 1 egg
    • ½  cup chocolate chips
    • 1/3 cup maple syrup
    • 3 tbsp olive oil
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ½  tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp warm milk
    • 1 tsp instant coffee
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • ½ cup almond flakes

Tips:

  • Use the egg at room temperature.
  • Try to keep the size of the dough balls same, using 2 tbsp spoon, so that each of them takes same time to bake.
  • The shape will come out like a ball but after baking when cookies are just out of oven and warm press them at the top with a spatula for a more cookie like shape.
  • Baking time depends on the kind of oven you are using so keep an eye on the cookies after 10 mins minutes. They can easily get over-baked.
  • Don’t open the oven often while baking, it can soften up the cookies.

Directions:

Sugar-free Chocolate Cookies
  •  Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
  • Warm the milk in microwave for about a minute and add instant coffee, mix well and keep aside to cool.
  • Take a big bowl and add all the wet ingredients including maple syrup, olive oil, milk+coffee mixture, vanilla extract, egg and mix well.
  •  Add the  almond and oat flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt into the mixture.
  •  At the end, fold in the almond flakes and chocolate chips.
  • Cover the dough and put it aside for 15 mins.
  •  Prepare a baking tray by lining it with a parchment paper baking sheet.
  •  Use a 1tbsp spoon to make cookie balls and arrange them on the baking tray about 2-3 inches apart.
  •  Bake for 15 minutes until brown at the bottom.
  • Let the cookies cool and then enjoy.
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Strawberry Scones

Strawberry scones with a hint of citrus lemon extract are a yummy treat which you can either have as an indulgent breakfast or a really scrumptious evening snack with tea and coffee. This is a recipe with limited ingredients to make a holiday delicacy.

Ingredients:

Scones:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1tbsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup cool unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1tsp lemon extract
  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • ¼  cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup strawberries cut into pieces or slices

Glaze:

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Top layer of scones:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Tips:

  • Put a parchment paper baking sheet in the baking tray after greasing the tray and lightly grease the parchment paper also. This helps to get the scones out easily after its baked.
  • Keep a lot of flour at hand to help handle the dough easily.
  • Don’t add too much fruit, it can make the scone soggy.
  • Duration of baking may change with different ovens, so let the scones cook for 18 minutes straight and from then on check every 3-5 minutes so that the scones don’t burn or dry up.
Strawberry Scones

Directions:

Strawberry Scones
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and mix them with hands until the mixture is rough and crumbly but still small pieces of butter are visible.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the cream, milk, egg and vanilla together. Add this to the flour mixture and stir to just bring the dough together.
  •  Put the dough onto a work surface to complete bringing it together with your hands. Flatten the dough out and press the strawberries into the dough, folding it over and flattening it out a few times to incorporate the fruit.
  • Shape the dough into a disc with uniform thickness. Cut the disc into 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a few inches between them.
  • Brush the scones with egg wash and drizzle some granulated sugar on the top(optional).
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly browned on top. Cool completely before glazing.

Glaze:

  • For the glaze, whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over the scones using the whisk or a fork.
    • Or pour the glaze into a zip lock bag and then drizzle it onto the scone.
    • Let the glaze set for an hour before serving.