Citrus Snowballs

Here is another sweet recipe for cold, winter evenings at home. These snowballs are surprisingly tasty, sweet, orange, crunchy cookies which will be a good match for hot tea/cocoa, blanket aaand book or dreams ;)
Also, if you're running out of time, they're very easy and quick to make which gives them another big +. 
Sprinkled with powdered sugar or glucose, look like a snowball on a table :) And children will love them! Just make sure they're not using them as snowballs ;)

There original recipe is here, though I've made quite a lot of changes, such as replacing butter with margarine which I tend to do very often recently.

Ingredients:

• 250g of margarine
• 100g of powdered sugar (+ more to sprinkle the cookies)
• 1 teaspoon of orange extract
• 100g of chopped walnuts
• 100g of candied orange skin
• 375g of flour

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking tray and put baking paper all over it.
2. Start preheating the oven to 180C.
3. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put margarine and powdered sugar inside and beat till bright and fluffy (around 10 minutes).
4. Add orange extract, walnuts, candied orange skin and mix till well combined.
5. Add flour and mix (or knead) again till well combined.
6. Start making balls (around 2 teaspoons of dough for 1 ball) and place on previously prepared baking tray (they might be placed close to each other as they won't grow).
7. If the oven is ready, bake for 10-15 minutes till golden brown.
8. Cool down on a wire rack.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
10. Bon Appetit!

Reindeer Cookies

If you ask me what kind of sweets do children choose most often during Christmas (among many on the table) the answer is: reindeer cookies from this recipe :) I baked them for my kindergarten party and they disappeared with a blink of an eye! Why? Well I guess because of a reindeer ;) plus - children enjoy 'plain' or 'clean' sweets with no additional ingredients. And here they are - basic vanilla dough plus decoration - chocolate + M&M's. They're really wonderful, what's more - it is possible to prepare the dough a couple of days earlier and store in the fridge/freezer! :)

I do recommend! :)

Ingredients:

• 180g of margarine, cold
• 200g of sugar
• 350g of flour
• 1 big egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt

Decoration:

• 2 small packs of M&M's
• around 50g of chocolate (preferably dark) for eyes and horns
• around 30g of margarine (or more if neccessary, to melt with the chocolate - to make it smooth)
• icing sugar - to glue reindeers' noses (the easiest one - 1/3 glass of powdered sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of water)

Preparation:

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and knead or mix till the dough is soft.
2. Put in the fridge for 40 minutes.
3. During that time prepare a surface, sprinkled with flour as well as baking tray with baking paper on it.
4. Start preheating the oven to 180C.
5. Take half of the dough and roll it out (3-5 mm thick), cut out the circles (preferably with a tumbler ;) ).
6. Put circles on a baking tray, leaving little space between them (they won't grow much).
7. Bake in previously preheated oven for around 10 minutes, till gold.
8. Cool down.

Decorate:

1. Make icing, put a little on a cookie, glue the nose.
2. Put chocolate with butter (just a little, not all) in a heatproof small pot, heat till it melts and you get a smooth mixture.
3. Using a toothpick, make eyes and horns.
4. Bon Appetit! ;)

Chocolate Cake

I do enjoy baking birthday cakes for my friends. I always ask them for their favourite flavours and prepare a perfect cake. And Martha's frosting - oh my, that was the most wonderful chocolate mixture I've ever eaten! Unfortunately, as it was a gift, there is no picture from the inside.

Recipe for a sponge cake comes from my favourite Polish website and the best chocolate frosting comes from my favourite cook, Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

Cocoa Sponge Cake:

• 7 eggs
• 1 glass of sugar
• 2/3 glass of baking cocoa
• 2/3 glass of flour

Filling:

• 350g of cherry jam
• 500-700g of cherries without kernels
• optionally - 4-5 tablespoons of cherry liqueur, for example from that recipe

Whipped cream:

• 1/4 glass of water
• 2 teaspoons of gelatin
• 750ml of 36% cream
• 1/4 glass of sugar

Top:

• 1 pack of candied cherries
• 1 pack of chocolate decorations
• chocolate frosting

Chocolate frosting:

• 226g of bittersweet chocolate
• 226g of milk chocolate
• 355ml of 36% cream
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 340g of butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces

Preparation:

Sponge cake:

1. Prepare a springform (diameter 24cm) and cover the bottom with baking paper.
2. Take a bowl, sieve cocoa and flour inside.
3. Separate egg yolks from egg whites.
4. Start preheating the oven to 170C.
5. Take a mixer and its bowl, put egg whites inside and beat for 2 minutes on a low rotation, Gradually higher the speed of the mixer and start adding sugar. Beat the egg whites for a few minutes till stiff and shiny. Still, while beating, start adding egg yolks, sepatarely, adding another when the previous one is precisely mixed with egg whites.
6. Turn the mixer off.
7. Sieve cocoa/flour mix slowly to the eggs mixture and using a spatula, slowly, gently stir till all the ingredients mix.
8. Pour the dough into previously prepared sprinform, put in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, to the point of a dry toothpick.
9. After that time, take the sponge cake out from the oven and energetically throw on a kitchen surface ( :) ). Cool down,

Filling:

1. Mix all the ingredients of the filling (also alcohol, if desired). Divide into 2 equal bowls.
2. Using a knife, cut the sides of the sponge cake, open springform, put the sponge cake upside down to take out the baking paper. 
3. Using thread or a big knife, cut the sponge cake lengthwise, into 2 (or if possible 3) equal layers.

Prepare whipped cream:

1. Put 36% cream in the freezer.
2. Boil 1/4 glass of water. Put gelatin inside, stir till gelatin melts. Cool down.
3. Take a mixer and its bowl, put 36% cream inside, start beating. Add sugar and beat till stiff. Mix in the gelatin liquid.
4. Divide into 2 equal bowls.

Layers:

1. Take a cake plate, put first piece of sponge cake on it. Distribute filling from the first bowl with cherries. Cover with one bowl of whipped cream. 
2. Put another layer of cake and repeat steps with filling.
3. Cover with the last piece of sponge cake.
4. If there is any excess of the filling, sticking out on the cake's sides, take it out.

Chocolate frosting:

1. Take a mixer's bowl, chop both the bittersweet and milk chocolates and put inside it. Set aside.
2. Take a pot, put 36% cream and corn syrup inside, bring to boil. Take off the heat and pour the mixture over a bowl with chocolates. Let it stand for 2-3 minutes, so that the chocolate melts. Stir till smooth. Cool down.
3. When cooled down (room temperatured), start beating with a stand mixer and gradually add butter until smooth and silky.
4. Using an offset spatula, distribute the frosting all over the cake, leaving some for decoration.
5. Decorate the cake with a spatula, syringe, etc.
6. Serve immediately, or keep covered with a cake dome in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

Bajadera Reindeers

Bajadera is always a fantastic, last second idea which always works and always tastes delicious :)

I do recommend them, especially when you have no time and your oven is tired ;) it doesn't require baking ;) I do apologize for the bad quality of the picture, so let me say that the taste and children's smiles will make it up to You :)
Another wonderful use of bajadera, a little bit easier than reindeers, but also Christmas-themed You can find here.

Quite changed recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients:

Base:

• 400g of dried pound cake (preferably lemon or vanilla flavoured)
• 120g of mascarpone cheese
• 80g of nutella
• 350g of milk chocolate
• favourite mincemeat (including for example nuts, almonds; or baking cocoa)

Reindeers:

body parts:

• nose: 1 pack of red small round sprinkles, 
• horns: 1 pack of pretzels, cut into halves, 
• eyes: frosting deco pens
• some small plastic sticks
• ribbons for decoration

Optional ingredients:

• 10-25ml of Rum
• dried fruit - but in very small pieces

Preparation:

1. If your pound cake isn't dried enough, it is a good idea to crumble it into very small pieces and put it in the preheated oven(over 180C) for a couple of minutes.
2. Take a mixer and it's bowl. Put mascarpone cheese and nutella inside. Mix till smooth.
3. Put dried pound cake to the bowl and mix everything till smooth. 
4. Here is the time to add and mix optional ingredients if desired.
5. Cover with foil and cool down in the freezer for 45 minutes.
6. During that time, prepare a rectangular bakewell pan or loaf tin or - something that you can put in your freezer. Put some baking paper on its bottom (if You have a sponge suitable for making cake pops - use it here).
7. Take the dough out from the freezer and start making small balls, put each of them in previously prepared pan/tin.
8. Put back in the freezer for another 15 minutes.
9. During that time, take a pot, put chocolate (in small pieces) inside and melt on a very low heat.
10. Dip 1/3-1/2 of every stick in the melted chocolate and put in the middle of every ball.
11. Put it back in the freezer for another 20-30 minutes.
12. Prepare a sponge (to dig reindeers in it) and elements of decoration around you.
13. Take one ball from the freezer, dip in the chocolate, so that it covers the entire ball, take out, wait till the excess of chocolate falls down.
14. As the ball is very cold, the chocolate will stiffen on it very fast, so as soon as you take it out from the pot, decorate it, starting with horns and dig it in the sponge.
15. Repeat with all the balls.
16. At the end, decorate with ribbons.
17. Store them in the fridge.
18. Bon Appetit! ;)

Walnut Circles

These are very nice, crunchy cookies, which might be prepared in any shape desired, if only You have a cookie cutter :) Margarine gives all of the bakery that characteristic, outrageous taste that makes you want another cookie :) I think they're wonderful for kids, especially when cut in a nice, (now) Christmas-theme shape :) Of course it is possible to decorate it with icing sugar, making Snowmen, Santas, Reindeers and other wonders (yes, yes, pinterest appears to be very helpful here ;) ), if only You have enough time and stomachs enjoying very sweet cookies.

Slightly changed recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients:

• 150g margarine
• 75g of powdered sugar
• 230g of flour
• 1 egg yolk
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla or orange extract
• 75g of walnuts, chopped
• 75g of candied orange skin

Preparation:

1. Take a big bowl, put margarine, powdered sugar, flour, egg yolk, salt and extract inside and knead.
2. Add walnuts and orage skin.
3. Prepare a baking pan, cover with bakig paper.
4. Start preheating the oven to 200C.

Here - two methods:

1. For circles - divide the dough into 2-3 pieces and make cylinders (the diameter of the cylinder is the diameter of the cookie), put in the freezer till it completely freezes. 
2. When ready, cut into slices, around 0,5-1 cm thick. The dough won't grow, so the cookie will look absolutely the same.
3. For cookie cutter shapes: put in the freezer till it is really hard but not completely frozen.
4. Take the rolling pin and roll out the dough to 0,5-1cm thick (use a little flour if neccesary). 
5. Cut the shapes.
6. Put the cookies on a baking pan, bake for 10 minutes in 200C.
7. Cool down, decorate with icing sugar if desired.
8. Bon appetit! :)

Banana Cupcakes

Another recipe for banana lovers :) They look cute and taste very good :) They're light and moist, not heavy and 'munchy'. Long time ago I made banana muffins and they were terrrrible... but it was ages ago and it was a bad recipe. This one is Martha's recipe. It speaks on its own so, as always, expect delectable cupcakes :)

The only thing I changed is the measurement and the frosting (I used my favourite swiss one, from for example Reindeers or Christmas Trees)

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 170g of flour
• 150g of brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt 
• 113g of butter, melted 
• 3 big bananas, mashed bananas
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Swiss meringue buttercream:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 glass of white sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 300g of butter, in a room temperature, chopped into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons of yellow food colouring

Decoration:

• 1 banana, cut into slices
• maple syrup
• cinnamon
• sprinkles

Preparation:

1. Prepare muffin tins and paper cases. Start preheating the oven to 175C.
2. Take a big bowl, sieve flour, put sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt inside. Mix.
3. Make a well in the middle of it. Add butter, bananas, eggs and vanilla inside and mix till all the ingredients mix.
4. Distribute the dough evenly into previously prepared muffin cases.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, till the toothpic inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
6. Take muffins out from the oven, let them cool down completely.
7. During that time, prepare a buttercream.

Swiss meringue buttercream:

1. Take a heatproof bowl, put egg whites and sugar inside. Prepare a 'bath'.* Keep stiring and heating the mixture over a steam of a boiling water till the sugar completely melts.
2. Cool the mixture down. 
3. Put the egg white mixture in the mixer's bowl and beat for around 10 minutes to get a white, shiny, stiff meringue.
4. Start adding the butter, one piece after another, mixing after adding every piece. While adding it may look like it is curdled, but don't panic, it's perfectly fine :) (it shall take around 5 more minutes).
5. When the mixture is stiff and all the butter is mixed, add vanilla extract and food colouring, mix.

Finishing:

1. Take a pastry bag with a star-like tin nozzle, put the buttercream inside and start distributing on the muffin.
2. Start from the middle of the muffin and making circles go it its edge.
3. Decorate with pieces of banana, cinnamon, maple syrup or any other sprinkles.
4. Bon Appetit! ;)

*A bath is simply heating the ingredients over a steam (but not boiling them in a water), just keeping them over a pot with boiling water, in a heatproof bowl.

Banana Tart

A very tasty, non-baking recipe for banana lovers :) I did enjoy it a lot :) It is quick, easy and very sweet :) Looks delicious and You can write something or make a nice heart, star, etc- shape on the top :)

The recipe comes from this website, though I made some changes, I skipped lemon juice as it gives a strange taste.

Ingredients:

Bottom:

• 350g of chocolate/cocoa cookies/biscuits
• optionally - (if the cookies are cocoa flavoured) - 2 tablespoons of of baking cocoa
• 100g of butter(melted)

Home-made custard:

• 60g of potato starch
• 60g of sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 500ml of milk

Filling&Top:

• 3-4 bananas, cut into slices
• 400g of cold 36% cream
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1,5 tablespoon of gelatin + 1/4 glass of water
• optionally: sauces - caramel, chocolate; baking cocoa - to sprinkle the top, shredded chocolate

Preparation:

Bottom:

1. Prepare a baking pan for a tart, (around 24 cm diameter) - preferably silicone one, as it is much easier to take out the cake from it (unless You own a tart springform).
2. Crush the cookies in a food processor or blender's cube cutter or any other method - crush them very precisely (sand-like). Add melted butter, mix precisely. Check with your hand if the bottom is sticky enough, if not, add a little bit more butter.
3. If necessary - add baking cocoa.
4. Distribute crushed cookies evenly all over the tart pan (bottom + sides) and press a little.
5. Put in the fridge.

Custard:

1. Take a pot, put potato starch, sugar and egg yolks inside and mix. Gradually add milk, mixing all the time. Start heating on a low heat till all the ingredients mix/dissolve precisely and you get a smooth mixture. 
2. Keep heating (bring to boil) and stiring till it thickens (be careful not to burn it, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn). If there are any lumps - mix with a mixer or blender. Set aside.

Filling&Top:

1. Put the 36%cream in the freezer.
2. Wash and peel bananas, cut into slices.
3. Take the bottom from the fridge and pour the custard evenly all over the bottom. 
4. Distribute bananas evenly on the custard (one or two layers if necessary). Put it back in the fridge.
5. Take a pot, put gelatin and water inside, mix. Heat and stir till it melts and set aside. 
6. Take a mixer and its bowl, start beating the cream with sugar (around 10 minutes). After that time add gelatin and mix precisely.
7. Take the cake from the fridge, distribute whipped cream evenly on the entire top.
8. Decorate in a desired way.
9. Bon Appetit :)