Ultra Easy Chocolate Bread Pudding

Wishing you all a wonderful and prosperous New Year....!!

Ingredients:

• Brown bread : 3 slices
• Walnuts for garnishing
• Milk Chocolate bar for garnishing
• Chocolate : 200 gms
• Milk  : 200 ml
• Butter : 2 Tbsp

For preparing the chocolate syrup, put the chopped chocolate, milk and butter in a microwave safe bowl and cook it in high power for a minute or till the chocolate melts.

For pudding, cut the bread pieces into triangles or square pieces and place it on serving plate. Then pour the chocolate syrup over the bread pieces. Cover and chill it for 1 to 2 hrs. Garnish it with chopped nuts and chocolates syrup.

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White Cake For Christmas

Ingredients:
For Cake:

• Cake flour : 2 ¼ cup
• Whole milk : 1 cup (at room temp)
• Butter 12 Tbsp (at room temp)
• Egg whites:  6
• Vanilla essence : 2 Tsp
• Granulated sugar : 1¾ cup
• Baking powder : 4 Tsp
• Salt : 1 Tsp

For preparing 1 cup of cake flour, mix ¾ cup of all purpose flour and 2 tbsp of cornflour. Sieve it twice.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. In a bowl whisk together egg whites and vanilla essence. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a separate bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Then, add butter pieces one by one into the dry ingredients and mix it on low speed until it reaches fine crumbs. Then, pour half of the wet ingredients into it and beat it for 1 to 2 mins. When it turns pale and fluffy, add the rest of the wet mixture and beat it for 30 secs. Transfer it to a greased 9 inch cake pan and bake it for 23 to 25 mins. Remove it from the oven and cool it well.

For the Whipped Cream Icing:

• 2 Bluebird whipped cream packets (any brand should do)
• Vanilla essence : 1 Tsp

For preparing the cream, chill the bowl and whipping blade for ½ hr. Then, pour 90 ml of cold water into the cream mix (for 1 packet) and whip it for 5 mins or until it turns thick, at high speed. Again cover and chill it for 15 mins.

Layer the cooled cake and fill it with whipped cream. Then, cover the whole cake with rest of the whipped cream. Chill it well. Then decorate the cake with fondant snowman, holly leaves and tree.

For Fondant Icing :

• Gelatin : 1 Tsp
• Water : 1 Oz
• Liquid glucose : 1 Tbsp
• Glycerine IP : ¼ Tsp
• Icing sugar : 400 g

Combine gelatin, water and liquid glucose in a sauce pan. Melt it well using the double boil method. Add glycerine and icing sugar into the melted mixture and knead it well until it becomes a smooth dough. Cover the prepared icing well with a cling film or keep in an air tight container. Then, add the necessary colour into the fondant and mix well.

[Recipe Courtesy for the Fondant icing: Anitha Issac, Manna - The Cookery School]

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Walnut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• Butter : ¾ cup
• Cornflour : ½ cup
• All purpose flour : 1 cup
• Powdered sugar : ½ cup
• Chopped walnut : ½ cup
• Vanilla essence : ½ Tsp
• Salt : a pinch

Mix the dry ingredients and keep aside. In a bowl, beat the butter and vanilla essence using a wooden spoon. Then slowly add the dry ingredients into it in 2 to 3 batches and combine well. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Make small balls out of these and transfer to a baking tray with parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 150° C and bake it for 20 to 25 mins. (I baked  at 180° C and it took 30 mins to me). Transfer it to a wire rack and cool it. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve.

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Vanilla Chocolate Yo-Yo Biscuit

Ingredients:
For biscuit:

• Vanilla flavoured custard pdr ¼ cup
• All purpose flour 1 cup
• Powdered sugar ¼ cup
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp
• Butter 125 gm

For Cream:

• Butter 25 gm
• Powdered sugar ¼ cup
• Vanilla custard pdr  ½ Tsp
• Cocoa pdr 2 Tsp

Combine custard powder and all purpose flour in a bowl. Then mix the softened butter and powdered sugar using wooden spoon. Slowly, add the flour into the sugar and mix. Cover and chill it for 30 mins. Make small balls from the chilled dough and gently press the top of the balls with fork and dip in flour. Continue the process and arrange the cookies on a baking tray. Chill it again for couple of mins.
 Pre-heat the oven at 170°C. Bake it for 15 to 17 mins. Don't over bake the biscuits, it will lose the crispiness and texture of the cookies. Cool it well.

For the chocolate cream, mix all the ingredients until it turns creamy and smooth. Sandwich the cooled biscuit with cream. You can also have the biscuits without the cream. Store the cookies in an air tight container.

[Recipe Courtesy : My diversekitchen]

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Easy Chilli Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken 1 kg
• Onion 2 big
• Garlic 2 Tbsp
• Capsicum 1 big
• Kashmiri chilly pdr 1 Tsp
• Chilly sauce 3 Tbsp
• Tomato sauce 3 Tbsp
• Soy sauce 3 Tbsp
• Cornflour 1 Tbsp
• Vinegar 1 Tsp
• Salt 
• Oil

Clean and marinate the chicken pieces with a little salt, vinegar and the 3 sauces. Keep it aside for 1 to 2 hrs. Heat oil in a pan and saute chopped garlic, cubed capsicum and onion for 5 mins. Remove it from fire and transfer it to a bowl. Add a little water into the cornflour and dilute it. Heat a little oil in the same pan and add the chilly pdr. Saute it for a couple of mins and add the marinated chicken. Check the level of salt at this stage. Cover and cook it. Then add the cornflour mixture and stir. When it starts to thicken, add the sauted onion and capsicum into this and combine well.

[Recipe Courtesy: Meera]

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Vanilla Cupcake

Ingredients:

• Butter : 115 gm
• Caster sugar :115 gm
• Self raising flour : 115 gm
• Vanilla essence 2 Tsp
• Milk 2 Tbsp
• Egg 2

Pre-heat the oven to 180° C. Cream the butter (at room temperature) and sugar well. Add the egg one by one into it and beat well after each addition. Add the flour into the egg mixture and mix it. Pour the milk and vanilla essence. Combine it and transfer it into the cupcake liners. Bake it for 15 to 20 mins.

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