Chocolate Cannoli

Psychedelic Lollipops

Creme De Menthe Brownies

Christmas Citrus Squares

Honey Pistachio Biscotti

METHOD

• Take the unsalted pistachios in the preheated oven(350 degrees F) for 10-15 mins or until crispy. Take out from oven, cool them and chop finely.
• Now in an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar until it becomes fluffy.
• Take a large bowl, gently mix together the whipped cream, raisins, 1/3 of the chopped chocolate, 1/3 of the chopped pistachios and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• With the help of a spoon put the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a fat round tip. Fill the cannoli shells from each end.
• Take the remaining chopped chocolate and pistachios and blend them on a plate.
• Garnish it by dipping each end of the cannoli into the chocolate pistachio mixture.
• The Cannoli can be filled and stored in the refrigerator for 1 hour before filling for extra taste.

METHOD

• Take a silpat or parchment lined baking tray and put lollipop sticks in row fashioned way, by leaving 2 inches of space between them.
• Mix sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry, small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer and boil it on high flame. Without stirring, cook until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on the candy thermometer. (When the syrup is being cooked, occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean brush soaked in water, to prevent crystallization.) Set up an ice bath in the sink.
• Remove the pot from the flame when it's done and put it into the ice bath for 15 seconds to stop the cooking. Remove the pot of syrup from the ice bath and mix 1/2 teaspoon orange extract to it. Take the sugar mixture and divide it in between 2 heat-safe measuring cups. With yellow food color and blue food color, cover each cup and stir very gently with a wooden skewer so that the color is evenly distributed. To avoid air bubbles in the finished lollipops, stir the mixture gently in both directions.
• Put little of the syrup around each lollipop stick with the help of a spoon, creating freeform designs covering at least a 1/4-inch of the end of each lollipop stick. Then add blue coloring to the yellow measuring cup to make green colour and red food coloring can be added to the blue measuring cup to make purple etc.
• Again heat the syrups in the microwave for few seconds if they cool down and settled. Cool the lollipops for at least 20 mins.  Take off the pan and store in an airtight container for some days.

Notes about the recipe: If you plan to make these without lollipop molds, just arrange the sticks and petals on the cookie sheet. Let the syrup cool a bit to thicken it slightly, and then pour it over the ends of the sticks.

• Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
• Chocolate frosting

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

METHOD

• Take a preheated oven(350 degrees F) and grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.
• Take an electric mixer, and whip butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until it becomes creamy. Add eggs and vanilla to it, one after another and mix thoroughly.
• Take a separate bowl, in it combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Slowly stir them into butter mixture and fold it in mint chips.
• Then, put them into greased pan and bake them for 35 mins.
• When brownies are baking, frosting can be prepared by, combining butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; and beat them at medium speed initially and finally at high speed with help of an electric mixer till consistency is spreaded.
• Take off the pan from the oven and allow the brownies to cool. Then, spread them with chocolate frosting with shaved mint thins on top.

Filling:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 cup freshly squeezed clementine juice, about 6 clementines
• 1 lemon juiced (4 to 5 tablespoons)
• 2 clementines (about 2 teaspoons) zest finely grated
• 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons) zest finely grated
• 2 clementines or 2 blood oranges, sliced and cut into small triangular pieces, for serving, optional

METHOD

• Grease 9 by 12 1/2-inch baking pan and line it with foil and leave about 2 inches extra on all sides. Butter the foil.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl.
• Now, take a mixer, and beat the butter with the sugar on medium, until light and fluffy, for about 4 mins. Then put mixer to low speed, and add the dry ingredients and mix well.
• The dough should be transferred to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly across the pan and pressing to make a 1/4-inch thick covering over the bottom of the pan. With the help of plastic wrap, cover it and press and flatten using your hands over the top to smooth and even out the dough. Put it on freezer for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven(325 degrees F) and remove the plastic from the top of the dough and prick the dough with a fork. Put the crust into the oven and bake it until just golden, for about 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, take the jelly and melt in the microwave until it becomes soft. Spread the jelly with a pastry brush or an offset spatula over the crust. Put it again to the oven and cook for another 10 mins and cool it completely on a wire rack for 1 hour.
• Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat them until it becomes thick and slightly pale. Put the citrus juices and zest into it, and whisk gently to mix well.
• Pour the filling onto the cooled crust and bake until the filling is firm but still loose and wobbly in the center, for about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight before slicing.
• Remove the bars from refrigerator and dip the bottom of it in warm water to soften the butter and release the foil from the sides of the pan. Use the foil to lift pastry out of the baking pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into about 50 1 1/2-inch squares, wiping down the knife with a hot, wet towel between cuts. Top each square with a tiny triangular segment of clementine or blood orange (with the peel on) and serve.

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

METHOD

• Take a oven and preheat at 350 degrees F.
• Take a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, the baking powder and salt. Take another large bowl, beat together the sugar, honey, eggs, oil, zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed.
• Step by step, add the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a dough and stir them in the pistachios.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead several times. Shape it into a log about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 mins. Cool it for approx 15 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut 1/2-inch diagonal slices from it and arrange them on the baking sheet and bake again both sides for 10 minutes. Bake the biscotti until it becomes golden and then transfer it to a wire rack to cool.