Chocolate and Almonds Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almonds, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preparing:

Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF).

Melt chocolate in water bath.
Stir to blend almonds with sugar, egg whites, vanilla and almond extracts.
Stir in the chocolate.

Place little doughs on baking sheets with baking parchment.
Brush each ball with little water and sift a thin layer of confectioners' sugar over them.
Bake for 12 minutes.

Chococonut Sweets

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped chocolate
1/2 cup peanut
1/3 cup cream
3/4 tsp vanilla

Preparing:

Mix the cream with vanilla.
Melt chocolate with the vanilla mixture.
Add icing sugar gradually and the peanut, once melted chocolate.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes and form small balls with your hands.
Pass the balls on the grated coconut and serve.

Sweet Illusion

Ingredients:

80 g cream cheese
1/4 cup yogurt
1 package vanilla cookies
1 jar of cherries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest

Preparing:

Beat cream cheese with yogurt, sugar and lemon zest.
Pour the mixture into a pastry sleeve.
Place portions of the mixture over cookies and decorate with cherries.

Easy Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups milk
3/4 cup cream
1/4 cup short-grain rice
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 bay leaf

Preparing:

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF) and butter a 1 litre ovenproof dish.

Mix together the rice, milk, caster sugar, cream and vanilla essence and pour into the dish.
Dust with nutmeg and icing sugar and float the bay leaf on top.

Bake for 3 hours ans serve.

Easter Carrot Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1 1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Preparing:

Place the grated carrot in a bowl and add water to fill it.
Add sugar and oil and beat well.

Pass the mixture to a bigger bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and beat until well blended.

Let stand for 10 minutes.
Place spoonfuls of the mixture on a greased tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes.

Semolina Pudding for Easter

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
3/4 cup semolina
40 g unsalted butter
2 eggs
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ground almonds
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

Preparing:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (360ºF).

Combine the semolina, milk and 3 tbsp of the sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring continuously until thick.
Add the butter, almonds, vanilla and eggs and mix well.

Pour into ramekins and srpinkle with the remaining sugar and bake for 15 minutes.

Almonds Sweets (Queijinhos do Paraíso)

Ingredients:

250 g sugar
50 g ground almonds
1 cup water
6 egg yolks
1 egg white
14 cherries, in syrup
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla powder

Preparing:

Cook water with sugar until it forms a syrup.
Add vanilla and 1 tsp butter.
Cook for 1 more minute, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk the yolks and egg white.
Add almonds and cold syrup.

Pour mixture into greased individual molds.
Place half cherry on each one and bake at 170ºC (350ºF) for 15 minutes.

Caramel and Coconut Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup caramels
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, in pieces
360 g chocolate chips
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preparing:

Preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF).

Mix flour with the baking powder and salt.

Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with butter in the microwave.
Add the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat well.
Add the flour mixture, coconut, caramels and the rest of the chocolate chips.

Place portions of 1 tbsp mass separated in a greased tray.
Bake for 20 minutes.

Chocolate and Strawberries Valentine's Shortbreads

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup cream, whipped
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
250 g strawberries, quartered
225 g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence

Berry Sauce:
250 g strawberries, thawed
1 tbsp caster sugar

Preparing:

Preheat the oven to 210ºC (415ºF).

Sift the flour, cocoa and icing sugar.
Rub in the butter, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the yolks and vanilla and mix with a knife until the mixture comes together.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gather together into a ball.
Roll the pastry into between two layer of baking paper to 5 mm thick.
Cut with a round cutter, place the rounds in trays with baking paper and bake for 8 minutes.

Place a biscuit on a serving plate, top with whipped cream and strawberries.
Top with a second biscuit, cream, strawberries and a third biscuit.

Process the strawberries and sugar until smooth and stir in 2 tbsp water.
Serve with the shortbreads.

Chocolate and Nuts Saint Valentine's Sweet Temptations

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup marshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preparing:

Preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF).

Combine butter and cocoa in a pan to low heat .
Remove from heat and add sugar, flour, buttermilk, egg and vanilla.
Pour the mixture into a greased pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the marshmallows, walnuts and chocolate chips on top.
Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Chocolate and Coffee Saint Valentine's Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
5 tbsp milk
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Topping:

7 tbsp dark brown sugar
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 pint hot water

Preparing:

Preheat oven to 170ºC (350ºF).

Sift flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Melt the butter, chocolate and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally and remove from heat.
Add flour mixture and mix well.
Stir in the milk and vanilla, and pour the mixture into a greased mould.

Topping:
Dissolved the coffee in the water and let cool.
Mix brown sugar, sugar and cocoa and sprinkle over the pudding mixture.
Pour the coffee envenly over the surface and bake for 40 minutes

Frozen Chocolate and Nuts Saint Valentine's Cheesecake

Ingredients:

285 g cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup ground crackers
1 1/3 cup whipped cream
1 cup semibitter chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Preparing:

Preheat oven to 160ºC (350ºF).

Combine ground crackers with the melted butter.
Press at the bottom of a pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Stir cream cheese with sugar.
Add melted chocolate chips, vanilla and nuts.
Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture over the crust and freeze for 3 hours.

Manchego Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

400 g evaporated milk
220 g cream cheese
200 g Manchego cheese, cut into cubes
200 g butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder

Preparing:

Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF).

Beat cream cheese with butter.
Add eggs and vanilla.

Mix flour with the baking powder and sifted.
Add to the above mixture along with evaporated milk and Manchego cheese.
Pour into a greased mold and bake for 1 hour.

Potato and Orange Dessert

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup mashed potatoes
3/4 cup superfine sugar
2 tbsp raisins
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp vanilla

Preparing:

Cook the milk with sugar, cinnamon, raisins, orange rind and vanilla.
Add the mashed potato when boil and stir constantly.
Place in individual glasses and serve.

Sweet Potato Royal Pie

Ingredients:

2 cans sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground jamaica
1 mold 9-inch with crust

Preparing:

Liquefy all ingredients.
Pour the mixture over the pie crust.
Bake at 175ºC (350ºF) for 1 hour.

Papaya Lime Fool Mousse

Ingredients:

2 papayas, peeled and seedles
1 1/4 cup cream
3 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp lime juice

Preparing:

Mash the papaya flesh until smooth (don't do it in a food processor).
Add the lime juice and vanilla sugar.

Whisk the cream until soft peaks form.
Fold in the mashed papaya and spoon into serving glases.
Chill for 1 hour.

New Years Blackberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

330 g cream cheese
220 g sour cream
2 cups cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 packets vanilla cookies
1 stick margarine
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon

BlackberryCoulis:
500 g blackberries
1 package strawberry gelatin
1/2 cup sugar

Preparing:

Process cookies, add the melted margarine and press against the bottom of a pyrex to form the shell.
Bake at 150ºC (300ºF) for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Soak unflavored gelatin in 1/2 cup water for 30 seconds in the microwave and allow to cool.

Make whipped cream with cream.
Add sugar, lemon juice, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and soaked gelatin.
Pour over the shell and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Blackberry Coulis:
Let boil blackberries with sugar.
Liquefy, sift and put on the cheesecake.
Refrigerate and once its firm shed strawberry gelatin on top.
Refrigerate for 1 more hour.