festive mood...with sweet delicacies

ROCKY ROAD BITES
Makes 18
Milk chocolate 1 cup
Mini multicoloured marshmallows 50g
Walnuts chopped 25g
Apricots no soak dried, chopped 25g
Peanuts 25g
Raisin 25g
Pine nuts 25g
Grease the baking tray and set aside.
Break chocolate into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted.
Stir in the marshmallows, walnuts, apricots, peanuts, raisins and pine nuts, and toss in the melted chocolate until well covered.
Place heaping teaspoons of the mixture onto the baking tray. Chill in the refrigerator until set, and then carefully remove from baking tray.
Serve.

FRUITY CHOCOLAIRE
Milk chocolate 1 cup
Fresh fruits apple (unpeeled, cut into 1” pieces), grapes
Tin fruit (pineapple, cherries)
Processed cheese cubes (cut into four)
Few tooth picks
Grease the baking tray and set aside.
Break chocolate into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted.
Insert single- single tooth picks one by one in fruits and cheese.
Stir these fruits and cheese in chocolate sauce and toss till well covered.
Pick each chocolate dipped tooth pick and place carefully on to the baking tray. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Remove carefully and serve.

WARM MOLTEN – CENTRED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Ingredients
4 tbsp soft margarine or yellow butter
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp sugar powder
1 large egg
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Plain chocolate
Method
Put the margarine, sugar, egg, flour and cocoa in an electric mixer, beat together until just smooth.
Grease the baking cupcake tray, spoon half of the batter in cupcake cases. Using a tsp make an indentation in the centre of each cake. Break the chocolate evenly into 8 squares and place a piece in each indentation, then spoon the remaining cake batter on top.
Bake the cupcakes in a preheated oven, 190c for 20 minutes or until well risen and springy to touch. Let stand for 2-3 minutes before serving warm.

KALAKAND
Makes 16 pieces
Cottage cheese ¾ cup
Whole milk powder 8 tbsp
Sugar ¼ cup
Cream ½ cup
Cardamom powder ½ tsp
FOR THE GARNISH
Almonds, slivered 10
Combine all the ingredients in anon stick pan.
Cook over a medium flame, stirring continuously for 10 – 15 minutes till the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan.
Spread onto pie dish. Cool and cut into 16 pieces.
Garnish with the slivered almonds and served chilled.