How To Make Fondant For Cakes

• 2 cups AP flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ -teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs whisked
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1cup Milk chocolate chips
• ½ -cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (melted)
• 4oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped  (melted)

Directions:

• First melt the semi-sweet chopped chocolate in medium heatproof bowl and set aside to cool.

• In another mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat another minute. Add eggs beating them a little bit before adding it to the mixture. In addition to adding the eggs, add the vanilla extract.

• Gently add the cooled melted chocolate and beat until combined.

• Now add the dry ingredients; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt (mixing them together first before adding to mixture) Mix slowly until just combined.

• Finally mix in the chocolate chips gently. The dough should now be well blended.

• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least a half hour, or at room temperature for around 45min-I hour

• Remove your dough from the fridge, let it sit ten minutes, then scoop up and place the cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased making sure you space them out at least an inch from each other.

• Bake for around 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly firmer than the center.

• Cool cookies on sheets for about 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (purpose)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup butter (chilled)
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 8 ozs almond paste
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 tbsps milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (decoration)

Directions:

• Make Dough – In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt. Chop in chilled butter and mix until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add ice water gradually while stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture forms dough.

• Cover your dough and chill for 1/2 hour.3. Make filling – In a small bowl, beat the almond paste until smooth and add the sugar. Add the eggs and mix well.

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thick square, and cut into 6inch long strips about 1 1/2 inches wide.

• Using a pastry bag, pipe almond filling down the centre of the strip starting halfway down. Fold one side of dough over the filling, then the other side and pinch the fold shut from end to end.

• Shape strips into desired letters, traditionally an “S” and place on baking sheet.

• Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Prick with fork to allow steam to escape. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

• Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients:

• 6 – 8 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 2 cups of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/3 cup of brandy
• Orange zest

Syrup and topping

• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 cups of honey
• 3 cups of water
• Orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 – 4 cloves
• 2 cups of finely chopped walnuts
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 1-2 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

• Beat the olive oil with sugar together, on full speed, about 10 minutes. Dissolve the baking soda in the orange juice together with the brandy and add to the mixture.

• Add the dry ingredients: cinnamon, cloves and flour (mixed together first) and add to fluid mixture a little at a time. Add the orange zest and knead the dough until it sticks to your hands, the dough may be slightly oily.

• Tear off small balls of dough and shape into log shaped cookies around 2 inches long, or shape them round as long as they are around 1 inch thick

• Press the dough gently with your fingers on one side to flatten slightly, and Place on parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven (180^ο C) for about thirty minutes or until golden brown.

• Remove from oven and allow to cool.

• In the meantime prepare the syrup by placing in a pan the sugar, water, honey, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel.  Bring to boiling point skimming if needed. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Before the cookies cool down, dip them in the syrup for around 30 seconds to 1min holding them down with slotted spoon if necessary.

• Remove the cookies with slotted spoon and place on platter and immediately sprinkle the finally chopped walnuts, cinnamon powder and sesame seeds on top of the cookies.

Melomakarona don’t generally keep for more than 4 0r 5 days, nor are they refrigerated. Cover them well with plastic wrap or store in tins so they don’t dry out, and they’ll last for several days.

• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped,
• 1 Cup of natural ground almonds
• 1 Cup of toasted ground hazelnuts
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 3 Cups of confectioner’s sugar,
• ½Teaspoon of cinnamon
• ¼ Teaspoon of cloves
• ¼ Teaspoon of salt
• 2 Large egg whites
• 3 Tbsp Brandy or kirsch
• 1oz of semisweet chocolate, melted, for decoration
• 1oz of white chocolate, melted for decoration

Directions:

• Place the unsweetened chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, cloves, salt and cinnamon in a food processor and blend until finely ground. Mix together with ground almonds and hazelnuts.

• Whip the egg whites until frothy using an electric mixer and add around 2 1/2 cups icing sugar in two batches, whipping well between additions, until firm peaks.

• Gently fold in the chocolate-almond mix and add the brandy/kirsch until it forms dough. Knead the dough until no longer sticky, adding the remaining confectioner’s sugar as needed. Roll the dough into a 14 x 9-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick, adding more sugar to prevent sticking. You can either form into two rectangle shapes, or simply leave in a ball and wrap in plastic and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 325F.

• Remove from chilling and generously sprinkle the work surface with confectioner’s sugar before you cut the rectangle into 2 1/2 x 1-inch diamonds. Or roll out dough and cut out heart or star shapes, using confectioner’s sugar to prevent sticking.
• Transfer them to the cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until slightly firm and puffed. (Do not overbake.) Cool on the sheets on wire racks. Drizzle with melted chocolates.