Sweet treats for Eid

With Eidul Fitr right around the corner, we share with you some easy to prepare recipes to make your Eid extra special

With Eidul Fitr right around the corner, we share with you some easy to prepare recipes to make your Eid desserts extra special!

Bannofie Pie

Ingredients

225g digestive biscuits

120g butter, melted

1 tin of caramel

300ml double cream

3 ripe bananas, finely sliced



Method

Crumble the biscuits into a blender and blitz until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse again to combine.

Spoon the mixture evenly between 8 individual fluted, loose-bottomed tart tins (9cm). Alternatively, make one big banoffee pie, using a 20cm fluted, loose-bottomed tart tin. Press the mixture in firmly – you can use a teaspoon for this - and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Spread the caramel over the base of the tarts not quite to the edges. Arrange a layer of bananas on top of the caramel.

Whip the cream until it has just reached soft peaks. Dollop onto the tarts to give a pillowy effect.

Remove the tarts from the tins. Poke one banana chip into the centre of each tart and scatter with chocolate shavings.

Source: BBC Food

Sheer Khurma

Ingredients

1 litre milk

4 tbs sugar

5-6 green cardamom seeds

¼ cup chopped pistachios

½ cup chopped coconut dried

½ cup chopped almond

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup chopped dried dates

1 hand full of vermicelli

1 tsp kewra essence



Method

Wash the dry fruits and soak in a little milk for 3-4 hours.

In a pot add milk, sugar and ilaichi seeds and simmer on low heat until it starts to thicken.

Add the vermicelli and keep cooking till it softens.

Add the pre-soaked dry fruit and cook for 5 minutes and just before removing from heat add the kewra essence.

Can be served hot or chilled.

Serves: 4-5 persons

Gulab Jamuns

Ingredients

For Sheera/Syrup

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Tiny pinch of orange colour or some strands of saffron

1/4 tsp powdered cardamon

For Gulab Jamuns

1 cup nido or any good quality powdered milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp semolina/sooji

2 tbsp plain all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Oil as needed



Method

For the Gulab Jamuns

Combine the milk powder, baking powder, semolina and flour together.

Add in the egg, then mix it gently to make a soft dough. Now make small balls out of the dough. This should make about 16 balls. If the dough feels sticky, touch a bit of oil with your fingertips and then form the balls. If the dough is too hard, add a few drops of milk and knead it in until you can form smooth balls. Make sure you fry the balls immediately so that they don’t dry out.

Heat oil on medium, add the gulab jamuns one at a time. Carefully, splash some of the oil over them gently. Lower the heat, if the oil is too hot they will burn from the outside and stay raw on the inside. So keep the oil really low whilst they fry, gently stirring the oil around them so they turn around and get evenly coloured. When they have doubled in size and are evenly browned all over, remove with a slotted spoon and put them directly into the sheera/syrup. Remember, the sheera should not be boiling hot, it should be kept on very low heat so that it’s just slightly warm. They will expand a bit more as they soak up the syrup.

For the Syrup/Sheera

Heat all the ingredients together until the sugar dissolves, then give it a boil on low heat for about 3-5 minutes so it thickens slightly. Let it cool. This will make a bit extra sheera, you can store any excess in the fridge for your next batch of gulab jamuns. It keeps well.

Source: Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun

Scrumptious Homemade Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

2 extra-large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips



Method

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Eat a bunch of the cookie dough (kidding!).

Scoop what’s left of the cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake cookies 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how gooey you want those centres to be.

Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack.