• 1/2 kilograms Idly rice/ parboiled rice/ Puzhungal arisi
• 1/4 kilograms fried gram dal flour/pottukadalai flour, sifted
• 7-10 red chillies
• 7-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoon ajwain/omam/jeera
• salt, to taste
• oil for deep frying

• Wash and soak the rice for 4 hours. In a separate bowl, soak the redchillies.
• Using a wet grinder/ mixer grinder grind the rice along with red chillies and garlic, adding a little water to a very smooth batter. The batter should have the consistency like idly batter and not too watery.
• Now add the sifted fried gram dal flour, ajwain, sesame seeds, salt and mix well to form a smooth dough.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, the oil should be medium hot to fry the murukkus.
• Grease a murukku press with desired plate and fill it with the dough.
• Press the dough on to a greased plate or to the back of a flat laddle ( i used 4 idiyappam plates ) and drop the it into the hot oil.
• Fry the murukkus until they are golden and completely cooked.Drain them on to a paper towel.
• Repeat the same process until you have fried all the murukkus.
• Store them in an air tight container and enjoy.

• I have given the measurement for rice and fried gram dal flour in kg, it normally the ratio of 2:1. But if you measure the rice in cups, then the volume of fried gram dal flour in cups will be less than the mentioned amount. So keep that in mind when weighing the ingredients.

• If you find the murukkus are a little on the crunchy side, add a pinch of baking soda to the dough and mix well. This will make the murukkus crispy.

Sweet diamond cuts are one of the popular sweet made during diwali.

 Other than  the process of the rolling the dough and cutting them into small diamonds[which is quite time consuming if you make in large batches], the process of making these is very simple.

• 2 cups All-purpose flour/Maida
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten [optional]
• water, as needed to form the dough
• I cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• Oil, for deep frying

• Adding egg to the recipe makes the diamonds a little crispier , but it is totally optional.
• Instead of adding the sugar syrup, powdered sugar can also be added to the fried diamonds.Keep in mind the diamonds should be warm for the powdered sugar to stick to it.
• Oil should always be medium hot for frying the diamonds.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

VALENTINE'S HEART TREATS
By Sathya Sankar 
Makes 10-13 Treats   

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INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CRUST

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2-21/2 tablespoon ice cold water

FOR THE FILLING

• any jam of your choice
• Egg wash
• Brown sugar to sprinkle on top

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of food processor, add together flour, salt and butter.
• Pulse together for a crumbly mixture.
• Add the ice cold water little by little and mix the flour and butter mixture until it comes through to form a dough.
• Move the dough on to a floured surface and roll the dough in to a circle.
• Using a heart cutter, gently cut the dough hearts and place them in the lined baking sheet.
• Roll again and repeat with the remaining dough. You must be having even number of hearts.
• Brush extacly half the number of hearts with egg wash and place a small amount of jam on top.
• Close the filled hearts with the remaining hearts and press gently, make sure you seal the hearts on the edges well, other wise the filling may come out.
• Using a small round tip, press gently on the edges of the hearts to make it pretty.
• Sprinkle the sugar on top and bake for 15 minutes or until the hearts golden brown on top.
• Let it rest on a wire rack until cool.

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All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos without prior permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own words and link back to Appetite Treats.

• The measurement mentioned above makes about 10-13 treats. You can double the recipe.
• Using cold butter and ice cold water is very important for making the crust very flaky.
• Instead of using jam, fresh fruits, chocolates, pie filling also can be used.
• Make sure to seal the edges well, few of my treats opened up while baking and filling separated, you dont want this!
• Instead of brown sugar, white sugar or even colorful sugar sprinkles can be used.

I normally like swiss meringue buttercream for my cakes but this time wanted to go easy with the butter (you need loads of butter for swiss meringue) so i went with making whipped cream frosting. To stabilize  the whipped cream  i added the instant pudding mix (jell-o, refer to the notes below). i decorated the cake with ombre effect and piped some hydrangeas on the top of the cake.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERED WITH OREO CREAM FILLING WITH WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

By Sathya Sankar 
Makes one 9x5inch loaf

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INGREDIENTS

For the Cake

• 6 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoon cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 stick (8tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoon vanilla flavored instant pudding mix
• 3 to 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups of mini oreo cookies
• gel food coloring of your choice

METHOD:

Making the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line and grease an 8.5-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• In another bowl, sift together the flours, salt and baking powder and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium-high until light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
• Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat on medium until just combined.
• Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and chocolate mixture alternating between the two. Starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined.
• Transfer the batter to the greased pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Making the Frosting: Make the frosting in two batches.

1. Place the oreo cookies in a food processor and process into crumbs.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add in the heavy cream, pudding mix, vanilla and sugar.
3. Mix on a low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and whisk until the cream starts to form stiff peaks.
4. When you lift the whisk the cream should hold a peak without falling off.
5. Fold in the hero crumbs into the cream gently with a spatula. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until you make the second batch of the cream.
6. Repeat the steps 2-4 to make second batch of the cream.
7. Divide the cream into small bowls and mix in the gel food colors.

Assembling the Cake:

• Divide the cake into three layers using a serrated cake knife.
• Place one layer on the cake stand and spread about 1/2 cup of the oreo cream with a palette knife. Place the second layer on top of the first layer and spread about 1/2 cup of the oreo cream. Place the third layer on top and crumb coat the whole cake with the remaining oreo cream.
• Let the cake sit for about one hour in the fridge before decorating.
• Once the cake is chilled, frost the whole cake with the remaining cream and decorate as desired.

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All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos without prior permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own words and link back to Appetite Treats.

• The instant pudding mix already has sugar in it, so when adding powdered sugar to the whipping cream, start with one tablespoon and taste as you whip the cream half way. If you need more sweet add at this point and whip.
• Leave the cream covered in the fridge, when not working with it, otherwise it may become too soft.
• The amount given for the cream can make about 6 cups of frosting. If you are not decorating the whole cake, then reduce the amount accordingly.




• Leftover frosting can be freezed upto one month in a airtight container. Bring it to room temperature and rewhip before using.
• I used a wilton tip 2D to pipe the hydrangeas on the top of cake.
• The cake can stand stand at room temperature for about one hour after decorating.
• If not consuming the cake immediately, cover it with a cake dome and refrigerate. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

CHOCOLATE FRUIT CAKE TRUFFLES

By Sathya Sankar 
Makes about 15 truffles
      

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices of fruit cake to make 1/2 cup of crumbs
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate morsels
• 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

TO COAT THE TRUFFLES

• color sprinkles
• desiccated coconut
• cocoa powder
• crushed almonds

METHOD

• Using the food processor or your hands crumble the fruit cake into fine crumbs.
• Place the chocolate morsels into a mixing bowl.
• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for 40 seconds on medium-high.
• Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and stir well until all the chocolate is melted and mixed well.
• Add in the crumbled fruit cake and mix well without any big lumps.
• Cover the mixture with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the chocolate is set.
• Line a baking tray with parchment and set aside.
• Remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge. Using a Tablespoon measure, roll the mixture into balls and place on the lined baking tray. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
• Now toss each balls in sprinkles, desiccated coconut, cocoa powder or crushed almonds.
• Refrigerate the truffles for 30 minutes or until firm and enjoy!

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All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos without prior permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own words and link back to Appetite Treats.

• Instead of using dark chocolate, you can use all semi sweet chocolate.
• You can also coat the balls in melted chocolate to make a hard shell.
• If the balls stick to your hands while rolling, just dip your hands in water and then roll.