Christmas tree stuffed with cream

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Ingredients:
- 500 gr. flour (000 type)
- 75 gr. butter
- 75 gr. sugar
- 50 gr. pressed yeast
- 1 egg
- 125 ml. warm milk
- A pinch of salt
- A dash of olive oil
• Filling
- Cream for whipping
- Sugar
• Icing
- 1 beaten egg
- Icing sugar

Method: mix the butter with the sugar and the egg. Add the flour, the milk and the salt. Then, add the yeast and knead well for a while. Put a little of oil on the worktop and put the dough on it. Cut some portions and give them a shape like balls. Form the tree with the dough balls in a decreasing number, i.e., put 3-4 balls on the bottom, then one less and so on until reach the top with just one ball. Place it in the baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Leave a bit of the dough to make the “trunk”. Paint with a beaten egg and let it rise till triple in size. Bake until browning at 200ºC.
Let cool. Meanwhile, whip the cream with 75 gr. of sugar. Fill the tree with the cream and cover it. Sprinkle with some icing sugar.

Coconut bonbons

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Ingredients:

- Grated coconut
- Condensed milk
- Couverture chocolate

Method: in a bowl, pour the wished coconut and add the condensed milk gradually. Work the dough with the aid of a fork or a spoon till it doesn't crumble. Once the dough is done, take little portions and now give them a shape like balls. If you notice that they crumble, you probably should add some extra condensed milk. Keep the balls in the fridge. Later, take the balls out from the fridge and hammer a skewer in every ball. Melt the chocolate and insert the balls in it. Let the chocolate dry, take the skewers away and serve.

Mantecadas

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Note: the mantecadas are a sort of shortbread, typically Spanish, from Andalousia. They are made of lard and eaten in Christmas.

Ingredients:
- 200 gr. lard
- 200 gr. icing sugar
- 200 gr. flour
- 200 gr. ground almonds
- Sugar (for coating)

Method: in a bowl, mix all the ingredients (the lard at room temperature) and knead well. On a floured surface, roll out the dough about 1/3 inch. Cut the mantecadas and place them in a baking tray with a leaf of baking paper. Bake the mantecadas in the preheated oven at 180º for 15 minutes. Coat them with sugar.

Blinis

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Versión française

Ingredients:
- 250 gr. flour
- 10 gr. compressed yeast
- ½ glass of milk
- ½ glass of warm water
- 3 eggs
- Butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar

Method: dissolve the yeast in ½ glass of warm water. Add the half of the flour and let it stand for 30 minutes. Then, mix the eggs with half glass of milk, the salt and the sugar. Now, add the rest of the flour and whip with the aid of the beater. Then, add the mix of yeast and flour and knead the batter again with the beater. Let it stand for another 30 minutes.
Melt a bit of butter in a frying pan and pour the batter with the aid of a spoon. Wait till it brown (it could take a little while) and flip it over.
Make a pile of blinis in order to keep them warm.
Finally, add your choice of topping. There are a hundred possible options.

Pakistani tea cake

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Ingredients:
- 250 ml. milk
- 115 gr. butter
- 300 gr. self-rising flour
- 3 eggs
- 200 gr. sugar
- Pakistani tea
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon

Method: make tea with the milk and the tea. Beat the eggs vigorously. Melt the butter and add it to the eggs, mix well. Add the tea, and then the sugar, a pinch of vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon. Finally, add the flour and whip for a while. Bake it for 35 minutes at 180ºC.

Cake with kiwis and lemon

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Ingredients:
- 120 gr. flour
- 4 eggs
- 120 gr. sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp bicarbonate

• White chocolate mousse
- 180 gr. white chocolate
- 60 gr. sugar
- 0.8 dl. orange juice
- 2 gelatin leaves
- 4 dl. crème fraîche

• Kiwi and lemon decoration
- 1.2 dl. lemon juice
- 60 gr. sugar
- 1 tsp powdered gelatin
- 3 kiwis

Method: whisk the whites till stiff. Add the yolks and the sugar and beat well. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bake it for 20-25 minutes and let cool. Make the mouse and cover the cake with it. Cut the kiwis into slices and decorate the top of the cake. Prepare the lemon decoration and paint the cake. Put the cake in the fridge for 6 hours at least.

Mousse: melt the white chocolate. Heat the orange juice, add the gelatin leaves and stir till they are dissolved. Let cool. Whip the crème fraîche with the sugar and add it to the chocolate. Finally, add the orange juice and mix well.

Lemon decoration: heat the lemon juice with the sugar and stir. Move it away from the hotplate. Add the powdered gelatin and mix. Let cool.

Coffee cookies

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Version française

Ingredients:
- 200 gr. flour
- 150 gr. butter
- 100 gr. brown sugar
- 90 gr. couverture chocolate
- 20 gr. cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- 1 tsp bicarbonate
- Salt
- Vanilla
• Frosting:
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- 200 gr. icing sugar
- Water

Method : melt the chocolate. Churn the butter and mix it with the sugar. Beat the egg, add a pinch of vanilla and add it to the butter. Add melted chocolate. Sift the flour, cocoa, coffee, bicarbonate and a pinch of salt. Add and knead. Make a roll and wrap it in clingfilm. Place it in the fridge for two hours. Cut in discs and bake it in preheated oven at 180º for 12-15 minutes. Make the frosting and decorate the cookies.
To make the frosting, mix the sugar and the coffee. Add hot water gradually till it is dense. Let cool and spread it on the cookies.