The doughnut is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, various toppings and flavorings are used for doughnut, such as sugar, chocolate, or maple glazing.

Ingredients

• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 c. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• cinnamon sugar (to taste)

Directions
Mix together. Drop by teaspoon into hot oil. Fry until brown. Drain. Roll in sugar and cinnamon while still warm (it's easy to do this in a clean brown paper lunch bag). Alternately, donuts may be dusted with powdered sugar.

To make cinnamon sugar, combine 1/2 cup granulated white sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Source: cooks.com

Traditionally date balls are made very simply.  They take a package of dates and roll them into balls.  They then stuff each one with a whole almond and then roll in coconut or pistachios. 

Ingredients:  

• 1 7.5 oz. Package of dates, finely chopped,
• 1/4 lb. butter,
• 1 egg beaten slightly with fork,
• 1 bag fine coconut,
• 1 t. vanilla,
• 1 cup sugar,
• 2 cup rice crispy cereal

Directions:

In a large pot, combine dates, butter, sugar and egg.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly until dates melted.  Add vanilla and cereal and roll into small balls and then roll them in coconut.  Place in refrigerator until molded.

Source (Thanks)  : http://arabicfood.weebly.com/

A traditional Ramadan treat served after the fast is broken. No home could ever hold their head up without a plate of these wonderful homemade Katayef treats. 

Atayef Batter 

In a bowl place 1 tablespoon of dry yeast and 2 tablespoons of warm water. Make sure the waster is not too warm because at 130 degrees you will ruin the yeast. Let it ferment for 5 minutes.

In the same bowl add:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of water
• dash of salt

With a mixer or in your food processor mix this batter very well. Cover and let this batter rise for 1-2 hours or until the batter has doubled in size. When the batter has risen, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate) and 3 drops of lemon juice.

Heat a heavy based skillet on high heat and brush the skillet with some oil. Drop the pancake batter on to the skillet in rounds of 10 cm and cook only on one side. You will see the top start to bubble from the baking soda. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and place on a platter to cool.

  

Traditional Katayef Filling

• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup of sugar (alternative method use some honey)
• 1/4 cup of coconut
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together and take one tablespoon and drop on to each pancake and seal with your fingers. Place the sealed pancakes on a well greased pan and brush the top of each katayef with some melter butter. Bake in a hot oven of 400 degrees. When the katayef are browned, remove from the oven.

*Note - Many Muslims will fry the katayef in oil, opposed to baking them.

Katayef Atter (syrup) 

Place in a pan:

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• dash of cinnamon
• 4 drops of lemon juice

Bring this to boil for one minute only. Do not boil longer, as the atter will harden and not be usable.

Cheese Katayef

• 1 pound of white cheese
• 3/4 pound of softened butter

Mix the two ingredients together. Place a tablespoon of the mixture on the pancakes and seal with your fingers. Bake as you do the traditional recipe or fry in oil.

Serving 

It is traditionally served with the katayef dipped in the syrup. But with many choosing to reduce the sugar in their diets, you can place small bowl of the syrup or atter by a plate of katayef. Katayef is a tradition in all Arab countries. Let it be a tradition in your house today.

Source http://arabicfood.weebly.com

Photo Credit : Michael Natkin 

Yield: 7 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whole blanched almonds 
• 1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar 
• 1 pound (500 g) carrots 
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) (125 mL) butter, softened 
• 2 large egg yolks 
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) almond extract 
• 4 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon (63 mL) cake flour 
• 2 teaspoon (5 mL) cinnamon 
• 6 large egg whites 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a Bundt pan. Grind almonds in a spice grinder. Beat together butter and white sugar until thoroughly combined, then add ground almonds, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat until thoroughly combined.

2. In a second bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon and salt. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, add carrots, and mix well.

3. In a third bowl, beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks, gently fold them into the batter until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50 minutes. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then gently loosen and turn out onto the rack to finish cooling. Frost or enjoy plain

Yield: 16 serving

Ingredients 

• 2 boxes White Cake Mix
• 4 drops Food Coloring
• 4 packages Cream Cheese (8 oz)
• 1 cup Butter
• 5 cups Powdered Sugar (Confectioners Sugar)
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla

Preparation

1.For the cake, make one box cake mix according to the directions on the box. Separate batter into 3 bowls with roughly about 1 cup of cake mix per bowl. Add desired food coloring to each bowl (purple, blue, green). 

2 Bake cakes in round pans according to box instructions, but make sure you check the cake about 10 minutes before it’s supposed to be done. With less mix in each pan, they can cook faster. 

3 Repeat for the remaining colors (red, orange, yellow). You will now have six layers of different colors. .

4 For the frosting, mix together softened (room temperature) butter and softened (room temperature) cream cheese until well combined. Add vanilla. Combine. Slowly add in powder sugar. 

 5 After the 5th cup of powdered sugar, taste the frosting and see if you would like it sweeter. I tend to use the full 6 cups, but some prefer the frosting less sweet. 

6 Try to level each layer of cake with a large bread knife. For the rainbow cake especially, if all the layers are level, then they will evenly display when you cut into it. 

7 Start with the PURPLE layer first. Put the purple layer on your cake stand or plate. Add enough frosting to cover the layer and some to spill over the edges, anywhere from 1/2 to one cup of frosting. Run the flat, straight side of a knife around the cake to smooth out the edges. 

8 Add the BLUE layer of the cake. Put frosting in the middle, start spreading out frosting with the flat, straight side of a knife so that it covers the cake and falls out over the edges. Then run your knife around the outside edge of the cake to smooth out the sides. 

9 Put the cake into the fridge for at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour. 

10 Repeat with GREEN layer, then YELLOW layer. 

11 Put cake into fridge for at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour. 

12 Repeat with ORANGE layer, then RED layer. 

13 Cover cake with frosting and run the flat, straight edge of a knife around the edges of the cake to smooth out the frosting. 

14 Once you have finished frosting the cake, add any decorative touches or words that fit your occasion! Good luck!

Yield: 18 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar 
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 
• 1 large egg 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam

Preparation

1. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light, 2 minutes. Beat in 2/3 cup sugar and zest, then egg and salt. Beat in flour 1 cup at a time. Divide dough in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375ºF; line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a disk to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch cutter. Place 1/2 inch apart on sheets. Gather dough scraps, reroll and cut more cookies. Sprinkle cookies with 1 1/2 tsp. sugar. Repeat with remaining dough disk.

3. Bake cookies until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Place baking sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool.

4. Spread 1 tsp. jam on bottom of a cookie; sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining cookies and jam.

Note:

Bake time is per batch.``

All You APRIL 2011

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 19 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 3 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 2 large eggs, beaten 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Preparation

1. Place almonds in a single layer in a dry skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer almonds to a bowl to cool. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop almonds.

2. Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beaters. Beat in eggs and extracts. Stir in flour mixture on low speed until combined. Stir in almonds, all chocolate chips and coconut.

3. Spoon dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Bake until edges are brown, 12 to 15 minutes, switching sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

All You MARCH 2013