Hot Chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows!

Ingredients:

Homemade Marshmallows:

- Sugar (125ml)
- Light Corn Syrup (80ml)
- 1 packaged unflavored gelatin
- Cold ice water, divided (80ml)
- one small pinch of salt
- Vanilla Extract (1.5ml)
- Icing sugar (20ml)
- Cornstarch (20ml)

Canadian Hot Chocolate:

- Sugar (125ml)
- Cocoa Power (50ml)
- Dash of salt
- Hot water (80ml)
- 2% Milk (1L)
- Vanilla extract (4ml)
- Maple extract (2ml)

Method:

Homemade Marshmallows:

1) Place the gelatin into a medium bowl along with 40ml od the water.
2) In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 40ml water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place over medium heat, cover, and cook for 3-4minutes. Uncover and, using a  candy thermometer, cook until the mixture reaches 240°F, about 7-8minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, IMMEDIATELY remove from the heat.
3) With the electric mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the  speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12-15minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.

Hot Chocolate:

1) Stir together sugar, cocoa, and salt in medium saucepan; Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to seving temperature. Do Not Boil.
2) Remove from heat; add vanilla and maple extract. Whisk until mixture is foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows.

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Banana Splitsville

Ingredients:

Basic Caramel Software:
- Sugar (500ml)                                                                                                                           
- Water  (250ml)
- Light Corn Syrup (1 Tsp)

Caramel Sauce:
- 1 batch caramel  (above)
- Heavy Cream (500ml)

Banana Brulee Software:
- 4 Bananas
- Sugar for coating
- Ice cream


Method:

1) Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small, heavy saucepan and place over high heat. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, heat your thermometer under warm tap water (to prevent thermal shock) and attach to side of pan, making sure that the bulb is completely submerged. Do not stir the mixture or agitate the pan at this stage.
2) When the mixture reaches 230°F (110°C), reduce the heat to medium and allow the sugar to colour gradually. As the temperature approaches 300°F (150°C) the color will start to turn to amber. At this point, it's safe to swirl the pan gently to help distribute the heat evenly. As the caramel heads towards 340°F (170°C), it will reach a deep amber colour.
3) Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir with a metal spoon, allowing it to cool until the caramel falls from the spoon in a solid stream, like a string. When it does, it's doodad time.
4) Form doodads by holding the spoon 12 to 16 inches over the caramel and drizzling the patterns on the parchment. Quick back and forth motions or side to side movements are best. It's all in the wrist. Allow doodads to cool for 15min then peel the paper off. Stack in an airtight container with wax paper between each piece.
5) After making 15 to 20 doodads, you should have sufficient caramel remaining to move on to the sauce phase. So, return the remaining caramel to medium high heat and continue cooking until tou see the first sign of smoke. Immediately remove from the heat, and add the cream, all at once, at arms length. Once the mixture calms down, return to medium high heat and boil 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature, move to squirt bottle and refrigerate for up to a week.
6) To make the banana brulee, quarter the bananas and rub into sugar to coat thoroughly. Remove peel and place on cooling rack over several layers of foil. Hold the torch so that the very tip of the flame barely touches the banana, and move quickly back and forth until the sugar melts, turns brown, and bubbles. As soon as it looks like caramel, move on. You know you've got it down when a solid, glasslike sheet of gold has formed on the banana.
7) To do the split, squirt a pattern of caramel sauce on a chilled plate, top with 4 banana pieces, top with the ice cream of your choice and finally,  a doodad.

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Nut Brittle :)

Ingredients:

- Sugar (250ml)
- Light Corn Syrup (125ml)
- Baking soda  (5ml)
- Salt (pinch)
- Nuts (250ml)
- Butter (5ml)
- Vanilla Extract (5ml)


Method:

1) Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick spray
2) In a large glass bowl or measuring cup stir sugar, corn syrup and salt with a wooden spoon
3) Microwave on high until syrup is pale yellow (about 5-8 minutes)
4) Add nuts and then put back into the microwave 1 minute more.
5) Immediately stir in butter, vanilla, baking soda. The mixture will be foaming.
6) Quickly and carefully pour into the jellyroll pan
7) When the brittle is comletely cooled break into pieces

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Cupcake Mosaic

Ingredients:

- Sifted Cake Flour (375ml)
- Baking Powder (5ml)
- Salt (1 ml)
- Icing Sugar (220ml)
- Margarine (85ml)
- 1 Egg
- Vanilla Extract (5ml)
- Milk (150ml)


Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C
2) Line a muffin tin with paper liners
3) Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside
4) Cream sugar and butter together until light
5) Add the egg and vanilla extract to creamed mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed
6) Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Continue beating one minute
7) Pour into fairy size cupcake pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
8) Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.

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Gingerbread house!

Ingredients:

- Flour (1370ml)
- Sugar (250m)
- Shortening (250ml)
- 2 eggs
- Molasses (300ml)
- Vinegar (15ml)
- Baking soda (5ml)
- Salt (5ml)
- Ground ginger (5ml)
- Ground cinnamon (5ml)
- Ground cloves (5ml)

Method:

1) Cream shortening well
2) Gradually add sugar and cream well again
3) Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar
4) Stir together 250ml of the flour and spices into the creamed mixture and mix well
5) Gradually blend that first cup of flour and spices into the creamed mixture and mix well
6) Add another 250ml of the flour gradually, blending well. You may find that at this point the dough is stiff enough and the remaining flour may make the dough too dry and crumbly. Your dough should feel soft and workable but not sticky. If you think it has gotten too dry and crumbly then re-crumble into a bowl and sprinkle with a little water and work until it comes together and is workable
7) Gather dough into a ball and then flatten it into a disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap
8) Roll out dough to 3mm thickness (*check this with a ruler)
9) Cut into shapes
10) Place 2.5cm on parchment lined cookie sheets or jelly roll pans
11) Bake at 375°F or 190°C for 5-6 min or until firm and lightly browned
12) Cool slightly on the sheet for about 5 min, in which time it will start to crisp, and then remove to racks to cool completely
13) Very often the gingerbread will distart slightly during baking. If you wish or feel the need to trim it to reshape, be sure to do it while the dough is still warm. If you allow it to cool and then try to trim it, it will break
14) Use your Royal Icing recipe as glue for your house as well as a tool for decorating.

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Roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients:

- Pumpkin seeds
- Olive Oil  (15ml)
- Pinch of Salt 

*Optional Spicy: Tabasco Sauce (1ml), Cayenne Pepper (5ml), Cumin (1ml), Chili powder (15ml)
*Optional Sweet: Sugar (15ml), Cinnamon (1ml), dash of nutmeg, dash allspice

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.
2) Wash and slightly dry pumpkin seeds with paper towels.
3) In a small bowl, toss together pumpkin seeds and olive oil; season with salt.
4) Evenly spread pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and transfer to oven.
5) Cook until toasted and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.

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Spider Web Cookies

Ingredients:
375 ml flour
300 ml cocoa powder
2 ml salt

185 ml margarine
300 ml sugar
1 egg
3 ml vanilla

Royal icing:
250 g icing sugar
2 ml cream of tartar
15 ml whip powder
50 ml water

Directions
1. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt. Set aside mixture.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream the margarine and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.
4. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for ten minutes on the freezer.
5. Heat oven to 350°F or 180°C.
6. Roll the dough out between two pieces of wax paper until about 5 mm thick.
7. Cut out a tracer out for the web shape from scale paper. Cut out each cookie.
8. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Cool completely on wire racks.
10. To make royal icing whip together the icing ingredients in a medium bowl.
11. Begin icing cookies with white royal icing. To 50 ml of the icing sugar ass 30 ml melted chocolate chips or use black icing paste.
12. Pipe out a spiral of back icing starting from the center to the edges of the cookies.
9. Draw a bamboo skewer or use the tip of a sharp knife and drag it from the center to each point of the cookie, then from the inner curves back to the center.

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