Agnes Prus - Let it Snow: 24 Recipes for Festive Sweet Treats

Year after year we look forward to Christmas, excitedly awaiting the first snow. As we gaze out of the window, we dream of long winter walks, dancing snowflakes and a white Christmas. The smell of home-baked, festive treats is a vital component of Advent. If my longing for a walk in the snow gets too much for me, I conjure up the finest snow-covered goods straight from my oven. I dust icing (confectioners) sugar over bite-sized sweets, encase delicious biscuits (cookies) with dainty coconut flakes and decorate everything with snow-white icing. From , the recipes in this book will help you to create a genuine winter wonderland in your very own home.

For every day in Advent theres a new recipe to help make the dream of a white Christmas come true. Happy baking with almonds, cinnamon and snow! Agnes Prus MAKES ABOUT 12 FOR THE JAM (JELLY): 125 ML (4 FL OZ/ CUP) RED WINE 2 STRIPS OF ORANGE PEEL 2 CLOVES 1 CINNAMON STICK 1 PIECE OF STAR ANISE VANILLA POD (BEAN) 125 ML (4 FL OZ/ CUP) GRAPE JUICE 75 G (2 OZ/ CUP) PRESERVING SUGAR 3:1 FOR THE DOUGH: 200 G (7 OZ) BUTTER 140 G (5 OZ/ CUP) RAW CANE SUGAR SEEDS OF 1 VANILLA POD (BEAN) PINCH OF SALT 1 EGG 300 G (10 OZ/SCANT 2 CUPS) PLAIN (ALL-PURPOSE) FLOUR + A LITTLE EXTRA 100 G (3 OZ/1 CUP) BLANCHED GROUND ALMONDS FOR DECORATING: ICING (CONFECTIONERS) SUGAR EXTRA EQUIPMENT: STAR-SHAPED COOKIE CUTTERS, IN THREE SIZES For the jam, put the red wine with the orange peel, spices, scraped out vanilla pod and vanilla seeds into a saucepan. Bring to the boil on a medium heat. Immediately remove from the stove, cover and steep for at least 2 hours. Strain the wine mixture through a sieve and pour back into the pan. Mix in the juice and the preserving sugar.

Bring to the boil and fast boil for 3 minutes. Pour into a sterilised jar and allow to set. For the dough, cream the butter with the sugar, vanilla seeds and salt. Add the egg and beat in well. Add the flour and almonds, and work everything into a smooth dough. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 34 mm ( in) on a floured work surface, and press out stars in three sizes. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 34 mm ( in) on a floured work surface, and press out stars in three sizes.

Place on baking sheets lined with baking parchment and bake for 1012 minutes (you might need to take the small ones out of the oven earlier). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Heat the jam in a saucepan and stir until smooth. Spread the jam on the large and medium-sized circles, before stacking them together with the small ones on top. Dust with icing sugar and add a final dab of jam. MAKES ABOUT 45 FOR THE FILLING: 7 TBSP HOT WATER 2 TSP CHAI TEA 300 G (10 OZ/1 CUPS) MIXED DRIED FRUIT (E.G. MAKES ABOUT 45 FOR THE FILLING: 7 TBSP HOT WATER 2 TSP CHAI TEA 300 G (10 OZ/1 CUPS) MIXED DRIED FRUIT (E.G.

FIGS, PRUNES, APRICOTS OR CRANBERRIES), COARSELY CHOPPED 1 TSP LEMON JUICE FOR THE DOUGH: 275 G (10 OZ/2 CUPS) PLAIN (ALL-PURPOSE) FLOUR + A LITTLE EXTRA 175 G (6 OZ) COLD BUTTER, DICED 60 G (2 OZ/ CUP) RAW CANE SUGAR 2 EGG YOLKS 1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT 1 TSP GROUND CINNAMON TSP BAKING POWDER PINCH OF SALT FOR THE ICING (FROSTING): ABOUT 100 G (3 OZ/GENEROUS CUP) ICING (CONFECTIONERS) SUGAR ABOUT 3 TSP ORANGE JUICE For the filling, pour the hot water over the chai tea and steep for 10 minutes. Pour through a sieve. Pulse the dried fruit in a food processor to form a coarse paste. Add the tea and lemon juice, and mix well. Put the filling to one side. For the dough, quickly knead all the ingredients.

On a floured work surface, roll out to a thickness of about 5 mm ( in) to form a rectangle (about 20 30 cm/8 12 in). Roll out the filling between two layers of cling film (plastic wrap) of the same size. Pull off the cling film and carefully lay the filling on the dough. Roll up both layers starting from the long end. Wrap in cling film and chill for about 1 hour in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/gas 4).

Unwrap the roll of dough and cut into slices about 8 mm ( in) thick. Place the swirls on baking sheets lined with baking parchment and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. For the icing, pour the icing sugar into a small bowl and cream it with the orange juice, if necessary, adding more juice drop by drop until the desired consistency is achieved. Fill into a piping bag with a small opening and decorate the swirls with spirals. MAKES ABOUT 12 FOR THE DOUGH: 250 G (9 OZ/2 CUPS) PLAIN (ALL-PURPOSE) FLOUR + A LITTLE EXTRA 50 G (2 OZ/SCANT CUP) COCOA POWDER PINCH OF SALT 150 G (5 OZ) SOFT BUTTER 130 G (4 OZ/SCANT CUP) SUGAR 75 G (2 OZ/SCANT CUP) BROWN SUGAR 1 EGG TSP VANILLA EXTRACT FOR THE ICING (FROSTING): ABOUT 200 G (7 OZ/SCANT 1 CUPS) ICING (CONFECTIONERS) SUGAR ABOUT 3 TBSP MILK FOR DECORATING: ABOUT 12 CRANBERRIES 23 SLICES OF DRIED MANGO For the dough, mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. MAKES ABOUT 12 FOR THE DOUGH: 250 G (9 OZ/2 CUPS) PLAIN (ALL-PURPOSE) FLOUR + A LITTLE EXTRA 50 G (2 OZ/SCANT CUP) COCOA POWDER PINCH OF SALT 150 G (5 OZ) SOFT BUTTER 130 G (4 OZ/SCANT CUP) SUGAR 75 G (2 OZ/SCANT CUP) BROWN SUGAR 1 EGG TSP VANILLA EXTRACT FOR THE ICING (FROSTING): ABOUT 200 G (7 OZ/SCANT 1 CUPS) ICING (CONFECTIONERS) SUGAR ABOUT 3 TBSP MILK FOR DECORATING: ABOUT 12 CRANBERRIES 23 SLICES OF DRIED MANGO For the dough, mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt together.

In a second bowl, beat the butter with the two types of sugar for about 3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and stir in for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Wrap the dough in cling film (plastic wrap) and leave in a cool place for 1 hour.