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Eggless Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate Lava Cakes are a classic dessert for Valentine’s Day. That smooth, fudgy center can make anyone swoon. The key to a great cake is to serve it hot and make sure that the center stays molten. For a more foolproof center I really like using the ganache method. Eggless recipes can be really difficult to find because the egg whites and yolk really preserve the thickness and smoothness of the batter. I have added a little bit of that feeling with the addition of heavy cream and oil. Brewed coffee also really helps to amplify the taste. If you don’t want to brew coffee you can add a little…
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Oreo Pops
Oreo Truffles were my signature dessert in college. I made it for everyone’s birthday and every event I could. They are super easy, and only 3 ingredients! This entire recipe can be made in the food processor, it makes for the perfect bake sale recipe. You can pop these in your mouth like popcorn and before you know it the whole tray will be gone! These little pops are so cute and you can make them in lots of different shapes and sizes. It is really easy to decorate these with colored candy melts and luster dust. I also love coating these in different toppings to provide texture. Try out…
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Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Strawberries
Chocolate covered strawberries are the classic go-to Valentines dessert. It’s sweet and luxurious. Trust me, I get it. I thought I might upgrade these a little bit with a slightly sweet and tangy cream cheese filling that give these a big edge over the original. I’ve made these cheesecake strawberries a million times and they are always a hit. Add a little flair with sprinkles, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, or any other favorite toppings. I dry buffed some gold luster dust onto the hardened chocolate for that extra bit of luxury. Method The first and most important step is to wash, hull, and dry your strawberries. To hull them, take…
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No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
Peanut butter and Chocolate make the best pair. I love me some Reese’s and they are my favorite valentine treat! My favorite Valentine’s Day memories are from those glittery boxes filled with treats from elementary school! I used to love decorating my shoebox and having it filled with all of those little notes from my classmates. I thought that there should be something homemade that is sweet and poppable! This dessert is really easy to make vegan, and you can also make these in bulk ahead of time for a party or gathering. If you wanted to make these directly into bars feel free to use the adjustments in the…
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Walnut Crusted Pumpkin Chai Loaf
Fall is considered pumpkin season, but to be honest I still had pumpkin puree (I am a Libby’s loyalist!) left in my pantry after Thanksgiving. I felt it would be sacrilege not to develop a recipe for it. Even in the winter, I appreciate any warm spiced dessert. Apple pie, carrot cake, ginger cookies, no matter the season I am ok with the reason. As far as the pumpkin is concerned, I am Gujju, we don’t waste anything. Also something in line with Desi sweets is that most elder folks don’t like intense sweetness, which is odd given the flavor profile for most Indian sweets. Nonetheless, this loaf is sweetened…
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The Perfect Cup of Chai
Chai is the quintessential language of love in Indian families. My family are all full of milk lovers so we love a good rich chai. Chai is super personal, everyone has their own tastes and preferences. This recipe how my family likes to make it. We are a super bare bones family. No grated ginger, no fresh tea leaves, no mint, just chai masala and dried leaves! Speaking of Chai Masala, I made a fresh homemade batch from Piping Pot Curry! I quartered the recipe for my home, but you can easily ramp it up depending on how frequently you make tea at home. I made the masala blend by…
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Idli Manchurian
Idli Manchurian is the perfect blend of crispy, soft, spicy, sweet, and tangy! The vada are made from leftover Idli they make the perfect sponge for the gravy. The manchurian gravy is perfect you can use it with cauliflower or any other veg. manchurian recipe! My mom made this recipe after making way too many Idlis one day and we needed a way to use them up! This is a great meal to use up any extra veggies (or condiments honestly!) Putting this together is snap. The most time intensive thing is probably frying up the Idlis. Once those are done you want to toss them in the gravy while…
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Warm and Soft Idlis
Hittin’ ya back with another classic: Idlis! Earlier this month I posted my sambar recipe. A lot of things can be eaten with sambar so I decided to go full on and post Masala Dosa earlier this month followed by Idli! The reason Idli is coming out as a #BhaktaBasics recipe is because it’s able to be upcycled into something new later on! For now let’s start with the basics of this dish. Idlis are essentially steamed rice cakes that can be served with chutneys and sambar. You will need a special steamer to make this dish. Most Indian grocers will have them but you can also find one on…
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Dabeli Pizza
Dabeli Pizza is great for a no-rush, lazy Sunday kinda day. These are lots of fun for kids and adults alike and make for a great addition for your normal chaat line up. This recipe is great for using up extra things you have in the fridge. The paratha dough is from my Aloo Paratha recipe, the filling is from my Dabeli recipe and all the toppings can be a great way to use up chutneys and herbs from the fridge! The idea has all of the key flavor notes that you look for in great chaat food, but it is a little more portable. The best part is that…
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Roti/Chapatti
In desi families learning how to make roti is imperative. Most families I know make them a few times a week up to daily especially if you have elder family members living with you. Roti for me was very difficult. I feel like most kids my age never bother to learn how to make it because it seems too tedious or difficult. I really think it is a great skill to learn, especially if you enjoy Indian food. I’ll be honest this is one of those recipes that I struggled with a lot. I felt like an idiot because all of the women in my family seemed to have this…
