Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped California walnuts
• Coarsely chopped California walnuts (garnish)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in sour cream.
4. Stir together flour, cardamom, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl then add to batter, beating just until incorporated. Beat in chopped walnuts.
5. Spread evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle with coarsely chopped walnuts.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup California walnut halves and pieces

Chocolate Peppermint Truffle Glaze

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Toppings

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped California walnuts
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly butter a bundt pan then dust with flour or cocoa powder. Turn pan, tapping as you turn, to coat the pan on all sides; tap out excess.
2. Melt together butter, water and cocoa powder in a small saucepan, over low heat, whisking until smooth; let cool.
3. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer and lightly beat in sugar, extract and eggs.
4. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and beat on low speed to combine. Add half the buttermilk and beat again. Repeat steps ending with the flour mixture, mixing only until combined. Fold in walnuts.
5. Spread in a prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool, then invert onto a serving plate or platter.
6. While cake bakes, melt chocolate, butter, milk and extract together until smooth. Let cool slightly to thicken, then drizzle over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with walnuts and peppermint candies.

Recipe tips

1. To keep the walnuts from sinking, coat with a little flour or cocoa powder.
2. Cake will cook more quickly when baked in a dark-coated pan.

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped California walnuts
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Crust

• 1 box refrigerated pie dough
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped California walnuts
• Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:

For The Cream

1. Fry the onion and garlic and add the potatoes and spinach too.
2. Cover everything with the vegetable stock, add the walnuts and season it. Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes and mash until getting a cream texture.
3. Serve the cream very hot with a couple of walnut and parmesan cookies.

For The Walnut-Parmesan Biscuit

1. To prepare the filling, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add apples and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Add walnuts, brown sugar, cranberries and cinnamon and cook for a few minutes more. Set aside to cool.
2. Unroll each pie dough on a very lightly floured board and sprinkle with walnuts. Gather into a ball and knead several times to incorporate walnuts into dough.
3. Roll into an 11-inch circle and cut into circles about 4 1/2-inches in diameter. Re-roll scraps and repeat to make 10 circles. Using your fingertips, coat the outside of each circle with water.
4. Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple mixture into the center of each pastry circle . Bring up 2 edges and pinch the edges to seal in the filling. Crimp firmly with a fork and coat with cooking spray.
5. Preheat an air fryer set to 180°C for 3 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes or until pies are a light golden brown.
6. Replace apples with 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced ripe pears and prepare as directed above, melting the butter before adding to the pears.

Ingredients

• Energy Bites
• 1 cup California walnut halves
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Bat Wings And Eyes

• 480g container semi-sweet dark dipping chocolate (or melting wafers)
• 24 California walnut halves, halved lengthwise (48 pieces total / 2 walnut wings per bat)
• 48 white chocolate chips (2 chips per bat used for eyes)
• 1 small tube black decorating gel

Preparations

Energy Bites

1. Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper.
2. In a food processor, combine walnut halves, raisins, chocolate chips, oats and salt. Pulse until the mixture forms into a thick, but still chunky paste (1-2 minutes), turning off the food processor and scraping down sides, as needed.
3. Scoop mixture by the tablespoon and roll into balls with your hands, placing bites onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Bat Wings And Eyes

1. Prepare a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.
2. Heat dark chocolate in the microwave according to package directions until chocolate is melted. With a fork, dip each walnut piece into the dark chocolate, covering completely with chocolate. Tap the fork on the side of the chocolate container to remove excess chocolate and set walnut pieces on prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all wings are chocolate coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Gently push a chocolate covered walnut piece into the left and right side of every bat bite to make the wings.
4. Push two white chocolate chips onto the bat’s front side to make the eyes. Using the black decorating gel, place two pupils onto each white chocolate chip eye.
5. Serve or refrigerate until just before serving.

Ingredients:

Peaches

• 4 medium ripe peaches, halved, pit removed
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Assembly

• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1/2 cup California walnuts
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 fresh mint sprigs

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place walnuts on a baking sheet. Toast walnuts for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Roughly chop when cool.

Peaches

1. Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Clean and lightly oil your grill. Brush each peach half with oil (or spray with cooking spray) on both sides.
2. Grill peaches cut down for 4-5 minutes until grill marks form. Flip with tongs and grill another 1-2 minutes until peaches are slightly tender. Remove peaches from the grill and place on a large plate.

Assembly

1. To serve, place two peach halves on a plate or in a small bowl. Top each half with ricotta and chopped toasted walnuts. Drizzle with honey and garnish with mint. Serve warm.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarsely chopped California walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
• 120g dark chocolate, melted
• 36 fresh raspberries
• 6 sprigs of mint

Preparation:

1. Arrange six cupcake papers on a baking sheet or in a muffin pan; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the walnuts and rice cereal; mix well. Add the melted chocolate and stir until all is well coated.
3. Divide evenly among the 6 paper-lined cups and press gently with the back of a soup spoon to compact into a “crust”.
4. Arrange 6 raspberries on top gently pressing them into position while the chocolate is still warm. Garnish with a sprig of the mint.
5. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the paper liners and place on a serving platter or individual serving plates.
7. Can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours.

Ingredients:

• 125g California walnuts pieces
• 600ml double cream
• 400ml whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 6 medium egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar
• 200g salted caramel sauce

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
2. Place the California walnuts on a baking tray and roast for 5-6 minutes, allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, place the cream, milk and vanilla in a large saucepan and heat to just below boiling point.
4. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl until pale and thickened. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture until combined and pour back into the saucepan.
5. Cook the custard mixture on a medium-low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
6. Chop 25g roasted California walnuts and stir into the caramel sauce and set aside. Place half of the remaining walnuts in a small food processor and blitz until smooth, chop the rest and stir both into the cooled custard mixture.
7. Transfer to a freezer proof container and freeze for 1 hour. Mash with a fork to mix and refreeze for a further hour and repeat until frozen.
8. Warm the caramel sauce and serve with the ice cream.

**Cooks tip
You may need to remove the ice cream from the freezer 15-20 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Try pouring into an ice cream maker for speed

Ingredients:

For Covering

• 2 cups refined flour
• 2 tablespoons ghee

For Layering

• 1 tablespoon refined flour
• 1 tablespoon ghee

For Stuffing

• 1 cup khoya
• 1/2 cup California walnut powder
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• 1 teaspoon saffron water
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Roast the khoya and California walnut powder on low flame for 10 minutes.
2. Cool and mix sugar, cardamom powder. Keep aside.
3. Knead refined flour and ghee with little water to form a stiff dough. Make into orange sized balls.
4. Roll each ball to a thin disc 9 inches in diameter. Smear ghee and sprinkle refined flour all over.
5. Roll into a thin cylinder, twist it and spiral it up. Chill for 10 minutes.
6. Roll the chilled spiral ball into a 4 inch disc and add in a scoop of the cooled filing. Bring the ends together and roll into a ball yet again. Give it a smear of saffron water and chill for 15 minutes.
7. Deep fry over low flame.
8. Garnish with powdered sugar.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup refined flour
• 1/4 cup California walnut powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon semolina
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

Glazing

• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. In a mixing bowl ghee and powdered sugar, whip smooth for 10 minutes till it is soft, white, fluffy and creamy.
2. Add refined flour, walnut powder, salt, semolina and baking soda, cardamom powder.
3. Mix well and knead the dough combining with your hand. Do not over knead.
4. Roll into a baking sheet till the dough is 1 cm thick. Transfer onto a baking tray.
5. Cut into long rectangles.
6. Mix milk and sugar in a bowl and apply on top of the cut triangles using a brush.
7. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the tray and allow the cake to cool completely.
9. Store in an airtight container.