Christmas Special Workshop: Holiday Baked Treats

Christmas is a month away, it is really time for me to plan my Christmas bakes! Thankfully, attended Chef Joycelyn's Holiday Candy Workshop at Shermay's Cooking School as well as the most recent Christmas Special Workshop: Holiday Baked Treats.

Have a much better idea on what to bake for my gang's Christmas party this year. In fact really appreciate the simpler versions (hopefully) of holiday treats this year, as I was absolutely hopeless with the fondant decorations last Christmas. And I also realised that I am not really the cookie kind of person so the decorated cookie is out as well.

Recipes demonstrated during class were:

• Rich Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Chocolate Pudding (included for food tasting)
• Sticky Date & Toffee Bundt (included mini puds for food tasting)
• Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with Valrhona Perles (included for take home)
• Valrhona Cocoa Meringue Kisses (included for take home)

All these recipes are quite doable with a homely, modest feel.

I totally heart Sticky Date Toffee Pudding; am a big fan of the ones at Marmalade Pantry. So the moment I see this recipe offered for the workshop especially when we can have mini puds variation, I'm sold. Though I attended Shermay's Easy Comfort Desserts last year and she had a Self Saucing Sticky Date Toffee Pudding, it was served as big portion only and not quite the same.

Reckon this should be presentable for the table. Or should I do the mini puds? So happy at the thought of baking my own sticky date toffee pudding at home anytime. Anyway, shall let all my friends savour the goodness of this pudding! Maybe they will get addicted as well? LOL.

The Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with Valrhona Perles are good as well. I like how the perles melt when the cupcakes are heated yet stay in solid form when cold! Gives an illusion of warm chocolate cake where the molten chocolate flows out of the cake when heated, albeit tiny bits. But some spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves are added and not everyone like spices in their cakes. Maybe not this one.
The Rich Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Chocolate Pudding sounds good as well (no pictures here, except the tasting picture below). But I need souffle dish, deep roasting tin...

Nah, I stick to my Sticky Date Toffee Bundt :p

Meringues cookies are especially good if I have egg whites left-over from other recipes that require egg yolks only. Now I don't have to scratch my head over what to do with left-over egg whites.
The meringue cookies are light and airy; can be flavoured with additions of extracts, tinted with food colouring gels and pipe into fanciful shapes and sizes like the meringue mushroom below. So cute!

Food tasting time! Each participant could try one portion of Chocolate Pudding and Sticky Date & Toffee Mini Puds with sticky toffee sauce on the side for top-ups.My mind was fixated on the sticky date toffee pudding, so can't say much for the chocolate pudding (it was nonetheless light, fluffy and rich). I love love love the sticky date and toffee pudding! I think this is IT, almost the same as Marmalade Pantry's. Whatever, doesn't matter. I just love it! It was moist and sweet, not too overwhelming, it's those sort of comfort dessert that makes people (me! me!) go for seconds.

Our early Christmas treats - one piece of Valrhona Cocoa Meringue Kisses and one Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with Valrhona Perles.