We call these balls tangyuan or yuanxiao, which made of glutinous rice flour and can be either filled or unfilled with sweet, or savoury stuffing. Sweet fillings are basically made of sugar, nuts, seeds, or beans while minced meat and vegetables are often used the savoury filling. As a symbol of family unity and harmony in Chinese culture, tang yuan is traditionally served around Dong Zhi /winter solstice, about the time when families get together for the holidays.

The way to make tangyuan varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in the south is to shape the dough first into small portions, fill each with the preferred filling, and then roll into rounds. In North China, the fillings are pressed into rounds, and roll in a bowl of dry glutinous rice flour.

#Dough:	#Filling:
200 g Glutinous rice powderangiesrecipes 50 g Rice powder, short-grainangiesrecipes 210 ml Water, warm 1 tsp Matcha tea powderangiesrecipes 1 tsp Cacao powderangiesrecipes	160 g Instant black sesame powder 50 g Caster sugar 60 g Peanut butter Some water

1. In a bowl, stir the instant sesame powder with the peanut butter and some water to make a thick paste. Combine two kinds of rice flour together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add water gradually and mix until you have a soft dough. Divide dough into 4 equal portions, each about 110 grams.
   
   
2. Add matcha tea powder to one portion and cacao powder to another. Leave two portions uncoloured. Roll each portion out into a long strip to the same length. Place one white strip on the top of the green tea one, and the other atop the cacao strip. Slice each into two.
   
   
3. Stack layers, alternating white, green and cacao colours. Slice the stack into the small even portions, each about 16-18 grams. Lightly flatten each piece and place 8-10 grams of filling in the center. Seal and roll it into the ball.
   
   
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently drop the glutinous rice balls into the pot of boiling water and remove once they float to the top. Tangyuan can be served in either a very simple sugar wateror a bowl of red bean soup.

Cinnamon stars are popular classic German Christmas cookies. They are rolled and cut into star the shape of star. Light and crisp, they have a fabulous balance of nuts and cinnamon. So, don't miss the chance to relish these cookies and try baking it yourself.
To all of YOU - I wish you a warm and happy Holiday!

3 Egg whites, medium 250 g Confectioners' sugar plus more for rolling 1 package / 8 g Vanilla sugar

380 g Almonds, finely ground 1 tsp Cinnamon, ground 3 drop Almond extract

1. 
   Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift the confectioners' sugar. Blend together the ground hazelnuts and cinnamon. Whip the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are stiff and glossy. Reserve 3 tablespoons of this meringue for topping the cookies. Fold the nut mixture into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough. Cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for about an hour.
   
2. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, and then top with a piece of cling film. Roll the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the cling film.
   
3. 
   Using a star form cookie cutter, cut out stars in the dough. To avoid the dough sticking to the form run the cookie cutter under cold water and then shake off any excess water. Transfer the cinnamon stars to the prepared tray using a metal spatula. Frost each cookie with the reserved meringue. If desired, press the sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue. Leave the cookies to dry out overnight.
   
4. 
   When ready to bake, preheat oven to 150C/300F and bake for about 10 minutes. Try to remove the cookies before the icing turns brown, although a little brown tint can look nice. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

120 g Butter, at room temperature angiesrecipes 80 g Sugar 1 Egg 2 Ripe Banana, mashed 200 g All-purpose flour

Pinch of salt 1 tsp Baking powder 50 g Bitter chocolate, angiesrecipesfinely chopped Lemon icing, optional

1. 
   Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add in egg and beat well. Add in mashed banana.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. 
   Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and sift into the banana mixture with chopped chocolate.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. 
   Divide the mixture into 6 mini guglhupf and bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for about 30-40 minutes. Cool completely and glaze with lemon icing if preferred.

Panettone is a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city. This cake-like bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty fruit cans work great as baking pans).

1 package / 7 g Dry yeast 60 ml Water at 43C/110F 60 g German #550 flour 100 g Butter, room temperature 2 Eggs 4 Egg yolks 150 g Sugar

110 ml Milk at 43C/110F Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean angiesrecipes 540 g German #550 flour 1 tbsp Lemon zest 2/3 cup Raisins 1/2 cup Chopped dried apricots angiesrecipes 50 g Almond slices

1. 
   To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 60 ml warm water in a bowl. Add 60 flour and stir to make a very loose dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
   
2. 
   In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla seeds. Add in the starter dough. Gradually add the flour, beat on low speed just until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and pull together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
   
3. 
   Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat both sides. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise for 5 hours in a warm place until doubled in size. With your hands, flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the lemon zest, raisins, apricots, and almond over the dough. Fold the dough to seal the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
   
4. Line a 8-inch mousse ring with parchment paper that has been well buttered on both sides and set it on a baking tray. Place the dough in the mold, cover with a towel, and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
   
5. 
   Make a cross on the top of the bread with a sharp knife and insert a cube of butter. Bake the bread on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy. Place the bread on a rack to cool for 30 minutes before removing it from the mold. Dust the bread with icing sugar if desired. Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage.

300 g Hokkaido pumpkin angiesrecipes, peeled and seeded 45 ml Water 3 tbsp Milk, lukewarm 2 tbsp Honey

100 ml Olive oil 3/4 tsp Salt 500 g German #550 flour angiesrecipes 15 g Fresh yeast

1. 
   Cut the pumpkin flesh into small dices. Place them in a pot with water over medium heat. Cook until soft and puree the pumpkin with a blender.
   
   
   
2. 
   First add milk, honey, olive oil, salt and pumpkin puree in the pan of your bread machine. Then add in flour. Make a dry well in the center and add the yeast to the well. Program the bread machine the “Dough” cycle.
   
3. 
   Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press it down to flatten. Form the dough into a roll and place into a greased 30cmx11cm loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Make a 1cm deep slash in the center along the length of the dough. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the bread pan and cool on a rack.