Hetal Vasavada

Ras malai is made by making paneer, shaping it into a flattened ball and soaking it in a simple syrup, and then finally, malai, or sweetened milk. Usually, this takes quite some time to do, so here is a quick and easy way to make ras malai with storebought paneer! I also add powdered sugar to the oaneer in this ras malai recipe to help the paneer hold together and add a little bit of sweetness! This ras malai recipe takes just 30 minutes or less to put together, however, I highly suggest leaving the ras malai in the fridge overnight for the best flavor and texture!

One of the most satisfying parts about Holi is watching people in pristine white clothes turn into a kaleidoscope of colors after a successful celebration! All the colors running into each other with bright splotches of greens, pinks, and vivid blue powder swiped across every inch of a person – that is Holi! These tutti frutti tie-dye-esque cookies were inspired by the contrast of white and bright colors that you see so often during that time! Be sure to roll the Holi tutti frutti cookie dough out in between two sheets of parchment paper to make it easier.

One, my husbands’ favorite flavor in the world is birthday cake/funfetti, and two, it’s almost holi, and what says color more than sprinkles! Normally it’s celebrated with people playing with colored powders, but due to COVID this year, I feel like the best way to celebrate is with color full dessert, like these funfetti cookies! Also the key ingredients to get these cookies to taste like birthday cake is to use imitation vanilla extract (a tip I picked up from Christina Tosi!). This funfetti cookie recipe makes 2 dozen hefty-sized cookies.

For this egg-free red velvet cake, I use sour cream to provide moisture that normally comes from an egg, along with baking powder to provide leavening. I know that cream cheese frosting is the traditional buttercream that is used with red velvet cake, but I’m not the biggest fan of all cream cheese frosting. Instead, a mixture of butter and cream cheese where I used enough cream cheese to get the tartness, but not too much! Some sprinkle companies use meringue powder or egg white powder to make the sprinkles, in my vegan sprinkles I use an aquafaba based meringue powder.