Your dinner party is not only a celebration of love, but treating the guests with flavorful feast.

And what better way to add a touch of sweetness than by incorporating the nutrient-rich almonds into your festivities?

From appetizers to desserts, here are best irresistible almond recipes that will elevate the blissful vibes of your festive celebration:

Almond Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup crushed almonds
2 tbsp almond butter
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 175 C.
Mix flour, almonds, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl until well blended.
Roll the dough into small balls and place onto a baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown. Store them in an air tight container.

Almond Coconut Burfi

Ingredients
One freshly grated coconut
1 cup almonds blanched
1 cup sugar (fine/ breakfast)
1/3 cup desi ghee

Method
1. In a non-stick pan, add ghee on low, medium heat and add coconut and almond mixture. Stir to mix well, and keep stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan or getting burnt. Do this until it begins to leave the sides of the pan, lumping up as one mass. Add sugar and fold it well.
2. Apply ghee onto a baking sheet and keep aside.
3. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for a few more minutes until the residue sticking to the sides of the pan starts to look opaque and dry, which means the consistency is nearing almost right for solidifying.
4. Remove onto the greased plate or sheet. Mix the dough with greased hands, pat it flat into a neat square with a greased rolling-pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Smooth out the surface if needed.
5. As it has cooled partially, cut into equal squares with a knife. Once completely cooled for about an hour or so, separate the burfis with a flat spatula and store in an airtight container.

Almond Halwa Tart

Ingredients
100 g unsalted butter
60 gm castor sugar
120 g khoya
300 g almonds
90 g desi ghee
50 g mascarpone cheese

Method:
1. Cream unsalted butter and sugar together in the machine bowl of a planetary mixer with a paddle attachment, until thick and creamy. Alternatively, you can use a wooden spoon and a bowl to cream butter and sugar.
2. Add the flour and mix well. This pastry is for the tart base, refrigerate for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
3. Grind the almonds to a slightly coarse powder.
4. Heat desi ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add the almond powder and cook on low heat.
5. Cook till slightly brown, add the sugar and cook further for 5-10 mins.
6. Add khoya and cook for 10-15 minutes. The almonds and khoya should bind together.
7. Roll out the pastry into a nine-inch round and line an eight-inch tart shell with the rolled pastry.
8. Bake at 180°C for about 15-20 mins till the pastry is fully cooked and golden in colour.
9. Mix the almond halwa with mascarpone cheese and fill the tart with this mixture evenly.
10. Garnish with sliced toasted almonds and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional).

Almond Cinnamon Tart

Ingredients
1 cup almond flakes
150 gm salted biscuits
2 gm cinnamon powder
200 gm fine sugar
200 ml fresh cream
60 gm unsalted butter (divided usage)
Vallina bean ice cream to serve

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180° C.
2. Spread the almond flakes in a baking pan evenly and roast them in the preheated oven at 180° C for four minutes. They should have a lovely golden colour on them. Remove them and allow them to cool.
3. Next, we need to prepare the toffee sauce. Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and let it melt. Stir it so it does not stick. The sugar will melt and develop a rich caramel colour. At this stage, add 40 grams of the white butter and mix thoroughly. Follow it with the cream and the cinnamon powder, and mix thoroughly again.
4. For the biscuit crumble, crush the salted biscuits and mix the remaining 20 grams of butter in it. Spread this mixture in a six-inch pastry mould and bake at 160°C for 10 minutes.
5. In a bowl mix the roasted almond flakes and the toffee sauce well so that all the flakes are coated.
6. Pour this mix over biscuit crumble in the mould and spread it evenly.
7. Bake it in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
8. De-mould the tart once it is cool and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Manish Mehrotra