During many years of Soviet Unions one of the most famous and favorite sweet was mini cakes called “kartoshka” (potato). It looked like potato and was made from the left-overs of biscuit used in round cakes production. The recipe consisted only few ingredients and it is obvious that many home cooks wanted to repeat it at home.

I should tell that for sure this “kartoshka” still remains my favorite dessert. I love its structure and taste. Not too sweet and with pronounced cacao flavor. Originally cacao was used only on the top of these mini-cakes (from obvious costs issues). Now cacao is mixed with the main ingredient – grated biscuits or shortbread cookies. It doesn’t need baking. Classic recipe contains butter, sweetened condensed milk and cognac.

In my recipe I replaced butter with chestnut puree and add walnuts. And it taste AMAZING!!!! You can convince yourself how easy is this recipe of delicious „kartoshka”.

No-baked mini-cakes “Kartoshka” with chestnuts and walnuts

Ingredients:

(For 20 mini-cakes)

• 400 g biscuits or shortbread cookies*
• 200 g sweetened condensed milk
• 200 g chestnut puree
• 3 tbsp cacao powder +3 tbsp for decoration
• 2 tbsp cognac
• 50 g walnuts
• a pinch of salt

20 paper muffin cases

(*) for gluten-free option please use gluten-free cookies or biscuits.

Cooking method:

1.Chop cookies in a food processor into a fine crumb. Ground nuts in a blender finely.

2. Mix chestnut puree with condensed milk in a homogeneous mass.

3. Add cocoa, cognac, ground nuts and mix well. Add cookies’ crumbs, knead thoroughly. It should be a very thick mass. Put cacao powder on a separate flat plate.

4. Form mini cakes in the shape of potatoes. Roll them in cacao powder and put in paper muffin cases.

5. Leave in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to soak.

You see it is really very easy recipe! Enjoy!