Lovely foodie things to make for Christmas (not for presents)

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Thinking today about doing much more in the way of home-made food for the Christmas period this year, as I'm spending so much more time at home.

So far, I've planned Nigella's no-churn coffee ice-cream, and a similar one in salted caramel flavour.

I'm hoping for some inspiration for snacky savoury food, as well as sweet treats. Happy to do more healthy stuff, using nuts and seeds too. What are your best creations please?

Ohh I love threads like these! Sausage rolls are easy, what about
A chocolate Christmas tree, it's pastry and nuttella I think, or you can probably do it with cheese and garlic butter, @lucie8881 could I have the recipe please 😋

Place-marking as hoping to really go to town with delicious home made things to eat this year!

@tilder - you make your own lebkuchen? Respect. What's the best recipe you've found? Do they have that light, dry yet chewy texture that nothing else has?

dolphinpose i have tried lots of recipes, none of which I have wanted to repeat. Too cakey, normally. Then I go buy a bag instead.

Cinnamon stars are delicious and well worth making.

Thank you @tilder. I'm going to try and find a recipe. I love lebkuchen. Especially those little stars with very fine white glaze.

At some point over the Christmas break I always make Nigella’s Lamb and Date Tagine. I love it.

Also sausage rolls - Delia’s mum’s recipe.

This is the cinnamon star recipie I have used before.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/zimtsterne-cinnamon-stars

Very addictive.

@dolphinpose this article has an amazing recipe for the stars that uses grated marzipan. They are my favourite too I've tried so many recipes over the years and I think this one is the easiest, the dough is nicer to work with, and the best tasting. It's a bit hard to find as the sub-heading seems to be missing, it's under the title Lebkuchen with marmalade.

www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/recipes/the-nights-before-christmas-anja-dunks-german-inspired-feast-37551474.html

These are a total fiddle to make but delicious and a bit like lebkuchen .
I made them for a German friend of ours and she was delighted .
I do make them every so often and they are worth it !

Nigel Slater's Orange Anise Apricot, only I make it with a whole bottle of sweet pink Californian wine of the type I am certain would never enter Nigel's home. Add 500g dried apricots, half bottle of brandy, star anise, ribbons of orange peel and sugar, let it do it's thing for a few weeks, strain and serve very chilled. Eat the apricots with ice-cream. Extraordinarily delicious.

It’s not Christmas without a baked Camembert with bacon breadsticks wreath

Thanks everyone, some great ideas there. @MorgenMuffel link to salted caramel ice cream is here

Oreo Truffles. My relatives go mad for them! I just use the 30p own brand chocolate and I've used Aldi's Oreos and they've come out fine!

Oreo Truffles

Makes approx 45

2 Packets Oreos
150g Philadelphia
Chocolate for Melting
1. Crush Oreos until they become a breadcrumb consistency (I use a blender/food processor)
2. In a bowl mix crushed Oreos & the Philadelphia. You'll have to get your hands in and you'll think it won't come together but it will
3. Roll into balls and refrigerate for at least an hour (or freeze for 20 mins - they melt when you coat them if not cold enough)
4. Melt the Chocolate and roll each ball in it then place on greaseproof paper and refrigerate again for at least an hour - usually 1.5/2 bars of each as they are easier to coat with more chocolate

DS would love Oreo truffles @Sforsh49 Does the Philadelphia make them taste a bit cheesecake IYSWIM?

Saving this thread!
I might do some little Parmesan and Gorgonzola biscuits like in Carluccio’s.
We do a favourite nibble of halved medjool dates stuffed with blue cheese. Angels or devils on horseback also a good option.

I love making cheese straws, sometimes a quick little dough piped out into lines, sometimes easy rolled puff pastry with cheese sandwiched between, cut and twisted.

Proper fudge with whole milk, butter and sugar, boiled to 115c. Adding peanut butter and topping with dark chocolate gives it even more body and saltiness.

My main Christmas food is a giant ham. I usually make it for Christmas eve dinner, then we pick at it for lunches etc for ages after. It's boiled for a few hours in apple juice and a bottle of cider, with a clove-studded onion and bay, then skin peeled off, fat scored into diamonds, honey and mustard powder glaze on top, with a sprinkle of brown sugar, and baked until the fat burnishes and goes a bit crispy. Delicious.

@orangenasturtium nope, you'd never guess it was Philadelphia in them. Had cheese haters (aka weirdos) devour them!!

I make the Nigella nuts. They're lovely but I've also seen so many lovely ideas here - for eating not gifting takes the pressure off!!

@orangenasturtium

I make a batch of Christmas cookies at the beginning of advent then freeze the dough so I have a supply for any guests/events/Christmas/New Year etc. Here are my go to recipes. I sometimes substitute ground pistachios for almonds to add variety or mix up things eg I glaze some of the vanillekipferl with lemon icing, leave out the cinnamon in some of the zimtsterne. I make them canape size so everyone can try a selection. I also make bite size mince pies with marzipan lids instead of pastry.

www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/recipes/the-nights-before-christmas-anja-dunks-german-inspired-feast-37551474.html

www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/nigella-lawsons-chocolate-biscuits/

alldayidreamaboutfood.com/make-ahead-low-carb-holiday-cookies/ (peppermint stars)

www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/christmas-food-and-drink/9718855/Vanillekipferl-half-moon-vanilla-biscuits-recipe.html

www.sugarlovespices.com/orange-and-chocolate-star-cookies/

buttersugarflowers.com/2014/07/07/violet-candy-cupcakes/

www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/t/turkish_delight_and_rosewater_cookies.html

www.foodandwine.com/recipes/raspberry-hazelnut-macaroons-haselnussmakronen

easyportugueserecipes.com/portuguese-egg-yolk-sweets-ovos-moles-de-aveiro/

I also make ahead and freeze Cheddar or Parmesan shortbreads (100g flour, 100g softened butter, 50g cheese, make into little balls and chill, cook for 15 mins at 160C fan until golden). You can cook from frozen too.

Wow. I'm in awe. I'm going to have to bookmark all of these.

[quote MrsPernicious]@Emeeno1 just finishing off drying the candied peel for the panforte
Have also made quince cheese, achaar pickles {quince and pumpkin} will be making Japanese style pickles nearer the time[/quote]
Just catching up, but need the acharr recipe please.

I usually make anchovy twists with puff pastry -- Gentleman's Relish sandwiched between two layers of pastry, and when I'm making cheese twists I spread the bottom layer of pastry with some mustard.
You can use pesto and cheese for the puff pastry twists too, everyone's got a jar of that knocking about in the kitchen!

Devilled eggs are very popular here for aperos too.

@Eggsinabasket

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/bacon-jam

This was the recipe he followed but he subbed golden syrup for maple (just what we had in the cupboard) and he forgot to put in the vinegar, haha, it still tasted gorgeous.

Oh, and he added a little bit of chilli

I religiously make chocolate truffles every year. Rum, Cointreau and non alcoholic. Usually just rolled in cocoa but sometimes I jazz them up with some shimmer spray and give as presents. They have to be made using Yorkie chocolate. I follow the exact same recipe as my mum used to when I was a child. They’re the best truffles that have ever existed.
I also make a lot of marzipan- enough for my Christmas cake and left over for shapes dipped in chocolate. I follow Delia Smiths Brandy Almond paste recipe and add extra Amaretto.

@orangenasturtium
Those recipes sound amazing.
How long do you cook your marzipan mince pies for please?

Great thread OP, so many lovely ideas.