Tell me about your Christmas baking

[Falafelolive]

Christmas baking chat.
I've so far made spice biscuits and brandy snaps as gifts, mince pies and sausage rolls made and in the freezer, and am planning on doing a bit more baking but not sure what.
What have you made so far and what are you planning to make?

I buy ready made puff pastry. I buy sausage meat and mix in whatever I fancy. If you use paxo/dry stuffing mix it with hot water and then the same volume odd sausage meat you get a firmer sausage that is delicious. But you can ensure just use sausage meat, I just add whatever I fancy, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, marmalade, grated apple, chopped walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, grated cheese, candied peel, five spice, chopped bacon, black pudding, grated pears soaked in port, mince meat, chutney, etc

you need to make sure you glaze the raw rolls in egg wash, I like to do mine several times and get a really crispy top. I also sometimes add sprinkles on top for extra crunch and flavour ( Parmesan works beautifully as does finely bashed up croutons, bacon bits, finely chopped nuts and herbs.

you can also just cut the pastry into squares and then add a piece of bacon and a sausage corner to corner with your choice of relish/sauce cheese and make turnover style things.

I've popped back to the thread as love hearing what you're all making.

I love candied peel but never made it-it's on the list.

Also parmasan on sausage rolls, will definitely try that.

So many delicious sounding cakes & bakes.

Will be making granola tomorrow-possibly Ellie Pear's coffee granola.

I've already made sausage rolls, red cabbage and frozen them. Plan on doing gingerbread stuffing, pineapple boiled fruit cake, spiced apple tarts, amaretti or ricciarelli biscuits and the meringue for a pavlova.

I'm making Mary Berry's chocolate roulade with some chestnut puree added to the cream filling. I like to try a different xmas cake recipe every year - this year I'm doing Nigella's 'gorgeously golden fruit cake' and also her Italian christmas cake because I am a glutton 😊

@Falafelolive
Sounds lovely especially the brandy snaps. Mum tried to form them into the roll shape by putting them around a wooden spoon but never quite managed it. However I told her just to make them into 'baskets' with a dollop of cream in them they tasted the same!!!

Yes rolling them is really tricky, you have to do it at the right point of softness. Making them into cups is a good idea. I actually just did flat ones this time

Oh I'd like to try making those I'm new to baking,rock cakes, individual sponge cakes, banana loaf that's my repotoire so far also going to have a go a puff pastry Xmas pies.

Already made and scoffed one Christmas cake in this house! I baked a second one last week, just got to try and keep our mitts off it!
I'm hoping to bake some mince pies and almond biscuits. I'd also like to make some gingerbread biscuits too!

Repertoire.. thought earlier spelling didn't look right.

@prettydesertflower could you please share this recipe?

Yesterday I made frangipane topped mince pies, first time of making them instead of the traditional type, they are really good! I used a bit less mince meat than normal otherwise they would be too rich for me, but they are a hit. I used the BBC recipe

They are the best mince pies! I use the hairy bikers recipe.

I’ve made Swedish spice cookies, biscotti, Oreo chocolate chip cookies… and eaten them all. Also made damson gin earlier in the year.

Still to come: icing the Nigel slater Christmas cake, making mince pies, lemon tart for Christmas Day (no one likes Christmas pudding), Yule log, a birthday cake (aaargh) and tree biscuits, and a godawful gingerbread house kit with the DC.

DS broke up from school on Friday last week so we've done a bit of baking together this week, including mini gingerbread houses, sugar cookie stained glass biscuits and brownies in the shape of Christmas trees. I'll also make and freeze some (pork and apple) sausage rolls at the weekend to eat over Christmas week and will do the yule log on Christmas Eve.

Mountains of cheese straws and mince pies for a big family do last weekend. Plus, not strictly Christmassy, but a vast monster of an apple and blackberry crumble.

Still haven’t made any mince pies for us, but have made mincemeat (Delia’s) and 2 big fat 🎄puds. And (also not actual baking) but Delia’s Christmas dried fruit compote, for a family dinner tonight. Incidentally very easy and delish, and can be made well in advance. Especially useful for anyone vegan/dairy/gluten free.

I need to make another big batch of gingerbread biscuits.

Help DD make a carrot and walnut cake.

Also make brown bread on Christmas eve.

Considering other stuff too, maybe tablet but not convinced...

I've just made a refrigerator cake. It is not a cake it is the world's biggest truffle with some bits in it.

I have all the ingredients for Nigella's golden fruit cake and Mary Berry's chocolate roulade in the kitchen but due to having come down with a virus am thinking of just trying to make a very simple gingerbread cake recipe instead so at least we'll have something to nibble on tomorrow