Homemade experts - What's easy but nice to make for Christmas?

[Runoutofideas]

I'm going to my DB and SIL for christmas lunch and would like to take some nice homemade treats with me in addition to their presents. Can anybody link me to recipes that actually come out well, for someone with average cooking skills but minimal artistic ability?! Thanks

Christmas puddings are really easy - all you do is mix up the pudding with a wooden spoon, spoon it into the pudding basin, put a lid on (greaseproof paper first) and simmer it for X number of hours (depending on the size of pudding).

You honestly can't go wrong. I am useless at cooking, but even I can do this!

Shortbread is really easy too as it only involves mixing flour, butter and sugar, bringing it together with our hands and rolling it out and cooking it - Delia's recipe is foolproof.

Thanks but Christmas pudding is the one thing I am not allowed to do. DSIL has a brand new kitchen with a special steamer oven - the only thing she can think to use it for is Christmas pudding so that is definitely her domain!

Shortbread could be a good idea though - will search out Delia's recipe. Thanks

Nigellas rocky road, chocolate truffles, fudge, mince pies, christmas cupcakes -you'll be able to find recipes online.

The rocky road, mince pies, fudge & undecorated cupcakes could be frozen so you could make now to make things easier.

ok - what about home made mincemeat? again, you can't go wrong. you just mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. I think Delia's receipe is good. you could buy ready to roll shortcrust pastry, and you're on your way to making mince pies.

you could take the mince pies with you, and a jar of mincemeat, so that she has some for next year if she chooses to make her own.

and maybe make some brandy butter too - its just brandy, caster sugar and butter mixed very well together.

sorted!

Peppermint creams dead simple, half dip in melted chocolate.

Or just buy some strawberries and coat them in chocolate?

For a bit more christmassy -

Make chocolate rice crispie cakes. Pile up unto Christmas pudding shapes. Buy some marzipan and colour green. Cut out some little holly leaves (can buy cutters) and stick them on the top, melt a bit of White chocolate and bam! Little mini choc Christmas puddings!

Nigella's Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Is really easy to make, though we've never added the nuts, and if you sprinkle edible glitter through it, or on top (or both ) it looks very seasonal.

Nigella's Christmas Chutney. Particularly bargaintastic if you, or someone you know has a glut of bramley apples that need using up. The cranberries in it make it v festive looking.
We have already starting eating ours even though it's only a week old and it is very good, esp with Wensleydale.

How about some chutney - always useful for making those turkey leftovers a bit more exciting! Great recipe here www.celebritykitchen.co.uk/lorraine-pascales-apple-blackberry-and-cinnamon-chutney

Great minds think alike, Slubberdegullion!

gingerbread- delicious and easy

Thanks everyone - can't keep up with googling the ideas! I now have some Nigella Christmas Chocolate biscuits baking in the oven - anyone know if they freeze, or will we just have to eat this "trial batch"?

Runout - best to freeze the dough instead if cooked, then defrost, roll, cut out and bake the day before you leave for SILs. Don't think cooked biscuits would freeze well (though I have never tried).

Instead *of. Sorry.

Ah - will just have to eat them then!

Slubber, what did you do with the heart in the end?

we ate it, well we are still eating it as I have two cooked portions left in the freezer to go in pies.

Ooh that apple and blackberry chutney sounds nice shinythings.

It is delicious - even DH who is not a fan of such things loves it. I am having a job making sure it doesn't all Get eaten pre-Christmas!

But where to find blackberries now...

Couldn't do it anyway as all my jam jars are filled with the cranberry chutney or mincemeat. Will have to make a mental note of it for next year

I used frozen blackberries, if that's any help (for once I had the foresight to freeze some of the bumper crop that we picked!)