What yummy home-made delights are you planning to make this year? As gifts or just to scoff?

[Greensleeves]

I am planning on making homemade yule logs for teachers, peppermint creams, marzipan fruits/penguins/robins, Christmas pudding shaped truffles with white icing and little icing holly toppers, Turkish delight, mini mincepies, Christmas tree cupcakes...

I am a nutter and I LOVE Christmas!!!

Does anyone have the Nigella's Christmas book Kindle version? Is it any good on the Kindle? 17.99 for the book seems alot (amazon)... its 12.99 on Kindle.

You have a pretty decent returns period on teh kindle so you could download and have a look then return it if you don't think it is worth it.

We've had embroidery as a Christmas gift before, homemade candles, damson gin, sloe gin, and homemade fudge. Not forgetting knitted cardigans for DD.

The embroidery has always been my favourite.

I've never done any home made gifts.

Ah didnt realise about the returns policy. Will give that a shot, thanks!

I made Chilli jam the other week but its more like sweet chilli sauce - is that right? I think it needs more of a kick so going to add some more chillies and put it back in a pan and cook a bit more... Also planning on making onion chutney. Ive made toffee vodka and rasp jam.

I have the fruit for xmas cake covered in brandy waiting for me to find 3 hours free for the cooking time.

Im planing on making the peppermint bark, fudge (not sure what type yet), snowman soup (going to try do that this weekend), brownie mix in a jar, Christmas cake cake pops (more than delish!). I want to try make my own mincemeat so Im going to get the ingrediants for that this weekend.

Oh I was going to try candied nuts too.

anja1cam any chance of the rosewater and pistachio stollen recipe please?

Anja1, any chance you can digitalize your handscribbled note on Pistachio & Rosewater Stollen? That sounds like a divine combination.

I'll be making pistachio & apricot tea loaf, hopefully Vanillekipferln and something with pumpkin & fresh ginger. Plus simple biscuits for the DDs to decorate and hang up on the tree.

Me and dd are attempting to make a giant gingerbread village.
peppermint /strawberry creams.
decorating the xmas cake/ we already made.
Mince Pies.
Other ideas stollen from here.

Rhubarb schnapps
Going to try the toffee vodka mentioned earlier d
And if I can track down some Seville oranges in December, I'll make Seville orange marmalade.

Any good mincemeat recipes please?

Pear and fennel seed chutney. Never made chutney before, so may end to taking myself to M&S on 20th December....

Marking my place! I need ideas. :)

cuteable I've not made mincemeat before but I'm going to use this recipe tomorrow. It has good reviews so I hope it's nice.

Cuccidatini, a kind of stuffed cake, cassata and cannoli, and DD is going to try torrone (nougat). MIL will make panettone.

I have sloe gin on the go. I have mince meat maturing from 2010 and 2011 so will use that rather than making more this year (just never finished it all last 2).

Last few years, I have done lots of choc chip cookies, lemon and orange cookies, chocolate coated cherries in honey rum, orangettes, chocolates with ganache centres, truffles, fudge, chutney, jam, ......

This year, I haven't as much time, so I am planning on using up what I have on hands, and maybe making some cookies and mince pies, and finally a yule log. Our gingerbread house comes from an Ikea packet most years...

Oh, and I did dry a load of parsley, oregano, rosemary and bay leaves - some to use and some are going in a hamper to my mother.

Mostly I do them to give, but I always keep some sloe gin and mince meat for our own use, and a few cookies...

I am in a bit of awe at you folk and all the fabulous things you make!! It all sounds wonderful.

I hardly make anything, peppermint creams, mincemeat, (I use Delia Smith's recipe here, I use butter instead of suet and not as much as her recipe calls for, always turns out v well), and, umm, that's it . Am definitely going to try some of the stuff mentioned here.

Anyone care to pass on their truffle recipes?

Place marking for ideas and recipes!

Just made an Xmaas pudding - Delia's from her big book of 20 plus years ago! Fed it with extra rum too!

That will be all I make though - the rest will be shop bought.

Nigella chilli jam here too! And blackberry vodka, and hopefully cinder toffee and tablet too. Each couple in my extended family gets a little bag with some of each thing in it. If I didn't make stuff now I think I'd get lynched, I have already been asked what booze I am doing (berry gin last year and toffee vodka the year before...)

Could someone please post a link for Nigella's chilli jam? x

Chilli jam It's really good :)

Christmas cake, Christmas Pudding (plus brandy butter), gingerbread snowmen, Shortbread, tablet definitely. Since the ILs are coming here I might make them homemade gifts which would involve more sweeties, probably truffles and peppermint creams. I never make mincepies anymore since we have a wonderful cake shop nearby that does wonderful mincepies. I usually eat my bodyweight in mincepies from there before Christmas. And since it's DD1's birthday between Christmas and Hogmanay I'll be making birthday cake as well.

I'm on maternity leave at the moment so in theory have lots of time but school pick up is a blooming pain in the neck because it is two hours earlier than nursery pick up. I'm really feeling the difference!

You lot are amazing. I'm feeling deeply inadequate as my efforts so far are limited to wondering if I'll kill anyone by cooking up a Mary Berry Christmas cake kit from last year? Will be back for more ideas.