Easy festive sweet recipes?

[ChestyNut]

Am thinking about making some festive treats to take for family when we deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

but I'm not the worlds best cook.

Does anyone have any tried and tested easy festive sweet ideas?

I make the bark with the crushed candy canes on top too - it's delish! I get the choc from Aldi or Lidl as it's really creamy but cheap.

Have seen a recipe for white chocolate fudge that looks easy.

Also might give white chocolate bark with cranberries and pistachios a whirl.

I have found a basic biscotti dough recipe. You then add whatever ingredients you like, so could add cranberries, all spice and candied peel to make Christmassy!

Do you want the recipe?

Nigella's chocolate peanut butter cups (I think it's in her christmas book) are amazing.

Yes please Julia.

250g plain flour
Half tsp baking powder
250g caster sugar
2-3 beaten eggs.
mix the dry ingredients.
Add the beaten egg one at a time, until combined.
The dough shouldn't be sticky.

Now you can add flavourings.

For this quantity it's roughly 325g of others. So 20og skinned hazelnuts, 125g dates and the zest of a lemon.

To make chocolate ones you add 50-100g melted chocolate and and extra 30 g flour. You will prob need one egg less too.

Knead gently, roll into a log and bake on 140 for at least30 mins.
Remove from oven, let cool for 10 mins.

Slice on the diagonal, return to oven cut sides up. Cook for a further10-20 mins, turning half way through. The biscuits should be totally dry.

They store well!

My easy-peasy, very naughty Baileys Fudge recipe...

Melt 4 cups (roughly 4 x 100g bars) of very dark chocolate.
Mix 3 cups of Icing sugar with 1 cup of Baileys, until very smooth. Stir in melted chocolate until completely combined. Pour into double cling film lined tin, chill in fridge until set solid. Cut into quite small pieces... it is very rich and very alcoholic! hide and eat all yourself

Enjoy!

alpaca

that sound yum!

Is a cup of icing sugar also 100g?
and what volume in ml is a cup of Bailey's?

I can't access photos as DH is in the middle of some family tree related stuff, [annoyed] but I promise I will post gingerbread recipe with the photos as soon as I can.

so sorry for delay.

Zing - i use standard american measuring cups... but tbh its more about volume and quantities and percentages. If you use the same cup for each measure it should be fine... she says!

Meant to say - in my standard measuring cups 1 cup of broken up chocolate = 1 x 100g bar which is how I came up with that. If you use chocolate chips you should be able to just scoop.

Thanks Julia

Any photos yet zing?

Think the bark is a definite and maybe nigellas rocky road?

chesty

DH is sorting out flickr account.

we forgot the password and to reset the password it is asking us to fill in the last password we remember!

just useless

Gingerbread biscuits recipe:

measure all ingredients into a large bowl

• 350 g plain flour
• 175g light brown sugar
• 100g softened butter
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) golden syrup
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp bicarb

(can add grated rind of one lemon or orange)

combine all ingredients, it will take a minute, but the whole thing will eventually come together into a large blob of dough.

at this point you can freeze it or put it in the fridge - it will keep for 2-3 days, which means you can bake one or 2 batches at a time!

you can use it straight away, roll out to 5mm thick on greaseproof paper, stamp out your shapes and place on baking sheet.

bake I preheated oven (gas mark 4) for at least 15 mins.

if rolled a bit thicker then bake for 20 mins.

transfer to cooling rack.
decorate when cool.
they will keep for a week at least

combining ingredients will take a few* minutes! not a minute!

oh, and leave space between the shapes on the baking tray as they will grow a bit (from bicarb)

still no flickr. (because it's fickle! )

I can't do photos just yet. but will do, asap!

.