Christmas Baking

[SashaOfSiberia]

Has anyone got any festive baking planned this year?

I think its generous to describe myself as not being a natural cook, but at christmas I do try and do my bit.

There's the obvious ones likes mice pies and the cake but I'm looking for some inspiration. What are you all baking?

I have no time for baking other than the cake and pudding, but I've always fancied making pannetonne and stollen.

I've made quite a few biscuits using recipes from Nigella Christmas. They can be frozen too so I've made them already and all I need to do is defrost them nearer the time and decorate.

I've made chocolate biscuits, spiced biscuits, and muffins with cranberries, nutmeg and cinnamon. The recipes aren't on her website but you might be able to find them online somewhere. If not, PM me and I'll be happy to type them out for you.

I do cookies every year on Christmas Eve that the dc help to decorate. Normally Nigella's chocolate shortbready ones and her cranberry and white choc then some Finnish gingerbread ones with icing.

This weekend I am also going to try some 'rudolph' cupcakes, like these www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2768691/rudolph-cupcakes for ds1's rugby Christmas party.

Will make some caramelised red onion sausage rolls at some point too and a yule log for Christmas eve.

I have bought the star cutters from Lakeland that stack to make a 3d tree.
i am also making the Mary Berry mincemeat cupcakes,I did a batch last year that went down great, can't do links but its online, less faff than mince pies, topped with cream cheese frosting.

I've got the Nigella book not because I ordered 3 of her books after feeling sorry for her over Charles Saatchi I did think the white chocolate and cranberry cookies looked quite nice.

Stollen sounds nice, I've always been a bit underwhelmed by Panettone.

Also I bought this silicone christmas tree bakeware, it bakes mini christmas tree shaped items, about an inch and a half deep. I was thinking of using it for brownies but I couldn't work out if it would effect the cooking time because I'm effectively cooking them individually. Shame as I reckons they would look quite cute.

As there will be only three of us this Christmas and we are going away straight afterwards it isn't worth it. I can't taste the difference between bought and home made Christmas pudding and CBA to turn the kitchen into a sauna for one small pudding, and we don't care for Christmas cake so I don't make either. By the time we have eaten a huge dinner and several chocolates any baked goods wouldn't get a look in anyway.

Seems ironic given my name, but there it is.

Grotbag, both of those sound great. I've found the cutters but can't find the cakes, what should I google to get the ones you're making?

Zen those Rudolph cakes are so cute, I might get the DC making those. Last years attempt at a gingerbread house was a catastrofuck so hopefully Rudolph will go better.

I'm doing mince pies.

I have a vegan coming for Christmas lunch and as none of us like fruit cake I'm going to try a vegan chocolate cake instead, iced and decorated like a traditional cake. However the vegan cakes I've made before aren't that dense so I'm wondering whether this one will support the weight of the icing and sugarpaste penguins, Father Christmas, chalet and trees. Or whether it will sink sadly in the middle in a kind of horror tableau of keeled over animals felled by trees

Made christmas puddings a few weeks ago and have been liberally feeding them with rum & brandy since.

Going to make gingerbread christmas trees and chocolate truffles for DD nursery staff & DH's secretaries, maybe my work too if I can be bothered. Any recipes for these gratefully received. Have got lovely cellophane bags to put them in from pound land of all places!

Marking my place, some of these sound yummy

I was wrong it was in her cookbook so here it is, its so easy.

375g mincemeat
250g currants or raisins
2 eggs
150g caster sugar
150g softened butter/marg
250g self raising flour

This makes 32 cakes

Combine all ingredients and beat for 2 mins

Divide into cases

Bake at 160c for 25-30 mins until springy

I then use cream cheese frosting on the top but they are nice without.

We are having High Tea the Sunday before Christmas for friends and Family we won't actually see at Christmas ( tea is easier as we cannot seat so many at a table)

I am making......... Wait for it

Fruit cake
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
French Fancies
Macarons
Brownies
White chocolate dipped Shortbread
Mince pie whirls
Merengue cupcakes
Sage and pork plait
Beef and Stilton spring rolls
Ham and mustard tarts.

And breathe

Oh and a variety of cookies

Shosha1 you are either mad or a genius. That all sounds amazing. I hope someone else is washing up!

Actually most if it is already done and in the freezer waiting to be iced or in the case of cookies and such rolled out and baked. :)

I start a few weeks before and then it's easy in the Saturday before to finish off

And the dishwasher is a help :)

DDIL is chief bottle washer tho :) DH is banned from the kitchen as he interferes so is sent out with the dogs
DS is in charge of sorting the tables china and every thing else out.

DS and DH clear up after as well.

( plus DDIL and I have the door shut the Christmas CDs on and sing our very out if tune hearts out :)

Oh man, this all sounds delicious! I don't like mincemeat or what I call 'Christmassy food' really, Xmas pudding/cake raisins and sultanas, any kind of nuts, etc.
I do like chocolate though! And I really love Jamies ultimate Grasmere gingerbread (or similar name?) which I tend to make a tin of around this time of year.
I have found myself with an unexpected free day tomorrow, well, not free from DS, but still. I might make a few lots of this. It's a bit of faff but completely and utterly worth it I promise you.
Scroll about half way down for the recipe

Christmas Eve I will make cinnamon rolls ready to put I. The oven on Christmas morning as well :)

Can you guess I love baking.
Never really do it at home now it's just me and DH at home

But I'm a nanny/housekeeper so do lots of baking catchword :)

Candied clementines and blueberry and marzipan muffins. Nom.

I have just this minute finished making those rudolf cakes for a school fayre! They are very easy and look great - I did them fairy cake size and got 23 out of the mixture, but had to make extra icing. Not sure what they taste like - I think icing may be very bitter, but I don't really care as I am rubbish at making nice looking cupcakes and these have turned out so well (plus I am not eating them)!

I am planning to make florentines, chocolate truffles, chocolate orange cake and cinnamon buns. Oh, and a trifle but not sure exactly what yet. I might try those Mary Berry cupcakes as my mince pies are always foul.

Hello - another mad baker breaks cover!

I give lots of biscuits or goodies as presents, and also like to have the traditional ones around for the family.

So far I have made (they improve with time, so they're all hidden away in tins):

Lebkuchen
Bremer Klaben (a bit like Stollen)
Chocolate and Pistacio Fudge
Cinnamon cubes
Poppyseed biscuits
Panforte
Oaty biscuits (my grans recipe, it's not Christmas without)
Alpenbrot (iced spicy soft shortbread)
Dominosteintorte (A christmassy chocolate gateau with spices and marzipan for work lunch tomorrow)

Still to come:
Cinnamon Stars
Chocolate moons
Nut crescents
Pistacio Stollen (maybe)
Mini mince pies - and a batch with raspberry jam!
Vanilla & chocolate Spritz cookies

and maybe some others depending on time and interest. It's quite tricky being an avid baker at Christmas in a household with people disliking dried fruit and / or nuts & marzipan. I am not prepared to only do chocolate alternatives, so I give most of the nutty and fruity things away and just keep small portions for myself!

And yes - I was planning on Cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning - do you just sit them in the fridge for a slow rise overnight?

I've done 4 small (ish) cakes each 6"x6" .
I'm going to marzipan and ice two and leave 2 plain.

And as I'm away after Christmas, I'm going to start eating the cake on the weekend before Christmas Savage !

Chocolate cornflake wreath cake (ok it's not baking)

Some banana and walnut connamon buns, might do these for tea-time on the 22nd.

We do a pizza on Boxing Day, (I bought a KMix stand mixer last year so it does all the hard graft)

Some cupcakes with fluffy butter icing

Yep anja. Then they are ready just to go in the oven. They are DHs favourite.

Grotbag and Sasha, the recipe which comes with the Lakeland tree cutters gives exactly the right amount of dough to make the tree, but only just. I make an extra 50% to be on the safe side and use up any extra making two little trees for the DGCs starting with the smallest cutter and going on until the dough runs out. The easiest and least messy way to ice is using ready made icing and the tree cutters.
Notonefor, how do you do the candied clementines please, they sound lovely?