What treats are you making/baking/buying?

[MostlyColouringIn]

Anyone willing to share what treat-y foods they are making/baking/buying this Christmas? Im always looking for something new to try, doesnt matter how tricky it is (if making/baking), i dont mind a challenge! Could be sweet or savoury, nibbles or puddings. I try to buy in a couple of interesting puds for when i dont have time to make one, Im currently liking the look of the Tesco Finest Passion fruit Panna Cotta!!

I'm making a Christmas cake (traditional kind), chocolate fudge in the slow cooker, and I'll probably make a Yule log or pavlova as well for Christmas day pudding. I've made all of these before though, so am on the lookout for new ideas as well.

I was SO tempted by stuff in Waitrose... The Black Forest panettone and the sticky toffee and apple puds look so good!

I bought a Kenwood Chef , so I'm planning:

Dec 1st fairy cakes (and raw cake for the DC ) iced and little holly leaf/berry decorations
Maybe some cupcakes (I don't like butter icing but its ok done in the mixer with unsalted butter)

Chocolate crispie cake wreath ( line a springform tin with clingfilm, put a glass in the middle. Scatter red/green M&M or Smarties in the base, pile in chocolate crispie mix and leave to set. Remove glass, turn out )

There was a Martha Stewart recipe for Chocolate Chip cookies that were delish ( bit of a faff doing the USA:UK conversions but well worth it)

I've made my cake. I make my own marzipan then do royal icing.
I can make pastry but it never works for mince pies for me , I buy the Sainsburys Taste the Difference mini ones.

And pizza dough. We have a pizza on Boxing Day. Put the dough on to mix, slow prove then everyone tops their own.

Christmas Cookies from Tiger. They are delicious as they come but I will let DS loose with icing and silver balls on some as well

I always make Nigella’s Christmas rocky road on the 23rd and put them in little cellophane bags as treats for all the family we’ll be visiting. It’s so easy to make and so tasty.
I’m planning on making a proper trifle this year. We always have a Christmas pud and what we call the alternative Christmas pud for those that don’t like/want the traditional one. Every year we mean to have a trifle and end up getting a frozen cheesecake or something last minute so this year it’s trifle time!
I might try gingerbread at some point too.

Ooh i like the idea of the crispie cake wreath!! My DD's would love that! Feeling pretty peckish now!!!

I make chilli jam and chutney, both to have over the festive season and as gifts. I also make lots of biscotti as gifts (so many people love them, they've become a bit of a tradition). Sometimes I make fudge and I have made chocolate truffles in the past. I find parents/in-laws very hard to buy for, so often make them a small hamper with this kind of thing in.

Other than that, I'll make a cake and some mincemeat. I don't make pastry as it has to be gluten free for my coeliac DDs, but I think home-made mincemeat in shop-bought pastry is nicer than the other way round. I also make stuffing - it's a family recipe, and is incredibly rich and fattening, but totally delicious!

Last year, we also made this which went down very well with the non-Christmas pudding eaters .

I cannot take the credit for Crispie Cake Wreath Colouring , there was something similar in Hotel Chocolat and I sort of Positively Poached stole the idea .......

Last year Lakeland did really nice chocolate beans (red/white/green) very vibrant unlike Smarties.

I’m going to make chocolate covered orange rind. I love the shop bought orangettes so I fancy trying to DIY. It seems a straightforward process. I’m optimistic.

Chocolate covered honeycomb. Made my first batch of honeycomb the other day and the family have fallen in live with it. It's also cheap and (after disastrous first attempt) easy to make.

Going to attempt some chocolate covered oreos using by some of Christmas cutters.

Frangipane mince pies,

Gingerbread truffles.

And a Tunis cake as none of us like Christmas cake

Oh Lord! Gingerbread Truffles! How do you make those beauties?

I've already done chilli jam, chutney and jam.

I'm making:

Mince pies
Brownies
Rocky Road (the Nigella one)
Different types of cookies
Christmas cake cheesecake
Sausage rolls

Mostly:- Gingerbread truffles. 1 packet of ginger biscuits, ground down to crumbs in a food processor. Add one tub of cream cheese and mix well. Roll into small balls then dip in cooled melted white chocolate. Refrigerate to set. If you want a stronger ginger hit, you can add chopped crystallised ginger.

Christmas cake
Toffee
Cheese straws
Queen cakes
Scones

I've made my (traditional) Christmas cake and stashed it away for weekly feeding. Usually make Nigella's chocolate pistachio fudge to give as gifts but thinking of doing something different this year - I've seen a few recipes for sloe gin truffles that I quite fancy trying.
Need to decide on pudding for Christmas Day....

I’ve just made Delia’s Christmas Pudding.

I'm planning a steamed syrup pudding for Christmas Day. No takers for Christmas Pudding here .

I'll do apple crumble (freeze the apples and the crumble in bags then assemble and bake) and some individual syrup sponges that can steam quietly to themselves.

KC255 would you mind posting /linking to the recipe for the frangipane mince pies? sounds like something my mother would love!

I'm going to do a lemon meringue Swiss roll for one of the desserts and as yet undecided on the other.

I’ve made a Christmas cake. I’ll also make dozens of mince pies - take ages and are v messy but oh! the reward

I never have time to make sausage rolls [sigh]. We have a big party and my time is taken up making ickle small cold canapés for that. Which I love, but by the time it’s over, I don’t have the energy to make sausage rolls. One day....

This year also thought I’d try these beauts.

Our kitchen is tiny so I don't have much workspace. I'll make a Christmas cake as I have a lovely recipe I've used for years. I will also make a pear and dark chocolate cake, for those that don't like fruitcake. It's a BBC Good Food recipe I think.

I usually make a few pastry savouries - homemade sausage rolls, that kind of thing - but we're away this year so I won't.

I always buy Christmas pudding and mince pies from Fortnum & Mason. It's my only Christmas splurge so I feel justified. Besides, it's not that expensive. F&M's mince pies are legendarily good.

My OH is part Danish and my mother confuses European countries in her head so she always brings him a stollen. She makes it herself. He takes it with good grace and eats the lot in two days flat.

Can’t tell you how excited reading this has made me (says a lot about my life doesn’t it?!)

I am not a cook, but I do enjoy making a few things at Christmas. I have done Lorraine Pascale's chilli jam and that worked really well. We eat it with everything, from Chinese food to cheese or pate. I am also making cranberry, white chocolate and pistachio fudge (foolproof, as things have to be for me), mincemeat (ditto, but I do buy ready made pastry) and brandy butter, I will definitely make Christmas pudding and maybe some chutney too.

I love your ideas for gingerbread truffles as that doesn't sound beyond me, and I will follow the thread for more simple but tasty ideas!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/white-chocolate-orange-cranberry-cake

Im making this for Xmas day as I hate Xmas cake and wanted something different. normally make Mary berry’s Black Forest gateau which goes down a treat, so hoping this has the same effect!

Gingerbread truffles sound delicious!

Made 2 Christmas cakes. Daughter has made 2 batches of mince pies, vanilla and cinnamon. Had some gingerbread men
Found the recipe for cheese straws , and will look through Mrs beestons Christmas book for other ideas. Mince meat muffins always go down a treat too.

I’m giving a few people food presents so that’s: chutneys, crackers and fudge (couple of different types of each.
Then Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, gingerbread and maybe a chocolate tart for the people who don’t like dried fruit, then mince pies and shortbread.