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41

These festive little treats are perfect dunkables in coffee, hot choc, and mulled wine. They also make fab gifts - just tie a dozen-or-so into a clear plastic food bag and curl some ribbon around the tops. They’ll keep for around 3 weeks.

Christmas Biscotti - makes around 50 pieces

It’s an easy, bung it all in a bowl recipe…

Ingredients:

  • 175g plain flour
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1/16 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ orange zest
  • 40g raisins
  • 45g dried cranberries
  • 50g white choc chunks

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
  2. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
  3. Stir all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  4. Stir in egg, plus enough water to bring together into a slightly sticky dough.
  5. On a floured surface, roll into 2 x 30cm logs. Place side-by-side on baking tray with at least 3” between.
  6. Bake for 25 mins until firm and the tiniest bit golden.
  7. Remove from oven. Lower oven to 140°C/120°C Fan/Gas Mark 1.
  8. As soon as you can handle them, place the warm logs on a chopping board and slice diagonally into 1cm pieces (one firm push down with a chefs knife does the trick).
  9. Arrange all pieces flat on baking tray. Bake for 15 mins.
  10. Remove from oven, turn all pieces over and bake for 15 mins more.
  11. Cool completely. Store in airtight container for upto 3 weeks.
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42

Festive spiced biscuits, full of Christmas warmth. I mix mine with a wooden spoon and a bit of elbow grease, and stamp them with fun shapes (completely optional but makes them pretty).

Speculaas Biscuits - makes 30-40

Ingredients:

  • 50g soft butter
  • 125g dark brown sugar
  • ½ beaten egg
  • 130g plain flour (also try subbing in 30g ground almonds)
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ⅛ tsp white pepper
  • ⅛ tsp ground ginger
  • ⅛ tsp ground cardamom

Method:

  1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
  3. Beat in egg until mixture turns paler.
  4. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Mix well to evenly distribute spices.
  5. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until dough forms. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in fridge for 1 hour.
  6. Preheat oven for 20 mins to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
  7. Roll out dough to 3mm thick and cut into 30-40 rounds with 6cm cutter. Stamp with shapes. Re-roll offcuts 3 times max (overworked dough won’t crisp properly).
  8. Arrange on baking tray and bake for 10-11 mins until edges start to darken but not so the biscuits browns.
  9. Leave to cool. Biscuits should snap with a satisfying crack. They last for a good fortnight in an airtight tub.
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43

Pecan Praline Cake

Filling for top and middle layer

8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese

½ Cup butter

4 Cups powdered sugar

2 Teaspoons vanilla flavor

¼ Cup finely chopped pecans

Icing

1 ½ Cup evaporated milk

2 Cups sugar

1/2 Cup butter

1 Teaspoon vanilla flavor

1 ½ Cups of pecan pieces

  1.  Cook yellow cake mix of your choice into 2 or 3 layers (I do two).  Try to get layers as level as possible.

  2.  Let cake cool completely

  3.  Mix and apply filling.

A) With mixer, blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in cups of powdered sugar beating at a low speed until blended, then add vanilla flavor. Stir in pecans. Allow to chill before applying to the cake.

B) After it has chilled a little apply a layer of filling to the top of each layer of the cake. Allowing the filling to dry a bit then apply another layer to the bottom (and middle if you made 3 layers). Allow to sit and apply a final layer if wanted.

C) Allow cake to chill in refrigerator for 30 mins before next step

  1.  Mix and apply icing.

A) On stovetop melt butter, sugar, and evaporated milk in sauce pan at medium heat. Stir to thoroughly combine. Bring mixture to a slow boil, then reduce heat to medium/low. Let cook for 15 minutes without stirring. After 15 minutes, stir, scraping the bottom and sides as the mixture will begin to thicken. Cook while stirring, making sure mixture does not scorch, for about 10 minutes then add vanilla flavoring, stir until combined. Remove from heat and pour in pecan pieces and stir until mixed completely. If mixture gets too thick you can thin it with evaporate milk (small amount at a time maybe 2 TBsp). Let mixture cool for 5 mins.

B) Assemble cake and apply icing to sides first then top.

Keep cake in fridge and should be good for a week.