Traditional Christmas Pudding

Next Sunday is Stir-up Sunday, a centuries-old annual tradition where home-cooks spend the last Sunday before Advent 'stirring up' their Christmas pudding. Its not too late to shop for the ingreients for this glorious, rich, fruity British dessert 

For Christmas pudding traditionalists, this lighly spiced, fruity sponge will provide the perfect finish to your festive meal. The zesty fruit and nut mixture is soaked in brandy and orange liqueur ovenight, making it plump, juicy and full of flavour, before combining with the dry ingredients. You can then either steam the pudding in a pan or oven for several hours – trust us, it's worth the wait! After turning out, it can be kept for up to a year, before finally serving with our luxurious orange custard cream or vanilla custard or double cream.

175g each raisin, currants and sultanas
140g whole glacé cherry
50g mixed peel
50g whole blanched almond
zest 1 orange and 1 lemon
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated
150ml brandy
50ml/2fl oz orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
175g light muscovado sugar
175g fresh white breadcrumb
125g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
175g butter, frozen
2 eggs, beaten
butter, for greasing
holly sprig, to decorate

• Mix the fruit, almonds, citrus zests and the carrot with the brandy and orange liqueur in a large mixing bowl. 
• Cover and leave to soak overnight.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add to the soaked fruit mixture. 
• Grate in the butter, then add the eggs and stir. Don’t forget to make a wish!
• Grease a 1.5-litre pudding basin with butter and line the base with greaseproof paper. 
• Spoon in the mixture, press down well and make a hollow with the back of the spoon in the centre. Cover the surface with a round of greaseproof paper, then cover the bowl with double-thickness greaseproof paper and foil and tie at the rim with string. 
• Lower the pudding into a pan with an upturned saucer in the base
• Fill with water until it comes halfway up the sides of the bowl. 
• Steam for 6 hrs, topping up with water as necessary.
• Alternatively, steam in the oven. 
• Stand the pudding basin in a roasting tin filled with water
• Cover with a tent of foil and cook for the same length of time at 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. 
• Check roasting tin occasionally as the water may need to be topped up.
• To store, allow to cool, then store in a cool, dry cupboard. 
• The pudding will keep for up to a year.
• On the day, steam for 1 hr before turning out
• Decorate with holly and serving with extra-thick double cream or vanilla ice cream. 

Recipe: Good Food

Mary Berry's Classic Christmas Cake

If you havent started your Traditional Christmas Cake...now is the time for if eaten too early it is crumbly. So no more than three weeks before Christmas. It also gives you plenty of time to 'feed' your cake to give it its rich, distinctive taste.

Mary Berry’s been making her traditional Christmas cake recipe for decades.This rich traditional Christmas cake recipe is filled to the brim with fruit, as well as almonds, brandy and treacle.

Remember to allow 3 days for marinating the fruit in sherry. This is essential to plump up and flavour the fruit. If you cut the soaking time, there will be surplus liquid which will alter the texture of the cake. (If you don’t want to use alcohol, you could use the same quantity of orange juice.) 

Decorate as you wish with ribbon, animals or stars... or more traditionally with marzipan and royal icing

175g/6oz raisins
350g/12oz natural glacé cherries, halved, rinsed, and thoroughly dried
500g/1lb 2oz currants
350g/12oz sultanas
150ml/¼pt brandy or sherry, plus extra for feeding
2 oranges, zest only
250g/9oz butter, softened
250g/9oz light or dark muscovado sugar
4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp black treacle
75g/3oz blanched almonds, chopped
275g/10oz plain flour
1½ tsp mixed spice
For the coveringabout 3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
icing sugar
675g/1lb 8oz marzipan
For the royal icing3 free-range eggs, whites only
675g/1½lb icing sugar, sifted
3 tsp lemon juice

• For the cake, place all the dried fruit, including the cherries, into a large mixing bowl
• Pour over the brandy and stir in the orange zest. 
• Cover with clingfilm and leave to soak for three days, stirring daily.
• Grease and line a 23cm/9in deep, round tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. 
• Preheat the oven to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1.
• Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle and almonds into a very large bowl and beat well (preferably with an electric free-standing mixer). 
• Add the flour and ground spice and mix thoroughly until blended. 
• Stir in the soaked fruit. 
• Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
• Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 4-4½ hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and is a rich golden brown. 
• Check after two hours, and if the cake is a perfect colour, cover with foil. 
• A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. 
• Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
• When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little extra brandy. 
• Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil
• Store in a cool place for up to three months, feeding at intervals with more brandy. 
• Don’t remove the lining paper when storing as this helps to keep the cake moist.
• The week before you want to serve, begin covering the cake.
• For the covering, stand the cake upside down, flat side uppermost, on a cake board which is 5cm/2in larger than the size of the cake.
• Brush the sides and the top of the cake with the warm apricot jam.
• Liberally dust a work surface with icing sugar 
• Roll out the marzipan to about 5cm/2in larger than the surface of the cake. 
• Keep moving the marzipan as you roll, checking that it is not sticking to the work surface. 
• Dust the work surface with more icing sugar as necessary.
• Carefully lift the marzipan over the cake using a rolling pin. 
• Gently level and smooth the top of the paste with the rolling pin
• Ease the marzipan down the sides of the cake, smoothing it at the same time.
• If you are careful, you should be able to cover the cake with no excess marzipan to trim 
• If necessary, neatly trim excess marzipan from the base of the cake with a small sharp knife. 
• Cover the cake loosely with baking parchment 
• Leave for a few days to dry out before adding the royal icing.
• For the royal icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they become frothy. 
• Mix in the sifted icing sugar a tablespoonful at a time. 
• You can do this with a hand-held electric whisk, but keep the speed low.
• Stir in the lemon juice and glycerine a
• Beat the icing until it is very stiff and white and stands up in peaks.
• Cover the surface of the icing tightly with clingfilm and keep in a cool place until needed.
• To ice the cake, place all the icing onto the top of the cake. 
• Spread evenly over the top and sides of the cake with a palette knife. 
• For a snow-peak effect, use a smaller palette knife to rough up the icing.
• Leave the cake loosely covered overnight for the icing to harden a little
• Wrap or store in an airtight container in a cool place until needed.

Recipe: Mary Berry at BBC Good Food

Snowball Hot Chocolate

Creamy and rich white chocolate topped off with a scoop of ice cream and garnished with chocolate.

1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups white milk, skim or 2%
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla ice cream or your choice
Chocolate syrup for garnish

• In a saucepan combine the chocolate chips and the heavy cream over medium-high heat stirring constantly until the white chips are melted.
• Add the milk and the vanilla extract and stir until combined and warm.
• Add a scoop of ice cream and garnish right before serving.

Recipe : Bitz n Giggles

Peppermint Mocha Latte

Easy, delicious and cheaper than Starbucks. For a traditional mocha latte, simply leave out the mint extract.

 1 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup espresso or super strong coffee
1/4 tsp pure mint extract

• In a saucepan, whisk cocoa, sugar, milk and mint extract together over medium heat. 
• Whisk briskly until hot, working up a froth.
• Meanwhile, prepare espresso in a mug. 
• Pour hot milk/cocoa mixture into espresso. 
• Top with whip cream if desired.

Recipe: Jo Lynne Shane

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Granola Bars

Homemade granola bars loaded with hot chocolate and peppermint goodness.

 

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons chocolate extract*
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 ½ oats oats
¾ cup Swiss Miss powdered hot chocolate mix
1 cup Andes peppermint crunch chips
1 cup Kraft mini marshmallow bits
¼ cup white chocolate chips
½ teaspoon shortening

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream the butter and sugar. 
• Add the eggs, extract, and salt and beat again.
• Sift together the flour, oats, and hot chocolate mix. 
• Slowly add to butter mixture.
• Stir in the peppermint pieces and marshmallow bits by hand.
• Press into a 9x13 greased pan. 
• Bake at 350 for 22 minutes. 
• Let cool. 
• Cut into bars.
• Place the white chips and shortening into a microwave safe bowl. 
• Heat for 20 seconds and stir. 
• Repeat until melted and smooth.
• Spoon into a plastic bag and cut a small hole in one corner. 
• Drizzle over cooled bars. 
• Let set. 
• Store in a sealed container.

Recipe: Inside Bru Crew Life

Christmas Rocky Road

This Christmas Rocky Road is packed full of chocolate, cherries, cranberries, marshmallows and crushed Amaretti biscuits for a delicious festive treat!

350g Chocolate (I use half and half milk and dark chocolate) Broken into squares
175g Butter
50G Golden (Corn) Syrup
225g Crushed Amaretti Biscuits (or other biscuits of your choice)
160g Halved Glace Cherries
100g Dried Cranberries
150g Mini Marshmallows
200g Milk Chocolate for the topping
Christmas Sprinkles or icing sugar to decorate

• Grease a line a 9 x 12 inch baking tin with baking parchment.
• Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup together in a large saucepan over a low heat until melted and smooth.
• Remove from the heat 
• Tip in the crushed biscuits, cherries, cranberries and marshmallows. 
• Stir well to mix until everything is coated in chocolate. 
• Tip the mixture into the lined baking tin and smooth the top as best as you can. 
• Pop in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, or until set.
• To make the topping, melt the 200g chocolate over a pan of simmering water
• Pour all over the top of the rocky road, tilting the pan to get an even, thin coverage. 
• Decorate with Christmas sprinkles if using. 
• Leave the rocky road to set for about an hour or so before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into squares.

Recipe: Something Sweet Something Savoury

Red Velvet Ooey Gooey Bars

Easy but impressive. They’re the perfect holiday treat!

1 box 15.25oz red velvet cake mix   
1 egg
1/2 cup 1 stick butter, melted

1 package 8oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box 16oz powdered sugar (3¾  cup)

Sprinkles

• Preheat oven to 350°F. 
• Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix the dry cake mix, egg and butter until well combined. 
• Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. 
• Set aside.
• In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. 
• Add the eggs and beat until thoroughly combined. 
• Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. 
• Evenly pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake mix layer, spreading and leveling with a spatula. 
• Top with sprinkles.
• Bake 27-35 minutes, or until set but still "gooey" in the middle

Yield: 24 Bars

Recipe: A Night Owl

Cranberry Bliss Truffles

Based on Starbucks seasonal favourite, Cranberry bliss Bars, these quick make truffles will quickly become a "must bring" treat to all the office parties and potlucks during the holidays! They are so easy to make and you will be fooled that they aren't the real thing!

1 package Oreos golden/vanilla
1 package Candi Quik melting chocolate
8 oz Cream Cheese softened
½ cup Craisins dried cranberries
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Orange Zest

• Using a food processor, crush the oreos until they are finely chopped.
• Add the softened cream cheese to the oreos and combine  
• Add the lemon and orange zest.
• Add in the half Craisins and mix well. 
• The remaining Craisins will be used on top of truffles.
• Using a small scoop, make ¾ – 1 inch balls and place on wax paper. 
• Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• While the truffle balls are in the refrigerator, melt the chocolate either in the microwave in microwave safe bowl or using the double broiler method. 
• Set aside one small amount of chocolate to melt at the end for the drizzle.
• Dip each truffle into the chocolate with two forks and gently shake off the excess chocolate. 
• Lay each dipped chocolate onto the wax paper.
• Melt the remaining chocolate for the drizzling in the same manner as above.
• Cut a very small slit into a gallon Ziploc bag. 
• Pour chocolate into the bag and drizzle back and forth on top of the truffles.
• Add the remaining Craisins to the top quickly as the chocolate dries fast.

Recipe: Savor and Savvy