Raspberry Filled Christmas Tree Cookies

A simple sugar cookie dough. rolled and cut into trees and glued together with sweet raspberry jam. 

Perfect for cookie swaps, hostess gifts, and holiday entertaining 

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup raspberry jam
1 teaspoon confectioner’s sugar

• Cream the butter, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, and salt.
• Add the egg to blend.
• Add the flour and mix until well combined. 
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
• Roll out the cookie dough on a floured counter to a thickness of 1/16 of an inch
• Stamp out 56 cookies using a Christmas tree cookie cutter that measures about 2 ½ inches wide by 3 ½ inches high. 
• Place the cookies on parchment lined sheet pans.
• Using the bottom of a drinking straw that has a ¼ inch opening, make holes on half (28) of the Christmas trees. 
• There should be about 9 or 10 holes on each cookie.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 
• Cool completely.
• Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam onto the bottom (flat side) of one of the cookies without the holes 
• Top it with one of the cookies with holes, flat sides together. 
• Press the cookies together gently. 
• Repeat with the remaining cookies. 
• Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Recipe: Queen of my Kitchen

Christmas Bread

This bread is a slightly sweeter bread than fruitcake.. and is great for breakfast or brunch

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Additional candied fruit, optional

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. 
• Add the evaporated milk, sugar, shortening, salt, eggs and 2 cups of flour
• Beat until smooth. 
• Stir in mixed candied fruit and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (do not knead).
• Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. 
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.
• Punch dough down. 
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead 3-4 minutes. 
• Pat evenly into a greased 10-in. tube pan. 
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency
• Drizzle over bread. 
• Garnish with additional candied fruit if desired.

Recipe: Taste of Home

Gingerbread Cookie Truffles

These gingerbread truffles don’t require an oven or an entire day to make. Just grab some ginger snap cookies, cream cheese and white chocolate, and follow this easy recipe. Santa will love them

1 13 oz box gingersnap cookies
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 16 oz package vanilla almond bark or white chocolate chips
nutmeg (optional garnish)

• Place gingersnaps in a food processor and crush until they are fine crumbs 
• Alternatively put cookies in a resealable plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin until they are crumbs
• Place crumbs in a medium bowl. 
• Add cream cheese and mix until well-blended. 
• Roll cookie mixture into 1 inch balls (makes about 36 balls).
• Place balls on a cookie sheet lined with a baking mat or wax paper 
• Place in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
• Melt almond bark/chocolate chips according to directions on package. 
• Dip each cookie ball in almond bark/chocolate chips 
• Place back on lined cookie sheet.
• Top with nutmeg (if desired).
• Repeat with remaining cookie balls and place back in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
• Store leftover truffles in a covered container in the fridge.

Recipe: Six Sisters Stuff

Chocolate Orange Muffins

What is Christmas without a Terrys Chocolate Orange. These super decadent chocolate orange muffins have a gooey chocolate orange ganache middle! They are delicious, indulgent and a proper treat for chocolate orange fans

180g plain (all purpose) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/4 teaspoon salt
50g cocoa powder
300g caster (super fine) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure orange extract
125ml vegetable or sunflower oil
150g sour cream or full fat Greek yoghurt
150ml warm water

FOR THE GANACHE:
100g milk chocolate (30-40% cocoa solids), finely chopped
100g dark chocolate (60% cocoa solids), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract
15g (1 tablespoon) soft unsalted butter
250ml double (heavy) cream

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F/Gas mark 4. 
• Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper liners.
• Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large bowl. 
• Using a large fork or wooden spoon, stir to combine everything together.
• Beat the sugar, eggs, orange extract, oil, sour cream or Greek yoghurt and water together until the mixture is smooth.
• Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients 
• Pour in the wet mixture, stirring lightly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into the liners (the batter will be quite runny so don't be alarmed) 
• Fill them no more than two thirds full. 
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until risen, springy and a skewer inserted in the middle of the muffins emerges with no wet batter.
• Transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack 
• Allow to cool completely while you make the chocolate orange ganache.
• To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate, orange extract and soft butter in a medium heatproof bowl.
• Place the cream in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. 
• The second the cream comes to the boil, remove from the heat 
• Immediately pour over the chopped chocolate. 
• Leave for a few minutes then gently stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is lump free and shiny. 
• Allow to come to room temperature 
• Chill in the fridge for about 60 minutes until the ganache is the consistency of soft buttercream frosting. 
• Remove the cooled ganache from the fridge
• Using an electric mixer, whip the ganache for about a minute until smooth, shiny and lighter in colour. 
• Be careful not to overwhip it or the ganache can turn grainy. 
• If you're worried , you can give it a good stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula instead.
• When the muffins have completely cooled, remove a piece from the middle of each muffin using an apple corer or something similar. 
• Using a teaspoon, slowly fill the core with the chocolate ganache, until you reach the top. 
• Add another scant spoonful of the ganache on top 
• Finish off by placing a Terry's chocolate orange segment on top.

Recipe: Something Sweet Something Savoury