Get the kids in the kitchen this Christmas with these festive recipes…
Christmas Trifle
WHAT YOU NEED
• 1 sponge cake or swiss roll
• 400g can fruit salad in juice, drained
• 80g packet lime jelly, made, set and chopped up into small cubes
• 500ml thick vanilla custard
• 80g packet raspberry jelly, made, set and chopped up into small cubes
• 300ml thickened cream
HOW TO DO IT
• Place a layer of the cake in the base of serving glasses or bowls you are using
• Place the fruit on top of the sponge and then a layer of the lime jelly. Top with half the custard, then raspberry jelly and remaining custard.
• Serve topped with cream and sprinkles (if using).
• Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Easy Gingerbread Biscuits
WHAT YOU NEED
• 175g brown sugar
• 85g golden syrup
• 100g butter
• 350g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarb
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
For the decoration
• ready-made icing for piping with
a piping bag
HOW TO DO IT
• Melt the sugar, golden syrup and butter, then bubble for 1-2 mins. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.
• Put the flour, bicarb and spices into a big bowl. Add the warm syrup mixture and the egg, stirring everything together, then gently knead in the bowl. Wrap in cling wrap and put in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Take the dough out the fridge, leave at room temperature until softened. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
• Roll out the dough to about 3-4mm thick, then cut out gingerbread shapes with a cutter. Re-roll the excess dough
and keep cutting until it’s all used up.
• Place the biscuits on trays and bake for 10-12 mins. Leave to cool on the trays for 5 mins, then put on a wire rack to cool. Decorate with the icing. Leave to dry for 1-2 hrs.
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
WHAT YOU NEED
• 150g soft butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 175g self-raising flour
• Small, round sweets and sprinkles
For the buttercream
• 300g soft butter
• 500g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• green food colouring
HOW TO DO IT
• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Beat the butter and sugar together in a big bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla along with the flour and beat again. Don’t over beat.
• Half-fill the cases with the batter. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 12-15 mins until golden. Cool in the tin for 5 mins before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, slowly mix the butter, sugar and vanilla together for at least 5 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the green food colouring, a little at a time, until you reach the colour
you like. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe swirls of the buttercream over the cooled cupcakes, into a cone shape. Decorate the ‘trees’, with the sweets, to look like Christmas tree ornaments.
Star Biscuit Tree Decorations
WHAT YOU NEED
• 125g soft butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
• icing sugar, for dusting
HOW TO DO IT
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 6–8 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for a further 2–3 minutes. Add the flour and beat until
it becomes a smooth dough.
• Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm thick. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes .
• Preheat oven to 140°C (275°F). Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
• Using a star-shaped cutter, cut stars from the dough, re-rolling and cutting more with the left-over dough.
• Punch a small hole in the top point of each shape (to thread the ribbon through once baked). Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely on the trays. Dust with icing
sugar and tie the biscuits with string or ribbon to hang on the tree.
Peanut Butter Biscuits
WHAT YOU NEED
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
HOW TO DO IT
• Beat peanut butter, butter and sugars until well mixed. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture (dough will be soft). Put in fridge until firm enough to shape, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°C. Shape dough into 3cm balls and flatten with a fork. Place 5cm apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire racks to cool.
• Place in fridge for 2 hours or until firm before cutting.
