Our favourite Christmas bakes

December welcomes cozy weekends spent baking, sipping mulled wine, decorating, snuggling up to the fire with a book and then indulging (/devouring) all your wonderful creations. There’s no better time to practise your baking then on a free weekend afternoon. We’ve got all the tastiest recipes no matter your diet, whether you’re vegan, gluten free, dairy intolerant, love brownies or want something totally traditional, of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a home baked Mince Pie!

Here’s four recipes we will be trying (and eating) over this festive season.

1. Spiced Christmas tree Brownies

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and line the base and sides of a round 23cm-diameter springform tin.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water, or gently melt in the microwave (at a low setting); stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; cool for 20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl using a wooden spoon, beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract. Then beat in the clementine zest and juice, port and spices until just combined. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs and mix until combined and smooth, then fold in the flour mix until just combined and there is no flour visible.

   Tip If you don't have port, you could substitute mulled wine or red wine.

4. Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until set on top but still a little gooey inside. Leave to cool completely in the tin before unmoulding.

5. Cut the cooled brownie cake into 12 triangular tree-shaped wedges – you can slice off the rounded bottoms to give a straight edge, if you like.

6. Mix the icing sugar with 2 teaspoons of water, adding a drop or two more if needed to make a thick but runny icing. Drizzle or pipe over the brownie triangles in a zigzag pattern. Scatter with the star sprinkles and insert a chocolate finger to create a tree trunk. Leave the icing to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

INGREDIENTS

150g cook’s Belgian dark chocolate (76% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

• 150g unsalted butter

• 3 large eggs

• 125g caster sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• zest and juice of 1 clementine

• 3 tbsp port

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• a good pinch of ground cloves

• several gratings of nutmeg

• 100g plain flour

• ¼ tsp baking powder

TO DECORATE

• 75g royal icing sugar

• 1-2 tbsp gold and silver sprinkles – we used star sprinkles

• 12 x Cadbury chocolate fingers

  Recipe by Sainsburys

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2. MINCE PIE TART

METHOD

1. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl, add the butter (cut into smaller cubes) and rub it into flour with your fingertips until the dough will resemble crumble. Add the cold water starting with 2 tablespoons and quickly knead. If it’s still quite dry, add more cold water, and if it’s too sticky add a little bit more flour.Form the dough into 3 balls(1.5 bigger for the base of the tart, .51 smaller for the star toppings, flatten them into  discs using palm of your hand (they will roll out easier), wrap in cling film and cool in the fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 190C.

3. Roll out the bigger pastry and line the tart tin, if you have any pastry left, use it for the star toppings.Prick the pastry with a fork and pack with mincemeat. Roll out the other pastry, cut out different star sizes with a cookie cutter,arrange them on the top of the tart and brush with an egg. Bake for 45 minutes.

ingredients

• 300g plain flour

• 2 tablespoons icing sugar (I often use no sugar at all)

• 210g unsalted butter, refrigerated

• 2-4 tablespoons cold water

• 1 beaten egg for brushing

• Icing sugar to sprinkle with

• 800g fruit mincemeat (You can try this recipe or M&S sells some delicious fruit mincemeat

• Also: You’ll need star cookie cutters (different sizes) and a 6cm pastry cutter(or a glass or a jar)

Recipes by Bea’s Cookbook

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CHRISTMAS VEGAN ROCKY ROAD

For all our vegan babes, try this delicious recipe!

Ingredients

• 300g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

• 50g cacao butter/coconut oil

• 1/2-3/4 tsp almond extract

• 4 tbsp (60g) golden syrup

• 70g glace cherries, rinsed, dried and halved

• 70g vegetarian marshmallows

• 50g almonds, roughly chopped

• 50g dried cranberries

• 80g vegan biscuits (I used 50/50 ginger nut biscuits and oaty biscuits), roughly chopped

  topping

• 25g dairy free white chocolate (optional)

• edible glitter (optional)

  Recipe by Made by Luci

Directions

1. Melt the dark chocolate and cacao butter, if using, together in a bain-marie or in 30 second bursts in the microwave. If using oil, add once the chocolate is melted. 

2. Stir in the almond extract and golden syrup.

3. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

4. Pour over the melted chocolate mixture. Stir gently until well combined with the dry ingredients.

5. Pour into the prepared tin and place in a fridge until set (mine takes at least three hours - usually I leave it overnight).

6. Once set, melt the white chocolate and drizzle over the rocky road. Sprinkle over edible glitter and leave to set.

7. One solid, slice into squares and serve. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a week.

Notes

To make gluten free, simply use any gluten free biscuits

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GLUTEN FREE CARAMEL CHOCOLATE LOG

For all our gluten free gals..we’ve got you

INGREDIENTS

• Butter, for greasing

• 4 large eggs

• 125g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

• 25g cocoa powder

• 50g oat flour (check the label to ensure it’s gluten-free)

• 100g dulce de leche (or Carnation caramel)

• icing sugar, for dusting

• 50g white chocolate (check the label to ensure it’s gluten-free), melted

For the filling

• 400ml double cream

• 2 tbsp light brown soft sugar

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cardamom (the seeds from 3 pods, crushed)

RECIPE BY BBC GOODFOOD

METHOD

1. Lightly grease a 26 x 36cm baking tray with a substantial rim and line with baking parchment. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

2. To make the filling, put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar and prevent lumps. Pour into a small container, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for a few hrs or until fully chilled.

3. Put the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl and use an electric whisk to whisk for 5-8 mins or until the mixture has tripled in volume and holds a ribbon on the surface when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, oat flour and a pinch of salt. Working in three additions, carefully sieve the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and carefully fold in, keeping the mixture light and airy. Carefully pour the batter onto the prepared tray and gently level out to an even layer.

4. Bake for 12-14 mins or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from the oven and carefully slip the cake and parchment onto a wire rack to cool (unlike other roll cakes, this one isn’t pre-rolled as it is more likely to crack).

5. Once the cake is at room temperature, confidently turn over in one motion onto a piece of parchment sprinkled lightly with caster sugar, then peel off the lining parchment.

6. Whisk the spiced cream filling until it holds soft peaks, then spread to an even layer, leaving 2cm along the short edge clear. Spoon the dulce de leche randomly all over the filling and use a knife or a spoon to swirl together.

7. Carefully roll the cake, using the parchment underneath to help, making sure the uncovered sponge edge is at the end of the roll. Don’t worry if the cake splits a little, this is to be expected. Dust the cake with a thin layer of icing sugar and carefully lift onto a serving plate. To finish, drizzle the cake with the white chocolate. As this cake is made with very little fat, it is best served on the day it is made, as it will dry out more quickly.