Christmas baking: 5 recipes

Here are five recipes that can get you into the Christmas spirit, you can enjoy baking these with kids or yourself to spread the christmas cheer. There is everything from the classic gingerbread men to festive decorated biscuits.

Gingerbread men

It is not christmas without gingerbread, make your own gingerbread men with our recipe and decorate them however you like.

Serves 15-20

Ingredients

• 225g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 heaped tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 50g unsalted butter
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 100g golden syrup
• White writing icing (or a colour of your choice, has to be a thin writing icing pen).

Method

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sieve the flour, salt, bicarb, ginger and cinnamon into a large bowl.
3. Heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan until dissolved. Leave to cool slightly and mix into the dry ingredients, you should create a dough when mixing. Once it is all dough leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. . Stamp out the gingerbread men shapes with a cutter, then re-roll any off-cuts and repeat.
5. Place your gingerbread shapes on the lined trays, allowing space for them to spread. Cook for 10-15 mins, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.
6. WIth your writing icing pen decorate your decorate your gingerbread men

 

The Melting Snowman biscuits 

Make your biscuits more exciting by turning then into melting snowmen.

Serves: 20

Ingredients

Biscuits:

• 200g plain flour (plus extra to dust)
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 80g unsalted butter (softened)
• 115g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

To decorate:

• 150g pure icing sugar
• writing icing pens (black, orange and any colourful colours)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. with an electric whisk or by hand mix the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. When finished remove from whisk and add the eggs and beat well. Fold in the vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until it forms a dough place in fridge for a 30-60 minutes to set.
3. Dust a clean dry surface with plain flour, roll out the dough to a thickness of around 0.5cm. Use a cookie cutter to create a 7cm round circles. Re-roll trimmings and repeat.
4. Transfer the biscuits to two lined baking trays and bake for 8-14 minutes until the edges turn lightly golden in colour. Leave to cool.
5. Whilst they are cooling decorate a marshmallow, on one side add eyes, nose and mouth, use the writing icing pens to do this.
6. Put the icing sugar into a bowl and add cold water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture is runny but thick enough to coat a spoon. Spoon the icing over the cookie, it can over run the edge of the biscuit (this gives a more melted look); before the icing drys place your a decorated marshmallow to the top or middle of the icing (whichever you prefer).
7. When the icing is dry decorate the melting body body with a scarf/bow tie, arms and buttons. Use any coloured writing icing for this.
8. Your melting snowmen are now ready to eat.

Giant star jam tart

Because a small jam tart is not enough…

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 500g pack sweet shortcrust pastry
• 1 tsp cinnamon or a grating of nutmeg (optional)
• 300g blackberry jam (or your own choice of jam)
• icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and put a baking tray in the oven to heat up. On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry to a circle about 0.5cm thick. If you’re adding a spiced flavour to your pastry, sprinkle with the cinnamon or nutmeg, fold in half and repeat, then roll it out again to a circle about 0.5cm thick.
2. Press the pastry into a 23cm metal pie tin or tart tin and trim off any excess pastry hanging over the edge. If you’re using a deep tin, roll the edges down a little to make a lip (you only want to make a shallow tart). Spread the jam over the pastry base.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining pastry to a thickness of 0.5cm and use small cookie cutters to stamp out shapes. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out into stars. Arrange the pastry decorations over the jam layer.
4. Put the tin on the hot baking tray and cook for 40 minutes, then leave to cool for 15 minutes. Dust the pastry toppings with icing sugar.
5. Optional – Serve warm or cold with custard, cream or ice cream.

Gingerbread stained glass biscuits 

Take a different take on gingerbread biscuits, these stained glass gingerbread biscuits are a good treat and can also be used for decorations.

Serves: 30

Ingredients

• 175g dark soft brown sugar
• 85g golden syrup
• 100g unsalted butter
• 2-3 tsp ground ginger
• 350g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
• clear fruit-flavoured boiled sweets (don’t use anything with a soft centre)
• white icing, to decorate

You will need a star or snowflake cutters

Method

1. Heat the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a pan until melted. Mix the ginger and flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the melted mixture and stir  then pour into the flour mixture with the egg. Stir to mix ingredients. The mix will be soft but will firm up as it cools.
2. Scoop the mixture into a box or fridge bag and chill for at least 1 hr until firm enough to roll out.
3. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Briefly knead the first piece, then roll it on a lightly floured surface to 2mm thick. Cut into shapes with snowflake or star cutters about 12cm across, then transfer to lined baking paper, leaving a little room for them to spread. Cut a window out of each biscuit using another cutter about about 6cm across, then add a sweet to the centre.
4. If the sweets are large, chop them up first – you’ll have to judge by the size of the hole. Do not to add too much or it will spill over the edge. If you plan to hang the biscuits, make a small hole in the top of each one using the end of a piping nozzle (the hole will close up a little so make sure it’s big enough). Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Bake in batches for 5-6 minutes or until they darken slightly and the sweets have melted. If the holes have closed up, remake them while the biscuits are warm. Leave to cool and harden up completely before moving them.
6. You can decorate the biscuits further by using white piped icing, if you like.

Cinnamon Rolls

Serves: 18 small rolls

Ingredients

• 350g can ready-made croissant dough (such as Jus Rol)
• 30g unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp soft light brown sugar

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 23cm cake tin with a square of baking parchment/paper so the corners stick up (this will help you to lift the rolls out).
2. Unroll the croissant dough from the can and lay it out on your work surface. Cut it into three sections along the dotted lines, but don’t cut the diagonal line. Spread over a quarter of the butter.
3. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Using one square of dough at a time, sprinkle over 2-3 tsp of the sugar and roll up the dough. When you have three rolls, cut each one in half and then each half into three. Arrange the rolls in the tin in two circles, make sure to spread them well apart as they will rise and spread. Stick the end bits in among fatter pieces from the centre of the rolls so they cook evenly. Bake for 15 minutes or until the rolls are risen and cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining sugar mix with the remaining butter until you have a thick caramel. When the rolls are cooked, pour over the caramel. Leave to cool a little, then eat warm.