…and not a gingerbread man in sight, well- nearly! In time for the final week countdown I thought I’d pop down three of my easiest evening snack ideas for the Christmas lead up- and bar a few spices, most of the ingredients are probably cosily tucked up in your cupboards too!
Okay so there’s a hot drink too, but when drinking hot chocolate- one needs a bloody great cookie to dip into it, am I right? So before I reveal my frighteningly simple go-to hot chocolate method (prepare to be equally underwhelmed by it’s simplicity and overwhelmed at it’s tastiness) I thought I’d share a couple of festive biccie recipes that are so easy. The first is taken from the uber talented Fanny Zanotti and her recipe book Paris Pastry Club (amazing book, btw), and the others are variations of some simple cookie and drink recipes that I love.
So, pop Smooth Christmas ok, and let’s get going!
The Pudding Cookie
You will need:
– Cranberries (Sainsbury’s do amazing orange infused ones for Christmas which are perfect)
– 100g dark chocolate
– 1 tbs butter
– 90g plain flour
– 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/4 tea spoon sea salt (optional)
– 1 egg
– 75g light brown sugar
– Ready to roll white icing and decorations
1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees, and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Stir in your chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl over some simmering water until melted, and then leave to cool.
2. Combine your flour, salt and baking powder into a separate bowl. Be at the egg and sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy, and then fold it in with the melted chocolate- adding in the flour quickly and mixing until all is combined.
3. Although the dough will be sticky (you can add a teeny bit more flour onto your hands for this), roll the dough into small balls and arrange them on the tray. Bake for ten minutes, or until they have slightly cracked tops.
4. Once the cookies have cooled, roll out your icing, and using a small circle cutter- cut shapes for the pudding tops, and place on top with your holly, or other decorations!
The Christmas Cookie
You will need:
– Zest of 1 orange
– 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
– 1/3 teaspoon mixed spice
– 125g unsalted butter
– 75g light brown muscovado sugar
– 75g caster sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 egg
– 150g plain flour
– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
– You can also add any dried fruits, but this is up to you!
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, and put the butter, sugars and vanilla into a bowl and beat until light and smooth (this may be best done with an electric mixer or some elbow grease)! add in the egg and continue to mix until fluffy.
2. Add in the flour, spices and baking powder and mix until everything is blended. Add in your orange zest, until everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, and as before, divide the mixture into about 12 balls (or less, depending on how big you want your cookies) and leave space between each one for spreading- we don’t want any square edges!
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and browning ever so slightly. Leave to cool after removing them before taking them off of the tray, so they don’t break! Enjoy dipped into your hot chic, or wrapped with bakers twined as a little gift for someone!
The Ultimate Hot Chocolate
You will need:
– 200ml (or a mug full) of milk (I use semi skimmed)
– 3 tablespoons of grated chocolate (good quality milk chocolate preferably, but I’m sure dark or white could be delicious)
– Squirty cream
– Marshmallows
– Sugar or sweetener to taste
1. Measure out your milk (or pour your desired amount into a mug and then transfer it to a pan)- and pop on the hob and let it start to heat. Add in your chopped chocolate, and keep stirring it with a wooden spoon (or tablespoon) until everything is combined. It’s important to keep stirring to make sure the chocolate has fully melted, and isn’t just hiding at the bottom!
2. Once everything is melted and the milk is nearly boiled and hot, remove from the heat and whisk a little if you want something frothy! Add in a little sugar, or sweetener if you fancy, and then load on the whipped cream and sprinkles. At the moment I am in love with these Whittards chocolate covered marshmallows, so will pop one of them in too- ssh!
What are your favourite festive recipes? If you give anything a go, don’t forget to tag me with the hashtag #bakewithliv so I can see!
x
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