These have to be my favourite Christmas Cookies of all time! Mind you, if there's jam involved in any way at all, be it cake, cookie, pie or sandwich . . . I'm one very happy camper!!



I have a thing about jam. I just love, Love, LOVE it!!




I got this recipe from a very old friend of mine quite a number of years ago. Mildy spiced, buttery and filled with ground hazelnuts, these are fabulously delicious!



You could dust them with icing sugar of course, which looks really nice also, but I like to use caster sugar . . . because I enjoy the extra texture . . . and the glittery finish it gives.



Buttery nutty and lightly spiced dough . . . sweet/tart raspberry jam. What's not to like? Well, you may have to bake them twice, coz . . . umm . . . if you are like me they kinda disappear before you know it, but what's a gal to do???

I can't help myself . . . Cookie + Jam = my only weakness. (Shhhhh . . . )





*Linzer Cookies*
Makes about 2 dozen
Printable Recipe

The quintessential Christmas Cookie. Tender sweet cookies filled with tart raspberry jam. Delicious!!

3 ounces (2/3 cup) hazelnuts
3.75 ounces (1/2 cup packed) light brown sugar
10 .75 ounces (2 1/2 cups) sifted plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large free range egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces raspberry jam, seived
caster sugar for dusting


Preheat the oven to 180*C/ 350*F/ gas mark 4. Place the hazelnuts into a shallow baking pan and bake for about 6 minutes until the skins are beginning to loosen and the nuts are fragrant. Turn off the oven. Dump the hot nuts into a tea towel and rub with the towel to loosen as much of the skins as possible. Discard any skins. Place half the brown sugar and the nuts into a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Cream together the butter and remaining brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the nut mixture and beat until well combined. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Work iin the flour mixture, just until combined. Divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a round flat disc. Wrap in cling film and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Heat the oven again to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Roll out 1 disc of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness between two sheets of cling film. Cut out as many cookies as you can with a 2 1/4 inch fluted round cookie cutter. Repeat until all the dough has been cut out/ Using a smaller shaped cutter, cut shapes out of the centre of half of the rounds. Place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Dust the top halves with some caster sugar . (these are the ones with the centre cut out.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely before proceeding. Repeat until all the dough has been used up, only rerolling the scraps once. Discard any scraps after that.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of jam on the solid halves of the baked cookies. Top with the flat side of a windowed cookie. Repeat until all cookies are put together. Store between sheets of parchment paper in a tightly covered tin.

At this busy time of year it never hurts to have a delicious casserole stogged away in the freezer just waiting to be pulled out when you need a quick meal and you don't have a lot of time to prepare one.



It's also handy to have a little something tucked away for when that unexpected company drops in! Something delicious that will have them thinking you are just the greatest cook ever! (And we all know you are anyways!)



This delicious casserole fits the bill on both counts, and not only that . . .



But it is also great when you have a whole houseful of people that are hungry and wanting something that is deliciously filling and scrummy to eat.



A tasty casserole that, broken in half gives you one for on the day and another waiting in the freezer, or that cooked altogether feeds a good dozen people.



Hearty and delicious, with tomatoes, corn, minced beef, cheese . . . All you need to make your meal complete is a tasty tossed salad, some garlic bread and a killer dessert!



Everyone will be stuffed to the eyeballs and happy, happy, HAPPY! (Even my so called "Pasta Hating" husband loves this one!)



*Tasty Mince and Pasta Casserole*
Makes 2 casseroles, each serving 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This is a delicious casserole chock full of lovely flavours . . . tomatoes, corn, olives, beef mince . . . cheese. You can have one on the day and then another one sitting in the freezer just waiting for a day when you need a quick meal on the run!

1 large onoin, peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper, trimmed and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
small amount of olive oil
2 pounds extra lean minced beef
2 tsp mild chili powder (or to taste)
dash Worcestershire sauce
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (400g) tin of chopped plum tomatoes
1 (419g) tin of cream style corn
4 fluid ounces of marinara sauce
3 1/2 ounces ripe olives, drained and cut in half
8 ounces dried pasta, cooked
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Strong Cheddar Cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, green pepper and mince. Cook, stirring until the beef is browned and the vegetables are tender. Add the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, marinara sauce, olives, oregano and pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Divide amongst two 9 inch square glass casserole dishes. Cover each with cheddar cheese. Wrap one tightly in cling film and place in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes or so, until heated through and golden brown.

To bake the frozen one, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and remove from the fridge about an hour before baking.

Alternately you can bake the whole thing in a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish to feed more people. This is a great dish for a pot luck supper or for when you have a whole house full of people to feed!

One might be tempted to argue that these are not English . . . but they do very closely resemble little Scottish fruit tarts, which are almost exactly the same . . . except that the Scottish version contains some whiskey and lemon, instead of vanilla.



Although they are claimed to be a Canadian Treat . . . having looked at the Scottish recipe for a similar tart . . . one can clearly see that these delicious butter tarts have their roots firmly planted in Scottish soil . . .



Imagine a rich and flaky pastry . . . with a buttery filling, all gooey and rich and stogged full of lovely dried currants . . .



You could use sultanas or course, and or nuts . . . or even all three. You could even add chocolate chips . . .



We like them just plain . . . with currants.



They never last long in this house. It's impossible to eat just one.

Seriously.




*Gooey Butter Tarts*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Flaky pastry filled with a gooey sweet filling, all buttery and filled with currants. These are the best!

For the Pastry:
6.5 ounces of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces cold butter, cubed
2 ounces cold shortening, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vinegar
ice water

For the Filling:
3.75 ounces of Soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
4 fluid ounces golden syrup (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
2 TBS butter, softened
1 tsp each vanilla and white vinegar
pinch salt
3 ounces dried currants (1/2 cup packed)

Whisk the flour and salt for the pastry together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and shortening and cut it in with two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk the egg yolk together with the vinegar and add enough ice water to equal 75 ml. (1/3 cup) Gradually sprinkle this over the flour mixture, stirring it in with a fork until the pastry holds together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

For the filling, whisk the sugar, golden syrup, egg., butter, vanilla, salt and vinegar together vigorously. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 230*c/450*F/ gas mark 7.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Stamp out rounds with a 4 inch round pastry cutter. Fit into shallow bun tins. Drop a few currants into the bottom of each. Top off with some of the egg mixture, filling 3/4 full.

Bake in the bottom third of the heated oven for 12 minutes, or until filling is puffed and bubbly and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let stand one minute, and then immediately loosen and remove to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.

I don't think I ever tasted a Chocolate Chip cookie when I was growing up. We had peanut butter, or oatmeal . . .



Sometimes my mum would bake her Molasses Cookies . . . great big soft cookies, like pillows . . . they were so good with ice cold glasses of milk. They are still our favourites and one of the things we all really look forward to having when we go home.



It doesn't matter how many times I make them . . . mine somehow never taste as good as the memory of hers . . .



I think I discovered Chocolate Chip Cookie, or Toll House Cookies as they were called then, early on in my adulthood . . . the recipe pinched off of the back of a bag of chocolate chips . . . they were a real favourite of my children's, well, everyone's really!



This is a sort of glorified version of those . . . chock full of semi sweet chocolate chips and crushed chocolate covered Toffee bars, or Dime Bars as they call them over here. (Skor Bars in North America)



Each bite is chewy, buttery, crunchily moreishly scrummy yummy!! A little tin of these would make the perfect gift for someone you love . . . or . . . for YOU! tee hee!



*Chocolate and Toffee Cookies*
Makes about 3 dozen or so
Printable Recipe

Tasty little bites that are a delicious twist on the traditional Chocolate Chip cookie. Filled to the brim with tasty chocolate covered Toffee Bits and semi sweet chocolate bits. They make the perfect gift for that special someone on your list.

6 ounces (3/4 cup packed) Light brown Muscovado Sugar
4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 large free range egg
6 1/2 ounces (1 1/4 cups) plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate, cut into small bits
5 ounces chocolate covered toffee bars, hammered into small bits with a rolling pin
(About 5 28g Dime bars, which are like Skor bars in America)
(I hammer them while they are still in the pack, before I open them)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Sift together the flour and baking soda. Stir into the creamed mixture, just until blended. Stir in the chocolate bits and chocolate covered toffee bits.

Drop by the heaped teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each one.

Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for several minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.

 

It's not even officially winter yet, and most of the UK has been blanketed in a ton of snow and suffering with sub zero temperatures, something which is a rarity in this country, especially this early in the year. In the UK, snow and cold are serious business!



It doesn't take much to bring the country to a standstill . . . roads close, airplanes are grounded, trains stop running . . . schools and shops close . . .



This is the perfect time to closet yourself indoors . . . next to the warm fire . . . and sup on hot bowls of soup. This delicious soup fits the bill perfectly. Gently spiced and warming, with just a hint of sweet honey, it has gone down a real treat!



*Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A deliciously spicy soup. Heart warming.

50g of butter (a scant 1/4 cup)
1 TBS olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and diced
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 tsp ground cumin
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 heaped tsp of curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
700g of parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks (about a pound and half)
1 medium Bramley Apple peeled and cut into chunks (you can use 2 Granny Smith Apples peeled and cut into chunks)
2 TBS runny honey
1 1/2 litre of good chicken stock (6 cups)

To Garnish:
Indian Spiced Croutes (see below)
coarsely chopped salted cashew nuts

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic, the parsnips and the apple. Add the spices and honey and stir to coat. Cover and allow to sweat over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer until the vegetables are very soft. Remove from the heat and blitze until smooth with an immersion blender (stick blender). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle out into heated bowls. Float a couple of Indian Spiced Croutes on top and add a scattering of chopped cashew nuts. Serve immediately.

*Indian Spiced Croutes*
Makes 8

Crunchy little toasts to float on top of your soup. I like to cut them into pretty shapes, but you can just cut them into squares or rectangles if you like.

4 slices of good hearty white bread
2 ounces softened butter (1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp of ground coriander
1/4 tsp curry powder
a pinch of hot chili powder

Mash the softened butter and spices together until well mixed. Set aside.

Heat the grill and then toast the slices of bread under the heated grill until lightly toasted on both sides. Cut into shapes and then spread some of the spiced butter on top of each shape. Return to the grill and toast until the butter is sizzling and toasted. Remove from the grill and float on top of your soup.

I'm going out later this morning to visit the ladies on my visiting teaching list. I wanted to bring them something special to show them that I love them and I thought that there's nothing that says "lovin' like somethin' from the oven!"



My Visiting Teaching partner plus all the ladies we visit have young children and so I thought they'd just love to get some Candy Cane Cookies.



I always made these for Christmas when my own kiddies were growing up and they used to love them, so I thought their children would enjoy them as well.



They look a bit complicated, but really they're not. If you are good at making ropes with play dough, then you are good at making these.



Coz that's all it basically is . . . making ropes and twisting them together.
Once baked, you get a tasty almond flavoured buttery cookie . . . shaped like a Candy Cane!



Of course I can't leave well enough alone and I like things to be a bit pretty, so I always melt some white choclate and drizzle it over top and then throw on some cake decorations. Here I used non-pareils, silver dragees and some edible glitter!



Don't they look pretty! I hope that they like them!



*Candy Cane Cookies*
Makes about 30 cookies
Printable Recipe

Two toned cookies, delicately almond flavoured and buttery, easily shaped into candy canes!

for the white dough:
4 ounces butter softened (1/2 cup)
3 ounces caster sugar (1/3 cup plus 1 TBS)
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp almond essence
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (approximately 1 1/4 cup)

For the red dough:
4 ounces butter softened (1/2 cup)
3 ounces caster sugar (1/3 cup plus 1 TBS)
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp almond essence
2 tsp red food colouring
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (approximately 1 1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/gas mark 7.

Make the white dough first. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and almond essence. Beat in the flour until well blended. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

To make the red dough do exactly the same except beating in the food colouring along with the egg and almond. Wrap in cling film and chill for half an hour.

To make, tear off walnut sized pieces of the red dough. Using your palms, shape into ropes about 1/4 inch in diameter and 5 inches long. Do the same with the white dough. Twist the ropes together and then bend the top into a curve like a cane. Place on ungreased baking sheets, at least one inch apart.

Bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store packed in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper.



Voucher Codes is having a baking contest to celebrate Christmas Baking. You can find all the details here. This has been my entry into the contest. To enter you can bake a cake, cupcake, bread, pie, cookie or anything else that says "Christmas" to you. The winner will receive a £150 John Lewis Voucher and two runner's up will each receive £25 Lakeland Vouchers. Sounds like a good deal to me!

When my family was growing up I always liked to cook them a special breakfast on Christmas morning.



Sometimes it would be an overnight breakfast casserole that I make with croissants, eggs, ham, mushrooms and cheese . . .other times it would be bacon and eggs.



More often than not though it would be either pancakes or French Toast, two dishes which my children loved most of all.




These delicious pancakes are moist and fluffy, with a slightly sweet and spicy apple flavour. The apple syrup makes the scrummiest topping.



Sizzling and savoury grilled sausages are wonderful on the side.



Your family will thank you and think that you are just the most brilliant cook ever.



*Applesauce Pancakes with a Spicy Apple Syrup*
serves 4
Printable Recipe

The perfect holiday breakfast!

4 1/4 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
1 TBS sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
250ml of applesauce (1 cup)
1/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 large free range egg yolks, beaten
1 TBS butter, melted
2 large free range egg whites

Whisk together the flour, sugar, bakiin gpowder, salt, and cinnamon. Blend the applesauce, orange zest, vanilla, egg yolks and butter together. Stir them into the flour mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold them into the batter.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Lightly oil. Ladle the batter on in large spoonfuls, spreading it out to about 4 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles break all over the surface. Flip over and brown on the other side. Keep warm in a low oven until all are cooked. Serve warm with spiced apple syrup and pats of butter.

*Spiced Apple Syrup*
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Delicously sweet and spicy.

1 pint cloudy pressed apple juice
11 1/2 ounces of soft light brown sugar (1 1/2 cups packed)
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has reduced to about half, forming a syrup. Scoop out the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Serve warm.