Christmas Recipes

This year I made some new recipes for Christmas like the Chocolate crinkle cookies, Rum cake, Christmas Tree Cupcakes, White & Milk Chocolate Pudding and Royal Icing Sugar Cookies.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Delicious Christmas cookie with the texture of brownies on the inside and a crunchy, cookie crust.

Makes 48 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup cocoa powder 
1 3/4 cups white granulated sugar 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
4 eggs room temperature,large
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar 

Method

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside
Add the oil and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat together. Scrape bowl down and mix until combined.
Add the cocoa powder in and mix on low scraping the bowl down halfway through. If you’re using the espresso powder you can add in at this point.
Add the eggs and vanilla in then mix until well combined.
Dump the flour mixture in and mix on low. Scrape bowl down and mix until combined.
Cover in plastic and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours
Preheat oven to 350F. Use a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon to scoop out the chilled dough and roll into roughly one inch balls with your clean palms.
Roll dough in powdered sugar and place on parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F. The cookies’ edges will be set but the center will finish baking out of the oven

Recipe from Preppy Kitchen

Sugar Cookies

These easy no-spread sugar cookies are great for cutouts and decorating with icing, they’re perfectly sweet, and totally delicious.

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

4 cups flour sifted
1/3 cup corn starch 

3/4 tsp salt 
1 cup unsalted butter 227g
1 cup sugar 200g

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL

Method

Sift your the flour, corn starch and salt in a large bowl. Give it a whisk.
In your standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the eggs while mixing. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Pour in the flour mixture and mix until everything is well incorporated.
Put the dough in a plastic bag, flatten it together, then chill it in the refrigerator so it firms up.
Once the dough is chilled, place it on a rolling matt, sprinkle with flour and roll out with a rolling pin. Move the dough around so to prevent it from sticking.
Use a circular cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Take away extra scraps to re-roll for more cookies.
Place them on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 375F for 12 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Icing

Instructions

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

food coloring

Method

Sift sugar then mix in the milk and extract.
Add milk 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Add food coloring a little at a time until you reach your desired color.

Icing the cookies

Let the cookies cool completely before icing

Pipe the icing on cookies

Let the cookie dry in open air

Do not cover them

Recipe from Preppy Kitchen

Christmas Rum Cake

Ingredients

Soaking the fruits

100 g raisins

150 g pitted dates

100 g dried apricots

100 g tutti frutti

100 g crystallised ginger

125 g orange/mixed peels

120 ml brandy/rum/whiskey

‍
Baking the cake

275 g flour

275 g salted butter (softened; extra for greasing)

275 g brown sugar

5 eggs

75 g almonds

40 g cashewnuts

40 g pistachio

Zest of one orange

8 pcs cloves

4-cm stick cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

15 pcs allspice berries (optional)

Method

Chop dates, apricots, ginger, and orange peels into 1 cm chunks.

Put the chopped dates, apricots, ginger, and orange peels along with the raisins, and the tutti frutti into an airtight glass jar.

Pour 180 ml of dark rum (we are using Old Monk), or brandy, or whiskey or a mixture into the jar over the fruits.

Shut the jar and leave it in a cool, dark place for 20 days. Give the jar a mild shake every couple of days.

Baking the Cake

Grind the cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to a fine powder. Also grind up the almonds separately. Set these aside.

Zest an entire orange, making sure not to grate any of the white pith as it is bitter. Chop up the cashew and pistachio into 5 mm pieces.

Prepare the tin as explained above and set your oven to preheat at 150°C.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until it is airy and pale. Add in the brown sugar and cream again.

Now whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Follow this with the ground almond, spice mix, and orange zest. Incorporate everything thoroughly. Get rid of your whisk; you won’t need it after this point.

Sift in the flour and fold it in using a rubber spatula. Make sure to not overmix the batter after you add the flour as the cake may turn chewy.

Add the chopped cashew and pistachio. Also add your rum-soaked dried fruits. The fruits should have absorbed all the alcohol, but if they contain excess liquid, strain and add just the fruits.

Mix everything until well combined, but don’t overwork the batter.

Spoon the batter into your prepared cake tin, pushing it into all the corners and leveling the top. Tap out any trapped air bubbles.

Place it in the preheated oven and bake for 3.5 hours, checking on it regularly after the first 2 hours. Your cake is done when a thermometer inserted in the centre registers a temperature of 95°C, or when a skewer comes out clean. Your cake should develop a rich brown colour.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the tin. This should take about 5 hours or so.

Feed the cake: This step is optional. Poke holes in the cake with a skewer. ‘Feed’ a spoon of rum, brandy, or whisky through the holes. You can do this once a week for as long as you want, until you are ready to cut the cake. Store it at room temperature wrapped in baking paper and aluminium foil.

Recipe from Bong Eats

Chocolate Cake with Christmas Trees

Rich, moist chocolate cupcakes topped with easy to make and quite festive Christmas trees made with buttercream

Ingredients

For Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1/4 cup sour cream 
1 1/3 cups sugar 
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/4 cup strong coffee 
1/2 cup melted butter 

For Buttercream

Confectioners’ sugar 400gms
1 pound unsalted butter 454g, room temperature
1-2 tbsp milk or cream 
1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
6-8 drops green food coloring

sprinkles for cupcake

Instructions

For the Cake

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Add paper liners to cupcake tin.
Sift the dry ingredients, including sugar, together in a bowl. 
Whisk together the milk, vanilla, eggs and sour cream in a small bowl. You can add in 1/2 cup of melted butter for extra rich cupcakes but it’s not a must.
Add the dry mixture to the milk/sour cream mixture while the mixer is running on low. Mix for a minute or less.
Scoop about three tablespoons for each cupcake. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until the center is set.

For the Frosting

Cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix on high. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. 
In a separate bowl add about half of the frosting and the green food coloring, mix until combined. 

For Assembly

Apply swirl shape frosting on the cupcake

Add sprinkles

Recipe from Preppy Kitchen

White & Milk Chocolate mousse with Butterscotch

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate

1/2 cup chopped white chocolate

1 cup butterscotch

1/2 cup condensed milk

To make butterscotch

1 cup sugar

1 cup almonds and cashews chopped

1 tbsp butter

In a pan add sugar, melt it.

Add dry fruits and sugar

Apply butter on plate and spread the mixture. Let it cool and crush it.

Method

Melt the white chocolate and milk chocolate in separate bowls

Whip 1 cup whipping cream with condensed milk

Divide the whipping cream in two bowls

In one bowl add melted white chocolate with half whipping cream

In one bowl add melted milk chocolate with half whipping cream

In a glass cup add milk chocolate whipped cream, followed by butterscotch and finally add the white chocolate whipped cream