For Christmas I'm going to make both my parents & my ILs a basket with some Christmas goodies. So far I'm making
* The evil BellyBelly fudge
* Rum balls (some white choc, some dark choc)
* Peanut butter squares
* Edinburough rock (I've made it before years ago, so might be adventurous & do it again!)
The only things I can't use is coconut - so coconut ice & rocky road are out.
So who has some more suggestions for me.......
Christy I know you do this sort of thing as well - what do you usually make?
Last edited by {sarah}; October 22nd, 2006 at 06:03 PM.
Sarah I always include shortbread and gingerbread biscuits in mine.
And I often do hand made choccies (all sorts including truffles - i have receipes for craisin, port and dark choc; dark choc and ginger; peanut butter and milk choc).
What about fruit cake? I have heaps of different receipes and they're not all those really complex ones you have to start in the middle of the year! Even have one for 'frozen choc fruit cake pudding'.
I also have a "receipe" for a choc christmas tree I can post.
Are you into making jam/conserve/jelly at all? What about preserved lemons/nectarines etc. They don't have to be eaten but can be put in a nice jar for display.
My IL's love to put dried fruit in the baskets they make for church. They have one of those things where you stew (I think) the fruit, put it on this tray thing and let it dry then cut/break it into pieces and it's like those fruit straps you buy. I always make them bring me a batch when they visit from interstate!
What about mince slice bites? (Can post the receipe)
almond nougat?
pistachio shortbread mounds
passionfruit butter yoyo bites
cream cheese filled brandied dates
stained glass christmas cookies (really really popular when I took them to work!)
If there is anything you want receipes for - let me know and I will post them.
When I was a kid mum and I used to make stuff that looked like mini puddings we'd pour white chocolate on top of them (custard) and them mum brought green glaze stuff and just it into small strips for leaves, and then we'd finely chop a cherry and place it on top. They were fiddly to make and we did it for a couple of years till mum couldn't be bothered anymore, and I wasn't interested in helping anymore LOL. But they were totally awesome and heaps yummy. She probably still has the receipe for them too.
MG Edinburourgh Rock is a hard lolly. Can you post the recipes for your truffles, mint slice biscuits & stained glass biscuits please No so much into the fruity thing this time, we're going totally norti
Kathryn sounds similar to what we make sometimes - it was a biscuit base with choc covered marshmallow thing as the pudding.
Yep Edinburough Rock is pretty well the same thing Jillian. You just have to be really careful at the pulling stage cos it is really really HOT! Your popcorn ideas are good Jillian, thanks. What's Hawaiian Crunch though?
Edinburgh Rock
1pound sugar
½ pint water
pinch cream of tartar
icing sugar
peppermint essence
cochineal (red food colouring)
Dissolve sugar in water, stirring gently all the time.
When solution is nearly boiling, add cream of tartar.
Boil until a temperature of 285oF is reached.
Remove from heat and pour onto and oiled surface.
Allow to cool slightly.
With a spatula, turn sides to middle.
Divide the mixture into 2 parts; add peppermint essence to one and cochineal to the other.
Coat fingers with icing sugar.
Pull each portion, keeping it straight until it is dull and almost set.
Twist lengths around each other, cut into equal lengths.
Leave on wax paper in a warm room for at least 24hrs, until it becomes powdery.
Sarah, I do a hamper full of goodies for my great Aunt and as well as the things you have mentioned, I also do a few pots of homemade jam or marmalade.......(I use the breadmaker) and label them up and trim them nicely......
Breadmaker jam is easy peasy! I can never be bothered with all the faff of making a huge pan of jam......too much laborious prep and too many sticky heavy pans.......but breadmaker recipes usually make a smaller amount, and it is just set and forget.......most of the breadmaker instruction books have a recipe section with a jam recipe in it.....but if anyone wants mine, let me know.........
Can someone please post the recipe for this "evil fudge"? This year we're making sweet treats for the adults and only buying presents for the kids (BIG family) and that fudge would be an awesome inclusion in a hamper
Sarah I do these for friends yep, I put in fudge, rocky road and generally a shortbread. Sometimes I get really creative & make butter biscuits cut out into Christmas shapes like stars and trees and put icing & hundreds & thousands on them, YUM! LOL... but thats about all I do.
Ingredients:
¼ cup (60ml) thickened cream
200g dark eating choc, chopped coarsely (cc)
2 tablespoons port
1/3 cup (50g) craisins, cc
300g dark eating choc melted.
1. Combine cream and chopped choc in small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth, stir in port and craisins. Transfer to small bowl, cover; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
2. Working with a qtr of choc mix at a time (keeping remainder under refrigeration), roll rounded teaspoons into balls; place on tray. Freeze truffles until firm.
3. Working quickly, dip truffles in melted choc then roll gently in hands to coat evenly, return to tray; refrigerate until firm.
Dark Choc and Ginger Truffles
Ingredients:
1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream
200g dark eating choc, CC
½ cup (115g) glace ginger, chopped finely (cf)
¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder
1. Combine cream and choc in small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth, stir in ginger. Transfer to small bowl, cover; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
2. Working with ¼ of choc mix at a time (keeping remainder under refrigeration) roll rounded teaspoons into balls; place on tray. Refrigerate truffles until firm.
3. Working quickly, roll balls in cocoa, return to tray; refrigerate truffles until firm.
Peanut Butter and Milk Choc Truffles
Ingredients:
1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream
200g milk eating choc, cc
¼ cup (70ml) unsalted crunchy peanut butter
¾ cup (110g) crushed peanuts
1. Combine cream and choc in small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth; stir in peanut butter. Transfer to small bowl, cover and refrigerate 3hrs or overnight.
2. Working with ¼ of choc mix at a time (keeping remainder under refrigeration) roll rounded teaspoons into balls; place on tray. Refrigerate truffles until firm.
3. Working quickly, roll balls in peanuts, return to tray; refrigerate truffles until firm.
Stained Glass Christmas Cookies
Ingredients:
250g butter, softened
2teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon almond essence
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 1/4 cups (335g) plain flour
90g individually wrapped sugar-free fruit drops, assorted colours.
1. Preheat oven to moderate. Line two oven trays with baking paper.
2. Beat butter, rind, essence, sugar, egg, and the water in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth (do not overbeat). Transfer to large bowl; stir in flour. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using rolling pin, gently tap wrapped lollies to crush slightly.Unwrap lollies; separate by colour into small bowls.
4. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut shapes from dough using medium-sized cookie cutters; use very small cookie cutters to cut the centre of each cookie.
5. Place cookies on prepared oven trays; bake, uncovered, in moderate oven (180-190 degrees celcius) for 5 minutes. Remove trays from oven; fill cut-out centre of each cookie with a different colour lolly. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Cool cookies on tray.
Mint Slice Bites:
Ingredients:
125g butter, chopped
200g dark choc, CC
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 ¼ cups (185g) plain flour
1 ½ cups (240g) icing sugar mixture
1 teaspoon butter, extra
¼ teaspoon peppermint essence
2 tablespoons milk, approximately
50g dark choc, melted, extra
1. Preheat oven to moderate. Grease deep 19cm square cake pan; line base with baking paper
2. Combine butter and choc in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until choc melts. Stir in caster sugar and egg then flour. Spread mix into prepared pan; bake in moderate oven about 20 min. Stand cake in pan 15 minutes; turn onto wire rack to cool.
3. Meanwhile, combine icing sugar, extra butter and essence in small heatproof bowl; gradually stir in enough milk to make mixture form a thick paste. Stir mixture over small saucepan of simmering water until icing is of spreadable consistency. Spread icing over cake; allow to set at room temp.
4. Using serrated knife, trim crisp edges from cake. Cut cake into 3cm squares; drile each square with melted extra choc.
Christmas Goodies....
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Someone pretty pretty please can I get a copy of it.
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