Christmas Baking 2011

Cheapskate

I'll be making mince pies, using bought mincemeat that I've doctored and HM shortcrust pastry. I used to make my own mincemeat, but just no time at the minute. Decided not to make fruit cake, love it but it's usually me that eats it all, so have found a recipe for some buns that are a cross between cake and mince pies, crumble topped things - will find the recipe and share it.

Also gingerbread, using loads of ginger and a bit of cinnamon in the ones destined to be gifts. Have made sloe gin and blackberry vodka, may do another vodka if I've time. Years ago I made sweets with fondant flavoured with orange or peppermint, then dipped in chocolate - tasted very like Fry's choc mint/orange bars! - think I'll resurrect those, quite cheap to make.

Not exactly baking, but I always prepare my veg on Christmas Eve, all chopped up in pans of cold water ready for the morning! Thinking of doing duchesse potatoes next time we have mash, and freezing them like my mum used to do, ready to defrost on Christmas Eve to save doing any roasties (big on time-saving at Christmas, me! )

A few lovely ideas here to borrow - thank you all!

A xo

catch_me_if_you_can

punkpink wrote: »

oooo, sorry to budge in on this thread; I have just spent the day creating this;


I'm making another one for my two nieces nearer to xmas (and i apologise for the size of the pics! ) I would love to hear what you think...

Wow. Please let you be my long lost auntie
Really impressed! Well done you! xx

Vala-Mal-Doran

Hiya All,

Does anyone have any recipes for using up black treacle? (you know, the stuff in the red tin that you put a spoonful of in Christmas cake?) Its my first Christmas cake since moving out of my parents , iv already made my cake and i dont really like treacle and dont want it sitting around doing nothing until this time next year!!

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks

mumof3plusoh

mmmmmmmmmmmm treacle toffee. Sorry don't have a recipe though.;)

Patchwork_Quilt

Will be making lemon curd and shortbread as presents.

Have a home made gluten free Christmas cake left over from last year. Will have to inspect it soon.

Our pud was going cheap at the end of the Christmas holidays and will just be in date at Christmas.

I always make a stack of gf mince pies and then keep them in a tin to use over Christmas.

Hints - we use our back porch as an enormous and additional refridgerator.
- mince pies can be topped with orange icing (make up with just orange juice and icing sugar) to cut down on pastry.
- T*sco are having a promotion on baking at the moment - buy 3 for 2 - so this is where our mincemeat came from.

Cheapskate

Vala-Mal-Doran wrote: »

Hiya All,

Does anyone have any recipes for using up black treacle? (you know, the stuff in the red tin that you put a spoonful of in Christmas cake?) Its my first Christmas cake since moving out of my parents , iv already made my cake and i dont really like treacle and dont want it sitting around doing nothing until this time next year!!

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks

How about parkin? Might need to buy more stuff depending what ingredients you have in though. I put a little spoonful in dark meat meals like chilli, spag bol, stew etc., only a LITTLE bit, mind, or it gets confusing taste-wise IYKWIM!

A xo

borokat

I'm planning on making Bero Christmas pud this year - part of my blog which is baking the entire Bero book in 1 year! Does anyone know if it can be steamed in the microwave? Don't fancy watching a pan of water for 8 hours!
I'll also be making mince pies, pork pie, chocolate log and a few biscuits too.

kippers

punkpink wrote: »

Thanks everyone, i knew i could rely on MSE to make me feel good about it! I especially love the miniture xmas trees, just because i could lol

Wow wow wow it's fantastic! How did you make the chocolate buttons to stick on the roof? How long will it store?

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

I normally make a chocolate chip marzipan loaf this time of year. Well it's another way of using up leftover marzipan from the christmas cake

That sounds lovely...will you post the recipe for this please

punkpink

i used royal icing to hold it all together, just used a pallette knife to spread (quite a thick layer) on and then went away sticking buttons down :rotfl:

I shall keep it for a week (if it will last that long before hands in the house get hold of it!) but once its all decorated i would say a week or two, but you could always make the gingerbread and store it in an air tight container until you are ready to put it together. The recipe says to leave the gingerbread over night anyway so that it doesn't go too soft to build IYSWIM.

ragz_2

PunkPink - your gingerbread house is lovely!

Bakingwise, I have one big christmas cake and two baby ones in the freezer, I fed them for a week then froze them as the recipe I used was very moist. Won't be using marzipan, probably won't ice them either but top them with fruit and nuts. DH is annoyed but I hate marzipan and I am the one making them!
Mince pies started Sunday, have already eaten a dozen :eek: managed to give a few away and stash some in the freezer (which was the whole point!), I knew I shouldn't have stasrted so early but I just couldn't hold off any longer. The Best Ever Mince Pie Pastry (see thread) was fantastic as ever, though I may try grated orange zest in it next time. Not making my own mincemeat this year, I did the year before last and still had a load left last year but it cost quite a bit to make and was a bit of a faff, I have enough on my list to do this year!

Still to make - fudge and truffles for gifts but daren't make yet, although apparently fudge freezes well... but I heard you can still eat if frozen and I don't trust myself!