Some Simple
Christmas Recipes

No - cook sweets

Last-minute Christmas cake

Non-alcoholic mulled wine

Traditional Spice Biscuits

Gingerbread

Quick Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 8 oz self-raising flour
• 5 oz soft margarine
• 5 oz caster sugar
• 3 oz dried fruit
• 1 lb jar mincemeat

Method

Grease and line an 8" cake tin and switch the oven to gas mark 2 / 300 degrees F / 150 degrees CBeat all the ingredients together and spoon into the pre-prepared tin. Bake for approximately 2 to 2 and a half hours; test the cake by pushing a knitting needle or skewer into the centre - if done, it will come out clean. Leave in the tin until cool enough top handle then turn out onto a wire rack until cold. Decorate as wished.

Non-Alcoholic "Mulled Wine"

Ingredients

• 1 bottle non-alcoholic raisin wine
• 1 bottle red grape juice
• 1 cup blackcurrant cordial, undiluted
• 1 bottle lemonade
• 6 sticks cinnamon
• handful cloves
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg

Method

Pour all the liquids into a large pan or bowl and add the spices, stir and heat. Serve hot, ideally from a punch bowl, but it will taste the same ladled out of the pan!

Traditional Spice Biscuits

Ingredients

• 110g (4 oz) Butter
• 150g (5 oz) Caster sugar
• 2 Egg yolks
• 225g (8 oz) Plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 °C / 350 °F / Gas 4.Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Stir in the flour and spices and mix to a fairly firm dough. Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thickness. Cut out 6 cm (2½ inch) rounds with a fluted or shaped cutter and put onto greased baking sheets.* Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

* You can make shapes such as stars, bells, Christmas trees, etc, by making a cardboard template and placing it on the rolled-out dough then cutting carefully round it with a sharp knife.

Gingerbread

Use to make gingerbread houses or men

Ingredients

• 350g (12 oz) Plain flour
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp Ground ginger
• 110g (4 oz), Butter - diced
• 175g (6 oz) Soft light brown sugar
• 4 tbsp Golden syrup
• 1 beaten Egg
• Currants or icing to decorate

Method

Pre-heat oven to 190 °C / 375 °F / Gas 5. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Beat the syrup into the egg, then stir into the flour mixture. Mix together to make a smooth dough. Knead the dough until smooth, then divide in half. Roll out, half at a time, on a floured surface until about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick.

To make Gingerbread Men : Using a gingerbread man cutter, cut out gingerbread men until all the dough has been used up, re-rolling and cutting the trimmings. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Place the gingerbread men on greased baking sheets and decorate with currants to represent eyes and buttons.

To make a Gingerbread house : cut four rectangles all the same size (2 walls and a roof) 2 squares the same size as the short sides of the rectangles, and two triangles with sides the same length as the sides of the squares. [When baked, allow to cool before assembling in the shape of a house - stick together and decorate with icing.]

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Leave on the baking sheets to cool slightly, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.