Stained Glass Cookies for your Christmas Tree

It's been a busy year and I can't believe that it's almost Christmas! It's the first Christmas in our new house so it's very exciting and we decided to get a real Christmas tree which I've not had before.  We bought a smallish one as we don't have much space and bought a few decorations to go on the tree. I thought the tree looked a little bare so I decided to make my own decorations. I remember making stained glass cookies a few years ago and decided to give it another go. The recipe is one of Mary Berry's which I found online. I had a selection of Christmas cookie cutters and I used a sharp knife to cut out the middle bits. The final result is amazing and it looks really good on our tree especially when it catches the light. You can easily make these in one evening and it will be a great project for the kids. I'm going to try some dried orange slices next to go on the tree. Any other suggestions for homemade Christmas tree decorations? 

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and myself on alternate months. The letter this  month is 'X' and Caroline is accepting everything Christmas related. 

These little tree decorations are perfect for Treat Petite hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is Christmas.

They are also perfect for Festive Family Foodies hosted by Vanesther from Bangers & Mash and Louisa from Eat Your Veg.

 I bought a pack of fruit boiled sweets to make the stained glass effect 

 fill the middle with crushed sweets 

 

 Our Christmas tree :) 

Recipe from Mary Berry which I found online

Chocolate and Fig Panforte

We Should Cocoa is one of the first blog challenges I got involved in and I try to enter every month if possible. This month Choclette has chosen the theme of figs which is perfect for the festive season. Personally I'm not a huge fan of figs but just about everyone I know is so I knew I would not have any trouble getting taste testers. I chose a recipe from BBC Good Food and it worked beautifully. I had lots of positive comments and repeat requests for this particularly for our upcoming work Christmas lunch. It's really quick and easy to make and I am already thinking about substitutions with brazil nuts and adding in dried cranberries for the extra festive touch. 

These little treats are sweet but not overly so considering how much honey and sugar went into it! It's soft and sticky from the figs and the almonds give a lovely crunch to it. I've been told that they are quite more-ish as it's difficult to stop at just one! I've cut mine up and sprinkled liberally with icing sugar and it looks really festive and pretty.

As mentioned I'm sending this to We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog. The theme this month is figs, 

I'm also sending it to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and myself on alternate months. The letter this  month is 'X' and Caroline is accepting everything Christmas related. 

These little treats would also be perfect for Treat Petite hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is Christmas.

These look really festive especially with the sprinkling of icing sugar on top so I think it will also fit in nicely to Festive Family Foodies hosted by Vanesther from Bangers & Mash and Louisa from Eat Your Veg.

 melt honey and sugar 

 Ready to be sliced 

 with some icing sugar and Christmas ribbon

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Golden Syrup Cupcakes

Quick post today for simple golden syrup cupcakes. I used the recipe on the Lyle's Golden Syrup website and it turned out beautifully. It's a really quick mix all in one recipe and you can really taste the golden syrup. Sometimes simple is best and this is one of those times. It would be perfect for the festive season esepcially with a bit of sparkle and glitter!

I'm sending it to the Tea Time Treats Table hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Jane from The Hedgecombers. The theme this month is glitter, sprinkles, candles and shiny stuff! 

It's also perfect for Treat Petite hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is Christmas. 

I used the recipe from Lyle's Golden syrup website. The recipe makes 6 large cupcakes as shown but will probably make 12 mini cakes. These were so good I've actually made 36 cupcakes so far and counting.

Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles

What's Christmas without chocolate and booze? Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog kindly chose alcohol as the ingredient for this month's We Should Cocoa to allow us all to indulge :) I thought about what to make and in the end decided on some boozy truffles as they make great gifts and it's quick and easy to make. I added a lot of Irish cream so these are quite strong but I'm sure I won't get many complaints :)

As usual, I'm entering this to several blog challenges this month.

We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog. The theme this month is alcohol.

Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Festive Food Gifts and I think these would make a great festive gift packed in a nice box.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food. These would be a welcome addition to any party but keep it away from the little ones as it's quite boozy!

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Secret Recipe Club Holiday Treats Party 

 Irish cream, double cream, milk and dark chocolate 

 Heat cream 

 Pour into chocolates and mix 

 You can see that I added a lot of Irish cream! 

 Rolled in cocoa powder and icing sugar. 

250g dark chocolate

250g milk chocolate

250 mls cream

Good glug of Irish Cream 

cocoa powder and icing sugar to coat 

• Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. 
• Place them in a heat proof mixing bowl.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. 
• Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. 
• Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate.
• With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. 
• Whisk in the liqueur - 2 tablespoons or more depending on taste.
• Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. 
• With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm. 
• Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to roughly make a round ball.
• Roll in icing sugar or cocoa powder.

Roasted Tomato, Basil and Gruyere Quiche

I have a savoury recipe to share for a change. My work had a Xmas buffet lunch where everyone brings something so of course I offered to make cake. One of my colleagues prefers savoury food and has been asking for another quiche as she really enjoyed the one I made previously so I dutifully obliged and found this recipe on BBC Good Food. I did also make a cake but I'll save that for another day.

This is a really simple recipe with only 3 key ingredients - tomato, basil and cheese. It was really tasty and would be perfect for the festive season as the colours are very festive.

As usual, I'm entering this to several challenges this month

Cooking with herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage.

Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food.

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

 flour, basil, olive oil, butter, tomatoes, cream, eggs, cheese 

 drizzle olive oil on tomatoes, season and roast in the oven 

 adding chopped basil 

 my tart shell after blind baking 

 sprinkle grated cheese 

 add roasted tomatoes 

 pour in the egg/cream mixture 

 sprinkle more grated cheese on top 

 

Recipe adapted slightly from BBC Good Food

For the pastry
280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
140g cold butter, cut into pieces

8 tablespoons cold water 

For the filling

300g cherry tomatoes
drizzle olive oil
100g Gruyere cheese, grated
2 eggs
300ml double cream
Approximately 15-20 basil leaves, shredded, plus a few small ones left whole for scattering

• Rub the butter and flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add water one tablespoon at a time until a dough forms. 
• Roll into a ball, wrap with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. 
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and line your tart tin. 
• Use a small ball of pastry scrap to press the pastry into the corners of the tin. 
• Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Place the tomatoes in a baking tray/roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for at least 30 minutes or the tomatoes are well roasted with slightly charred skin. 
• Prick the base of the tart with a fork.
• Line the tart case with kitchen foil or baking paper and fill with baking bean. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and foil/paper and continue baking for 5 - 10 minutes until the pastry is light brown. 
• Remove the tomatoes and pastry from the oven. 
• Whilst the tart and tomatoes are in the oven, make the filling by beating the eggs in a large bowl.
• Gradually add the cream followed by the chopped basil. 
• Season with salt and pepper. 
• When the tart case is ready,sprinkle half the cheese over the base, scatter over the tomatoes, then pour over the cream mix. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake for 20 -25 minutes or until the filling is set and the pastry is golden brown.
• Allow to cool completely before trimming the edges of the pastry and serving 
• Scatter over small whole basil leaves before serving