GAME-CHANGING MINCEMEAT! I’m not a huge fan of traditional mincemeat, so when it comes to making my own, I tend to stray towards the sweeter side. This one is packed full of pears, Christmas spices and there’s more caramel than you can shake a stick at, so it delivers some serious flavour. If caramel is…
Lemon Amaretti Cookies
THESE ARE LIKE LITTLE CLOUDS OF JOY! These cookies are seriously moreish. The centres are beautifully light and fluffy, and the sugar layer on the outside gives them a sweet crackly shell. I added a few drops of almond essence to the mixture because I wanted the result to be really almond-y, but you can…
Chocolate Espresso Marzipan Spread
CHOCOLATE SPREAD GETS DECADENT! Here’s something a little bit special to spread on your croissants, especially around Christmas when it’s absolutely fine to have chocolate in the morning! If you can, try and use vanilla espresso (I used a Nespresso pod). It’s not essential, and regular espresso will work just as well, but it really…
Mint Chocolate Meringues
A GREAT WAY TO USE UP LEFTOVER EGG WHITES! A lot of pastry is made in my house over Christmas (because of ALL THOSE MINCE PIES), which means I tend to find myself with a lot of leftover egg white. Yes, I could make myself an egg white omelette to balance out all those mince…
Crispy Aromatic Duck
GREAT FOR FAMILY-STYLE ENTERTAINING! Not only does this make a seriously impressive and delicious meal to share with family and friends, but it also comes bearing gifts. After the initial stint in the oven, pour the duck fat into a jug, and when cool, transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge. Come Christmas…
Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate & Marshmallows
SO MUCH DELICIOUSNESS IN ONE COOKIE! I wanted something to make with the leftover pumpkin puree after Halloween, and these deliciously fabulous things happened! They’re so good, they’ve now gone into my Christmas cookie rotation. Definitely err on the side of generous when it comes to the mini marshmallows. I started with three on top…
Bonfire Blondies
SWEET, SALTY, SMOKY, STICKY! This is a go-big-or-go-home kind of blondie. For me, it conjures up images of bonfires and fireworks at the fair where there’s sticky treats and smoke in the air. There are a few things that turn this blondie up to eleven: the browning of the butter, the liquid smoke, and pretzel…
Salted Pretzel Cookies
NO HOLDS BARRED SALTED CARAMEL COOKIES! There’s all sorts of good going on in these cookies. Sugar-galore on the inside, rolled in vanilla sugar on the outside. Crunch from the pretzels with their kick of salt. Nutty browned butter and liquid smoke. Chewy caramel. I honestly can’t recommend these cookies highly enough. If you love…
PB&J Blondies
SWEET, SALTY, STICKY! This was the first time I had ever tried peanut butter and jam, but I figured since I’m a bacon and maple syrup convert that these flavours would be right up my alley. I think ‘Grape Jelly’ is traditional in the US, but I couldn’t get my hands on that here, so…
Coffee & Vanilla Cookies
PERFECT FOR COFFEE-LOVERS! Soft, chewy, with coffee and vanilla flavours, these cookies are a winner. It really does make a difference to use quality espresso in this recipe. I used vanilla espresso made with a Nespresso pod, and the flavour really came through in the cookie. You can be adventurous with your choice: caramel espresso…
Gen's Christmas Kitchen 