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With Santa’s arrival just around the corner, cooking lovely festive treats together is a great way to channel your children’s eager anticipation.
Annabel Karmel, acclaimed author of books on nutrition and cooking for babies, children and families has joined with Femail to help parents create special festive-themed holiday treats with their little ones.
From simple cakes to savoury masterpieces, here are some of Annabel’s favourite recipes for a delicious yuletide. So dig out those festive aprons and bake up a bit of Christmas spirit with your family.
Whoopie Pies are an American classic made from two soft cookies sandwiched with a delicious filling - simply dust with icing sugar or decorate to look like mini Christmas Puddings
Annabel's top tips for reducing stress this Christmas
With Christmas only a few weeks away, now's the time to get organised – here are my five foodie tips for happy families this festive season.
Christmas dinner prepared by little hands
I always gave my children little jobs to help them feel part of preparing one of the biggest meals of the year. There’s lots of prep work they can do; wrapping the pigs in blankets; rolling mini stuffing balls; helping to peel the mountain of potatoes and carrots. It’s time you’ll all enjoy spending together.
Plan your menu
Draw up menus for all the meals you plan to make over the Christmas holidays well in advance, including all drinks, breakfasts and snacks. Starting this task early gives you time to look at new ideas, search out fun recipes that the children can help with, and amend if circ*mstances or guest numbers change.
Jobs we often forget
There are a few jobs that are often forgotten and will make Christmas cooking easier, such as sharpening knives to make the chopping and carving easier and cleaning out the freezer to make space for Christmas food to be stored together in one place
The night before Christmas
I find that Christmas Eve is a good time to peel and slice the vegetables, storing them in cold water (covered) in the fridge. This will give you more precious time to spend with your family on Christmas morning.
Wrap up and get out
The post-Christmas dinner lull is the perfect time to get outdoors and go for a walk. A bit of light exercise will help digest all that food and give little ones the chance to let off steam.
Whoopie Pies are an American classic made from two soft cookies sandwiched with a delicious filling
Christmas Pudding Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pies are an American classic made from two soft cookies sandwiched with a delicious filling. Simply dust with icing sugar or decorate to look like mini Christmas Puddings.
Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking: 14 minutes
Makes 9 Christmas pudding Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
125g butter (softened)
200g caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
350g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
250 ml buttermilk
Filling
150g salted butter, softened
225g icing sugar
25g cocoa powder
Decoration
400g icing sugar
Approx. 4 tbsp boiling water
125g green readymade Regal Icing
60g red readymade Regal Icing
Methods
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 C Fan / 180 C / Gas 4. Line 3 large baking trays with baking parchment.
2. To make the pies, cream together the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale then beat in the egg. Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into another bowl. Gradually add spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating well and mix in enough of the buttermilk to make a smooth, thick cake mixture (you may not need all of the 250 ml).
3. Using a 5cm ice cream scoop. Drop 6 scoops of the mixture onto each baking tray, spaced well apart to allow them to spread. Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes until risen, lightly golden and firm to the touch. Cool for about 5 minutes on the trays before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
4. To make the holly leaves. Dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the green icing thinly. Using a small holly leaf cutter, stamp out 32 leaves and set aside. Break off tiny pieces of the red icing and roll into 32 small balls to make the red holly berries . Set aside.
5. To make the white icing. Measure the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the boiling water and whisk until smooth and fairly thick but still slightly runny. Spread the icing over the top of the peaked cold pies, leaving it to run down the sides a little. Decorate each one with two green holly leaves and red berries.
6. To make the filling, put the butter into a mixer and beat until soft. Gradually sieve in the icing sugar and cocoa, beating well after each addition, to make a smooth chocolate buttercream filling. Spread thickly over half of the pies.
7. To serve, when the iced pie tops have set, carefully sandwich them on to the filled pie halves.
Mini hot dog wreath
It’s easy to make your own savoury edible Christmas wreath. Kids and grown-ups will love this and they are easy and inexpensive to make.
Preparation: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour thawing)
Cooking: 20 minutes
Makes 1 wreath
Not suitable for freezing
Ingredients
1 sheet (320g) ready-rolled puff pastry sheets
15 mini hot dogs
A little Dijon mustard
1 egg lightly beaten
3 tbsp milk
1 red pepper
Rocket leaves
Children and grown-ups will love this and they are easy and inexpensive to make
Method
1. Defrost the puff pastry sheets overnight in the fridge or leave for about 1 hour to thaw at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C Fan / 200C / Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Using a sharp knife, slice each puff pastry sheet into 16 squares (you will have some squares left over).
3. Roll out the puff pastry so that it is thinner. Cut out 15 squares of approx. 7 cm. The size will depend on the sausages that you use - it needs to be just large enough to wrap around the sausage. Spread a little mustard over the pastry. Wrap the pastry around each sausage and join the pastry together with a drop of water. Arrange on a baking tray in a circle.
4. Mix together the egg and milk and brush the egg wash over the pastry. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. For the bow, slice off the top and bottom of the red pepper. Remove all the seeds and slice to create a bow. Slide the Christmas wreath onto a serving platter and arrange the bow at the bottom of the wreath. Decorate with a few rocket leaves.
Turn chocolate cupcakes into magical Christmas Trees using upturned ice-cream cones piped with spiky green icing
Christmas Tree Cakes
Turn chocolate cupcakes into magical Christmas Trees using upturned ice-cream cones piped with spiky green icing.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Makes 8 Christmas tree cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
125g butter or margarine
125g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
85g self-raising flour
30g cocoa powder
40g plain chocolate chips
Ice cream cones
Icing
500g vanilla buttercream (store bought)
green food colouring
edible silver balls
Methods
1. To make the chocolate muffins, pre-heat the oven to 160C Fan / 180 C / Gas 4. I used a silicone muffin tin with fairly straight sides but you could use an ordinary muffin tin. Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth, and then add the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with the second egg. Mix in the remaining flour and cocoa, then stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the paper cases – they should be two thirds full.
2. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Leave in the muffin tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
3. Meanwhile colour 350g of the buttercream green by mixing some of the green food colouring into the vanilla buttercream. Pipe some of the remaining white buttercream around the edges of the cupcakes.
4. Take the ice cream cones (if they are too large, you can trim off the end using a sharp knife). Apply a thin layer of green frosting all over the exterior of the ice cream cones using a palette knife. Stand these upside down on top of the cupcakes.Transfer the remaining green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small star shaped nozzle. Pipe green spiky leaves onto the trees. Dust the trees with icing sugar so that it looks like snow on some of the leaves.
5. Finish off by garnishing with some edible silver balls.
Sausage Stockings
These sausage stockings are so simple to prepare.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Makes 6 sausage stockings
Not suitable for freezing
Ingredients
6 Vienna sausages (approx. 9 cm long)
150g cream cheese
Quarter red pepper
A few sprigs parsley
Methods
1. Cut the sausage on the diagonal and cut off the top of the sausage. Arrange the two halves to form a stocking and stick a wooden skewer through the halves to secure.
2. Fill a small piping bag with the cream cheese and using a small star nozzle, pipe cream cheese stars around the top of the stocking.
3. Cut out tiny circles from the red pepper using a small cutter or the top of a pen. Stick these onto the side of the stocking together with a sprig of parsley.
Cream cheese, red pepper and parsley turn these sausages into festive stockings
Once you have piped the icing add chocolate chips for eyes, mini orange fondant carrot for the nose and silver baubles for the mouth
Snowmen Cupcakes
Hurry up and eat these before they melt…
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Makes 8 Snowman Cupcakes
Not suitable for freezing
Ingredients
125g butter (at room temperature) or margarine
125g caster sugar two thirds cup superfine sugar
Half tsp lemon zest
2 eggs
125g self-raising flour
Quarter tsp baking powder
Icing
500g readymade vanilla buttercream
20 chocolate chips
50g orange fondant icing or colour white fondant orange
Matchmakers
A little milk chocolate
Edible silver baubles
Methods
1. Pre heat the oven to 160C Fan /180C/ Gas 4. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cases. Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, flour and baking powder into the bowl and beat in an electric food mixer until smooth. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
2. Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. While cool, make the arms from the Matchmakers. Cut off a short length from some Matchmakers and attach these using a little of the melted chocolate as in the photo. Take small amounts of the orange fondant icing and roll into carrot noses.
4. Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe the buttercream on top. Add chocolate chips for eyes, mini orange fondant carrot for the nose and silver baubles for the mouth. Add Matchmaker arms.
Rudolph Baked Potatoes
Add twirly crisps for antlers, peas for eyes and cherry tomatoes for the nose to transform the humble baked potato
A great Christmas recipe for turning a baked potato into a delicious mouth-watering treat for Christmas and it is guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 22 minutes
Makes 4 baked potatoes
Ingredients
4 medium baking potatoes (approx 225g each)
a little vegetable oil
½ (half) medium butternut squash (approx 300g)
55g butter
1 tsp Dijon mustard
40 g fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp milk
40g grated Cheddar cheese
Decoration
Cherry tomatoes
Twirly crisps
peas for eyes
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/ Fan 170 / Gas 5. Prick the potatoes in several places, place on a baking tray and brush all over with the oil. Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, or until they feel soft when pressed.
2. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place in a baking dish, skin side down. Melt 20g of the butter and brush it over the squash, then bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until tender.
3. When cool enough to handle, cut the tops off the baked potatoes and scoop out the flesh. Scoop the flesh of the cooked butternut squash off the skin and mash together with the baked potato flesh, mustard, parmesan, milk and remaining butter. Season with a little salt and pepper. Put the mixture back into the potato shells and top with the grated cheddar.
4. Preheat the grill on the hottest setting. Place the potatoes on a baking tray or suitable dish and grill for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
5. Add twirly crisps for antlers, peas for eyes and cherry tomatoes for the nose..
For lots more Christmas recipe ideas, download Annabel’s Essential Guide to Feeding Your Baby & Toddler app. It gives you instant access to more than 200 recipes, as well as a host of features to keep your family on track over Christmas.
Download the new version from the App Store now (£3.99) or visit www.annabelkarmel.com
