Mini Christmas Puddings

Visually stunning, these mini christmas puddings are a crowd pleaser! Try using different kinds of fruit cake (such as cranberry and almond cake) for a different flavour.

Ingredients:

200g dark chocolate

700g fruit cake (I used light coloured fruit cake for this recipe)

1/3c orange juice

1/2c icing sugar mixture, sifted

250g white chocolate melts

assorted coloured mini jelly beans

Put foil under the puddings until the chocolate is set

Method:

1. Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth

2. Crumble cake into a large bowl.  Add dark chocolate, orange juice and icing sugar mixture. Stir to combine.  Cover and put in the fridge for a half hour until firm enough to handle.

3. Roll the mixture into balls (about a tablespoons worth is big enough) and place on a tray with baking paper.  Refridgerate until firm

4. Melt white chocolate, cool for 10 minutes then drizzle over the puddings to form a 'custard' look (as per the pictures).  Decorate with jelly beans.

Mini Christmas Puddings

Handy Tips

*When melting the chocolate don't let the water boil. Just let it simmer.

*When drizzling the chocolate over the balls, just do a couple at a time then put the jelly beans on the top.  Otherwise by the time you come back to put the jelly beans on, the chocolate may have set!

This recipe came from www.taste.com.au

White Christmas (non traditional)

Instead of using copha, this recipe uses white chocolate.  People who have tasted this recipe say they prefer the white chocolate over the copha.

A closer picture

 

I found this recipe on the taste website. Here is the link

Christmas Spice Cookies

 

It's that time of year again, and these Spice Cookies are a nice addition to the table.  They arn't particulary sweet which makes a nice change to a cookie, and when cooked properly have a crispy edge but a chewy soft centre. Yum!

Ingredients:

175g butter at room temperature

1c brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3c golden syrup

1 egg

2 1/4c plain flour

1tsp bi carb soda

2tsp mixed spice

1tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbl cinnamon sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven  to 180 celcius

2. Beat butter, sugar and syrup until pale and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until combined.

3. Stir in the sifted flour, soda, spice and nutmeg.

4. Roll 2 heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on a baking tray spacing them 5cm apart.  5. Press down slightly  (these cookies do not spread a great deal so if you want them flat you will have to flatten them this way)

6. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

7. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

*Cookies can be kept for a week in an airtight container.

Source: Good Food Ideas Magazine (Australia)