homemade holiday treats Archives

Homemade holiday treats – Apricot & coconut biscuits

By Lisa @ My Capital Plate on December 23, 2011 | 13 Comments

Happy Christmas Eve Eve I hope that you have all made it to the end of the working year safely. I for one, was most happy when the clock struck 1pm (yay for half work days), and it was time to head home and finish packing for our trip to Melbourne. Which included packing up the final treat in my homemade holiday treats series… On the menu today… Apricot and coconut biscuits (cookies)! aka. a break from chocolate overload that was occasioned by yesterday’s chocolate bark. Oats, spelt, brown sugar coconut, apricots and nuts. Mixed with eggs, vanilla and butter to form a sticky biscuit mix. Rolled into balls, flattened… And baked for 15 minutes until golden. These biscuits turned out nice and light, but also rather chewy… Quite reminding me of ANZAC biscuits actually. And, once they had cooled sufficiently, I wasted no time in filling a Christmas tin and leaving half of the batch on my neighbour’s front door step by way of a little Christmas gift. The rest, however, will be coming with us as we make our way down South for the Christmas holiday. Delish! Apricot & Coconut Biscuits (makes 16-18 large biscuits) (adapted from here)

1 cup spelt flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1cup desiccated coconut
3/4 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180°C, and line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl. Add the oats, coconut, apricot and almonds and stir until well combined. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk together the melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Use your hands to roll heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place balls onto the prepared trays (leaving room to spread) and flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely

I hope that you have enjoyed this 5 days of Homemade Holiday treats. You can find links to all the treats below… Day 1 – Gingerbread doughnuts Day 2 – Salted caramel fudge Day 3 – Chilli lime nut mix Day 4 – Chocolate bark Day 5 – Apricot and coconut biscuits But enough ‘sweet talk, its time to get this BBB show on the road! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas Eve Eve, safe travels if you are travelling and happy eating if you are eating! What about you? What are your plans for the festive season?

Homemade holiday treats – chocolate bark

By Lisa @ My Capital Plate on December 22, 2011 | 11 Comments

I don’t know why chocolate bark is not all that common in Australia. Sure, we have our fair share of biscuits, rocky road, slices and other sweet treats, but chocolate bark rarely seems to make an appearance. So when I came across chocolate bark on other blogs, and I realised that it would transport well, I just knew that I had to give it a try as part of my homemade holiday treats series. Actually, I was so excited to try it, that I decided to make two varieties…. Candy cane and orange pistachio. Starting with…the candy cane! Just milk and white chocolate – melted and mixed. Candy canes – crushed. And sprinkled. And next…the orange pistachio. Dark chocolate melted, and an orange zested. Spread… And topped with pistachios and more orange zest. Allowed to set then broken into pieces. The candy cane… And the orange pistachio… Oh my … these turned out to be quite the taste sensations. Very dangerous indeed. I was pleased to discover that not only is chocolate bark super easy to make, it is also super versatile. For it seems that no matter what you are craving, you can make a variety to satisfy. Lollies, nuts, fruit…. The options for toppings are endless! All I know is that many a piece of these two varieties has been sampled already. You know, for quality assurance So much so that I am not sure how many pieces will actually make it to our Christmas festivities safely…. What about you? Do you have a favourite chocolate bark flavour combination?

Homemade holiday treats – chilli lime nut mix

By Lisa @ My Capital Plate on December 21, 2011 | 7 Comments

It is day 3 of my homemade holiday treats series and I am pleased to report that we are still going strong. And, although I am loving all the sweet treats that are slowly filling my fridge, I couldn’t resist throwing in a ‘savoury’ treat which happens to also be one of my favourite ‘nibbles’. Spiced nuts. Or in particular… A chilli lime nut mix! Which really are just nuts… Tamari, honey, lime zest and chilli… Roasted… And voila! Simple to make, but guaranteed to be gobbled up in no time at all. My version ended up a little sticky, so I will hold off providing a specific recipe at this stage. It still needs some more tweaking, but I am sure to have one for you in the not too distant future. The flavours, however, were rather tasty with the freshness of the lime zest and the hint of spice from the chilli. I think they will make a nice alternative for those who are feeling a little sugar overloaded over the festive season (although these do have an element of sweetness in them owing to the honey!). What about you? Ever made your own nut mix?

Homemade holiday treats – salted caramel fudge

By Lisa @ My Capital Plate on December 20, 2011 | 13 Comments

Happy Tuesday lovely people! With Christmas well and truly on its way, it is time for day 2 of my 5 days of Homemade Holiday treats. And today’s treat is a good one. Even if I do say so myself. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that caramel is involved. And caramel is my favourite flavour. I wanted to create a treat that could be made in advance, would survive a car trip to Melbourne and that would keep for a couple of weeks. Hence caramel fudge seemed like the perfect option! Fudge is one of those sweet treats that I love to indulge in, although when I make it from scratch I realise why one should only indulge in a little piece. For this treat is really nothing more than sugar. And butter. With a side of sugar. And chocolate. But boy it is delicious! Particularly when sprinkled with sea salt. The only shame with this fudge is that it turned out a little soft (I think I took it off the stove too early). But all is not lost, I just plan on keeping it in the fridge until serving time. The flavour, however, was spot on – rich in caramel with just a hint of sea salt. Delish! Salted Caramel Fudge (recipe here)

395g can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs glucose syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
125g butter, chopped
180g white chocolate, chopped
1tsp sea salt flakes

Grease 20 x 20cm square cake pan, and line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.
Heat condensed milk, sugar, glucose syrup, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, without boiling, for 10 minutes or until mixture is glossy and sugar has dissolved.
Increase heat to medium-low. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and comes away from side of pan. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until combined and melted. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth top. Sprinkle with salt, pressing in with the back of a spoon to secure.
Set aside for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours or until firm. Cut into pieces and serve.

And then, because I just couldn’t stop … I also made a batch of Jessica’s mocha coconut fudge. Sprinkled with a little coloured coconut in honour of the festive season. And, which, unlike my caramel version, had a perfect fudge texture. But you will have to head over to her blog for that recipe! What about you? Are you a fan of fudge?? What is your favourite flavour?

Homemade holiday treats – Gingerbread doughnuts

By Lisa @ My Capital Plate on December 19, 2011 | 16 Comments

I think it will come as no surprise, that hosting events and parties for family and friends is one of my favourite hobbies. Be it Christmas, a birthday or some other party, I really do enjoy all the planning, decorating and cooking that is required (much to Mr BBB’s frustration lol). Last year, Mr BBB and I hosted our first Christmas in our new family home, with a flurry of decorating and baking taking place before the big day. You can find all of my 2010 Christmas Countdown posts below:

This year, we are spending Christmas with my family in Melbourne. Christmas Eve will be with family and friends in Melbourne, Christmas Day with my Mum and little brother, and Boxing Day with my Dad in rural Victoria. And, although we are planning on keeping it pretty low key, I wanted to put together a basket of homemade sweet treats and other nibbles to take down with me – to share amongst our guests at the various parties and mealtimes. I also have a few functions this week that call for a plate of treats to be provided. And so my 5 days of Homemade Holiday Treats begins! That’s right – 5 days of nothing but sugar and sweetness on BBB! I think I should probably give my dentist a call now Starting with…. Gingerbread doughnuts! aka. a tasty little treat to take to a work morning tea. Just whisk the dry. Add the wet. Stir to a batter. Pipe… Bake… And glaze. And serve. I am loving the baked variety of this normally-fried treat. These took only 10 minutes in the oven, a few minutes to glaze, making them a morning tea that you can throw together quite easily. They will keep overnight in an airtight container, but they really are best eaten on the day they are made. Delish! Gingerbread doughnuts (makes 12 large) (adapted from Pinch of Yum)

2 cups spelt (use GF plain flour to make these GF)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1tbs ground ginger
1tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
3 tbs maple syrup
50ml milk
50g melted butter

Glaze

30g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
40ml milk
1 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 2 x 6 hole large doughnut pans.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the Centre.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour into the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.
Spoon into a piping bag, and pipe into doughnut tins (to about 3/4 full).
Bake for 10 –12 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.
To make the glaze – melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the milk, and heat (stirring) for 1 minute. Add the icing sugar, and whisk to combine until smooth and glossy.
While warm, pour the glaze over the doughnuts.

What about you? Are you more of party planner or a party goer?

Grease 20 x 20cm square cake pan, and line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.

Heat condensed milk, sugar, glucose syrup, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, without boiling, for 10 minutes or until mixture is glossy and sugar has dissolved.