Yuletide Gifts from the Heart

Shortbread | Spicy Apricots | Marshmallow Log | Chocolate Rum Truffles | No Cook Fudge | Chocolate Marzipan Cherries | Deluxe Mince Pies | Stuffed Dates |

A homemade gift is a labour of love

Food: What better than a gift of home-baked goodies.

Shortbread

500gm butter
500gm flour
250gm icing sugar
250gm cornflour

Soften butter. Beat butter and icing sugar together. Add the flour and cornflour. Press into a greased tray. Always a nice effect if placed in round sponge tins. Alternatively use oblong baking tin. Mark into slices and prick decoratively with fork. Bake at 150c for approximately 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with castor sugar and carefully place on cooling tray.

Spicy Apricots

450gm dried apricots
225gm sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon whole coriander
1 teaspoon whole allspice
½ teaspoon whole cloves

Put all ingredients into a saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then simmer for approx 30 minutes until the apricots are tender. Pluck the apricots from the mixture and divide between the jars. Bring the syrup to the boil. When thick, remove the spices and pour syrup over the apricots. Seal the jars while still hot. Best eaten within 3 months.

Marshmallow Log

1 tin condensed milk
250gm chocolate thins
Coconut
1 large packet marshmallows, chopped
1 cup chopped nuts and dried mixed fruit

Mix all ingredients together and roll into log shape. Roll in coconut. Cover in silver foil and then in green or red cellophane - ribbon either end to form a cracker. Put a sticker in the middle. Can be stored in the freezer. Chopped nuts/fruit optional. Note - this is a nice easy recipe for young fingers!

Chocolate Rum Truffles

175gm plain chocolate
50gm butter
3 level teaspoon golden syrup
4 tablespoon rum
100gm ground almonds
350gm crumbled Madeira cake
Chocolate hail
50 small paper or foil cases

Break chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl with butter and golden syrup. Stand over a pan of hot water and gently heat until chocolate is melted. Remove bowl from heat and stir in ground almonds, rum and cake crumbs. Mix well. Chill in the fridge. Spread chocolate hail into a shallow dish. Shape a rounded teaspoon of mixture into a bowl and roll in the hail until covered. Place in cases and refrigerate until set.

No Cook Fudge

175g butter
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
800gm icing sugar - sieved

Cream butter in the bowl until soft. Stir in the condensed milk. Gradually add the icing sugar. When all sugar is worked in turn on to work surface, lightly sprinkled with icing sugar. Knead the fudge until smooth. Roll out to about 1.25cm thick and cut into squares. Place on wire rack and cover with a clean tea towel or muslin. Leave to harden overnight.
Sultana fudge: add approx 100gm roughly chopped sultanas to mixture and chocolate fudge, add 75gm cocoa with the icing sugar. Makes approx 36 squares.

Chocolate Marzipan Cherries

Glace cherries
Marzipan
Dark chocolate for dipping

Wrap each glace cherry in a small amount of marzipan. Form into a ball. Break or chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Melt chocolate over hot water and dip the cherries. Put on baking paper to set.

Deluxe Mince Pies

Zest of ½ orange
375 pack of sweet pastry
350gm jar of fruit mince
10 tsp cranberry sauce
Icing sugar for sprinkling
6.5cm plain pastry cutter

Set oven to 190c. Knead orange zest lightly into pastry and roll out. Cut rounds using cutter and reserve trimmings. Spoon a good teaspoon of mince into each pie and then top with ½ tsp of cranberry sauce. Knead leftover pastry and cut into thin strips and put in a cross on top of pies. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Cool in tin and remove and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve warm or cold.

Stuffed Dates

Marzipan
Dates
Almond flakes
Little sugar
Green food colouring (optional)

Divide marzipan in half and add a little food colouring. Leave other half of marzipan as is. Make small slit along the length of each date and remove the stone. Fill the cavity with a small piece of marzipan. Roll the stuffed date in sugar and then decorate with flaked almond. Place stuffed dates in sweet cases and store in tin until required.

ADDENDUM: The cook has first tasting rights………however, cook may experience onset of "girth gain". This is a disease that is easily spread and is a common complaint which frequently occurs during December and January. A misconception of this disease is that a wine tonic can be used as a fix it. The most curative solution is to buy a pair of swimming togs….mirror, mirror on the wall, I need the girth gain cure it all.

from Guidelines, June 2004