a very nigella christmas

Seeing Amy's post about christmas cookies yesterday, spurred me into action with my own festive baking. I usually bake a variety of biscuits or christmas cake for family & friends, but my current situation made me a little reluctant to dust off the cook books and read about all the sugary, carbo-filled goodness I need to stay away from this year. As soon as I opened up my copy of Nigella, though, my baking zeal returned. {A bit of an aside, but at the front of the cookie section there's a picture of a fantastic hand shaped cookie cutter that Audrey was really taken with. This afternoon, we ventured into a local baking/homewares store for some christmas cake suppiles, and lo and behold the very same hand shaped cutter was on the rack. And a foot one too. They had to come home with us.}

Anyway, so I think my baking will be very Nigella-heavy this year. I've never tried her christmas cake (I usually do the Stephanie Alexander one), but will be giving it a whirl this year. We'll also be repeating her christmas decoration recipe (who else has done these? they are so good!), her rocky road, and trying the pistachio and white chocolate cookies. Last, but defintiely not least though, will be Bill Grainger's orange and cardamom biscuits. These are our christmas staple & I can't recommend them enough - they smell and taste incredible. If anyone else has a christmas baking staple, please leave a comment, I'd to love hear it. :)

Comments

[Amanda]

A really corny one for us - soak sultanas in as much dark OP rum as they will hold, combine with 10 scrunched up weetbix, cocoa, coconut and condensed milk, roll into balls, set in fridge to firm, then roll in more coconut. Disappear as soon as they're made.

[kirsten]

i have a particular fancy for cranberry and pistachio biscotti. i add a dash of cardamom to my mix 'cos i love it, too.

[jescika]

A traditional Christmas Cake can be light or dark. It can be made like a sponge cake with a light frosting, or it can be moist and rich, loaded with a creamy colorful icing.It can be square, round, oblong or tiered, and it can even be in the form of cupcakes.

[Kris]

Our Christmas cookies must be gingerbread, heavily decorated by short people (that's what the young ones are called at our house). Or, better still, gingerbread houses. I think the kids enjoy the decorating as much as the eating!

[Tiffany]

The Staple around here is "Ginger Scented Pecans", which are sugary with a hint of ginger & salt. Sooo addictive.

Sometime this month I'll be posting the recipe in my blog (if I get a break!), I don't have it online yet.

[Sandy]

My Christmas baking staple is this recipe for Shortbread Meltaways (with little toffee bits inside). It is so simple and delicious.
http://www.robinhood.ca/recipe.details.asp?rid=1165

[janet clare]

I just posted about making our Nigella Christmas cake! We have an English tradition called 'stir up Sunday' which you could adopt too!

[sally]

Just wondering if you would ever be willing to sell the pattern for the giraffe. He is just so cute but I just don't know if I'll ever be able to buy one - I'm just not fast enough. But a pattern would be so fun!!

[sarah]

I'm just making baking decisions at the moment... last christmas we did white christmas and rocky road from the celebrate donna hay, delish and you've gotta love the melting and mixing! this year I'm thinking biccies... seeing a's cookie cutters reminds me that we made hand and feet reindeer decs on monday, so sweet {i'll send you the details} xxx

[Pumpkin Girl]

My favorite is the gingerbread recipe in the Tartine cookbook, also posted here: http://www.estarcion.com/gastronome/archives/001633.html. I don't have a patterned rolling pin, so I just used a fork.

[ceels]

My favourite christmas cake is my mum's. It is more or less the same as the one in the PWMU cookbook, but tweaked over the years.

I might give Nigella's a go as well this year, and I will definitely try my hand at the orange and cardamon biscuits.

Thank you.

[ceels]

and, of course, my mum's is http://coxendix.blogspot.com/2007/12/mums-fruitcake-ingredients-1.html

[leslie]

i can't go past martha's chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies and make them every year (and only at christmas as i have no willpower when around them and fear weighing 300kg). i add a little brunt sugar crackle to the tops and they are DIVINE!

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=41c394d5e44b5110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=chewy%20chocolate%20gingerbread&rsc=header_1

[Caitlin O'Connor]

You MUST try Nigella's cheesy feet bikkies - savoury yum! I think in Feast? I'll go look later.

[Stacey]

I make Nigella's plum puddings every year and they are divine. The only change I make is to use the packet suet rather than the real stuff as its too yucky to prepare.
The other thing I make are ginger snap biscuits which are sort of a cross between a shortbread and ginger bread. I usually cut them out in tree shapes and decorate with white icing and silver balls. Cute and yum!

[Nicki]

Thanks for sharing that Bill Grainger recipe. I baked some today - They are heavenly!!!

Do you know if they freeze ok once baked?

[h&b]

Hi Fiona, not related to the post, but a g/f gave me a heap of her old "Practical Parenting" mags last week, and I noticed one of your adorable toys was featured in the April 07 issue.

I'm sure you knew already .. but ... thought i'd mention it anyway :)

( Those orange and cardamon biscuits sound *divine* )

[Fiona]

Thanks for the recipes and christmas traditions!

Sally - I don't have a giraffe pattern available at the moment, but maybe some other patterns in the new year (time allowing!)

h&b - thanks for the tip! I had no idea about that one! :)

Nicki - more than happy to spread the orange & cardamom love! :) Sorry, but I'm not sure about freezing them as I've never tried (they never seem to last that long around here...)

[Nicki]

I made mine on the thin side so we have 70+ to munch through plus all the spice biscuits i made the day before! I chucked a bunch in the freezer so we shall see...

[bardi]

The first beautiful dusting of fluffy white snow always puts me in the mood for baking Christmas cookies. At this time of year I tend to spend longer hours in the kitchen, Bakingup massive batches of cookies and candies as holiday music and movies play in the background.

[suzy]

That Bill Granger recipe is fabulous - thanks so much for the link! I just made them and the whole house smells delicious.