We don’t speak for everyone, but most people would say the best things about Christmas are the food and the presents. So why not combine the two, and take some of the stress out of the Christmas shopping by baking gifts this year. Everyone knows the easiest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, so get baking!
Christmas cake
We shared our recipe for the Ultimate Christmas Cake not too long ago and we think it would make a brilliant and thoughtful gift. Christmas cakes often seem complicated but the recipe for ours is simple and can be altered for most dietary needs. This cake really has the wow factor and would make an excellent gift for someone special.
Apple pie flapjacks
You can’t beat the sticky, oaty, chewy goodness of a flapjack, so this recipe is bound to be a hit. With the rich, sweet flavour of golden syrup complementing the bittersweet apple and cinnamon, these flapjacks taste like Christmas.
- 225g unsalted butter
- 110g light muscovado cane sugar
- 75g golden syrup
- 350g oats
- Pinch of salt
- 40g chopped walnuts
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 365g cooking apples
- Icing sugar
Before you begin make sure you’ve got a shallow square loose-bottomed baking tin. About 20cm in size should do. Line it with some greased parchment paper and place it to the side. You’ll want to pre heat the oven to 180°C /Gas mark 4 then it’s time to get baking. Add the butter, sugar and syrup to a large saucepan and heat gently until melted. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt then the oats, stirring well. Transfer the mix to a large bowl, leave it to cool, and then add the cinnamon and walnuts followed by the apple, coarsely grated with the skin on, mixing well. Spoon the mixture into the baking tin, flattening it with the back of the spoon and place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden. Whilst still warm, score it into portions with a knife, then leave it to cool on a rack. When cooled, dust with icing sugar and ground cinnamon, and voilà – you have a batch of scrumptious flapjacks that’ll make the perfect gift.
Chocolate bark
Now we may be cheating a little bit with this recipe as we aren’t actually baking anything, but we couldn’t leave out this incredibly easy and delicious chocolate bark. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever chocolate and topping you like so you can tailor it to different tastes. In our eyes, it’s a winning gift.
- 300g dark chocolate
- 300g milk chocolate
- Chopped pistachios
- Dried cranberries
- Baking tray lined with clingfilm
Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water then pour into the baking tray. Allow this to cool, and then repeat the first step, melting the milk chocolate. Pour the milk chocolate in the tray then scatter the pistachios and cranberries on top. Set it aside to cool and once hard, break into pieces and then place in individual size bags for giving as gifts. You don’t have to stick to the recipe we’ve provided; personalise your bark by using different toppings and chocolate to make it a gift to remember.
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