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Christmas recipes

With the festive season upon us what better way to have some fun with your flatmates than getting creative in the kitchen? Whether you’ll have a flat Christmas bake-off or just fancy treating yourself, we’ve collated some traditional seasonal goodies that we see this time of year in the UK. And better yet, they won’t break the bank or take too much time away from your studies!  

Christmas sugar cookies:

Let's kick things off with a classic—Christmas Cookies! Channel your inner baking wizard and whip up a batch of these yummy sugar cookies. Express your creativity with icing and sprinkles and see who can ice the best Santa or snowman!  




You will need:  

  • 100g unsalted butter  

  • 100 g caster sugar  

  • 2 eggs  

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract  

  • 300g plain flour  

  • 30g cornflour  

 

Method: 

  1. 1. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk sieved plain flour and cornflour until a dough forms. Roll on a floured surface into a disk of about 6mm thickness, wrap in cling film and refrigerate. 

  1. 2. Heat the oven to 180C fan. Cut out cookies using your chosen cutter shape (use a glass for a circle cutter if you don’t have one). Place on a baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. 

  2. 3. Once cooled it’s time to decorate! You can use premade icing from the shop, icing pens or a mix of icing sugar and water, let the creativity go wild! 


Find the full method here: Sugar cookies recipe | BBC Good Food  

Mince pies:

Here in the UK, you can’t have Christmas without having a mince pie! They have been widely accepted as a Christmas tradition and you will often find supermarkets stocked full of them this time of year.  









You will need:  

  • 225g cold butter  

  • 350g plain flour  

  • 100g caster sugar  

  • 280g mincemeat  

  • 1 egg  

  • Icing sugar (to dust)  

 

Method: 

  1. 1. Make the pastry: rub the flour into the butter (as if you were making breadcrumbs), then mix in the sugar. Combine the mix into a ball (don’t add extra liquid) and knead together. 

  1. 2. Heat the oven to 180C fan. Divide the dough in half and roll it out. Using a cookie cutter or a glass cut out 18 circles to line a cupcake tray. Spoon the mincemeat into the pies and, using the other half of the dough, cut out some lids and cover each pie, seal by pressing the edges gently together. 

  1. 3. Brush the top of each pie with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes. Dust with icing sugar once cool and enjoy! 

    

Find the full method here: Unbelievably easy mince pies recipe | BBC Good Food


Gingerbread House:


Fancy something a bit more challenging? Have a flat bake-off and see who can successfully build a gingerbread house. It’s harder than it looks!  








  

You will need:  

  • 375g unsalted butter  

  • 300g dark muscovado sugar  

  • 150g golden syrup  

  • 900g plain flour  

  • 1 tbsp bicarbonate soda  

  • 2 tbsp ground ginger  

Icing:  

  • 3 egg whites  

  • 675g icing sugar  

  • 3 tsp lemon juice  

 

Method: 

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan  

  1. 2. Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a bowl and pour the melted mix into the middle. Stir together and knead into a dough once cool enough. 

  1. 3. Divide the mix into 5 pieces (cut one of these pieces into 2 so you have 6 total). Roll out each piece and cut out the house shapes using the template. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes (check the recipe if you want to make glazed windows with sweets). Leave to cool completely. 

  1. 4. Whisk egg whites until frothy and add in the icing sugar slowly. Add in the lemon juice and whisk until stiff peaks form. 

  1. 5. Using a piping bag (or a spoon!) use the icing to glue each gingerbread section together. Make sure to leave time for the icing to harden and decorate how you like. 



Bailey's Rocky Road Fudge:

Whether you need a last-minute homemade gift or fancy a boozy twist that will also curb your Christmas sweet tooth, these fudge treats can be brought together in a matter of minutes and left to chill overnight.  








You will need:  

  • 50ml Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur  

  • 200g dark chocolate (chopped)  

  • 20g unsalted butter  

  • 100g sweetened condensed milk  

  • 50g unsalted pistachios (chopped)  

  • 75g shortbread (crushed)  

  • 200g mini marshmallows  

  • 150g white chocolate (chopped)  

 

Method: 

  1. 1. Place Baileys, dark chocolate, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and allow to melt, stirring until smooth. Stir in nuts, biscuits, marshmallows, and 100g white chocolate.  

  1. 2. Spread mix into an 8cm x 20cm lined tray and chill for 2-3 hours. 

  1. 3. Melt the remaining 50g white chocolate and drizzle over fudge before cutting into squares and enjoy. 


Christmas Tree Brownies: