Get into the spirit with Christmas food like mulled wine and mince pies, make homemade presents, and create the perfect Christmas menu. Here are a few recipes of our own to help you along.
A Christmas Breakfast, one to prepare with your kids: Snowman Pancakes with Orange and Spice
Add some festive spice to our fluffy pancakes with cinnamon and orange zest. The perfect breakfast for Christmas morning.
Ingredients
- 2 c Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
- 1-1 1/4c milk (depending on how thick or thin you like your pancakes)
- 1 large free-range egg
- 3 oranges, zest finely grated (fruit cut into wedges for serving)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp butter + more to serve with pancakes
- 2 tbsp runny honey for drizzling
Method
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In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and milk together until the mixture is light. Stir in the mix until it's just moistened, no more than 20 seconds. Don't try to get out all the lumps or the pancakes will be tough and rubbery. Add the orange zest and cinnamon and whisk again.
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Melt butter in a heavy-based frying pan or electric skillet. Add a small ladleful of batter and cook for 4 minutes, or until golden-brown. Turn over and cook the second side for 3 minutes, or until golden-brown.
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Serve with a drizzle of honey and orange wedges for squeezing over. Increase the ingredients proportionately to serve more people.
(recipe adapted from a BBC Good Food Recipe)
A Christmas side: Make-ahead Yorkshire pudding
Perfect Yorkshire puddings are all about resting the batter. Make the batter the night before if you like, or freeze the cooked Yorkshire puddings to be even more prepared.
Ingredients
- 3 free-range eggs
- 4oz/115g Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
- 1 1/4 cup/ 275ml milk
- roast dripping
Method
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Mix together the eggs and baking mix. Add the milk, stirring constantly, until you have a runny batter.
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Leave this to rest, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
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Place 1cm/½in of beef dripping in the bottom of each pudding mold, or if you are using a rectangular roasting tray, place 1cm/½in of beef dripping across the bottom.
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Heat the dripping in a 450F oven for about ten minutes, until it is piping hot.
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Remove the roasting tray from the oven, pour in the batter, and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, making sure not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes.
Recipe Tips: Cooled, cooked Yorkshire puddings can be frozen and reheated if you need to get ahead on your roast dinner. Just make sure to use them within 3 months.
Festive Christmas desserts and snacks
Gingerbread cupcakes with salted caramel icing
Ingredients
- 3 c Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 5oz/140g unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (125ml) light unsulphured molasses
- 3/4cup (51/4 oz) sugar
- 1 cup milk, warmed
- 2 eggs
For the salted caramel buttercream
- 4½oz/125g white sugar
- 2½fl oz/80ml double cream
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5¾oz/160g salted butter, softened
- 7oz/200g powdered sugar
Method
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Mix together the melted butter, molasses, sugar, and warm milk. In another bowl, sift together the baking mix and spices.
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Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined.
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Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and lightly firm to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and set aside to cool on a cooling rack.
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For the salted caramel buttercream, heat the caster sugar and four tablespoons of water in a saucepan over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat and cook the caramel for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and stir in the cream. (CAUTION: the caramel may splutter a little when you add the cream.) Stir in the salt and vanilla and set aside to cool completely.
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Cream the butter and icing sugar together for at least 4-5 minutes, then beat in the caramel. When combined pipe or spread the icing over the cup cakes and sprinkle with a little extra sea salt.
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Decorate the cupcakes with the buttercream.
Cranberry Steamed Pudding
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 55 minutes, plus cooling
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 4½oz/125g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 4½oz/100g fresh cranberries
- 6oz/175g light brown sugar
- 1 cup Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
- 3oz/90g ground almonds
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F; generously grease a 4 cup (900ml) pudding basin. Cut a square of baking parchment and another of foil, both about 8 " wider than the basin. Place the foil on top of the baking parchment and fold a pleat across the middle.
- Gently heat the cranberries in a pan with 1oz sugar for 5-8 minutes, until they split. Cool, then put in the basin.
- To make the pudding, tip the baking mix, almond flour and spices into a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, remaining 5oz sugar and orange zest together and beat until smooth.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat hard, for about a minute, until smooth. Quickly mix in 1 tbsp orange juice.
- Spoon the mixture over the cranberries. Cover with the pleated parchment and foil, foil-side up, and tie in place with string under the rim. Put the basin on top of a small, upturned plate in a casserole dish, and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Carefully lift from the casserole, remove the foil and paper. Spike the top of the pudding with a skewer and pour over the remaining orange juice. Run a knife around the pudding, turn out and serve immediately with cream or custard, if liked.
(recipe adapted from a Waitrose Food, November 2016 issue recipe)