christmas gifts

This recipe makes really soft, melt-in-the- mouth British-style fudge. A batch of super-creamy fudge makes a brilliant present for family and friends at birthdays and Christmas. 

Use the iced water hack and you won't need a sugar thermometer. 

Fudge

tin condensed milk

450 grams/1lb light brown soft sugar

120 grams/4½oz butter, cubed

125 milliliters/4fl oz milk

salt

These little cookies – described by one friend as tasting like a cookie within a cookie – are really a mixture between a meringue and a cookie. Hence they’ve become known at home, where they’re immensely popular, as Merookies, and are ideal with a cup of coffee after dinner. They are called “forgotten” as, just like the 'Forgotten Pudding' in Nigella Express, they are not baked, but put in a hot oven, which you immediately turn off, leaving the cookies to bake in the fading residual heat overnight. I find it all too easy actually to forget them, and always put a post-it sticker on the oven to remind me they’re in there, so I don’t burn them to a cinder by preheating the oven to cook something else in it the next day. 

Forgotten cookies

free-range egg whites,

fine sea salt

grams/3½oz caster sugar

tsp cornflour

tsp cider vinegar vinegar

¼ tsp ground cardamom

75 grams/2½oz mini dark chocolate chips

75 grams/2½oz pistachios, finely chopped

Homemade Irish cream is a real treat, served it chilled with plenty of ice or sneak a drop into your coffee. 

Homemade Irish Cream

250 milliliters/9fl oz single cream

1x 397 grams/14 ounces tin condensed milk

350 milliliters/12fl oz Irish whiskey

tsp Camp coffee essence

tsp chocolate sauce

vanilla essence

almond essence

Homemade Irish cream

A jar of salted caramel sauce makes a great Christmas present. This is so easy - don't tell anyone. If you don’t want to include the rum, just leave it out. It still tastes amazing.

You will need to have sterilised jars to keep the caramel in. This recipe makes about 2 jam jars of caramel.

Salted caramel sauce

tin ready-made condensed milk caramel

unsalted butter

sea salt

tbsp rum (optional)

Spoil someone with this buttery shortbread garnished with a drizzle of chocolate.

Shortbread

butter,

(1 1/2 cups) plain flour

(2/3 cup) rice flour

(1/2 cup) caster sugar

cold butter, coarsely chopped

Plain flour, extra, to dust

white chocolate,

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With just four ingredients, you can make your own coconut ice at home. They make great edible gifts too! 

You will need a 20cm/8in square baking tin for this recipe.

Coconut ice

397 grams/14 ounces tin condensed milk

325 grams/11½oz icing sugar, sifted

coconut

pink food colouring paste

The countdown to Christmas is well underway and you can get into the spirit of things by baking these super cute biscuits for Santa... or for yourself!

North Pole shortbread

unsalted butter, softened

caster sugar

tbsp glace orange peel, very finely chopped

(75 grams) self-raising flour

(300 grams) plain flour

Nestle White Chocolate Melts, melted following packet directions

These light and very almondy amaretti are crisp on the outside and slightly chewy inside. Whip up a batch for edible presents - you can dust them with icing sugar for a pretty finish.

Amaretti biscuits

eggs, whites only (160 grams/6 ounces)

almonds

milliliters/1fl oz amaretto liqueur

Salt dough decorations

flour

fine table salt

vegetable oil

water

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Box up these shortbread trees for a Christmas gift both kids and adults will love.

Shortbread trees

plain flour

rice flour (see note)

eggwhite, very lightly beaten

Edible place settings for Christmas lunch? What a great idea! These ones are so easy to make, the kids can help you out.

Star trees

butter, softened

icing sugar

tsp vanilla extract

egg,

cornflour

white chocolate, melted

You can choose any filling you like for these easy little homemade chocolates. They are ideal as sweet nibbles or as a gift for family and friends.

Equipment: you will need a large silicone ice cube tray. 

Homemade chocolates

grams/10½oz milk

grams/3½oz desiccated coconut

200 milliliters/7fl oz condensed milk

marshmallows

tbsp peanut butter, crunchy

fruit and nut mixture

Making your own filled chocolates using an ice cube tray.

DIY chocolates

Christmas Pretzel Bark 

pretzel sticks

brown sugar

butter

vanilla extract

oz chocolate,

Christmas sprinkles

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay an even layer of pretzel sticks across entire sheet, set aside.

Add butter, brown sugar, and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue boiling mixture for 4-5 minutes while stirring frequently. When mixture thickens and darkens remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour mixture evenly over the pretzels and place baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.

While the first layer is baking, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth.

Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool 1 minute, then pour melted chocolate evenly across the top. Add holiday sprinkles if desired.

Place in fridge (not freezer!) for 3-4 hours or overnight. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

Nadiya's chewy, almond and raspberry amaretti have a fresh raspberry hidden in the middle. They make a lovely gift, but are best eaten straight away. 

Raspberry amaretti biscuits

340 grams/11¾oz caster sugar

340 grams/11¾oz ground almonds

grams/¾oz freeze-dried raspberries, blitzed to a powder

almond extract

raspberries

I go into auto-Parmesan-shortbread mode whenever I have friends coming for supper, as not only is it perfect with drinks, but it can be made in advance. Indeed you can make the dough, wrap it and then leave it in the fridge for up to three days before slicing an baking, although you will need to let these cheese-scented cylinders sit out on a kitchen surface just long enough to get the fridge-chill off them before slicing.

Parmesan shortbreads

150 grams/5½oz plain flour

grams/3½oz unsalted butter, softened

Reindeer Hot Chocolate Bags are a hit every holiday season! They&#x27;re easy to make and are great as last minute gifts for teachers or friends!

DIY Reindeer Hot Cocoa Bags

Piping Bags

Hot Chocolate Packet

tbsp mini chocolate chips

mini marshmallows

red pom-pom ball

wiggle eyes

cleaner

Ribbon

Printable Gift Tags (print on white cardstock

glue

scissors

stapler

single hole punch

Pour hot cocoa mix into the piping bag,...

Pour hot cocoa mix into the piping bag, pushing it all the way to the tip.

Cut off the top of the piping bag...

Cut off the top of the piping bag at approximately 2 inches above the top of the hot cocoa. Fold the excess two inches of the piping bag in and down – staple to close.

Put the bag of hot cocoa into another...

Put the bag of hot cocoa into another piping bag and flatten.

Layer in mini chocolate chips.

Add a layer of marshmallows.

Cinch the top of the bag and tie...

Cinch the top of the bag and tie on a ribbon.

Cut out a gift tag and punch a...

Cut out a gift tag and punch a hole in the top. Weave the ribbon through the hole and knot it to hold the gift tag in place.

Wrap a pipe cleaner around the bag –...

Wrap a pipe cleaner around the bag – just above the ribbon. Shape it into antlers.

Place wiggle eyes near the top of the...

Place wiggle eyes near the top of the hot cocoa mix and glue in place.

Glue a pom-pom near the tip of the...

Glue a pom-pom near the tip of the bag for Rudolph’s nose.

Trim off the excess piping bag above antlers.

These gorgeous chewy, chocolate coated florentines make a beautiful gift, if you can bear to part with them!

Traditionally they have one side covered in chocolate, but that doesn’t agree with me – where am I supposed to hold it without getting melted chocolate all over my fingers? So I like to half dip. No messy fingers and I get to taste the florentines in two different ways. 

Ginger and almond florentines

softened,

grams/1¾oz brown sugar

golden syrup

grams/1¾oz plain flour

75 grams/2¾oz crystallised ginger, finely chopped

grams/1¾oz almonds

orange, zest only

chocolate

65 grams/2½oz white chocolate

Roast almonds, Brazil nuts and cashews with spiced flavours then pack up into bags as a homemade gift

Sweet & spicy nuts

sunflower oil

cinnamon

½ tsp mixed spice

mixed nut

tbsp honey

Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Mix the oil with the spices, then stir in the nuts and drizzle over half the honey. Spread over a baking sheet and cook for 10 mins.

Remove from the oven and drizzle over the remaining honey, then return to the oven and cook for a further 10 mins. Allow to cool completely.

Lebkuchen are traditional German Christmas cookies. Whether you make traditional circles or cut into stars and hearts, friends and family will love these Christmas biscuits. 

You can decorate them in so many ways as well. My favourites are chocolate covered, closely followed by a thin icing - but if you like thick icing don't let me stop you!

Lebkuchen

runny honey

100 grams/3½oz ground almonds

tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

ginger

allspice

nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves (optional)

cocoa powder (optional)

½ unwaxed orange, finely grated zest and juice

grams/3½oz icing sugar

200 grams/7 ounces dark, milk

For this rhubarb-infused gin you will need to use bright pink, early forced rhubarb and allow at least 1 week after making before drinking. This gives the gin a beautiful pink colour and fresh, sweet rhubarb flavour. Add a few slices of fresh ginger, ½ vanilla pod or perhaps a star anise or a few strips blood orange zest if you want a more aromatic flavour.

Rhubarb gin

rhubarb

500 milliliters/18fl oz dry gin

vanilla pod,

fresh root ginger

star anise

blood orange, pared

Keep this delicious aperitif in the freezer for a refreshing - and surprising - Christmas drink.

Top 23 christmas gifts recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas gifts recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Fudge

Forgotten cookies

Homemade Irish Cream

Salted caramel sauce

Shortbread

Coconut ice

North Pole shortbread

Amaretti biscuits

Salt dough decorations

Shortbread trees

Star trees

Homemade chocolates

Christmas Pretzel Bark

Raspberry amaretti biscuits

Parmesan shortbreads

DIY Reindeer Hot Cocoa Bags

Ginger and almond florentines

Sweet & spicy nuts

Lebkuchen

Rhubarb gin

Christmas pudding vodka

Walnut and honey baklava

Sloe gin

Top 23 christmas gifts recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas gifts recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Fudge

Forgotten cookies

Homemade Irish Cream

Salted caramel sauce

Shortbread

Coconut ice

North Pole shortbread

Amaretti biscuits

Salt dough decorations

Shortbread trees

Star trees

Homemade chocolates

Christmas Pretzel Bark

Raspberry amaretti biscuits

Parmesan shortbreads

DIY Reindeer Hot Cocoa Bags

Ginger and almond florentines

Sweet & spicy nuts

Lebkuchen

Rhubarb gin

Christmas pudding vodka

Walnut and honey baklava

Sloe gin

The most viewed christmas gifts recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine