christmas kitchen

Use fresh and ground ginger to make these moreish biscuits. They're perfect served with a cuppa for afternoon tea, or as a treat anytime

Ginger biscuits

salted butter, cubed

light brown soft sugar

ginger

golden syrup

self-raising flour

1½ tbsp ground ginger

tsp bicarbonate of soda

Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line two large <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/kimberley-wilsons-top-5-baking-trays">baking trays</a> with baking parchment. In a saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter, sugar, fresh ginger and golden syrup and leave to cool.

Mix the flour, ground ginger and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Gradually stir in the cooled sugar mixture and the egg yolk and knead briefly to make a dough.

<a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/test-best-rolling-pins">Roll</a> the dough into 20g balls and put on the prepared baking trays with 3cm between each to allow for spreading. Bake for 8-10 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool on the trays for a min, then transfer to a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/kimberley-wilsons-top-five-cooling-racks">cooling rack</a> to cool completely.

A homemade Christmas pudding is easy to make, then it just needs time in the steamer to turn it into a glorious, rich, fruity dessert. A festive classic

Classic Christmas pudding

blanched almonds

apples

box candied peel(in large pieces)

nutmeg(you'll use three quarters of it)

1kg raisins

plain flour

soft fresh white breadcrumbs

light muscovado sugar,crumbled if it looks lumpy

eggs

brandy

packet butter,taken straight

unsalted butter,softened

orange

tbsp icing sugar

stem ginger,finely chopped

Get everything for the pudding prepared. Chop the almonds coarsely. Peel, core and chop the cooking apples. Sharpen your knife and chop the candied peel. (You can chop the almonds and apples in a food processor, but the peel must be done by hand.) Grate three quarters of the nutmeg (sounds a lot but it's correct).

Mix the almonds, apples, candied peel, nutmeg, raisins, flour, breadcrumbs, light muscovado sugar, eggs and 2 tbsp brandy or cognac in a large bowl.

Holding the butter in its wrapper, grate a quarter of it into the bowl, then stir everything together. Repeat until all the butter is grated, then stir for 3-4 mins – the mixture is ready when it subsides slightly after each stir. Ask the family to stir too, and get everyone to make a wish.

Generously butter two 1.2 litre bowls and put a circle of baking parchment in the bottom of each. Pack in the pudding mixture. Cover with a double layer of baking parchment, pleating it to allow for expansion, then tie with string (keep the paper in place with a rubber band while tying). Trim off any excess paper.

Now stand each bowl on a large sheet of foil and bring the edges up over the top, then put another sheet of foil over the top and bring it down underneath to make a double package (this makes the puddings watertight). Tie with more string, and make a handle for easy lifting in and out of the pan. Watch our <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/techniques/how-wrap-and-tie-steamed-pudding">video</a> to see how to tie up a pudding correctly.

Boil or oven steam the puddings for 8 hrs, topping up with water as necessary. Remove from the pans and leave to cool overnight. When cold, discard the messy wrappings and re-wrap in new baking parchment, foil and string. Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas.

To make the brandy butter, cream the butter with the orange zest and icing sugar. Gradually beat in the brandy or cognac and chopped stem ginger. Put in a small bowl, fork the top attractively and put in the fridge to set. The butter will keep for a week in the fridge, or it can be frozen for up to six weeks.

On Christmas Day, boil or oven steam for 1 hr. Unwrap and turn out. To flame, warm 3-4 tbsp brandy in a small pan, pour it over the pudding and set light to it.

If you (miraculously!) have a bit of panettone leftover this Christmas and plenty of eggs and cream around, use it to give bread and butter pud an upgrade.

Panettone bread and butter pudding

panettone,

unsalted butter

300 milliliters/10fl oz fruit compôte (blackberry is nice)

egg yolk

200 milliliters/7fl oz full-fat milk

200 milliliters/7fl oz double cream

caster sugar

icing sugar,

pouring cream (optional)

Paul Hollywood prefers melt-in-the-mouth pastry for his fruity mince pies, so this recipe is nice and short

Mince Pies

mincemeat(about 600 grams)

satsumas,segmented

apple,finely chopped

lemon

little icing sugar,for dusting

caster sugar,plus extra for sprinkling

egg,plus egg

Mince pies

Place 375g plain flour and 260g softened unsalted butter in a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-mixing-bowls">bowl</a> and rub together to a crumb consistency.

Add 125g caster sugar and 1 large beaten egg, and <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-food-mixers">mix</a> together.

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and fold until the pastry comes together, be careful not to over mix.

Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 10 mins.

Scoop the large jar of mincemeat into a bowl and add 2 segmented satsumas, 1 finely chopped apple and <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-graters">zest</a> of 1 lemon.

<a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/test-best-rolling-pins">Roll</a> out the pastry to 3mm thick.

Using a round cutter (about 10cm), cut out 16 bases and place them into muffin trays. Put 1½ tbsp mincemeat mixture into each. <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/test-best-pastry-brushes">Brush</a> the edge of each pie with a little beaten egg.

Re-roll out the pastry to cut 7cm lids and press them on top to seal. Glaze with the beaten egg, sprinkle with the extra caster sugar, then make a small cut in the tops.

Bake the mince pies for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool before releasing them from the muffin trays and dusting with a little more icing sugar before serving.

This twist on a classic Yule log uses the tropical flavours of passion fruit and coconut to create a terrific tropical centrepiece for your Christmas table

Passion Fruit, Chocolate & Coconut Roulade

butter,

gluten-free dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

eggs,

golden caster sugar

cocoa powder

ground almonds

tub mascarpone

double cream

Malibu(optional)

icing sugar

passion fruit curd

passion fruits, flesh scooped out

coconut flakes, toasted

edible gold glitter(optional)

Passion fruit, chocolate & coconut roulade

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 33 x 23cm Swiss roll tin and line with baking parchment, then grease the parchment too. Tip the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place it over a pan of gently simmering water. Leave to melt, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little (alternatively, melt it in short bursts in the microwave).

Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl, and the yolks and sugar in another. With very clean beaters, whisk the whites until they are just holding soft peaks. Transfer the beaters to the yolks bowl (no need to wash them) and beat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale.

Add a large spoonful of whites to the yolks and mix with a large metal spoon to loosen the yolks a little. Add the remaining whites and gently fold into the yolks, avoiding knocking out too much air.

When nearly all incorporated, sieve the cocoa over the surface, scatter over the almonds and pour in the melted chocolate. Continue folding until the mixture is well combined, then scrape into your tin. Spread the mixture to the edges and level the surface. Bake for 15-18 mins on the middle shelf of the oven until the surface is crisp and the cake feels springy.

While still warm, turn the roulade out onto a large piece of baking parchment, removing the parchment you used to bake the roulade on. With a small serrated knife, make a shallow incision about 1cm in from one of the shorter edges, making sure that you don&rsquo;t cut all the way thorough. Starting from this end, roll up as tightly as you can, bending the cut piece inwards to get the centre of the roll tight, using the baking parchment to help you and stop the layers sticking. Leave to set and cool.

Tip the mascarpone, cream, Malibu (if using) and icing sugar into a bowl and whisk until softly whipped. Carefully unroll the roulade &ndash; it will crack in places, but don&rsquo;t worry. Spread a third of the cream all over the surface, leaving a border of about 1.5cm all the way around. Drizzle the passion fruit curd all over the surface and top evenly with the passion fruit flesh.

Starting from the end that you used before, re-roll the roulade as tightly as you can, bending the cut piece into the cream to get the centre of the roll tight. Place the roulade, seam-side down, on a serving plate or board and spread the remaining cream all over the outside. Press the coconut flakes all over the top and sides, and dust with a little gold glitter, if you like. Chill and serve within a few hours. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 days.

Enjoy these classic florentines at Christmas time. Jewelled with cherries and pistachios and coated in chocolate, these biscuits are the perfect festive gift

Florentines

salted butter

light muscovado sugar

glacé cherries,chopped

flaked almonds

pistachios,chopped

oranges,zested

dark chocolate

Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/five-best-saucepans">saucepan</a> over a low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-whisks">whisk</a> in the flour then add the cherries, flaked almonds, pistachios and orange zest.

Scoop 10 flat tbsp of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving room for them to spread. You will need to do these in batches. Bake for 10 mins until golden. Leave to cool for 2 mins until firm enough to lift onto a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/kimberley-wilsons-top-five-cooling-racks">wire rack</a>. Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering saucepan of water or in the <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/review/best-microwaves-test">microwave</a> in 30 second bursts. Turn the florentines over on the wire rack. Spoon chocolate onto the base of each florentine and gently spread to the edges. When the chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape, use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate. Leave to set and then store in an airtight container.

Get ahead at Christmas with this showstopping cake boasting white chocolate, cherries and festive spice. You can bake the sponges, meringues and biscuits the day before assembling

White Forest Christmas Tree Traybake

softened salted butter,

cinnamon

½ tbsp ground ginger

tsp baking powder

natural yogurt

vanilla paste

white chocolatechips

ginger biscuits

bay leaves,

5-6 cocktail cherrieswith stalks, drained

morello cherry jam

edible glitter(optional)

green and red food colouring gel

gold leafand edible glitter, to decorate (optional)

softened butter

tbsp milk

White forest Christmas tree traybake

To make the frosted leaves and cherries, whisk the egg white with a fork until frothy. Tip the sugar onto a plate. Brush the egg white onto the bay leaves or dip them, then sprinkle the sugar over the leaves and half the cherries to coat. Leave to dry on a sheet of parchment for 6 hrs or until the frosting has completely dried.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the sponge, butter and line a 30 x 20cm traybake tin with parchment. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric whisk until creamy. Whisk in the eggs, one by one, then sieve and fold in the flour, spices and baking powder. Fold in the yogurt, vanilla and chocolate chips. Tip into the tin, smooth over and bake for 30-35 mins until the sponge is golden and springs back when pressed. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the parchment and leave to cool completely. Or, to make a round cake, see our tip below.

Reduce the oven to 120C/100C fan/gas ½ and leave the door open briefly to make sure the temperature drops low enough. To make the meringues, whisk the egg white in a large bowl with an electric whisk, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks form. Continually whisking, add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until it’s completely combined. Once it’s all added, beat for another 3-4 mins until you get a stiff, shiny meringue. Transfer the mixture to two small piping bags fitted with star and round nozzles. Use a cocktail stick, knife or spoon dipped in the food colouring to paint the inside of the bags in stripes up the length, painting each bag with a different colour and leaving the area nearest the nozzle uncoloured, then fill with meringue. Cover a baking sheet with parchment, using a little of the meringue on the underside to stick it to the tray. Pipe blobs onto it, well spaced apart, to make meringue kisses – they will come out plain first. Bake for 30 mins, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool to room temperature. Decorate them with gold leaf or glitter, if you like.

Press the jam firmly through a sieve to remove any large chunks and stir what’s left in the sieve back into the jar. Stir in a few pinches of glitter, if you like, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.

Beat the buttercream ingredients together using an electric whisk until you get a pale, fluffy icing. Transfer to a large piping bag with a wide, round nozzle.

To cut the sponge into a tree shape, first split the cooled cake into two layers using a cake cutter or serrated knife. Using a ruler or a sheet of baking parchment the same width as the cake, mark a halfway point at the top end of the cake. At the bottom end of the cake, mark it into thirds. Using these as a guide, cut squares from the bottom end of the cake, leaving a centre section for the tree stump, then cut from your middle mark at the top down to the bottom edges to create a Christmas tree shape. Use the off-cuts to make cake pops, or in trifle. Carefully lift off the top sponge using a baking sheet, and pipe blobs of buttercream all over, starting from the outside edge. Chill for 20 mins to firm up. Pipe some of the jam between the buttercream blobs, except the outer edge.

Position the remaining cake on top, and pipe more icing blobs all over. Add the frosted leaves, frosted and plain cherries, ginger biscuits (see <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/festive-ginger-biscuits">our recipe</a>) and meringues, sprinkle a little glitter over the un-frosted cherries, and pipe on the remaining jam in blobs. Add the biscuits, putting a star-shaped one at the top, and add gold leaf, if you like. Will keep, well covered in the fridge, for two-three days.

Love crinkle cookies? Try our extra-festive version for Christmas, with orange zest, mixed spice and cinnamon – and not forgetting the classic fudgy centre

Christmas Crinkle Cookies

cocoa powder,sieved

vegetable oil

tsp mixed spice

Christmas crinkle cookies

Mix the cocoa, caster sugar and oil together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until fully combined.

Combine the flour, baking powder, orange zest, mixed spice, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl, then add to the cocoa mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. If it feels too soft, put in the fridge to chill for 1 hr.

Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and tip the icing sugar into a shallow dish. Roll heaped teaspoons of the dough into balls (about 20g each), then roll in the icing sugar to coat. Put the balls on one large or two medium baking trays lined with baking parchment, ensuring they’re evenly spaced apart.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10 mins, then transfer to a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/kimberley-wilsons-top-five-cooling-racks">wire rack</a> to cool – they will firm up as they cool, but still be fudgy in the centre. Will keep for up to four days in an airtight container.

More than just gingerbread, these Christmas cookies have our special festive spice mix and are dipped in dark chocolate. Get the kids involved in baking them

Honey & Spice Cookies

butter

tbsp festive spice

tbsp honey

½ tsp cream of tartar

Honey & spice cookies

Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl until you have fine crumbs. Stir in the beaten egg, our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/festive-spice">festive spice</a>, golden caster sugar, honey and cream of tartar. Stir unil a soft dough forms, then wrap in cling film and chill for 20-30 mins.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the dough, cut into festive shapes and bake for 10-12 mins on lined baking trays. Dip in melted dark chocolate, if you like.

Everybody loves this traditional Christmas side dish and we've got three tasty twists including black pudding, butternut squash and chestnuts – you choose!

Classic Pigs In Blankets

rasherssmoked streaky bacon

chipolatas

Classic pigs in blankets

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the bacon rashers in half. Wrap a piece of bacon around each of the chipolatas.

Place on a baking tray and cook for 30-35 mins until golden.

Great British Bake Off's Kimberley Wilson has created this stunning celebration bread with individually filled buns and a melting cheese middle – made for sharing

Festive Filled Brioche Centrepiece With Baked Camembert

milk

strong white bread flour

sachet fast-action dried yeast

salt

½ tsp mixed spice

unsalted butter,cubed and softened

egg,beaten salt

poppy seed

camembertin a wooden, stapled carton

thyme

garlicbulb

tbsp quince paste(membrillo), mashed

chestnuthalves

½ tbsp dried, chopped cranberrymixed with ½ tbsp cranberry sauce

tbsp mushroom pâté

fresh cranberry

rosemarysprings or bay leaves

Festive filled brioche centrepiece with baked camembert

Day before: whisk together the eggs and milk in a jug. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and spice in the bowl of a kitchen mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir to combine.

On a medium setting, slowly pour in the egg mixture in a steady stream, continuing to stir until incorporated into a very soft, wet dough. Add the butter and increase the speed, kneading for 8-10 minutes. The dough will be ready when it clings around the dough hook. At this stage it will look more like a thick cake batter than bread dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

You can also roast the garlic the day before: heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove any loose outer skins from the garlic bulbs. With a sharp knife, cut off the stem and uppermost part of the cloves. Place on the foil, drizzle over a little olive oil and season. Bring up the edges of the foil and seal to form a fairly tight parcel. Bake in the top of the oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the parcel sealed until the garlic is cool enough to handle. Remove the cloves by either squeezing the bulb upwards from the base or by teasing them out with a toothpick. Mash the garlic with a fork. Wrap well (to avoid the garlic smell transferring to other foods) and refrigerate.

On the day: line a baking tray with baking parchment. Remove the cheese from its wooden carton and put the cheese back in the fridge until later. Put the carton in the centre of the lined tray.

Tip the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 5 large equal-sized pieces - it can help to roll the dough into an even sausage shape and mark with a knife first to get equal pieces.

Take one piece and divide into 5 again. One at a time, roll each of these 5 pieces gently into a ball, flour your index finger and make a small, deep indent in the middle. Fill with half a teaspoon of the roasted garlic, pinching the dough over the top to seal and placing the sealed side down onto the floured surface. Cup your hand over the bun and rotate a little to get an even shape. Repeat until you have filled all 5.

Repeat step 6 using the remaining 4 fillings.

Arrange the buns around the wooden carton, you’ll need 10 for the inner ring and 15 for the outer ring. Leave around 0.5cm between each bun, giving them room to rise. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove any plastic wrapping or stickers from the cheese. With a small knife, make an incision in the top rim and remove the top layer of rind. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and place in the carton, cut side up. Brush the buns with the beaten egg and scatter with poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Slide onto a serving platter. Decorate with the herbs and fresh cranberries. Serve the extra cheese alongside if using.

Transform the yule log into a magical Christmas dessert using festive spices, a brandy butter filling and chocolate truffle icing for extra indulgence

Next level yule log

eggs, separated

cocoa powder(make sure it’s pure cocoa)

½ tsp ground ginger

sugar,

soft butter

icing sugar, sifted

tsp vanilla extract

dark chocolate, chopped

milliliters double cream

white chocolate, chopped

bay leaves, rose leaves

edible gold lustre, food spray

Line a 35 x 25cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat the egg whites with an electric <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-whisks">whisk</a> until just holding peaks, then add half the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the peaks hold. Set aside. Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and fluffy in a clean bowl. Sift in the cocoa, spices and a pinch of salt and gently fold them through. Beat in a third of the egg whites, then gently fold through the rest until you have an airy mousse. Pour into the tin and spread evenly. Bake for 12-15 mins until springy.

Sprinkle caster sugar over a large sheet of baking parchment. Turn the cake out onto the sugared parchment, then peel off the sheet you used to line the tin. Cover with a clean tea towel, then leave to cool completely. Trim the edges, then score along the inside edge of one&nbsp;of the short sides and roll it up from there, using the parchment to help.&nbsp;

Top 37 christmas kitchen recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Ginger biscuits

Classic Christmas pudding

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Make & mature Christmas cake

Perfect roast turkey

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Spiced stollen plait

Banoffee chocolate cups

Freeze-ahead chocolate & chestnut p...

Red cabbage with balsamic vinegar &...

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Baileys custard tart

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Lebkuchen

Stollen muffins

Top 37 christmas kitchen recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Ginger biscuits

Classic Christmas pudding

Mince Pies

Passion Fruit, Chocolate & Coconut ...

Florentines

White Forest Christmas Tree Traybak...

Christmas Crinkle Cookies

Honey & Spice Cookies

Classic Pigs In Blankets

Festive Filled Brioche Centrepiece ...

Next level yule log

Crispy traybake stuffing

Make & mature Christmas cake

Perfect roast turkey

Super sausage rolls

Spiced stollen plait

Banoffee chocolate cups

Freeze-ahead chocolate & chestnut p...

Red cabbage with balsamic vinegar &...

Ginger cookie sandwiches with lemon...

Christmas cookies

Baileys custard tart

Unbelievably easy mince pies

Cherry pecan Christmas pudding

Roast sweet potato & onion tart wit...

Last-minute Christmas loaf cake

Lemon stars

Chocolate & cherry Christmas puddin...

Mincemeat cookies

Figgy Christmas pudding

Gingerbread cake with caramel biscu...

Faux gras with toast & pickles

Lebkuchen

Stollen muffins

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