christmas party

Wilt spinach with garlic and spices, then pile onto small, warm pieces of naan bread and top with halloumi for an attractive vegetarian canapé

Naan, spinach & halloumi bites

tbsp butter

garlic cloves

tsp garam masala

baby spinach

packs halloumi cheese

naan bread

Warm the butter in a large pan with the crushed garlic cloves and garam masala. Roughly chop the washed baby spinach and add to the melted butter and spices. Cook until the spinach has wilted, then season to taste.

Cut the halloumi into cubes and grill the tops until golden. Heat the naan breads under the grill &ndash; just to warm through &ndash; then spread with the spinach mixture.

Evenly distribute the grilled halloumi over the bread, then cut the bread to fit the cheese, and secure with cocktail sticks. Serve warm.

It's easy to make your own mulled cider. As well as fruit and spices, we've added extra apple brandy to our version of this delicious winter warmer

Mulled cider

dry cider

Calvados

apple juice

dark brown sugar

cloves

cinnamon sticks,broken

tbsp allspiceberries

Pour the cider, Calvados, apple juice and sugar into a large saucepan, and gently heat to mull.

Add the orange zest and spices, bring to a simmer, then turn down and keep on a low heat for 20-30 mins. Ladle into glass mugs to serve.

Gooey, melted cheese and crispy, golden bread make a stunning centrepiece to share with friends over drinks or as a dinner party starter – make ahead for fuss-free entertaining

Baked camembert with bacon-wrapped breadsticks

strong white flour

sachet fast-action dried yeast

tsp English mustard powder

golden caster sugar

tsp thyme leaves,plus extra sprigs for the cheese

light olive oil,plus extra for greasing

whole camembertin a box

pancetta

Mix together the flour, yeast, mustard powder, 11/2 tsp fine salt, the sugar, thyme leaves and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Stir in 250ml lukewarm water, use your hands to bring together into a dough, then knead for 10 mins on a clean surface until it is smooth and elastic. If you have a tabletop mixer with a dough hook, use this instead and ‘knead’ for just 5 mins. Sit the dough in a large, clean bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave at room temperature for about 1 hr until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line your largest baking tray with baking parchment. Sit the lid of your boxed camembert in the centre of the tray.

Knead the dough back into a smooth ball, then use your fingers to make a hole through the centre. Steadily stretch the doughnut shape into a large ring until the centre hole is large enough to fit around the lid. The best way to do this is to swing the dough around your fingers, then hand, like a hula-hoop.

Sit the dough ring on the tray around the box lid. Use kitchen scissors to snip the dough ring into 20 strips, from the outside in, but leave a few millimetres of dough still connecting the strips together around the lid in the centre. If using the ready-to-eat pancetta slices, halve each one lengthways. Twist one of the 20 dough strips to make it longer and thinner like a breadstick, then wrap a pancetta slice in a spiral around it. Repeat with all the dough strips.

Your breadsticks might look a little higgledy-piggledy at the moment, so use kitchen scissors to snip the ends off any that need it to make an even, round shape, if you like (see tip below). Brush with a little light olive oil and bake for 15 mins.

Meanwhile, unwrap the camembert and top with the thyme sprigs. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a little more black pepper. Remove the breadsticks from the oven and sit the cheese inside the box lid, then bake for another 5 mins until the bread is golden and crispy, and the cheese molten.

Sticky spiced wings make great finger food or canapés, and this version skips the deep-fried stage so they're healthier

Baked buffalo chicken wings

garlic cloves, crushed

olive oil

tbsp cider vinegar

paprika

Worcestershire sauce

tsp celery salt

tbsp pepper sauce (we used Frank's hot sauce)

tbsp honey

½kg chicken wing, halved at the joint

In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, olive oil, cider vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, hot sauce, honey and a couple of cracks of black pepper. Add the chicken wings and toss around to make sure they’re fully covered in the marinade. If you have time, leave the wings to marinate for a couple of hrs in the fridge or ideally overnight.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Drain and reserve the marinade, then spread the wings out on a very large baking tray. Bake for 30 mins, then pour off the excess oil, add the reserved marinade and toss well. Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 mins, tossing a few times to coat in the glaze as they cook. They should be sticky and glazed with most of the marinade evaporated. Serve on a large platter alongside other party snacks.

With a dark chocolate digestive base and nutty cream cheese topping, this frozen dessert has a winter twist

Iced chestnut ripple cheesecake

dark chocolate digestive biscuits

butter

sunflower oil

chestnut pieces, roughly chopped

can chestnut purée

icing sugar

tbsp dark rum

pot double cream

vanilla extract

tub soft cheese

For the base, blitz the biscuits in a food processor or bash in a bag to make crumbs. Stir in the butter, then press into the base of a 22cm springform cake tin. Chill.

For the praline, line a tray with baking parchment and lightly oil it. Tip the caster sugar into a frying pan and place over a high heat. Cook for 5 mins, without stirring, until dissolved and you have a dark amber caramel. Throw in the chestnut pieces, then quickly tip onto the baking parchment and leave to harden. Break or chop into small pieces and set aside.

For the filling, blitz the chestnut purée in a food processor with the icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the rum. Set 3 tbsp of the mix aside. In a large bowl, whisk the cream with the caster sugar and vanilla until it holds its shape, then whisk in the soft cheese. Beat in the pieces of praline, then gently fold through the chestnut purée so that it ripples the cream. Spoon onto the biscuit base. Bang the cake tin gently on the work surface to level and smooth over the top. Cover with cling film and freeze for at least 12 hrs or up to 1 month.

For the drizzle, mix the remaining rum with the reserved chestnut purée and enough water to make it just runny. If serving the cake within 2 days, chill the drizzle; if keeping for longer, freeze and defrost when needed.

Put the cheesecake in the fridge to thaw a little 30 mins before serving. Using a sandwich bag with a corner tip cut off, pipe the drizzle over the top of the cake in a zig-zag pattern. Carefully remove from the tin and serve in small wedges – with a glass of rum if you fancy it.

Make our easy eggnog recipe for the perfect festive party tipple. This traditional Christmas drink uses just five ingredients, including egg yolks and brandy

Eggnog

caster sugar

vanilla essence

can of condensed milk

brandy

Put the sugar in a saucepan with 75ml water. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved, then cool and chill.

Beat the yolks with the vanilla until smooth. Add the condensed milk, brandy and cooled sugar syrup, mixing well.

Pour into a jug and chill for at least 2 hrs. Serve within 24 hrs, over ice.

Soft, gooey, sticky, and chewy, these Hot Cocoa Cookies are loaded with chocolate and topped with a toasted marshmallow, for the perfect Christmas treat.

Hot Cocoa Cookies

(191 grams) all-purpose flour

(32 grams) hot chocolate mix*

baking powder

cinnamon

salt

(113 grams) unsalted butter, (at a cool room temperature)

(50 grams) granulated sugar

(100 grams) light brown sugar

(170 grams) milk chocolate chips

marshmallows,

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, hot chocolate mix, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well-combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until combined. Add the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Chill for about 1 hour, or until the dough is no longer sticky.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a spoon or a medium spring-loaded cookie scoop, drop 1 1/2-tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top each cookie with a piece of semisweet chocolate and 1 marshmallow half, cut side up. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 4 minutes, or until the marshmallow begins to melt slightly. Remove from the oven and use a kitchen torch to toast the tops of the marshmallows. Alternatively, place the cookies under the broiler for about 30 seconds to toast the marshmallows. Be careful as the marshmallows can go from toasted to burnt very quickly!

Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Cookies are best served the day they are made due to the marshmallow but may be stored in an airtight container in one flat layer for up to 3 days.

These Easy Gingerbread Cookies are packed full of wonderful spiced flavor and perfectly maintain their adorable shapes once baked. The dough comes together in no time, and the easy cookie icing is simple to make. Make-ahead tips included.

Gingerbread Cookies

(381 grams) all-purpose flour*

baking soda

ginger

nutmeg

(170 grams) unsalted butter, (at cool room temperature)

(100 grams) packed light brown sugar

(168 grams) unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)**

(250 grams) powdered sugar, (sifted)

milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Shape the dough into a thick disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and let stand until just pliable enough to roll with ease. Place the chilled dough in between two large pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap on a work surface. Roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the dough and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing at least a 1/2-inch apart. Reroll remaining scraps of dough into 1/4-inch thickness and cut out more shapes.

If at any point the dough becomes too warm to hold its shape or becomes unbearably sticky*, return to the fridge (or freezer) until firm again.

Bake for 11 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the edges are slightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through. For crisper cookies, bake for about 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 3 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the cookies:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients until a thick and smooth icing forms. Add more milk if the icing is too thick, or more sifted powdered sugar if it’s too thin.

Transfer the icing to a small squeeze bottle, piping bag, or ziptop bag with a small hole cut in the corner. Decorate the cookies with the icing. Allow to set before serving or storing.

Make the icing:

It feels silly reviewing these in February, but these changed my entire perception on gingerbread! My whole life I thought gingerbread was hard and bland, until I tried a sample at a grocery store and decided to give this recipe a go. I’m so glad I did. It’s soft, delicious, and flavorful. They also hold their shape, which some recipes don’t even with chilling, so that’s a huge plus.

Yum! We only have blackstrap molasses here in NZ but the dough has turned out great (I've eaten a fair bit of raw dough and its delish). Dough is cooling off in the fridge (summer Christmas, yuck) before we chuck the gingerbread in the oven so fingers crossed - thanks for an awesome recipe!

These are super easy to make! Everyone loved them. I live at 7000 feet and did not make any changes to recipe.

Hello! 
I chose  this recipe, after searching for dark brown gingerbread cookie recipe. I’ve made regular gingerbread for years. I researched and found I needed to use “full flavor” molasses to get the dark color. Well, they turned out light brown, like always!!  I’m really wondering what is going on…can you help?

Christmas Lofthouse Cookies are the cutest cookies you’ll make this holiday season! My Copycat Lofthouse Cookies are soft, fluffy, and slightly cakey - and taste SO much better than the storebought variety. Quick and easy recipe made with simple ingredients.

Christmas Lofthouse Cookies

¾ cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour

(33 grams) cornstarch

fine sea salt

(113 grams) unsalted butter, (at cool room temperature)

(200 grams) granulated sugar

egg, (at room temperature)

(75 grams) sour cream, (at room temperature)

almond extract, (optional but highly recommended)

+ 2 tablespoons (266 grams) powdered sugar, (sifted)

(30 grams) heavy or whipping cream

Gel food coloring, (if desired)

Sprinkles, (if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract (if using). Turn the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is thicker (will look slightly curdled), about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl again. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined.

Using a medium spring-loaded scoop (1 ½ tablespoons), drop balls of cookie dough onto prepared sheets in four rows of three. Roll each ball until smooth, then flatten them to ¼-inch thick with the palm of your hand. If the dough is too sticky, dampen your hands slightly as needed.

Bake until the cookies appear dry on the top but still pale at the edges, about 11 minutes.

Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the cookie dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until smooth and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add the salt, vanilla, and cream and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, adding more cream if needed. Add the food color, if using.

Frost each cookie with a heaping tablespoon of frosting. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread it evenly. If you’d like to add sprinkles, do so right after frosting each cookie, as the frosting can set quickly. Allow the cookies to sit for about 4 hours or until the frosting is firm. This time may vary depending on your kitchen’s humidity.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to six days or up to six weeks in the freezer. Thaw in fridge overnight, then let come to room temperature before serving. Note that coloring of sprinkles may bleed when frozen and thawed.

Make the frosting:

Give mince pies a makeover with this alternative recipe - all the festive flavour wrapped up in sheets of filo pastry and baked until crisp

Mincemeat samosas

apple

orange

dried ready-to-eat apricots chopped

pistachios

dried cranberries

sultanas

tbsp clear honey

Mix together the fruit, dried fruit, nuts, spices and brandy. Leave the mixture in the fridge for 30 mins to allow the flavours to develop, then stir in the honey. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Arrange the filo sheets with the short side facing you and, using scissors, cut the stack in 3 vertically, to make long strips. Brush the top 3 strips with melted butter.

Working quickly, put 1 heaped spoonful of mincemeat at the top of the first strip. Fold one corner of the pastry over it to form a triangle, then continue folding alternately left and right to form a triangular package, until you’ve used up all the strip. Repeat with the other strips, brushing with butter before folding.

Place on a baking sheet and brush each one with more melted butter. Bake for 15-20 mins until crisp and golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm (reheat later in a low oven if necessary).

Top 10 christmas party recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Naan, spinach & halloumi bites

Mulled cider

Baked camembert with bacon-wrapped ...

Baked buffalo chicken wings

Iced chestnut ripple cheesecake

Eggnog

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

Christmas Lofthouse Cookies

Mincemeat samosas

Top 10 christmas party recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Naan, spinach & halloumi bites

Mulled cider

Baked camembert with bacon-wrapped ...

Baked buffalo chicken wings

Iced chestnut ripple cheesecake

Eggnog

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

Christmas Lofthouse Cookies

Mincemeat samosas

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