IT’S CHRISTMAS!
These frosty treats are 'snow' much fun!
Christmas snowmen
MAKES 8
For the pfeffernüsse (spiced soft gingerbread)
100g (3½oz) dark brown sugar
100g (3½oz) runny honey
75g (2¾oz) unsalted butter
45ml (1¾oz) double cream
325g (11oz) plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground star anise
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
25g (1oz) ground almonds
1 large free-range egg
250g (9oz) icing sugar, plus extra to serve
To complete the dominosteine (chocolate covered sweets with marzipan and gingerbread)
150g (5½oz) membrillo
200g (7oz) marzipan
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate, melted
75g (2¾oz) white chocolate, melted
To assemble
8 jaffa cakes
1 tbsp multi-coloured sprinkles
8 sandwich biscuits
8 pink sweets
1 First make the pfeffernüsse dough. Put the brown sugar, honey, butter and double cream in a medium saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Leave to stand, off the heat, for 5 minutes.
2 Add the flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda and ground almonds and stir to combine, then beat in the egg to make a glossy paste.
3 Transfer the paste to a plastic container, then cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.
4 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line a small loaf tin (see tip) with greaseproof paper.
5 Press a third of the dough into the bottom of the loaf tin. Roll the rest into 24 walnut-sized balls and space them out on the lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
6 Make a simple glacé icing by stirring 2-3 tbsp hot water into the icing sugar, a few drops at a time, until thick and smooth. Dip the round pfeffernüsse biscuits in the icing to coat and leave to set on a wire rack. Reserve the leftover glacé icing.
7 Turn the big piece of pfeffernüsse out of the loaf tin and top with a layer of membrillo. Roll out the marzipan into a rectangle the same size and lay it on top. Use a sharp serrated knife to trim the edges, then cut the sheet into eight cubes.
8 Dip four of the cubes in melted dark chocolate and four in melted white chocolate, then leave to set on a wire rack. Reserve the leftover dark chocolate.
9 To make the hats, spread the jaffa cakes with the leftover glacé icing and decorate with multi-coloured sprinkles. Place a dominosteine in the centre of each one and top with a little more glacé icing.
10 To construct the snowmen, use a sandwich biscuit as a base and stack three pfeffernüsse biscuits on top, using glacé icing to stick them together.
11 Re-melt the leftover dark chocolate in the microwave and transfer to a small piping bag. Pipe on eyes, mouth and buttons, then attach a pink sweet nose with a dab of icing. Attach the dominosteine hats with a little more icing, then leave the snowmen to set. If desired, dust with more icing sugar before serving.
Tip Ideally, your loaf tin should measure 8x16cm (3x6in) at the base, but any small rectangular cake tin can be used.
Mulled wine & mixed fruit crumble slice
MAKES 16
125g (4½oz) butter, softened
2 tbsp icing sugar
200g (7oz) plain flour
250g (9oz) Crazy Jack Mixed Fruit
50g (1¾oz) Crazy Jack Soft Prunes, chopped
50g (1¾oz) Crazy Jack Cranberries
250ml (9fl oz) mulled wine
