On The Fourth Day Of Christmas...

My true love gave to me...

A Recipe for Christmas Cake Cookies

[Makes about 30] Printable Recipe

You Will Need...

I used Benedictine

Process the flour, butter, sugar, almond meal, spice and vanilla essence until crumbly.

Add the water, until all ingredients come together.

Knead dough until smooth.Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Roll out dough and place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Once chilled, use a round cutter to cut out 30 circles.Bake for 10 minutes.

While cookies are cooking, crumble fruit cake into a bowl.

Add the Brandy (Benedictine) and mix together.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out balls of mixture and place on cookies.

Bake for another 5 minutes.

Once baked place on wire racks and let cool completely.While they are cooling, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over the stove.Place wire racks over a tray, (to catch any drips) and coat cookies with chocolate. Let them set.Melt the white chocolate the same way, and spoon it over the top of the milk chocolate.Place a red smartie on top. (You could also use a glace cherry)

Cut a green smartie in half and place next to the red smartie.

Let chocolate set.

Store in an airtight container, or put in a Christmas themed tin and give away as small gifts to cookie and cake lovers.

On The Third Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me..

Christmas Decorated Cupcakes

All Vanilla Cupcakes, with vanilla buttercream and fondant decorations

Made for a work christmas party

Recipe of The Week - Fruit Cake-Cups

If you haven't made any Christmas cakes yet, or don't have the time. These Christmas Cupcakes are perfect. They don't take too long to make, and would be great to take to a Christmas BBQ.

Christmas Cupcakes (or Fruit Cake-Cups)

[Makes 12] Printable Recipe

You Will Need...

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cupcake wrappers.

Put the sugar, butter and orange rind into a bowl and mix together.
Mix together until ingredients are light and creamy.
Add eggs one at a time and mix until completely combined.
Add the walnuts, dried fruit and orange juice. Mix together.

Add the flours and mixed spice and mix in.

Mix together with a wooden spoon until ingredients are all combined.Divide mixture amongst cupcake wrappers, approximately 2 tablespoons per wrapper.

Place in the oven until the cupcakes are cooked - when a skewer inserted in, comes out clean.

Once cooked, place on a cooling rack to cool.

When completely cool, cut out circles of white fondant (ready to roll) and place on top of cupcakes. You can also cut out some holly leaves from green fondant, and make some red balls for the berries. Or if you don't want to use fondant, use some red smarties or mini m&ms.

I had some mixture left over, so I used it to make this Mini Fruit Cake that I gave to my Aunty.

On The Second Day Of Christmas...

My true love gave to me....

A Christmas Elf Cupcake Topper.

This is how you can make an elf out of fondant.

You Will Need...

1 small ball of skin colour.

1 small ball of green. (for his hat, so it can be any colour you want)

1 smaller ball of white.

1 black edible marker

1 triangle cutter

1 circle cutter

Cut out a circle of 'skin' colour, and a triangle of green.

Shape the circle gently with your fingers, so it has a pointed chin.

Shape the triangle gently, so it is curved at the top.

Roll out your white, and cut a small circle. (I used the tip of a piping nozzle)

Roll the remainder of the white into a long sausage shape (as long as the triangle base)

Using a little bit of water, attach the small circle to the tip of the hat, and the sausage to the base of the triangle.

Roll two small sausage shapes from the pink, and flatten them slightly.

Attach the ears to the sides of his head.

Make a nose from some left over pink, and attach with some water.

Draw on his face, however you think an Elf would look. (I'm not the best when it comes to the drawing part..)

Vote for Me

I entered the Cupcake Hero November Challenge - Banana Nut-Cases. So everyone head on over to I Heart Cuppycakes and vote vote vote. You have until December 6th.

On the First Day of Christmas...

Christmas is just around the corner!! 19 sleeps to be exact and the "Silly Season" has well and truly begun!!

I've had a few orders for Holiday themed cupcakes for various Christmas Parties..

These are just a few of the ones that were for this weekend.

Vanilla Cupcakes, with Vanilla Buttercream & Fondant Decorations

Fruit Cakes Cupcakes, with white fondant icing and fondant holly leaves