Perfect little Christmas treats for friends, family, teachers and neighbours

Christmas Florentine Slice

Ingredients

• 
  
• 2 cups Kellogg's cornflakes
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup dried apricots chopped
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 70 g toasted slivered almonds
• 50 g shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup pistachios chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 200 g condensed milk
• 120 g milk chocolate

• Method

  • STEP 1Preheat oven to 170C. Line a 20 x 30cm baking tin with baking paper.
  • STEP 2Place all ingredients except the chocolate in a glass mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
  • STEP 3Pour mixture into the tin and spread evenly. Place into the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden. Remove and cool on rack.
  • STEP 4Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water into a liquid form. Using a spatula, spread chocolate evenly on bottom of slice. Leave to set in fridge.
  • STEP 5Cut into muesli bar sized slices.
  • STEP 6Place 4 slices in clear cellophane with Christmas ribbon.

  Notes

  You can use milk or dark chocolate.

An easy to make, quick and yummy snack that my 10 year old son helped make.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 
  
• 125 g butter softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

• Method

  • STEP 1Preheat oven to 160C.
  • STEP 2Cream together butter and both sugars.
  • STEP 3Whisk in the vanilla essence and then the egg.
  • STEP 4Add in the self-raising flour, then add in the chocolate chips.
  • STEP 5Place several teaspoons of the mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper.
  • STEP 6Once cooked, they need to cool down on a wire rack.
  • STEP 7Enjoy your yummy cookies!!

Malteser Christmas Cake

This sneaky cake looks like a Christmas pudding but tastes like a delicious chocolate cake covered in Maltesers! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 190 g butter
• 1 1/4 cup self-raising flour
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 4 eggs
• 300 g dark chocolate melts
• 125 mls thickened cream
• 30 g butter
• 465 g Maltesers
• 200 g white chocolate melts
• 2 Jaffas

• Method

  • STEP 1Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease the inside of your pudding steamer with butter.
  • STEP 2In a large bowl put the brown sugar, milk and butter and melt it all together in the microwave.
  • STEP 3Now whisk in the dry ingredients: flours and cocoa. Mix the eggs together in a jug and whisk them in too.
  • STEP 4Whisk until it's all combined. Pour it into your steamer and put it in the oven (no lid) for 40 minutes. Check it after 40 minutes and turn the heat down to 170˚C.
  • STEP 5Cook for another 10 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let it cool completely before adding the ganache.
  • STEP 6To make the ganache, melt the dark chocolate, butter and cream together in the microwave. Leave it for about 15 minutes to set and thicken.
  • STEP 7Cut the bumpy top off your pudding cake, so that you can flip it over and decorate it down side up.
  • STEP 8Cover the cake with ganache.
  • STEP 9Before the ganache cools completely, start adding the Maltesers. Begin in the centre, forming one row down the middle of the cake. Work outwards from there in lines across the cake.
  • STEP 10Put the cake in the fridge to chill for at least two hours.
  • STEP 11Once the cake is chilled, melt the white chocolate melts in a bowl in the microwave. Leave them to cool to room temperature before you pour them over the cake (otherwise all the Maltesers will melt.)
  • STEP 12Once the chocolate is just at room temperature (don't wait too long or the chocolate will start to set hard again) pour it over the top of your cake so that it looks like the custard on a Christmas pudding.
  • STEP 13Finish it off with two Jaffas and some any glossy green leaves you can find in your garden. You could also use the holly from a Christmas decoration.

  Notes

  You can put whatever cake recipe is your favourite cake recipe inside the "pudding."

  Decorate your pudding with Jaffas, raspberry lollies or even glace cherries.

  If you don't have a pudding steamer, you can cook your cake in a glass Pyrex bowl

Tandoori Lamb Cutlets

A surprisingly easy dish for the whole family to enjoy. 

Ingredients

• 
  
• 2 tbs tandoori curry paste
• 1 tbs honey
• 2 tbs plain yoghurt
• 12 French-trimmed lamb cutlets
• 700 g potato peeled cut into pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ginger fresh grated
• 2 tomato seeded chopped
• 2 cup plain yoghurt *to serve
• 100 g baby spinach

• Method

  • STEP 1Combine tandoori paste, honey and yoghurt in a large glass or ceramic dish. Add lamb. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight, if time permits, to marinate.
  • STEP 2Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain well.
  • STEP 3Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add potatoes. Cook, tossing, for 5 minutes or until potatoes are browned and start to crisp. Add mustard seeds. Cook for 1 minute or until seeds start to pop. Add curry powder, garam masala and ginger. Cook, tossing, for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add tomato and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until spinach just starts to wilt. Transfer to a bowl. Cover to keep warm.
  • STEP 4Return pan to heat, adding a little extra oil, if needed. Cook lamb for 4 or 5 minutes each side for medium, or until cooked to your liking. Serve lamb with potato mixture and extra yoghurt.

  Nutrition information

  1890 kJ Energy, 20 g Fat Total, 6 g Fat Saturated, 30 g Carbohydrate Total, 35 g Protein, 5 gDietary Fibre, 362 mg Sodium, 94 mg Cholesterol

Carrot, Zucchini and Date Muffins

Looking for something new and exciting to add to the kids lunchboxes? Look no further! Best Recipes members have snack time sorted with these easy makes and bakes

Ingredients

• 
  
• 1 2/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup carrot grated
• 1 cup zucchini grated
• 1 1/2 cup dried dates pitted chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 90 g butter melted
• 2 egg lightly beaten

• Equipment

  • 1 12-hole muffin pan
  • • Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line a 12-hole, 1/3 cup-capacity muffin pan with paper cases.
    • STEP 2Sift flour, bicarb and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir in sugar, carrot, zucchini and dates. Make a well in the centre. Add butter, milk and egg. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Spoon evenly among holes of prepared pan.
    • STEP 3Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are golden and just firm to touch. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve.

    Nutrition information

    1000 kJ Energy, 8 g Fat Total, 5 g Fat Saturated, 38 g Carbohydrate Total, 4 g Protein, 4 gDietary Fibre, 275 mg Sodium, 43 mg Cholesterol

Quick, easy and dairy free cookies for afternoon tea

Vanilla Almond Cookies

Ingredients

• 
  
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup plain 00 flour
• 1/2 cup raw caster sugar
• 2 tbs vanilla sugar
• 1 tbs vanilla essence
• 7 tbs Nuttelex sunflower margarine
• 1/4 cup Sweet William choc chips

• Method

  • STEP 1Preheat oven to 170C. Mix all the ingredients together except of the chocolate chips until it forms a smooth and sticky dough.
  • STEP 2Add mixture to a piping bag, then pipe dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  • STEP 3Top with 2-3 chocolate chips and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

  Notes

  Nuttelex sunflower margarine and Sweet William chocolate chips are vegan products and are great to use in vegan cooking and baking.

This delicious Coco Pop slice is nutty

Coco Pop Slice

Ingredients

• 
  
• 1 packet shredded wheat biscuits crushed
• 2 cups Kellogg's Coco Pops
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
• 200 g butter
• 250 g dark chocolate roughly chopped
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 2 tbs rainbow chocolate chips

• Method

  • STEP 1Line a slice tin with baking paper and set aside.
  • STEP 2In a bowl place, the biscuits, coco pops, coconut and walnuts and stir to combine.
  • STEP 3In a glass bowl, place the butter and golden syrup and heat in the microwave until melted for about 1-2 mins. Stir in dark chocolate and keep stirring until chocolate is entirely melted.
  • STEP 4Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry mixture and stir until totally combined. Press into the slice tin and press down with the back of a metal spoon.
  • STEP 5Sprinkle rainbow chocolate chips over the top and press in with the spoon.
  • STEP 6Refrigerate for one hour and cut into bars.

  Notes

  This is a great recipe to make at home with the kids as long as the grown-ups handle the hot butter and chocolate mixture part.

  You can add your favourite nuts to this recipe. I think it would taste good with almonds or pecans as well.

  This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung