Livi’s Homemade Christmas

Hello! This is the year of homemade presents, and just in case you are stuck for ideas- here are some homemade edible presents that are very easy and so cheap. Have a lovely Christmas and happy new year!

Livi’s Salted Pretzel Christmas Puddings

These are so easy 🙂 Just fill two piping bags, one with white chocolate and one with dark. Place the pretzels on a foil sheet, making sure they are flat. Pipe dark chocolate into the lower two thirds, and white into the top. Put some holly and berry Smarties on the top, and freeze them for about 10 minutes to harden them. 🙂

Livi’s White Chocolate Turtles.

These are really popular and so quick. I make mine in Madeline moulds, to give them a pretty shape.

On a tray lined with foil, or a silicone Madeline tray, place as 24 pecans at intervals. This is tricky- but try to balance a Rolo on top of each nut. Bake in the oven for upto five minutes, on a low heat. I have burnt so many, so I suggest sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the oven, bake-off style. When the Rolos still have their shape, but are being to melt, take them out and push another pecan on the top of each one- does not have to be neat, in fact, it’s better if it isn’t. Leave to cool, then pipe melted white chocolate over the top to encase them. Freeze for 10 minutes to harden.

Livi’s Rocky Road Sheet

 Melt 200g of white chocolate in a bowl over some boiling water. Spread out a large piece of foil, and pour the chocolate on. Use a knife to spread it into a rectangle, keeping it fairly thin. Next, use whatever you like to cover it. I used mini marshmallows, crumbled shortbread, pecans, and a drizzle of mint chocolate- but Rice Krispies, caramel, freeze dried raspberries, ginger nuts and hazlenuts. Freeze for ten minutes and cut/smash it into bits.

Stay Unchained ❤

SnowCakes

Christmas baking! These are my first creation, the cake recipe taken from an American cupcake book given to me by my boyfriend’s lovely mother. Due to the landing of the American ‘Wholefood’s’ in Cheltenham, these didn’t have to remain a pipe dream. I matched the heavy molasses taste with light vanilla buttercream, and a thin disc of fondant…stamped with my fancy new snowflake gadget. Let me know what you think, or better yet- make them yourself and tell me!

Black-strap Molasses Cupcakes with Vanilla Snowflake Icing

98g Self-raising flour (direct conversion from cups!)

2tsp Ground ginger

3/4 tsp Ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp Baking soda

4tsp of Milk

6 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp Black molasses

2 Eggs, beaten

I used a food processor to blend the ingredients, first dissolving the baking soda in the milk. Fill muffin cups 2/3s full and back at about Gas 5 until a skewer comes out clean. I iced mine with vanilla buttercream….like so!

A little piped swirl, and a thinly rolled circle of fondant….with my cool new thing!

The result is a spicy, dark cake with a vanilla lift from the icing. They got great feedback from the anonymous tasters! Hope you like them too…let me know how they turn out!

Stay Unchained<3