SIMPLE-TO-MAKE TREATS

Made with

love

Nothing says ‘I care’ more than something lovingly handmade. Get ahead with these cute and simple-to-make gifts – they’re less than a tenner each, but your loved ones will feel extra-special

RECIPES AND CRAFTS HEATHER NUGENT PHOTOGRAPHS MIKE ENGLISH

READY IN UNDER 60 MINS

Cookie heaven

Make a batch of soft-centred, buttery biscuits and you’re half way to the perfect foodie Christmas gift. Fill an easy-to-make cookie can with your delish home bakes and they’re wrapped up and ready for giving.

White chocolate and cranberry cookies

Makes 24 | Ready in 40-60 mins Faff factor | V

• 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature • 70g caster sugar • 70g dark brown sugar • 1 free-range egg, beaten • 2tsp Asda Extra Special Madagascan

Vanilla Extract • 225g self-raising flour • 100g dried cranberries • 100g white chocolate chips

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla to the bowl and beat to combine. 2 In a small bowl combine the flour and ½tsp salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg and stir to form a dough. Add in the cranberries and half the white chocolate chunks and mix until fully combined. 3 Form the dough into walnut-sized balls, and place 6 on a large baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper, evenly spaced. Squash each ball flat so that it’s about 1cm thick. Add a few of the reserved white chocolate drops to the top of each cookie, then bake for 10 mins or until golden brown around the edges. 4 Allow to cool on the tray for 5 mins and then transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. Once cool, store in an airtight container and eat within 2-3 days.

Each 28.5g portion contains

Energy 544kJ 130kcal 7% Fat 6.7g High 10% Sat Fat 4.1g High 21% Sugars 8.3g High 9% Salt 0.21g Med 4%

of your reference intake Typical energy value per 100g 1908kJ/456kcals

Make a… cookie tin

You will need:

• empty Pringles tube (large or small) • sharp knife • potato • gold paint and thin paintbrush • red paper measuring 25x25cm for a large tube, 7.8x25cm for a small tube • double-sided tape • gold curling ribbon • scissors

Step one Clean out the inside of the tube. Cut a potato in half and use your knife to cut a star shape into the cut surface. Then cut in from the side to remove the potato around the star so that it stands away from the rest of the potato.

Step two Dry off the potato and dip into your gold paint. Press down firmly and evenly, trying not to move the potato as you print. If you do get any stray dots of paint on the paper, turn these into small hand painted stars. Allow to dry fully.

Step three Wrap the paper around the tube, securing at the back with double-sided tape Also use double-sided tape to secure bands of ribbon around the tube. Finish by tying a bow and sticking to the front of the tube. Fill with your delicious cookies.

Chocolate heaven

Rustle up a tray of these rich truffles and see how much your friends and family love you! If you can bear to give them away, stash some in this fold-and-finish gift box for a caramel Christmas confection that’s a real cracker.

Make a… truffle gift box

You will need:

• pink paper/card 21x21cm and 20x20cm • double-sided tape • scissors • pink or white curling ribbon

a b

Step one, two and three Take your smaller card square and fold it in half in both directions (a) – use these folds as a guide for the centre of the square. Fold the bottom right corner into c d

the centre twice and repeat for the top left corner (b, c). Unfold so it lies flat again. Repeat for the other two corners. Unfold just the second fold on each side (d).

e f

Step four and five Press in the edges just below the centre square (e) and then fold over the bottom right corner over so the point meets the centre, forming three sides of the box (f). Do the same for the top left corner for the fourth side. Repeat steps one and two with the larger card square to make the lid. Fill with truffles! Finish off

Tie four lengths of ribbon together at the centre. Press on the centre and place a scissor blade against the matt side of a ribbon. Press your thumb onto the ribbon and pull blade firmly to curl. Repeat and attach to lid.

UNDER 70

CALORIES A TRUFFLE

Salted caramel truffles

Makes 24 | Ready in 30 mins, plus 3 hours chilling time Faff factor | V GF

• 170g Asda Extra Special Madagascan

Dark Chocolate • 150g half-fat crème fraîche • 2tbsp Asda Extra Special Cornish Sea

Salted Caramel Natural Flavouring • 30g caster sugar

1 Break up the chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl. Add the crème fraîche and salted caramel flavouring to a small saucepan and gently heat, stirring constantly. Just as it starts to bubble, remove the mixture from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Leave for 1 min to melt. Use a spatula to gently stir until the chocolate has just melted and combined. Don’t be tempted to overmix at this stage, or the chocolate may seize. Cover and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. 2 Place the caster sugar in a small bowl along with ½tsp salt and stir to combine. Take heaped teaspoons of the truffle mixture and roll each into a walnut-sized ball. Once shaped, roll each ball into the sugar mixture to lightly coat each one. You can use some latex gloves to avoid getting too messy, if you like. 3 Shake the bowl to coat each truffle completely with sugar and place on a tray. Repeat until all your mixture is gone, then cover and place in the fridge to chill. To finish, place the chilled truffles into small paper cases. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Each 17g portion contains

Energy 279kJ 67kcal 13% Fat 4.5g High 6% Sat Fat 2.7g High 14% Sugars 3.9g High 4% Salt 0.19g Med 3%

of your reference intake Typical energy value per 100g 1,640kJ/392kcals

Spicy heaven

Conjure up Christmas in a jar with this fruity festive preserve. Add a cute salt dough decoration and your tea-and-toast loving buddies will enjoy over breakfast – on reindeer crumpets! – for weeks to come.

Gingerbread jam

Makes 700ml (or 6 x 125ml) Ready in 1 hr 20 mins, plus cooling time of 5hrs | Faff factor | V GF

• 1 lemon, juiced • 1kg Bramley cooking apples; peeled, cored and chopped • 230g dark brown sugar • 1tbsp ground ginger • 1½tbsp mixed spice 1 Place all the ingredients into a large pan along with 350ml water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook gently, stirring regularly, for 40 mins until the apples have collapsed. 2 Meanwhile, put a plate in the freezer for at least 15 mins. To test the jam, remove the pan from the heat. Put a teaspoon of jam onto the chilled plate and carefully push your finger through the jam – you’re looking for it to wrinkle and not flood back in to fill the gap. If it’s still a little runny, put the pan back on the heat and simmer for another 10 mins. Put the plate back in the freezer and test again in the same way. 3 Divide the jam between sterilised jars and seal. It will keep for up to 3 months in a cool, dry place. Once opened, chill and use within 1 month.

Keep it clean

To sterilise jars, preheat oven to 140°C/120°C fan/ gas 1. Wash the jars in hot, soapy water and rinse. Remove rubber seals then heat in the oven for 30 mins.

Each 15g portion contains

Energy 74kJ 18kcals 1% Fat 0.1g Low 0% Sat Fat 0.0g Low 0% Sugars 4.1g High 5% Salt 0.01g Low 0%

of your reference intake Typical energy value per 100g 494kJ/118kcals

Make a… salt dough decoration

You will need:

• 90g plain flour • 15g mixed spice • 60g table salt • 40ml water • acrylic paint and thin paintbrush (or acrylic paint pen) • baking tray and greaseproof paper • rolling pin • small gingerbread man cutter

Step one Mixed together the flour, spice, salt and water to form a dough. If the dough is dry, add a splash more water until a ball forms. Lightly flour your surface and rolling pin and roll out the dough to a 5mm thickness.

Step two Use a small gingerbread man cutter to cut out as many shapes as needed for the numbers of jars you have filled. Poke a hole for your string in the top centre of the head and carefully move onto a lined baking tray.

Step three Place in a 100°C/120°C fan/ ½ gas mark oven and bake for about 45 mins. Turn over and bake for another 1-2 hrs, or until fully dried out. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully. Paint with your choice of pattern on the front and the recipient’s name on the reverse.

Festive trimmings

Take your Christmas dinner up a notch this year with our high-quality, great value trimmings

Sides make a festive feast – especially if they’re from our Extra Special range. Look out for these treats…

Stuffing balls Easy to serveand delicious,these stuffing balls are made with succulent British prime pork sausage meat, sage and onion, plus honey for a hit of sweetness. Sprouts and bacon Naturally smoked roasted bacon chunks andtrimmed Brussels sprouts –selected for the best quality – are flavour enhanced with butter infused with sage. Pigs in blankets These are made with tender 92% British prime pork sausages that have been seasoned with a blend of spices, then wrapped indry-cured oak-smoked bacon. Red cabbage This festive treat is braised with Bramley apples and sweet cranberry chutney and finished with a pinch of cinnamon. Cauliflower Cheese A classic side withtender cauliflower florets in a creamy three-cheese sauce, with a gratin-style crunchy, cheese (Wyke Farms© mature Cheddar) and parsley topping (pictured above, £2.75/400g).

Pick and mix

Extra Special Bramley Apple & Cranberry Braised Red Cabbage

£2.75/500g or 2 for £5

Extra Special 12 Pork, Sage & Caramelised Onion Stuffing Balls

£3/350g or 2 for £5

Enjoy any 2 for £5

Extra Special Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Bacon

£2.75/340g or 2 for £5

Extra Special 10 Pigs in Blankets

£3/500g or 2 for £5