Festive Recipes

Check out our favourite Christmas recipes from across the internet!

Image and recipe credits: Rachel Gaewski at Tasty.co, Emily Angle, Michelle Berriedale-Johnson and Dame Mary Berry at BBC Food, Immediate Media Co.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whether you’re leaving them out for Santa or enjoying them in front of the television, these vegan cookies are delicious and perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients:(for 10 servings)

½ cup sugar (100 g) ¾ cup dark brown sugar (165 g), packed 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup refined coconut oil (120 g), melted ¼ cup non-dairy milk (60 mL) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups flour (185 g) ½ teaspoon baking soda 4 oz vegan semi-sweet chocolate (115 g), chunks 4 oz vegan dark chocolate (115 g), chunks

Method:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt, and coconut oil until combined.

2. Whisk in non-dairy milk and vanilla, until all sugar has dissolved and the batter is smooth.

3. Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula, being careful not to overmix.

4. Fold in the chocolate chunks evenly.5. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

7. Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least 2 inches of space between cookies and the edges of the pan so cookies can spread evenly.

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies just begin to brown.

9. Cool completely then enjoy!

Filo Pastry Mince Pies

These mince pies are a wonderful vegan twist on the classic festive favourite, plus the filo pastry adds a fancy touch to elevate them.

Ingredients:

25g/1oz vegan spread or olive oil 150g/5½oz mincemeat (use one with lots of fruit) 125g/4½oz ripe or tinned pear, chopped 50g/1¾oz chopped satsumas 2 tsp cornflour 5 sheets filo pastry

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Brush the cups of a 12-cup bun tin with a little vegan spread or oil.

2. Mix the mincemeat with the pear, satsumas and cornflour in a bowl, stirring until the cornflour has dissolved.

3. Lay a sheet of filo on the work surface and brush with melted spread or oil. Place another sheet of filo on top , and brush again. Place a third sheet of filo on top and brush again. Cut the stack of filo into 12 pieces (a pizza wheel is good for this). Press a piece of filo into each cup of the bun tin.

4. Divide the mincemeat mixture equally between the pastry-lined cups.

5. Butter the remaining sheets of filo separately, and cut each piece into 6. Scrunch up the pieces and put one on top of each mince pie. The more crinkles, the better.

6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring carefully to a wire rack. These really are best eaten warm from the oven, as they tend to soften when cool. But the pies can also be reheated for 5 minutes to crisp up again.

Gluten-Free Christmas Cake

Alongside mince pies, Christmas cake is a seasonal classic which often people with allergies can’t enjoy. However this version is gluten-free and can be made egg-free and vegan!

Ingredients:

100g/3½oz soya margarine (or whatever kind of butter you like) 1 large ripe banana 2 large lemons, finely grated rind and juice only 100g/3½oz soft prunes, stoned and halved 75g/3oz raisins 75g/3oz sultanas 75g/3oz currants 150g/5oz soft dried apricots, chopped in fairly large pieces 50g/2oz mixed peel 75g/2½oz walnuts, halved and 25g/¾oz hazelnuts, chopped OR 75g/3oz large pumpkin seeds and 25g/¾oz sunflower seeds 2 eggs (or 2 level tsp gluten-free baking powder to make an egg-free cake) 75g/2½oz coarse polenta and 75g/2½oz rice flour and 1 level tsp xanthan gum OR 150g gluten-free flour that already includes xanthan gum 2 heaped tsp ground nutmeg 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon 1 heaped tsp ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cloves 2 tbsp brandy (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.

2. In a food processor beat the butter/margarine with the banana and the lemon juice and rind. Pour into a bowl.

3. Mix in the dried fruit and nuts or seeds.

4. Beat the eggs if you are using them. 5. Sieve which ever flours you are using with the baking powder (if you are substituting it for the eggs) and the spices.

6. Fold the eggs (if you are using them) into the fruit mixture alternately with the flours. Add some brandy if you like.

7. Line a 20cm/8in cake tin with greased greaseproof paper. Spoon the mixture in and level off the top.

8. Bake for about two hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

9. Remove from the tin and cool on a rack.

10. Eat as it is or store to be iced for Christmas. You can also decorate this cake with whole nuts such as almonds.

Mary Berry's Mulled Wine

Where would Christmas be without a recipe from Dame Mary Berry herself? Alongside mince pies and mulled wine, her recipes have become a stalwart of the festive season. Speaking of mulled wine, here’s her take on the classic beverage. To make it vegan, make sure you get accordingly-labelled alcohol and if you’re not a wine fan, this would work great with cider too!

Ingredients:

1 large orange 3 lemons 12 cloves 2 satsumas or clementines 2 x 750ml bottles red wine 2 cinnamon sticks 150g/5½oz caster sugar (optional) Brandy, to taste (optional)

Method:

1. Carefully peel the zest very thinly from the orange and lemons using a vegetable peeler. Squeeze out the juice and reserve.

2. Stick the cloves into the satsumas.

3. Pour the wine, 1.2 litres/2 pints of cold water, and the citrus peel and juices into a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the clove-studded satsumas and cinnamon

sticks. Bring the mixture just to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, cover the pan with the lid, and continue to simmer for about 1 hour. Stir in the sugar gradually during cooking, until the mulled wine is sweetened to your liking (you may not need all of the sugar).

4. Strain the mulled wine and serve hot in cups.

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