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We are well aware this will be a Christmas like no other, but as I hear of cancelled carol services, abandoned school nativities, no visits to Santy and the uncertainty over whether or not we’ll be permitted to visit loved ones’ homes, it’s difficult not to be a little forlorn for our traditional Christmas celebrations.
I suppose the past eight months have prepared us well for honouring important occasions, while still staying within our own home. For years, I have taken great joy in baking cakes, puddings and mincemeat in the run-up to Christmas, and with the help of my youngest child, Millie, I already have this year’s batch made, wrapped up tightly, and packed into the pantry.
Each November, I dedicate a weekend to Christmas baking, and it’s a ritual I really relish. Only recently did I come to realise why I love upholding this tradition so much and it is because these couple of days of baking are always pencilled in and therefore are never rushed. Such traditions are what I hope my children will recall when they look back on their childhoods.
When I remember my own Christmases past, the memory most etched is that of time spent baking with my own dear mother, when we would be side-by-side with only Perry Como for company.
As a parent, we can sometimes forget, the greatest gift we can give our children is time. They yearn to be by our sides and gain the most pleasure in helping us even with the simplest of tasks. Creating something simple but scrumptious together in the kitchen is a marvellous example of this.
I still yearn to see loved ones and pray family from overseas will be reunited this Christmas, but if this new normal has taught me anything, it’s to live more mindfully and appreciate every moment of slowness that comes my way, because within those moments, we are creating memories which have the potential to last a lifetime.
Coconut meringue macaroons
These coconut meringue macaroons have always been a real favourite of mine. I normally save them as a festive treat, because they’re somewhat reminiscent of little billows of snow. They can be made with ease and will keep well in an airtight tin for at least a week. I like to serve them alongside a coffee as an after-dinner biscuit, but they’re equally delicious topped with a dollop of your favourite yoghurt or some freshly whipped cream.
3 egg whites
175g caster sugar
100g desiccated coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing sugar, for dusting
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/ fan 140°C/gas mark 3. Prepare two large baking trays by lining them with greaseproof paper.
2 In a spotless clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
3 Slowly add the sugar, one spoonful at a time. Whisk until the mixture is completely stiff.
4 Gently fold through the coconut and the vanilla extract.
5 Scoop dessertspoonful mounds of mixture onto the prepared tins. This mixture should make approximately 16 meringues.
6 Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool fully on the baking tray before dusting generously with icing sugar and transferring to an airtight container.
Cinnamon and cranberry cookies
These oaty cookies are the perfect snack to serve alongside a glass of hot milk. I’m using coconut sugar in this recipe, as a less-processed sweetener, but light brown sugar can easily be used in its place.
150g porridge oats
150g wholemeal flour
1tsp baking powder
75g dried cranberries
200g butter, softened
80g coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
For decoration:
50g coconut sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/ fan 170°C/gas mark 5. Prepare two large baking trays by lining them with greaseproof paper.
2 Using a food processor, blitz the porridge oats until fine. Add to a large bowl with the wholemeal flour and baking powder.
3 Using the food processor again, give the dried cranberries a quick blitz until roughly chopped. Add to the flour and stir through to combine.
4 In a separate bowl, add the softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract, and cream together until light and fluffy.
5 Add the egg and a spoonful of the flour mixture, and mix for a few moments to combine.
6 Fold in the remaining oat, flour and cranberry mix. Combine well until the dough can be gathered together into a ball.
7 On a plate, mix together the coconut sugar and the cinnamon for the topping.
8 Divide the dough, about one dessertspoonful for each cookie, making approximately 16 cookies, and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the cookies evenly spaced on the baking trays and cook in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on their size, until golden brown.
9 Allow to cool slightly on the tray before carefully transferring to a wire rack to fully cool. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
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