Everyone loves when a visitor calls to the house at this time of the year with some homemade treats. These ones are easy – and you can be the person bearing gifts! Amaretti are a good treat to have tucked away in the cupboard at any time of the year, but particularly useful this time of year. I love their chewy texture. I use either Mileeven Honey or Simply Better.
For another sweet treat, I’ve a lovely variation on regular Florentines using cinnamon and nutmeg. Dried cranberries are useful to have: you can use them in the stuffing, and they are great sprinkled on porridge. For chocolate, I stay local with Áine Chocolate. It’s made nearby in Stradone village in Cavan and is now part of the Simply Better range. It is 70% cocoa, and they also have mint and orange flavours.
Last but not least, these spice bags contain my favourite combination of spices and flavourings for mulled wine. And they can be made well ahead of time. Gift-wrapped they are lovely little Christmas presents too.
Happy cooking.
Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, with 300 life-saving recipes for super busy parents, is published by Gill Books.
Amaretti biscuits
Makes 15-20 biscuits
175g (6oz) ground almonds
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
½ tsp natural almond extract
pinch of sea salt
2 medium egg whites
1 tbsp honey
100g (4oz) flaked almonds
icing sugar, to dust
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3. Place the ground almonds in a bowl with the sugar, lemon rind, almond extract and salt. Rub everything together between your fingertips so it is evenly combined.
2. Using an electric mixer or balloon whisk, beat the egg whites and honey in a separate bowl until firm peaks have formed. Then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture until you have a soft paste.
3. With your hands, roll the paste into 20g (¾oz) rounds. Flatten them a little, then toss in a plate of flaked almonds and roll in icing sugar.
4. Arrange on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until they are a very light golden colour – but they should still be pale and chewy in the centre.
5. Leave to cool completely before storing in a Kilner jar until needed.
Spice bags for mulled wine
Makes six bags
6 cinnamon sticks
6 tsp whole cloves
6 tsp juniper berries
6 tbsp finely grated orange peel
18 cardamom pods
125g (4½oz) raisins
125g (4½oz) blanched almonds
1. Lay six 15cm (6in) squares of muslin or cheesecloth out flat on a clean surface.
2. Divide the ingredients evenly among them.
3. Gather up the edges and tie each square into a neat bag with a piece of string.
4. Decorate with ribbon and attach it to a bottle of red wine to give as a present.
Spiced cranberry Florentines
Makes 12
4 tbsp soft light-brown sugar
4 tbsp softened butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp honey
pinch of sea salt
5 tbsp plain flour
75g (3oz) dried cranberries, finely chopped
50g (2oz) blanched almonds, finely chopped
75g (3oz) plain chocolate, broken into squares (at least 70% cocoa solids)
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, (325°F), Gas mark 3 and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Put the sugar, butter and cinnamon in a pan with the nutmeg, honey and salt.
3. Place over a low heat and warm until the butter melts, stirring with a wooden spoon.
4. Remove from the heat and mix in the flour, cranberries and almonds.
5. Take heaped teaspoons of the cranberry and almond mixture and put them onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure you space them apart, as they will spread quite a bit in the oven.
6. Bake for eight to 10 minutes, until the Florentines have spread a little and are golden brown. Then leave them to cool completely on the baking sheets.
4. Once the Florentines have cooled, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Using a palette knife, flip the Florentines and then drizzle the chocolate over them.
5. Leave to set for a couple of minutes before serving or storing. These will keep happily in alternating rows, chocolate side up, in an airtight container for up to two weeks. CL
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