Christmas recipes

Here is one of the new christmas cookie recipes I tried this year. They were super yummy and I definitely will be making them again, perhaps soon. There was a request for the recipe, so here it is. It is from the Woman's Weekly "Christmas" book.

Sticky Date and Orange Cookies

makes 30

• 1 cup seedless dates (roughly chopped)
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 100 grams butter (roughly chopped)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup icing sugar (sifted)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. In a small saucepan, combine the dates, golden syrup and water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate soda and orange rind. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then process the mixture until almost smooth. Leave to cool. Add the flour, sugar, butter and egg to the processor and and process until the ingredients come together. Refridgerate for 30 minutes. 

Roll heaped teaspoon of the mixture into balls and flatten slightly. Place about 3 cm apart on the baking trays and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on the trays. Toss in icing sugar.

Apparently you can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to four weeks. I wouldn't know, as our cookies had no chance of lasting that long.



Here is another one of our Christmas must-have recipes. Just like the rum balls, this recipe was made by my mother for Christmas, when I was a child. About eight years ago I went digging through her old recipe drawer and found the recipe I remembered so well. I have been making it for our family Christmas's ever since.

Cherry ripe slice

makes about 24 squares

• 250 grams white chocolate (chopped)
• 1 cup glace cherries ( chopped)
• 1 x 400 gram can condensed milk
• 2 cups dessicated coconut
• 200 grams dark chocolate (chopped)
• 30 grams copha

Grease a foil lined 18 x 28 cm slice tin. In the top of a double saucepan, melt the white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cherries, condensed milk and coconut until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly into the tin and set aside. Put the dark chocolate and copha in a small saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until until melted and well combined. Spread evenly over the top of the cherry mixture. Chill overnight. Cut into 5 cm squares to serve.