Vanilla Christmas cookies

You need
140g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
250g butter, cut into small cubes
375g plain flour
1 egg yolk

To decorate
200g icing sugar
Food colouring
Gold and silver balls

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C. Tip the icing sugar, vanilla extract, egg yolk and butter into a bowl and stir together. Add the flour and mix to form a dough. Shape the dough into two flat discs. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough and cut out Christmas figures. Place on baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden.

Lift the cookies onto a wire rack and leave to cool. In the meantime, mix the icing sugar with a few drops of cold water. Colour with food colouring and spread it over the cooled biscuits. Decorate with the gold and silver balls.

Fig and honey Christmas cake

You need
750g mixed dried fruits
100g blanched whole almonds, chopped
100g peel, chopped
200g dried figs, chopped
100g glace cherries, quartered
300g plain flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon
250g lightly salted butter
250g light muscovado sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp honey
1tbsp black treacle
4 large eggs
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tbsp milk
3tbsp brandy and extra to feed

Method

Heat the oven to 140°C. Line the base and sides of a cake tin with a double layer of brown paper and then with a double layer of baking parchment.

In a large bowl, mix the fruit, almonds, peel, figs and cherries. Add the flour, spices and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar and add the vanilla extract, honey and treacle. Incorporate the eggs and then stir in the fruit and flour mixture. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk and stir it in. Add the brandy.

Tip the batter into the cake tin and bake for 3.5 hours. Leave to cool. The next day, remove from the tin, wrap in fresh greaseproof paper and wrap tightly in foil. Every few days, unwrap and feed it with brandy.

Christmas buns

You need
500g strong white flour
1tsp salt
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
300ml milk
40g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
Oil for greasing

For the filling
25g unsalted butter, melted
75g soft brown sugar
2tsp ground cinnamon
100g dried cranberries
100g dried apricots, chopped

For the glaze
50g caster sugar

For the lemon icing
Zest of 1 lemon
200g icing sugar

Method

Tip the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast. In the meantime, warm the milk and butter in a pan until the butter has melted and the mixture is lukewarm. Add the milk mixture and egg to the flour and stir until all comes together as a soft dough. Tip the dough on a floured surface and knead for five minutes.

Oil a mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn until it is covered in oil. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for one hour until doubled in size. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

Knock the dough back to its original size and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll it into 1cm-thickness and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, cinnamon and fruit.

Roll up the dough into a tight cylinder, cut into slices and place on a baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 190°C. Bake the buns for 25 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, melt the glaze sugar with 4tbsp water until it forms a syrup.

Remove the buns from the oven and glaze. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Then mix the zest and icing sugar with 2tbsp water and drizzle over the buns.