13/12/2024

Christmas baking recipes

Christmas baking recipes are some of the most enjoyable treats to cook over the festive season. Sweet favourites like mince pies and fruit cakes, savoury sausage rolls and pies with melt-in-the-mouth pastry, homemade biscuits and crackers for your cheeseboard, party nibbles, savoury cakes, and easy homemade gifts: you’ll find over 30 of my favourites here.

STILTON SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Richly flavoured with a texture that’s light and delicate, enjoy these as a nibble with drinks, or give as a fantastic Christmas present. Either way, no one will guess how simple they were to make!

MINCEMEAT BISCUITS

Sweet, fruity, and with a subtle spicy flavour, even people who don’t like mince pies can enjoy these moreish biscuits. A lovely addition to your Christmas table or a quick and easy homemade gift.

SAUSAGE, SAGE & ONION CHEESE SCONES

What just might be the ultimate savoury scone was inspired by my favourite bit of a traditional Christmas dinner. The sausage meat stuffing! Light, fluffy, savoury, herby, cheesy, meaty, and gorgeous served warm and slathered in butter.

Other savoury scones that would be great for Christmas snacks, teas, and buffets include Cheese, Chorizo & Chive Scones, and Roasted Pepper, Salami & Cheese Scones.

PORTER CAKE

Fruity and spicy, this is a lighter alternative to Christmas cake. It takes its name from the inclusion of dark porter beer which adds complexity of flavour. If you don’t have porter, swap in stout. Best left a couple of days to mature but can be eaten as soon as it’s cool if you really can’t resist!

SESAME CRACKERS

Thin, crispy, with lots of earthy flavour, I love to scoop up dips like hummus and baba ghanoush with these easy sesame crackers: perfect for your Christmas buffets. Lots more savoury biscuit and cracker recipes here.

POTATO FOCACCIA

A little potato makes a beautifully moist and tasty version of the classic Italian flatbread. Made with an easy no-knead method, the focaccia will go brilliantly with Christmas cold and cured meats, cheeses, olives, etc.

COURGETTE, CHEESE & BASIL QUICK BREAD

If you want a fast savoury bread to go with nibbles and drinks, this flavoursome courgette quick bread in the tradition of French salé or savoury cake should be right up your street. Cut into slices or cubes, cake salé are often served at pre-dinner social gatherings known as l’heure de l’apéro. So I think they’d translate perfectly for your Christmas get togethers.

HAM, OLIVE & CHEESE QUICK BREAD (FRENCH SAVOURY CAKE)

Just like the above recipe, this is a quick bread is in the tradition of French salé or savoury cake. Inspired by a popular flavour of salé, it has a good cheesy tang, and is studded with tasty morsels of ham and grassy olives. Slice or dice and serve with drinks and other nibbles.

TRADITIONAL MINCE PIES

My round-up of favourite Christmas baking recipes wouldn’t be complete without good old mince pies. Made at home from scratch, they can’t be beaten by any found in the shops. Buttery, melt-in-the-mouth pastry filled with a luscious mincemeat that’s unbelievably easy too.

VIENNESE WHIRL MINCE PIES

Combine two British favourites by replacing the pastry lid of a classic Christmas mince pie with a melt-in-the-mouth, buttery shortbread swirl for an even higher level of deliciousness.

EASY CHEESE STRAWS

A crispy and light, flaky, cheesy delight! Perfect as a party nibble with drinks, these cheese straws really are easy. Simply grate butter and cheese into seasoned flour and mix with iced water to make a dough. Chill for 30 minutes then roll, cut and bake.

PANETTONE BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

Fancy something a little different to the traditional Christmas pudding this year? Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding is delicious, light and easy. Good for using up leftover panettone after Christmas too.

FLAKY CHEESE CRACKERS

Another melt-in-the-mouth cheesy nibble, here the layers of light, cheesy pastry are created by a simple technique of folding grated cheese into rolled out, buttery dough. Lots more savoury biscuit and cracker recipes here

MINCEMEAT CHRISTMAS TREE

Believe it or not, this stunning tear and share sweet bread is simple to make. With fruity mincemeat between layers of lightly sweet, buttery dough, it’s a great alternative to mince pies.

SCOTTISH OATCAKES

These traditional savoury biscuits are easily made with just oats, salt, olive oil or butter plus water, and are just right for Christmas cheeseboards, pâté or nut butters. Once you’ve mastered the classic version, try my variations: Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes, Walnut & Pumpkin Seed Scottish Oatcakes, Seeded Scottish Oatcakes, and semi-sweet Fruit & Seed Oatcakes.

ORANGE SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Although there’s nothing intrinsically Christmassy about these delightful, buttery biscuits with a hint of citrus, they make such a lovely gift I just couldn’t leave them out of my favourite Christmas baking recipes.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Included for the same reason as the orange version above: because they taste wonderful and make an easy Christmas gift that friends and family will love.

ROUGH PUFF PASTRY SAUSAGE ROLLS

Once you’ve tried them, I think you’ll agree that the homemade version of this popular British savoury snack is miles better than any mass-produced offering. My mini sized sausage rolls, flavoured with fennel seed and onion, are a must in your Christmas baking recipes repertoire.

SPICED FRUIT SOURDOUGH

We always associate fruit and spice with Christmas and this rich loaf is ideal for sourdough bakers. Dried fruits are steeped in honeyed black tea and orange zest then folded into a spiced dough made the night before baking. Lovely spread with butter or served with cheese. Great toasted too.

CHRISTMAS SAUSAGE PIES

Pork pies are a British favourite at Christmas, But these individual cold pies of crisp shortcrust pastry filled with delicious herby sausage meat, onions, and chestnuts are much easier for the home cook.

MINCEMEAT SHORTBREAD SQUARES WITH ALMOND CRUMBLE

I think these are another great alternative to Christmas mince pies. Incredibly quick and easy, there’s no pastry to make and no cutting and rolling out. Delicious cold or serve hot with custard or cream.

SAVOURY BISCOTTI

Ever since I discovered the savoury version of the twice cooked Italian crunchy biscuit, I’ve been hooked. Flavoured with cheese, nuts, herbs, and spices, they’re another great addition to Christmas cheese boards, a nibble with drinks, or gift idea.

CHAI SPICED TEAR & SHARE STAR BREAD

Sweet, buttery and spicy, this star bread is great for Christmas. As well as tasting good it looks really impressive – even though it isn’t complicated at all! Swap in traditional mixed spice or cinnamon for the chai spices if you prefer.

SAVOURY TEAR & SHARE STAR BREAD

Filled with layers of sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, salami, roasted onions and garlic plus fennel seeds, this is a savoury version of my sweet tear and share bread. I guarantee you won’t be able to resist pulling off a piece and eating it warm straight from the oven!

CHEESEJACKS

Simple but delicious oaty, cheesy nibbles to have with drinks or as a snack.

GENOA CAKE

Based on an Italian yeasted Christmas bake, this British version is full of currants, sultanas, mixed peel, cherries, and is flavoured with almond and lemon. I must confess I much prefer this light and moist bake to traditional Christmas cake!

GENOA CAKE MUFFINS

All the delicacy, dried fruit, almond and lemon flavours of the British version of Italian Christmas bake, but these muffins are made and baked in little more than half an hour.

EASY SEED CRACKERS

Light, crispy and delicious, these grain-free, gluten-free crackers are made with nothing but seeds, water and your chosen seasonings. The perfect crunchy accompaniment to spreads, dips and cheeseboards.

CRANBERRY & ORANGE SCONES WITH ORANGE BUTTER

I love this twist on the classic sultana scone: dried cranberries plumped in orange juice and combined with zest in a light, sweet but tangy, Christmas bake. Make them even more orange-y by spreading with orange-flavoured butter or even homemade Orange Curd.

SAVOURY FLAPJACKS WITH VEGETABLES, NUTS, SEEDS & CHEESE

These quickly and easily made squares are packed with courgette, onion, carrots, nuts, seeds, oats and cheese. Flavoured with sage and great hot or cold, these savoury flapjacks are perfect for your Christmas buffets – or even a vegetarian main course.

PARMESAN & CHEDDAR BISCUITS

These might just be the best cheese biscuits you’ve ever tasted. Intensely cheesy and buttery, but so light and melting. Great as an indulgent nibble with drinks.

HOMEMADE FRUIT & NUT CHOCOLATES

Although this recipe (and the next) doesn’t require any actual baking, it would be a shame to leave out because it’s another winning homemade Christmas gift. Simply melt chocolate with your choice of flavourings and set. Here, I went for a dark chocolate with rum, raisins and Brazil nuts, and a white chocolate with coconut rum, apricots and almonds.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT OAT BALLS

Another no-bake recipe that makes a fantastic Christmas gift. A delicious mix of oats, peanut butter, chocolate pieces, roasted peanuts, vanilla and coconut, sweetened with maple syrup and rolled into balls. Dipped and completely covered in melted chocolate, you won’t believe just how good they are!