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Christmas Baking!
December 18
Christmas traditions are big in our house and they always begin with a spot of baking, way before the tree has been put up and particularly before all the chaos of festive outings begin. Yes, a moment of calm before the madness, mixing butter, spice and warmth, is the perfect antidote to any of the anxiety brought on by wrangling turkeys and untangling twinkly lights.
Sofie, my wife, is an expert of all things cosy and naturally channels Scandinavian hygge (the art of curating cosiness at home) even if she does have the house lit up like a seance on dark winter evenings. Around Christmas time I don’t complain however as between the candles and the smells of Christmas cake in the oven, it paints a pretty picture.
If Christmas is all about tradition, a round of joyful baking is one that we definitely want our family to grow up with. Despite the inevitable carnage that I have no doubt will ensue letting our two year old boy loose with a wooden spoon and a bag of flour, I know the memories will be worth it.
In fact, my strongest and fondest Christmas memories surround food. My mum and Aunts pulling together the feast, days before the 25th, the latest gossip, cups of tea and sweet treats, while mountains of Brussels sprouts and potatoes grew on the kitchen table. Little did they know it was these simple things that were the magic of Christmas’s gone by for me!
If you are planning some new traditions this year, or shaking up some old in the lead up to the big day, this week’s recipes should put you in good stead. Deck the halls with bows of festive muffins, gingerbread sandwich cookies and a sticky toffee cake with salted caramel, that I would argue might just muscle out the Christmas pud for a place at the table this year! Enjoy!
Follow these links for the recipes in the photos:
Sticky Toffee Cake with Salted Caramel Icing
Gingerbread Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
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