White Christmas crackles

4 cups rice bubbles

1 cup desiccated coconut, lightly toasted

½ cup pistachio nuts, lightly toasted

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried figs

¼ cup glace cherries chopped,

1.5 cups white chocolate buttons

80ml cream

1 tablespoon glucose syrup

Combine rice bubbles, coconut, nuts and fruit in a large bowl. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of hot water. Add cream and glucose syrup and mix in. Pour this over the dry ingredients and gently mix. Scoop heaped tablespoons into patty cases.Chill until set and decorate with a drizzle of chocolate if desired and chopped cherries.

This recipe is from Simon in the Cook & the Chef & is the first time I've tried it. I put the mix into mini muffin trays & made about 48. You could make this into a bar or large patty tins.

Apple and cinnamon cake

1 cup plain flour
1 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
125g butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 apples, peeled & sliced
1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra
1 teaspoon cinnamon, extra

Mix together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, sugar, eggs, melted butter, milk, cinnamon & vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Place into a greased 20cm round cake tin, top with the apple slices & sprinkle with the extra sugar & cinnamon. Bake at 160 degrees for 1 hour. Allow to cool in tin for 5 mins before turning out.

This recipe is from Donna Hay, I bake the mix in friand (or patty tins) for 20-25 minutes.

Scones (Jenny's recipe)

2 cups SR flour

1 cup liquid ( 1 beaten egg, cream & milk to make up the 1 cup)

Make a dough from the flour & liquid & knead on a floured surface.

Cut scone shapes with a knife.

Cook for 15 mins in a hot oven (200 degrees)

This is a fail safe scone recipe from Jenny Medwell. I make this on a heated pizza stone for a lovely crisp bottom.

Chocolate spiders

100g packet Changs Fried Noodles
200g milk or dark chocolate
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

Melt the chocolate, stir in peanut butter until smooth.
Add the noodles
Spoon blobs of the mix on to a tray to harden

Erin wanted me to post this recipe, its straight from the Changs noodle packet but is easy & delicious

Roast vegetable salad

Cut any vegies you like in to small (same size) pieces - potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, capsicum, onions, etc and roast.
Blanch chopped vegies - broccoli, asparagus,zucchini, squash.
Layer spinach in the bottom of large baking dish, sprinkle with 1/2 wheel of camembert or brie cheese cut in to small pieces and sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar. Place hot vegies over spinach & cheese and toss to combine.

This is really good, another that originally came from Lauren, you can mix it up to use any vegies you have on hand.

Chicken patties

1 bunch coriander - don't include roots
500g chicken mince
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
black pepper
300 mls coconut cream

Place coriander, chicken, garlic, sauces,pepper into food processor and blend. Add the coconut cream in a thin stream whilst food processor is running. The mixture will be like a smooth paste. Spoon 2-3 teaspoonfuls in to (sprayed) patties trays. Bake at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
Serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Lauren gave me this recipe, these little morsels are so delicious. You can roll the mix into balls and bake on an oven tray if you can be bothered.

Rum Balls

2 cups plain biscuits crumbs
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup sultanas
1 tin condensed milk
2 tablespoons coconut
4 tablespoons dark rum

Mix together biscuit crumbs, cocoa, sultanas & coconut. Add rum & condensed milk. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour then roll into small balls and roll in extra coconut.

This is the 'queensland version' of rum balls & are everyones favourite. I usually add the sultanas to the whole biscuits in the food processor so they are ground up together. You can use plain chocolate biscuits instead of the plain just omit the cocoa.

Lemon Slice

1 tin condensed milk
350g plain biscuits crushed (not too fine)
140g melted butter
1 cup coconut
rind of 4 lemons finely grated

Mix together biscuit crumbs, coconut & lemon rind, add melted butter & condensed milk.
Press into slice tin & refrigerate for 12 hours.

Icing
Mix together 2 cups of icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a firm consistency, sprinkle with extra coconut

I'd been looking for a good lemon slice recipe for a while, this one is delicious, with just the right texture.

Five cup slice

1 cup coconut
1 cup choc bits
1 cup sultanas
1 cup nuts (peanuts or other nuts)
1/2 cup glace cherries
1/2 cup diced dried apricots

Mix these ingredients together in the slice tray, then drizzle over 1 can of condensed milk to cover. Bake covered with foil at 180 degrees for 15 minutes then bake further 15 minutes uncovered.

This 'no bowl slice' came from Jenny Medwell. You can use any ingredients you have on hand, try craisins & macadamias for a Christmas version.

Swiss Tarts

125g butter, softened

1 cup plain flour

1/4 cup icing sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

12 glace cherries

Combine the butter, flour, icing sugar, salt & vanilla. Spoon teaspoonfuls into mini muffin tray or small patty pans, place 1/2 a cherry on top. Bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Lauren gave me this yummy recipe. It is very simple to make & the little tarts have a buttery shortbread consistency, they don't last long.

Caramel Slice

Base
200g plain biscuits crushed
125g butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tin condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup

Topping
300g chocolate
30g copha

Heat butter, brown sugar, condensed milk & golden syrup in a pan, stirring constantly until it becomes a caramel consistency.
Mix in the biscuit crumbs until combined. Press mixture into a greased slice tin & refrigerate until set.
Melt choc & copha together & pour over slice, refrigerate again, cut into small pieces.

This slice is a little different to other caramel slices in that it does not have layers but the caramel is combined with the biscuits, this makes it easier to make & just as delicious.

Belgian Lemon Tea Cake

1 cup SR flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
60 g butter
1 egg
1 cup lemon butter (bought is fine)

In a food processor combine flour, sugar & butter. Add egg until the mixture forms a dough.
Press 2/3 of the dough into a greased 20cm springform pan. Spread lemon butter over the dough. Crumble small pieces of dough over lemon butter to cover.
Bake 30 mins at 180 degrees. Cool in tin. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

This is very easy and delicious dish to make, I found it a Family Circle mag back in 1997!