Ginger bread curse and yummy Yule log

There is a bit of a story behind why I had decided to make a Yule log this year.

See, we live under a terrible, awful, no good curse.

*cue scary music*

We live under the curse of the ginger bread house failure.

*cue evil laughter*

I tell you no lies.  

We have not ever made a ginger bread house that has not come to some horrid fate.

There was the year that ants invaded our ginger bread rolled log cabin's green coconut lawn- making the whole thing taste and smell like ants.

The year I had forgotten to remove the ginger bread house, from the lounge room while I fumigated.

The year my daughter put her foot through the ginger bread house on it's way somewhere to be eaten for Christmas.

The year I made a ginger bread castle that came to ruin mid season.

And the year, where the icing (that the girls made) did not take and and we had ginger bread house slabs.

Just to prove I can actually make ginger bread houses, this one was the one that got fumigated - no we didn't eat it. 

So... 2011 became the year of the Yule Log, to see if we could try and trick fate.

I also thought it would be nice to involve the children more and teach who ever wanted to learn something, a new skill.

Emi, my 13 year old daughter was keen to try making the Yule log.

We were going to make Kirstie's award winning Yule Log, but unfortunately the morning of Christmas Eve rolled around and 4oD hadn't put the recipe up.

While they kindly suggested that I re watch the show to get the recipe, I didn't have time to on Christmas Eve when I was up to my eye balls baking for my family of 7.   

Nor unfortunately the capabilities on my laptop that needs upgrading. 

But I have it book marked for next year.

I then was going to make Nigella's which also looks scrummy, but wasn't sure about the no flour element.  And the daughter making said Yule log, wanted it cakey.

So, I finally settled on Mary Cadogan's recipe, which I found on the BBC and had pretty good reviews. 

I won't re write the recipe, because you can follow the link above, but I will tell you what I think.

It was very easy to make- a teenager could, and did make it easily, with my supervision. 

We didn't use expensive chocolate, as we were minimising costs.  

We used Aldi Choceur chocolate, which was very nice.  

I used 400 gr of plain and 50 gr of dark as my children don't really like dark chocolate.  

After a couple of days it does feel a little dry, but smeared with something creamy it still tastes great.

I can understand now what the advantages of Nigella's no flour recipe would be (as it wouldn't be as dry).

Do chop up the bits like the recipe said, the chocolate bits in the filling were a nice touch.

I would make this recipe again, given that it was easy and something that all the children liked and that in my book is a win win situation.

My daughter managed the decoration herself, I just added the icing sugar and the pine cones.

.... Yes I will endeavour to do something about the photos soon.

Thanks for bearing with. 

I am not sure if we have beaten the ginger bread house curse, only time will tell.  

If nothing else we have learnt and included a new tradition into our Christmas baking regime.

Did you add any new traditions this year?

x

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My top secret Christmas cookie recipe

This is the one recipe I make over and over again, and have done from the very first moment I tasted these cookies.

They are also the cookies I make as gifts year in and year out.

My mum found the recipe 'somewhere' and she  is one of those people who names recipes according to the person who gave it too you, or who you make them for or with.

I grew up with thinking a particular dessert was called Vera's Dessert, turns out it wasn't.

So because my mum made these once with my niece for Christmas, they have been forever named, Jessica's Snowballs.  

So here you have it, my all time favourite Christmas cookie.

Single handily responsible for the extra bumps and lumps on my hips and thighs, which is why I only ever eat them at Christmas. 

Jessica's Snowballs 

226 g of butter

 (unsalted or salted- just omit the salt if using salted)

3 tablespoons of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon of salt (or not if using salted butter)

2 cups of plain flour

3/4 cup of blanched, flaked almonds.

Icing sugar to roll and store the cookies in.

Set oven to about 180 degrees.

Cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Sift your flour and salt together and blend into the creamed mixture.

Stir in the almonds.

Shape into the size of walnuts or mould into crescent shapes

 I mould mine into crescent shapes, as you can see here.

Place onto an ungreased tray

(sorry about the bad photography my nice camera needs a new memory card, so I am relying on my iPhone)

Bake for about 15 minutes.

While they are still hot, but not straight away (this is a tricky thing to judge), lift them off the tray and very gently roll them in icing sugar, then place them back onto a rack to finish cooling.
I put my icing sugar on a flat plate or try for rolling.

This provides them with a yummy coating, that you won't appreciate until you are eating one.

I then store mine in a tin, smothered in icing sugar.
Only taking them out to gift or eat.

This is before adding the next layer.
Seriously I bury them, so it is like embarking on a snowy expedition to find one.


So there you have it my secret cookie recipe.

I hope you enjoy.

x

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White choc chip and cranberry cookies

We are off to our church community Christmas party this afternoon, and we have all been asked to bring something to share.

We are on a fairly limited (ok none existent) budget at the moment (meaning we are living on the air of God's provision and the little bit left on our credit card).

Normally I would just turn up with nothing, when I feel stretched at every post like I do currently, but I am learning to challenge myself in my generosity. 

This being the case I needed a no fail, no faff recipe that I wasn't going to have to throw out because I had mucked it up.

I have used this Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe from Joy of Baking, a thousand times (ok I exagerate) but it IS my favourite basic cookie mix recipe.  

I REALLY like this site, especially the tested recipes, as they never fail.  I mean I have NEVER had a failure with any of them, and I can be a fairly creative and hair brained cook.

I won't repost the recipe because that is just redundant.

Joy of Baking - Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

Here are the things I changed...

*  I used self raising flour so omitted the baking soda (or bi-carb as the rest of the world calls it). 

*  I added 60 gr of dried sweetened cranberries

*  White choc chips INSTEAD of chocolate chunks

*  Mine seemed a little sticky so I added a bit more flour.  

My gauge is when it just about stops sticking to my hands when I roll, so not too much, just a little.

Here is how they turned out.

Scrumdiddlyumptious to the max

Or perhaps I should wait and see what others think later on.

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