Gifts to savour
Wrap up a little sweetness with these delicious edible gifts. Try ginger-spiked chocolate bark, bite-size pudding petit fours, and crunchy golden biscotti. Easy to make, these treats are perfect for celebrating the festive season
White chocolate, pistachio and ginger bark
400g white chocolate, melted
1/4 cup slivered pistachios
150g glace ginger, chopped
200g dark chocolate, melted
Place the white chocolate, pistachios and ginger in a bowl and mix to combine. Pour into a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Smooth with a palette knife and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Pour over the dark chocolate and refrigerate for a further 30-40 minutes or until set. Break into pieces to serve. Serves 6-8.
Christmas cake petit fours
50g toasted almonds, 12 almonds set aside
120g Christmas cake, crumbled
1 Tbsp orange-flavoured liqueur
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
200g dark chocolate, melted
Finely chop the almonds (reserving 12) and place in a bowl with the Christmas cake, liqueur, orange rind and 1/3 of the chocolate. Mix well to combine. Spoon 2 tsp of the mixture into 12 x 40ml-capacity mini muffin tins lined with paper cases. Smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Pour over the remaining chocolate and top each petit four with a reserved almond. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Makes 12.
Cranberry, orange and macadamia biscotti
2 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup macadamias, toasted and roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 180C. Place the eggs, sugar, and orange and lemon rinds in an electric mixer and whisk for 6-8 minutes or until pale and thick. Fold through the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cranberries and macadamias until just combined. Turn the dough out on to a well-floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide the dough in half and roll each portion out to 2 x 20cm-long logs, flatten slightly. Place the logs on lightly greased baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 30-35 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 3mm-thick slices and place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool on trays before serving. Makes 80.
Tips and tricks
Go nutty. Use your favourite nuts for the bark, such as macadamias or slivered almonds. Try adding some sweetened dried cranberries for a little extra festive flavour.
Go chocolate. Add 1/4 cup Dutch cocoa to the biscotti for chocolate-flavoured treats.
Christmas presence. Place your food gifts in cardboard boxes lined with non-stick baking paper. Tie with ribbon and add a gift tag.