Homemade sweets and biscuits at Christmas make pleasingly subtle gifts. They're for when you want to say thank you, or to remind someone that they've been remembered without seeming too extravagant orgushing. While not quite on a par with a little pale blue box from Tiffany, a dozen macaroons, wrapped in Cellophane and ribbon from the craft shop, or a ceramic dish filled with paper-cased fruit jellies, have a simple charm that even the grandest department store would struggle to match. Keep the flavours you use simple – chocolate and brazil nut, rather than tonka bean and chilli – and give yourself a little time to make and wrap them, perhaps spending one evening on the cooking or baking and another on the wrapping. That way, you'll end up with a sweet gift that everyone will enjoy, and one that will leave you feeling chuffed with the result.
Treacle pecan caramels
The hard way to judge when these are cooked is to drip a teaspoon-sized blob into a glass of cold water to see whether it forms a hard or soft ball when cool and squeezed between your fingers. The easy wayis with asugar thermometer, available from cookware shops and aperfect early Christmas present to yourself. Makes about 30 large caramels.
150g caster sugar
200g dark muscovado or molasses sugar
75g golden syrup
75g black treacle or molasses
100ml milk
225g double cream
100g unsalted butter
150g-200g pecan halves
Line the base and sides of an 18cm square tin with nonstick paper. (You could just grease it, but without the paper, I find it's tricky to remove and cut the caramel without marking it with fingerprints, which isn't such a good look for a gift.) Put all the ingredients bar the nuts in a heavy-based three-litre saucepan – that may seem rather big, but the caramel boils high and you want to protect both yourself and your stove. Bring to a boil, stirring to start off with, and boil until it reaches 122C (250F) for a soft caramel to 125C (257F) for afirmer one: those temperatures are higher than some caramel recipes, but this mixture gives it a softer set. Move the pan off the heat, carefully stir in the pecan halves while the caramel is still bubbling, then pour into the tin. Leave until cold, then cut. Cut small squares of Cellophane or nonstick baking paper, and use towrap each caramel individually – thiswill help hold their shape and stop them sticking to each other.
Mulled wine plum jellies
The spiced flavours here turn ever so subtle during the cooking, while the wine gives the jellies a rich, tannin edge that softens the sweetness. Serve with cheese after dinner, much as you would membrillo, or with a selection of dark chocolate truffles.
500g dark plum flesh, skin on, stones cut out, chopped
250ml red wine
500g granulated sugar, plus extra
½ tsp each ground cinnamon and nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves (optional)
Juice of 1 small lemon, about 50ml
125ml Certo liquid pectin
Line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with nonstick baking paper. Put the plums and wine in a blender, and purée until smooth but with flecks of peel visible. Tip into asaucepan with the sugar, spices and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Skim off any froth that comes to the top, then boil for 25 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon because it will catch slightly, until it hits 105C. (It may take more or less time, depending on the size of your pan.) Remove from the heat, stir in the pectin, return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it reaches 106C. Pour into the tin and leave to cool for three to four hours.
Cut the jelly into cubes, roll in sugar and place on a baking tray lined with nonstick paper. Turn the oven to its lowest setting – 40-50C, so you may need to leave the door ajar (failing that, the jellies will dry if left at room temperature for a few days) – and dry them out for an hour and a half to two hours. Remove, roll carefully in extra sugar and leave to cool. Put each jelly in a paper petit four case and store in a pretty box.
Chocolate Brazil nut cookies
My dad's Christmas wouldn't be complete without a box of chocolate brazil nuts, and trying to sneak any seems a bit like theft. Small bags of these beauties handed out on the day will keep everyone's fingers busy and protect dads everywhere from brazil nut nicking. Outrageously easy to make, and the unbaked mixture keeps well in the freezer or fridge. Makes 30 regular-sized cookies.
125g unsalted butter, softened
225g light soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium egg
25g cocoa
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
175g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g milk or dark chocolate, chopped roughly into big chunks
150g brazil nuts, cut into quarters
Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in abowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the cocoa and cinnamon. Add the flour and soda, work until combined, then mix in the chocolate and nuts; Iuse my hands because I find it easier to scrunch up the dough and get the mixture really even. Pinch off nuggets of dough the size of a ping-pong ball (for regular cookies) or unshelled hazelnut (for mini ones), and roll between your palms until smooth. Cover a baking tray with nonstick paper and place the soon-to-be cookies on it 3-4cm apart. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted)/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for eight to 10 minutes (for mini cookies) or 12-14 minutes (for regular ones). Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to arack with a spatula. Once cold, store in an airtight container.
Stem ginger macaroons
The flaked almonds give a crunch to the crust of these macaroons, which is very pleasing, because after it you bite through the soft and slightly peppery heart packed with pieces of ginger. They keep very well, so make a big batch and bag or box them for sweet, elegant gifts. These quantities make about 16-18 macaroons.
200g ground almonds
100g caster sugar
2 medium egg whites
150g chopped stem or glacé ginger, minus the syrup
Flaked almonds
Icing sugar
Mix the ground almonds, sugar, egg whites and ginger until evenly combined. Roll into balls the size of a smallish unshelled walnut (about 30g), then press on to amound of flaked almonds so alayer sticks to the outside. This is slightly tricky, but roll them firmly and slowly, and you should manage it. Place the macaroons on a tray lined with nonstick paper, then heat the oven to 170C (150C fan-assisted)/335F/gas mark 3 and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown, turning the tray halfway through the bake time to make sure the heat gets to the macaroons evenly. Remove from the oven, sieve icing sugar over the top while they're still hot and leave to cool. danlepard.com
And to drink…
Christmas is a time for sneaky indulgences, so go for broke and have a glass of something sweet and sticky with your homemade cookies. Try the smart, contemporary-looking Blandy's Alvada 5-Year-Old Rich Madeira (£12.69 for 50cl, Waitrose, £13.89, Booths; 19% abv) or the fabulous Domecq Sibarita 30-year-old Oloroso (£25, The Wine Society; 20% abv), which is a great gift for someone you're staying with, because you canthen dip into it yourself (lifetime membership of the society is £40). Fiona Beckett
