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Christmas Gifting – Honeycomb

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Honeycomb made in the Thermomix and the cost saving you can have compared to buying it.

Whether you call it honeycomb, hokey pokey or cinder toffee, this Thermomix recipe is amazing.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted
  • 300 g white sugar
  • 1080 g water
  • 20 g honey or golden syrup
  • 50 g vinegar

Preparation

  1. To guarantee the success of recipes using Sugar Stages, please follow the exact quantity and description for all ingredients. The recipe should also be cooked immediately after placing the sugar with the other ingredients in the mixing bowl.
  2. Line a square cake tin (18 x 18 cm) with baking paper (paper should be approx. 5 cm higher than the tin – see Tips) and place on a heat-resistant surface.
  3. Sift bicarbonate of soda and set aside. Place sugar, 80 g water and honey into mixing bowl and start Sugar Stages without measuring cup.
  4. Immediately add reserved bicarbonate of soda around the blades and quickly stir with spatula until mixture foams up, taking care not to over mix. Transfer immediately into prepared cake tin. Using spatula, remove any mixture from the mixing bowl rim to be able to close the lid correctly for pre-cleaning.
  5. Place 1000 g water and vinegar into mixing bowl and start Pre-clean.
  6. Allow to cool completely to room temperature and break into pieces. Store in a sealable container at room temperature (see Tip). Use as required.

Hints & Tips

  • This lovely treat looks similar to real honeycomb. Bicarbonate of soda is the secret to achieving an airy texture. Stirring it in at the last minute is the reason for its namesake appearance. Honey is used to flavour the caramel. Honeycomb is great to decorate with and it is also good added to other desserts. Break the honeycomb into pieces or crush it and sprinkle over ice cream, for example.
  • Honeycomb cannot be left out in the open for an extended length of time, as it will draw moisture from the air and become sticky. Store in snap lock bags or wrap in plastic wrap and place into a sealable container for up to a week. However it is best eaten soon after it is made. Dipping honeycomb pieces into melted chocolate helps extend shelf-life by a few days.
  • Extending the baking paper up the sides of the cake tin encourages the honeycomb to rise.

Nutrition per 1 portion

  • Calories 445.3 kJ / 106.3 kcal
  • Protein 0 g
  • Carbohydrates2 6.2 g
  • Fat 0 g
  • Saturated Fat 0 g
  • Fibre 0 g
  • Sodium 830.4 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r437218

Christmas Gifting – Amaretti

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Amaretti made in the Thermomix and the cost saving you can have compared to buying it.

Amaretti di Saronno refer to a type of amaretto, a bitter-sweet flavored macaron, that is traditional to Saronno, a comune of Lombardy, Italy. It is one of many types of traditional amaretti, but the only one made with apricot kernels.

Ingredients

  • oil, for greasing
  • 2 egg whites, from large eggs
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 180 g ground almonds (see tip)
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 100 g dried mixed fruit (e.g. apricots, cherries, prunes), quartered
  • 100 g mixed whole nuts (e.g. pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts)
  • icing sugar, for dipping

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C and lightly grease a baking tray.
  2. Insert butterfly whisk. Place egg whites, honey and salt in mixing bowl then, without measuring cup, whisk 2 min/speed 3.5. Remove butterfly whisk.
  3. Add ground almonds, sugar, dried fruit and nuts then stir 20 sec/reverse/speed 2.
  4. Using wet hands, shape tablespoons of mixture into small, rough balls and dip half of each ball in icing sugar. Place on prepared tray, icing sugar side up, and bake for 10-12 minutes (190°C) until just golden.
  5. Leave on tray to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve or package up to give as gifts.

Hints & Tips

  • The literal translation of these Italian biscuits is ‘the little bitter ones’ as they were traditionally flavoured with bitter almonds. Plain almonds work just as well, and you can grind your own with Thermomix®. Prepare a batch and give as gifts, or serve alongside coffee or dessert wine to add some Italian flair to your Christmas meal.
  • To grind your own almonds, place 180 g blanched almonds in mixing bowl before starting the recipe and grind 10 sec/speed 10. Transfer to a bowl then clean and dry mixing bowl thoroughly before beginning the recipe.
  • In step 3, add 50 g dark or white chocolate chips

Nutrition per 1 piece

  • Calories 442.3 kJ / 105.7 kcal
  • Protein 2.8 g
  • Carbohydrates 11.8 g
  • Fat 6 g
  • Saturated Fat 0.6 g
  • Fibre 1.6 g
  • Sodium 22 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r85060

Christmas Gifting – Florentines

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Florentines made in the Thermomix and the cost-saving you can have compared to buying it.

A Florentine biscuit is a sweet pastry of nuts and fruit. Florentines are made of nuts and candied cherries mixed with sugar melted together with butter and honey, cooked in an oven.

Ingredients

  • 50 g pistachio nuts, unsalted, shelled
  • 30 g walnut halves
  • 75 g unsalted butter, diced
  • 75 g Demerara sugar
  • 15 g double cream
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 30 g dried cherries, halved, quartered if large
  • 60 g mixed candied peel
  • 50 g dried cranberries
  • 60 g flaked almonds
  • 150 g dark chocolate, small pieces or callets

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Place pistachios and walnuts in mixing bowl then chop 3 sec/speed 7. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  3. Place butter, sugar, cream and salt in mixing bowl then melt 3 min/Varoma/speed 1.
  4. Add cherries, candied peel, cranberries, almonds and reserved chopped nuts then mix 10 sec/reverse/speed 3.
  5. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture (approx. 20 g each) into a ball using hands, place on prepared trays and flatten out as much as possible, leaving 5 cm between each to spread. Bake for 8-10 minutes (180°C) until golden then leave on tray to cool completely. Meanwhile, clean and thoroughly dry mixing bowl.
  6. Place chocolate in mixing bowl, grate 5 sec/speed 8 then melt 4 min/50°C/speed 2.
  7. Spread chocolate evenly over one side of each florentine and leave to set completely (see tip). Store in an airtight container until needed.

Hints & Tips

  • Florentines often have a wavy pattern on the chocolate. If desired, once chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape (30-60 minutes), use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate.

Nutrition per 1 piece

  • Calories 531 kJ / 127 kcal
  • Protein 1.7 g
  • Carbohydrates 12 g
  • Fat 9 g
  • Saturated Fat 4 g
  • Fibre 1.5 g
  • Sodium 12 mg

Get recipes on Cookidoo here, https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r754184

Christmas Gifting – Mince pies

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Mince Pies made in the Thermomix and the cost saving you can have compared to buying it.

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 340 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 75 g unsalted butter, cold, diced
  • 75 g lard, cold, diced
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 60 g water, ice cold

Assembly and Baking

  • 400 g mincemeat, gluten free (see tip)
  • milk, for brushing
  • icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation

Shortcrust Pastry

  1. Place flour, butter, lard and salt in mixing bowl then mix Turbo/1 sec/4 times.
  2. Add water and mix 20-30 sec/speed 4 until just clinging together. Tip out and bring together into a ball then wrap in reusable wrap or cling film and chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Assembly and Baking

  1. After this time, preheat oven to 190°C.
  2. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out rested pastry to 3 mm thick. Cut out 24 circles using a pastry cutter (Ø 7 cm) and use to line 2 x 12 hole bun tins. Re-roll any trimmings then cut out 24 pastry lids using star-shaped, tree-shaped or round fluted (Ø 6.5 cm) cutters.
  3. Place 1 tsp mincemeat in each pastry base then cover with a lid, sealing with a brush of milk if using round lids. Brush tops of lids with milk then bake for 18-20 minutes (190°C) until cooked and golden.
  4. Leave in tin to cool for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

Hints & Tips

  • Homemade mince pies are a joy to make when you have a Thermomix®. Prepare the mincemeat weeks before you need it, then whip up a batch of crisp, buttery shortcrust pastry in seconds. All that’s left is the fun part; making the pies!
  • Make your own Mincemeat following the recipe on Cookidoo®.
  • Can be made ahead and frozen. Defrost fully before serving.
  • Serve with homemade Brandy Butter, homemade Brandy Sauce or pouring cream. Find recipes on Cookidoo®.

Nutrition per 1 piece

  • Calories 636 kJ / 152 kcal
  • Protein 2 g
  • Carbohydrates 21 g
  • Fat 7 g
  • Saturated Fat 3 g
  • Sodium 19 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo, https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r363499

Chocolate Coconut Body Scrub

Chocolate Body Scrub

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Want to make an awesome gift this holiday season? This Chocolate Coconut Body Scrub takes ingredients you likely already have on hand in your kitchen and turns them into a deliciously scented body scrub that leaves your skin moisturized and smooth. It uses only 4 ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make and is a great, inexpensive gift for the holiday season! I have been leaving my jar next to my kitchen sink and it’s a game-changer! Soft, moisturized, exfoliated skin!

As the winter creeps upon us, this means dry skin season, especially if you live in a cool climate like the UK. I’ve purchased store-bought sugar scrubs from the likes of Champneys before and loved them, but remember how easy and cheap they are to make yourself.

Most people know that coconut oil is a good moisturizer for your skin but when coupled with an exfoliant, in this case, one found in your store cupboard, it turns into a magical homemade body scrub. All you need is 5 minutes, 4 ingredients for this Chocolate Coconut Body Scrub.

This also makes a great gift to give during the holiday season, or really any time of year! The recipe makes enough for about 1 large mason jar (or 2-4 smaller ones) but can easily be doubled or tripled to give away to all your friends and family. Just put on a cute label with instructions on how to use and bring with you as an easy and inexpensive hostess gift or secret Santa!

And YES this is edible! But we don’t recommend this for anything other than a body scrub, though it certainly smells super tasty. Honestly, we love this body scrub so much that we plan to make some different variations in the near future to share with you as well. I’ll be posting more this week, so look out for them.

Disclaimer – Thermomix® is a cooking appliance intended to be only used for food preparation.

However, the recipes here are using food ingredients – sugar, spices, coconut oil, food colouring etc. which I do cook with so I am happy to make ‘beauty’ products using my Thermomix. I also have multiple TM bowls, so I can safely use separate bowls for making these without any cross-contamination. If in any doubt, don’t make them.