We may not have the luxury of having a white Christmas, but this doesn’t mean that we need to compromise on our Christmas celebrations. One of the best things about this festival is the contagious spirit that envelopes everyone around and spreads instant cheer. Preparing the traditional Christmas meal with roast chicken, glazed ham, cranberry sauce, stuffing, potato mash and a whole lot of puddings might seem daunting, so here are some simple recipes that are easy to put together and yet keep the festive spirit intact.

Minty hot chocolate

There’s nothing like hot chocolate for those chilly nights and adding some peppermint to it gives the beverage a refreshing twist.

Ingredients
¾ cup of dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup of fresh cream
2-3 cups of milk (depending on how thick you want it to be)
2½ tbsp of powdered sugar
2 tbsp of peppermint powder (blitz together some mint like Polo for this)
A couple of marshmallows

Method
Gently heat the fresh cream in a saucepan over a low flame, keep stirring to ensure that it doesn’t burn at the bottom. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. When the cream begins to bubble, add 1½ cups of milk and stir well, turn off the flame and pour this into the melted chocolate. Mix well and add the sugar and peppermint powder to this, stir until it has all dissolved well. Add the rest of the milk gradually to adjust the consistency. Pour into individual mugs and garnish with marshmallow pieces. Serve hot.

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Christmas pudding with chocolate

The traditional Christmas pudding is redolent of a rum and raisin flavour, the addition of chocolate adds to the richness and gives the dessert a darker colour

Ingredients

1¼ cup of butter, cut into cubes at room temperature
1 1/3 cup of demerara sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp of all-purpose flour
¾ cup of orange juice
2 tsp of orange zest
3 tbsp of dark cocoa powder
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
2 tbsp each of raisins, cashewnuts and dried cranberries
1 tbsp each of dried apricots and dates
¾ cup of carrot, peeled and grated
¼ cup of dark rum

For the syrup
1 cup of fresh cream
½ cup of dark rum
2 tsp of orange flavoured liqueur
1 tsp of cinnamon powder

Method

For the syrup:
Mix all the ingredients together and simmer for about three minutes on a low flame. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool down.

For the pudding:
Cream the butter and sugar together until the sugar dissolves, slowly add the eggs to this while beating continuously. When this forms a smooth batter, add the breadcrumbs, cocoa powder and the flour, now mix well. Next add the cinnamon powder, orange juice, orange zest, dry fruits, carrots and the rum. Mix well to form a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into a greased, lined baking tin and cover the top of the tin with some more butter paper and a layer of foil, tie this together with a string. Place this baking tin in a larger vessel that’s filled half way with water. Bake for approx. two hours and check on the water level in between and refill if needed.
After two hours, allow the pudding to rest for 10 minutes in the oven. Remove, allow it to cool down, pour the rum and cinnamon syrup on it and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.