There’s just a week to go for Christmas and it is inevitable that there will be a continuous flow of plum cakes, puddings, Yule logs, Linzer cookies and the likes, all of which are synonymous with this festival of cheer. But like they say, too many plum cakes spoil the taste. So here are some ideas for sweet nothings that are a refreshing change from the usual festive goodies but still manage to keep the festive spirit intact.

Gingerbread bars
Gingerbread is one of those things that’s synonymous with Christmas, the spicy hint of ginger helps to cut out the sweet overload of the other goodies this season.

Ingredients

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all-purpose flour (maida)
1¼ cup of powdered sugar
¾ tsp of cinnamon powder
1 tsp of dry ginger powder
1 egg
¾ cup of butter, at room temperature
1 tsp of baking soda
¼ tsp of salt

Method

Sift the flours, cinnamon powder, ginger powder and salt together. Keep this aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until it is soft and the sugar has dissolved. Add the egg to this and beat well until the mixture is soft and fluffy. Slowly add the flour to this and mix well. Beat this mixture for about two to three minutes until it is smooth and free from lumps. Pour the batter into a greased baking tin and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Allow the gingerbread to cool down completely, then dust with icing sugar and cut into bars.

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Red carrot mousse

The best option for these is to use red (Delhi) carrots that are in season now, if not the regular ones are also fine

Ingredients

2 cups of carrots, peeled, chopped and pureed
½ cup of orange juice
1½ tsp of gelatine powder
1 cup of sugar
200 ml of fresh cream
¼ tsp of nutmeg powder
2 egg whites, beaten
Warm water

Method

Mix the gelatine with some warm water and stir until dissolved.
In a bowl whip the egg whites until they become stiff, gradually add the sugar while beating. Slowly add half of the cream to this and beat until it forms soft peaks. Keep this aside for a while.
Meanwhile, pour the warm gelatine mixture into the carrot puree and keep stirring until it has mixed well. Now pour the puree with the egg white-cream mixture and mix well. Add the rest of the cream, orange juice and nutmeg powder and beat well. Pour this into individual bowls and allow it to set in the fridge for about four to five hours. Serve chilled.

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Coffee cheese cake
You can alter the pungency of this cheesecake with the amount of coffee decoction that you use.

Ingredients

1½ cups of Marie biscuits, crushed
3 tbsp of butter (unsalted), melted
¼ cup of coffee decoction
1¾ cup of cream cheese
1¼ cup of fresh cream
½ cup of demerara sugar
2 tsp of gelatine powder
2 tsp of instant coffee powder
¾ cup of warm water
To garnish: ½cup of molten dark chocolate

Method

Spread the crushed biscuits along the base of a deep dish and pour the molten butter over this. Press with the back of a spoon to smoothen out the surface. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge until it has set.
Meanwhile, stir the gelatine powder into the warm water until it has dissolved. Allow this to rest for five minutes and then pour it into the coffee decoction, sprinkle the coffee powder over this and keep it aside. Beat the cream cheese and fresh cream together and slowly add the sugar to this. Now add the coffee mixture to this and whisk again until it has all come together. Spread this over the crushed biscuits and set for three hours in the fridge. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top just before serving.

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Christmas cookies
Add an element of fun to Christmas by using cookie cutters of various shapes to cut out these cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour (maida)
¾ tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of vanilla essence
2 eggs
½ cup of butter, at room temperature
1¼ cup of powdered sugar
¼ tsp of salt
To decorate: Butter cream stained with different shades of food colouring and poured into piping bags, sprinkles, chocolate shavings

Method

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Keep this aside.
Mix the eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla essence together to form a smooth mixture. Now add the flour to this and mix well, once the dough begins to form start kneading it using your hands. Shape this into a log and wrap it in cling film, allow the dough to chill in the fridge for one to two hours.
Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap the cling film and roll out the dough until it is a little thicker than a biscuit. Use a cookie cutter to cut out various shapes. Place these on a greased baking tray and bake at 160 degrees for 15-20 minutes until done. Allow the cookies to cool down completely before decorating them. Store them in an air-tight container for up to a week.

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Chocolate and raisin clusters
Raisins have been used in this recipe because they lend a natural sweetness to the dish, you can use any other nuts for that extra crunch too.

Ingredients

2 cups of semi-sweet cooking chocolate, chopped roughly
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
½ tsp of vanilla essence
¾ cup of mixed raisins
½ cup of powdered sugar

Method

Melt the chocolate along with the butter over a double boiler or in a microwave. Add the rest of the ingredients to this and stir well until it has all mixed.
While the mixture is still warm, pour spoonfuls of this on to a sheet of parchment paper or a nonstick baking tray. Allow this to set for two hours in the refrigerator. Store them for about a month in the fridge.

Tip: For adults pour in a tablespoon or two of rum or some flavoured liqueur into the mixture.