Cookies, roast and co. – Our favorite recipes for the Christmas season

Sweeten the morning: Baked apple jam

When it comes to recipes for the Christmas season, baked apples are a must! But we will try this classic in a different style: as a delicious jam for Christmas breakfast. This delicacy is sure to get you out of bed quickly and sweeten even a dark and rainy morning. Whether you enjoy it on bread or as a topping for porridge and cottage cheese, baked apple jam brings Christmas spirit to your table.

Baked apple jam

For 4 large jars (about 1l) of jam you need:

• About 1,4 kg apples (sweet or sour according to taste)
• 1 package (500g) jelling sugar 2:1
• 1 vanilla pod
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. rum

Preparation:

First, peel and core the apples and cut them into very small cubes. Now caramelize the sugar in a pan, add the prepared apple pieces and simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring. Then pour the contents of the pan into a large saucepan, scrape out the vanilla pod and mix it with the remaining ingredients - except the rum. Bring the jam to a boil while stirring, then simmer it over medium heat for about 4 minutes (do a jelly test!). Now remove the pot from the heat, stir in the rum and pour the jam into clean, hot jars. Close the jars tightly and let them cool upside down.

Festive soup for the Christmas season

After a long walk outside with some fresh air or a long Christmas shopping tour, there is nothing better than to warm yourself up with a warm soup. Especially during the cold season, vitamins and heat from inside can help to get you through the winter healthy. Therefore, our recipes for the Christmas season must include a good soup. Tender asparagus meets sweet carrots and spicy mushrooms, and delicious meatballs add an extra savory touch. If you prefer a vegetarian soup, you can use potatoes or semolina balls instead. Extra tip: You can very well serve this soup as an appetizer to your Christmas dinner.

Basic recipe for festive soup:

For 1 large pot of soup you need:

• 2,5 l chicken stock (vegetable stock for the vegetarian version)
• 1 bunch of greens
• 1 large onion
• 200 g asparagus (frozen or canned)
• 100 g mushrooms
• 100 g green peas (cooked, frozen or canned)
• 10 tbsp. royale
• 10 tsp chopped parsley

Preparation

Rinse, peel and finely dice the onion and greens. Pour chicken or vegetable broth into a large pot and bring to a boil with the vegetables. Then simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and cut them into fine slices. Add them together with the asparagus and the peas after 10 minutes of cooking. Finally, arrange the soup in bowls and serve with the meatballs or a vegetarian alternative.
 

Basic recipe for meatballs:

For about 60 meatballs you need:

• 250 g minced meat
• 1 onion, finely grated
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. breadcrumbs
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. pimento seeds
• 2 l lightly salted water

Mix the minced meat with the grated onion, breadcrumbs, egg, nutmeg, pepper and salt until it is smooth. Let the mixture rest for about half an hour. Then form it into about 60 small balls. Bring the lightly salted water to a boil together with the bay leaves and the pimento seeds, then change to low heat and let the meatballs simmer. They should be cooked as soon as they float to the surface.

Festive dinner with Christmas roast

The most beautiful thing about Christmas is when the family gets together. What better place to enjoy time together and chat than at the festively set table?! For the festive menu, the Christmas roast is an absolute classic. We look forward to this delicacy throughout the entire Christmas season. With a pretty table decoration, you complete the cozy ambience and ensure that your guests are feeling completely comfortable.

Roast pork crust with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato cream

For 4 people you need:

• 1,2 kg crusted roast
• salt
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 500 ml dry red wine
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 900 g sweet potatoes
• 150 g butter
• ½ organic orange
• 500 g Brussels sprouts
• 250 g green olives
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• pepper
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
•  honey

Preparation:

1. Cut the bacon rind of the crusted roast in a diamond shape, rub the roast with some salt and place it in a roasting pan. For the broth, quarter an onion and two cloves of garlic and add them to the roaster along with the red wine, rosemary and thyme. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 60 minutes.
2. While the roast is in the oven, you can start preparing the side dishes. Peel and coarsely dice the sweet potatoes. Put them in a pot with 100 g butter and cook it over medium heat for 20 minutes. Then mash (or puree) with a pinch of salt and the zest and juice of half an orange until no more pieces are visible. Return the finished cream to the pot and keep it warm.
3. Cut off the stalk of the Brussels sprouts and remove the outermost leaves. Coarsely chop the olives and finely chop the remaining onion. Heat the olive oil in a pan and roast the Brussels sprouts. Add the olives and pan fry everything together until the Brussels sprouts are nicely roasted. Then add the remaining butter and the onion pieces into the pan, season with salt and pepper, and keep them warm.
4. After about 60 minutes remove the finished crusted roast from the oven, pour the broth through a sieve into a pot and reheat it. Keep the roast warm in the oven. As soon as the broth is boiling, add the cornstarch and stir with a whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Season the sauce with a little salt, pepper, and honey.
5. Finally, you can cut the roast and arrange it on plates with the side dishes. Serve with the sauce – done!

Delicious nut cookies

Christmas season and cookies just belong together! Not only children enjoy baking and snacking Christmas cookies. For us adults, Christmas baking is part of the seasin, too. And when the smell of cinnamon, vanilla and nuts fills the apartment, it is taking you back to beautiful childhood memories. In our collection of recipes for the Christmas season, we have some delicious nut cookies for you. Our tip: Enjoy the cookies with a cup of hot chocolate.

Nut cookies

 For 2-3 trays you need:

• 200 g wheat flour
• 200 g ground hazelnuts
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 200 g soft butter (alternatively margarine)
• 1 egg
• 50 g chopped hazelnuts
• pinch of salt

Preparation:

Knead the wheat flour together with the ground hazelnuts, the powdered sugar, the soft butter, the egg yolk (save the egg white for later!) and the pinch of salt first with a dough hook of the hand mixer, then with your hands to make a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap for about half an hour. Then form three rolls of dough, about 3.5 cm in diameter, brush them all around with the egg white and roll in the chopped hazelnuts. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes. Finally, cut the dough rolls into slices - about 5 mm thick - and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake the first tray at 200°C for 20 minutes, all others for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of the baking time, it is best to stay with the oven so that the cookies do not burn. Then simply let them cool and enjoy. If you like, you can decorate the cookies with chocolate coating.

Conclusion

Sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, our recipes make the Christmas season especially tasty. The best part is when we share the delicious treats with our loved ones. Whether at a relaxed breakfast with the family, over coffee with the closest friends or at Christmas dinner - with the right delicacies, a good mood is pre-programmed. We wish you much joy in preparing and enjoying!