Day three of my make ahead Christmas recipes is for Christmas spiced cookies.
There will be ten of us around the table on Christmas day and I like to make it look extra special for the big occasion.
This year, I’m trying something different to the usual place name holders by making them edible! These Christmas spiced cookies were fun to make because I let the children decorate them (yes you read that right, I relinquished the control on this one). With our collection of angel, snowman, Christmas tree and star cookie cutters, we were able to make some lovely little place names that the guests can eat if they feel that way inclined (or can fit anything else in).
These are wheat free, as I made them with spelt flour. They are also dairy free.
A variation of gingerbread, I used mixed spice instead of just ginger, to give the lovely blend of spices that remind us of Christmas and I’m hoping they’ll make an interesting addition to the table. That is, if you can see them amongst the crackers, selfie masks, napkins and little stocking cutlery holders. Perhaps it’s over the top, but who cares? It’s Christmas.
Christmas spiced place name cookies
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Christmas spiced place name cookies
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C, gas 4 and grease and line two baking sheets
Sift together the flour, bicarb, salt and mixed spice
Rub in the butter to the flour mix, until you get a texture resembling breadcrumbs
Add the sugar and mix well
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg and golden syrup
Use a fork to whisk in the egg and syrup to the mix until it starts to form a dough, bring it together with your hands if necessary
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out to about 3mm thick and cut out your shapes, taking the extra and re-rolling until all the dough is used up.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden
Leave to cool completely before decorating and for a finishing touch, dust with icing sugar
I love Italian food and in particular it’s versatility. Having said that, I can only buy gluten free pasta these days and being nightshade intolerant, I’m limited to tomato free sauces. Then for a change the other day, I bought some gnocchi for my daughters and served it up with a cheese sauce. I was so envious. Those little potato dumplings, so simple and yet so satisfying, are beyond my reach now.
That doesn’t mean to say that I can’t become inventive and make my own though does it? Avoiding potatoes isn’t a big deal when you can use sweet potatoes instead, I thought. Not related in the slightest, means that sweet potatoes are a perfect substitution for ordinary white potatoes for anyone following a nightshade free diet.
So, I had the idea of trying out sweet potato in a gnocchi recipe and then I wondered what to use as a replacement for the flour in order to make it gluten free too. I don’t use rice flour and I thought that buckwheat and chickpea flour might be too strong in flavour and would clash with the sweetness of the potato. Then I stumbled across chestnut flour. Having never used it before I was intrigued and the idea of chestnut and sweet potato together seemed like a good combination to me, so off I went.
I wasn’t wrong on the flavour choices. These little dumplings, together with homemade pesto, made a truly scrumptious dinner that satisfied my craving for gnocchi. They were so simple to make and are a great alternative to pasta too.
Sweet Potato and Chestnut Gnocchi
A sweet and nutty combination to give little gnocchi dumplings that are bursting with flavour
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Sweet Potato and Chestnut Gnocchi
A sweet and nutty combination to give little gnocchi dumplings that are bursting with flavour
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Instructions
Add a good pinch of salt to the mashed sweet potato
Beat the eggs, then add to the mash, followed by the flour
Mix to form a smooth dough
Cover a surface with the flour
Take half of the dough and roll into a sausage shape, about 2 cm in diameter. Then cut into 2 cm pieces and set to one side
Repeat with the other half
Add to a pan of boiling salted water and cook for around 5 minutes, or until the gnocchi floats to the top
Remove from the pan and serve with a sauce of your choice
Recipe Notes
I served this gnocchi with homemade pesto, along with some mozzarella pearls (for my non-dairy free girls). Grate over some dairy free or lactose free cheese (if you can tolerate this).
