Inspired by the classic Bailey's liqueur, this creamy drink features the sweetness of condensed milk with a hint of chocolate.
Dazzle taste buds with this stunningly easy and delicious white chocolate rock road. It makes a brilliant Christmas food gift if you can bear to part with it.
Adults and kids alike will love these festive butternut snap Rudolph chocolate tarts.
A simple homemade basil pesto recipeFresh basil blitzed with toasted pine nuts, garlic, salty parmesan and fruity oil, pesto is the taste of summer. Our favourite recipe is perfect tossed through pasta or dolloped on grilled meats.I’ve searched high and low and have never found a bought pesto to come anywhere close to a homemade version using fresh basil. It’s such a magical sauce that requires quality ingredients and a touch of love to make.Translating to pounded (as the original recipe was prepared in a mortar and pestle) pesto can refer to a few different sauces, but the most famous is pesto alla Genovese, where the tiny basil leaves from the Genoa area of Italy are blended with local olive oil and both pecorino and parmesan cheeses.How to serve basil pestoAs it is an olive oil based no-cook sauce, fresh basil pesto is quite rich, so only a dollop is used. Apart from tossing through pasta, I tend to use it on grilled chicken or lamb, pizza or even in a toastie with ham and mozzarella. I’ve also been known to flout tradition and simmer pesto with cream and serve with fresh potato gnocchi.What is traditional pesto sauce made of?Apart from the basil, olive oil is a major player in homemade pesto. Make sure you use a good quality one. Not too fruity as it can overwhelm, just make sure it’s fresh. Oils can go rancid so store in a cool dark place. One sniff and you’ll know if it’s past its prime. As they contain oil, pine nuts also can go off. To avoid this, I always store mine in the freezer. When it comes to buying garlic, make sure you buy a bulb that doesn’t actually smell like garlic. The aroma from garlic is only released when it has been cut, so if it has a smell it means it’s damaged.The most famous fresh basil pesto pasta recipe is trenette al pesto, a Genoese classic where the pasta is boiled with tiny pieces of potato and green beans before being tossed with the basil pesto. Apart from its obvious relationship with pasta, pesto’s uses are endless. Stir into mayo to dress a potato salad. Swirl basil pesto through a soup. Dollop it on top of pizza or how about trying my new take on chicken kiev, which uses a pesto butter? You can even use pesto as a marinade. Check out these pesto-coated chicken skewers.Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Food Writer and Recipe Tester.
Irresistible bits of fun beckon with this salted caramel fudge.
Rum balls make wonderful food gifts. They are super easy to make and this rum ball recipe is particularly great as it uses all that Christmas fruit cake.
Lebanese cucumbers are smaller and sweeter than their larger cousins. Team them with vinegar and spices to make a classic pickle to transform your sandwiches and cold meats.
Often, I find myself wondering, “Why are Australians so obsessed with slices?” but then I’ll make this chocolate caramel slice recipe and remember exactly why.Why is this our best caramel slice recipe?The buttery biscuit base, rich and gooey caramel filling, and that layer of delectable chocolate on top - I’m drooling just thinking about it. No wonder it’s a staple at school fetes and a firm favourite of anyone with a sweet tooth (in fact, some of our readers have been making this recipe for more than 15 years!). Despite the universal appeal of chocolate caramel slice, we understand people have certain preferences regarding the thickness of each layer. And of course, no slice recipe is complete without sweetened condensed milk, and this slice delivers on the condensed milk front. Then, met with chocolate topping? It's match that's meant to be.Some readers like to double the quantities of the chocolate or caramel layer, or you could even use a smaller slice pan (just keep in mind this will affect cooking time). Of course, one of the reasons this caramel slice recipe is so popular is how easy it is to make - we even have bakers as young as 10 whipping this one up. Easy, delicious chocolate caramel slice ready in under an hour? Yes please. This really is a great recipe. It's absolutely delicious!While this recipe is our favourite chocolate caramel slice recipe, we have plenty of other caramel slice recipe variations to choose from (I mean, just look at this espresso caramel slice, coconut caramel slice and macadamia caramel slice!)And, for something different, try our irresistible lemon slice recipe next!Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Recipe Tester and Food Writer
This simple gingerbread men recipe is both fun and easy to make, and, what's more, the kids will love them. It's not hard to see why this impressive yet simple gingerbread men recipe (otherwise known as gingerbread cookies) has become so popular - each time our team has tested this easy gingerbread recipe, the consistency has been consistently perfect! It's no wonder more than 350 people have given this recipe 5 stars.Whether you make these sweet little guys as gifts, or just bake and decorate gingerbread for a fun activity, you're bound to love the gently spiced, satisfying results. (You can watch our handy video to see the gingerbread making in action!).What's the secret for how to make the best gingerbread dough?Partly the secret is patience: it's really important to allow 30 minutes resting time before getting into the cookie cutting. Another good idea is to let the gingerbread cookies cool before decorating. A hot gingerbread man will mean your icing and decorations could melt and slide off the cookie.We have so many fun recipes that start with gingerbread, if you're feeling creative and want to ramp up the Christmas cooking (including the gingerbread martini).Additional recipe notes by Sonya Gellert - Food Writer and Recipes Editor
A perfect spread or a relish with meats, this gift will go a long way this festive season.
The brownie reinvented - so maybe we should call these yellowies!
A gift tag, some ribbon and a jarful of festive ingredients makes a clever food gift idea for Christmas.
Mars Bar slice recipeEverybody loves a Mars Bar. In fact, they were recently voted the world’s second most popular chocolate bar, pipped at the post by Cadbury Milk Chocolate (personally, I think it was rigged!). So, it’s little wonder that when melted down with butter and mixed with rice bubbles, the result is amazing.Why do we love this Mars Bar slice recipe?This Mars Bar slice recipe is our favourite as it has the sneaky addition of golden syrup, which gives the slice an extra buttery caramel flavour. Another reason we love this recipe is that not all the Mars Bar is melted. Some is reserved, chopped and stirred through the mixture, upping the mars bar element and providing extra texture. Genius, right?Looking for more sweet slice inspiration? Check out Australia's 50 best sweet slices, ranked and 50 easy slice recipes that feature condensed milk.Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams, Recipe Tester and Food Writer
These small truffle-like treats are made from only 5 ingredients and make a great edible gift.
This easy everyday version of tomato sauce makes five bottles!
