Apple, Walnut and Cranberry Santa Hats

"My God they taste Christmassy!" declared Southern Chap when he bit into his first Santa Hat. So, just about the reaction I was hoping for!

Apple, Walnut and Cranberry Santa Hats

150ml oil

175g light brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tbsp apple juice

1 eating apple

50g dried cranberries

50g walnuts, chopped into small pieces

200g plain flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

pinch nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

Spiced Brandy Buttercream

150 butter, softened

300g icing sugar

7- 8 tsp brandy

1 tsp mixed spice

red food colouring

Pre-heat the oven to 180C, 160c fan, gas 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with 12 festive cupcake cases.

In a large jug mix together the oil, sugar, eggs and apple juice. Core the apple and chop into small dice (I had a lovely red apple, so left the skin on, but you can peel it if you'd prefer), then stir into the oil mixture with the cranberries and chopped walnuts.

In a separate bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir together then spoon into the prepared cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until the cakes are risen and golden. Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.

While the cakes cool, whisk the butter with an electric mixer, then add the icing sugar and about 6tsp (2tbsp) of the brandy. You may need more brandy, as I did, but if you're not keen on the alcohol, or want less brandy flavour then use water. Remove just under 1/3 of the creamy mixture and decant to another bowl, then add the mixed spice and enough red colouring to make a deep red to the remaining 2/3.

To decorate, spoon the red buttercream onto the cakes and smooth into a hat shape. Place the white buttercream in a piping bag with a smallish star nozzle and use to create the fur trim and bobble! I then scattered over some edible glitter, for that truly over the top festive look.

Chestnut Choc Chip Cookies

December has been unusually busy and all the plans I had for festive baking have gone right out of the window. However I'm officially on my Christmas holiday, so am trying to catch up and these Chestnut Choc Chip Cookies are my first offering. I've been planning this recipe for a while now, ever since I saw a chestnut biscuit recipe and thought I could make it better!

The cookies are very crisp and the chestnut gives them a real bite (a bit like ground rice in shortbread actually, but these cookies aren't crumbly like that is). Southern Chap describes them as "grown up" biscuits because of the dark chocolate chips I've put in them. If you encounter quite solid choc chips when cutting out the cookies, then get through them by tapping the cutter down with your rolling pin. This makes quite a lot of dough, so I've put a little into the freezer to use in January when we need a little warm cookie cheer!

Chestnut Choc Chip Cookies

200g cooked peeled chestnuts

275g golden caster sugar

200g unsalted butter, softened

225g plain flour

1/4 heaped tsp baking powder

100g chocolate chips (I used Bourneville chips, but any will do)

Whiz the chestnuts and sugar together in a processor for a few minutes, until the chestnuts are completely broken down and it looks like a granular paste. Add the butter and whiz again until completely incorporated, then do the same with the flour and baking powder. The dough should come together nicely. Take the dough out of the processor and place on a sheet of cling flim, then gently knead in the chocolate chips. Wrap up in the cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 150C, 130C fan, gas 2 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Dust a clean work surface with a little flour and roll out the chilled dough to about 1cm thick and cut out with cookie cutters (I used snowflakes, but of course any will do!), the remaining dough can be mashed back together and re-rolled or it can also be formed into a cylinder and rounds sliced off if you don't have cutters. Bake for 25 minutes, then cool on a wire rack, and nibble with decadent hot chocolate, or just a nice hot cuppa.