Christmas is a time for family, gatherings, and celebrations, and let it be said, it is also the perfect time to indulge in some festive cooking. In a year where the celebrations are going to be a little bit different, why not enjoy an afternoon with the family preparing some Christmas sweets?

Here are some simple Christmas recipes for you:

SOFT NOUGAT

Medium difficulty

Ingredients:

Ground almonds – 300 gr

Honey – 200 gr

Sugar – 50 gr

Ground cinnamon – 1 teaspoon (optional)

Lemon zest – 1 teaspoon

Salt – 1 pinch

Egg-white – 30 gr

Steps to make home-made soft nougat:

1. Toast the ground almonds in a frying-pan over medium heat.
2. Dissolve the honey and sugar together in a saucepan over a low heat until they are completely combined.
3. Beat the egg-white and combine it with the honey and sugar. Lumps may form in the process, so stir until they disappear.
4. Add the almond and the lemon zest. Stir vigorously until the mixture is fairly thick but workable.
5. Pour the mixture into a mould, sprinkle with cinnamon and cover with plastic wrap, placing a heavy weight on top to compress it. Wait for 6 hours for the mixture to cool and that’s it!

MANTECADOS

Low difficulty

Ingredients for 20 mantecados:

Wheat flour – 250 gr

Pork lard – 175 gr

Sugar – 150 gr

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Steps to make mantecados:

1. Beat the butter with the sugar until well combined.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with the egg yolks and stir in the butter and sugar mixture.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin, rolling it out to the thickness of approximately one finger.
4. With a round cookie-cutter or a glass, cut the dough into a circle.
5. Preheat the oven to 180º and bake them for 15-20 minutes until they are brown.
6. Once cool, sprinkle with cinnamon and store in an airtight container.

POLVORONES

Low difficulty

Ingredients for 12-15 pieces

Wheat flour – 350 gr

Ground almonds – 40 gr

Icing Sugar – 80 gr

Pork lard – 110 gr

A splash of anisette (anise liquor)

¼ tablespoon of cinnamon

How to make polvorones:

1. Create a well in the flour and put the ingredients inside, mixing them while incorporating the flour until you get a uniform dough with which you can roll into a ball.
2. Wrap the ball in clear plastic and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Once cold, flatten the dough with a rolling pin and with a dough-cutter or a glass of wine, cut out the polvorones.
4. Let them rest for at least 1 hour.
5. With the oven preheated to 200º, bake them for 15 minutes under the grill.
6. When they are done, let them cool and sprinkle with plenty of icing sugar.