Fruit & Maple Chocolate Cupcakes

Reindeer Raisin Bites

1. Add dark and milk chocolate, raisins, and almonds (excluding reserved almonds) to a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped.
2. Transfer chocolate to a bowl, pour over the hot thickened cream, add butter and salt and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until firm but still able to be scooped with a spoon.
3. To make truffles, scoop 2 heaped tbsp of the mixture and use clean hands to roll into a ball.  Repeat with the remaining mixture.
4. Roll balls in the chocolate sprinkles to coat.
5. Cut pretzels in half and insert 2 into each ball for antlers.
6. Just below the antlers, insert slivered almond to form reindeer’s ears.
7. Use white icing to stick an Ovalteenie to each ball to form a snout.
8. Use white icing to create two eyeballs just above the mouth. And a dot to each eye with the black gel.
9. Use the white icing to attach a red mini M&M to the top of each Ovalteenie to give your reindeers noses.
10. Refrigerate for a further hour to set the icing. Serve cold.

Mini Fruit Pies

Preheat oven to 180oC

1. Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
2. Place almond meal, flour, sugar into a food processor and process until combined. Add butter and egg mixture and process until a ball forms. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a round 6cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 24 circles from the pastry. Line the base of 24-hole non-stick mini muffin pan (or use two 12-hole pans). Fill cases with fruit mince.
4. Re-roll pastry and use a 4cm-diameter fluted pastry cutter to cut 24 circles for the lids. Brush the underside of lid lightly with water before gently pressing onto pie. Cut a small cross in the middle of each lid.
5. Bake at 180oC for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Stuffed Baked Apples

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
2. Cut a 2cm slice off the top of each apple and set aside. Using a spoon or melon scoop, scoop out the core of the apple. Place apples into a baking dish.
3. Combine the raisins, walnuts, sugar, butter and spice. Using finger tips, mix it all together until a rough mixture has formed. Spoon into the cavity of each apple and bake for approx 25 minutes until apples are tender. If using the tops of the apples, add to the oven half way through cooking time and serve these with the baked apples.

Walnut Cheese Log

Cheese to room temp.

In a bowl, mix cheese & alcohol in a processor with salt and pepper until smooth.

Mix chilli with herbs and nuts, then sprinkle on a 30cm piece of plastic wrap, leaving a 2cm border.

Spoon cheese along one end of herbs. Lift wrap and roll cheese away from you into a log, pressing gently to coat well in herbs, shape the mixture into a log, then wrap and refrigerate for about an hour, until the mixture is firm.

Serve with crackers

Roasted Beetroot Salad

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Wrap each beetroot in foil, place on a tray and bake for approx. 45min-1hour until tender. When cool enough to handle, remove skin from each. Slice into ½ cm thick rounds.
2. Meanwhile, place hazelnuts onto an oven tray and bake for 4 minutes, add pepitas and thyme and cook a further 4-5 minutes until golden and toasted. Allow to cool.
3. Whisk together the oil, vinegar and sugar, season well.
4. Arrange salad greens, sliced beetroot and cheese onto serving platter. Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts and pepita mixture and drizzle with dressing. Season well.

Pumpkin Macadamia Salad

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

1. Place pumpkin and onion in large baking dish, add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix to coat. Roast or grill until tender (approx 30 minutes), turning once. Cool, and then gently mix with rocket, macadamias and raisins.
2. Combine lemon juice, honey, ginger and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in screw top jar. Shake and pour over salad. Gently toss to combine.