TREATS/DESSERTS FOR THE 2025 FESTIVE SEASON

For slimmers and weight-watchers, one of the great delghts of the Festive Season is having an excuse to indulge in desserts and treats normally off limits the rest of the year.  Any of these terrific recipes is guaranteed to wow guests and family.  

Some are easy, some healthier than most; some 'never-mind-the-calories; just enjoy the sensation!'  Prices range from wholly indulgent to frugal/wallet-friendly.

But all are mouthwatering and utterly delicious.

An added bonus?  Many of these recipes can be made in advance

Many have not appeared in previous compilations.

Note: some of the prices are historical; refer to the postng date at the rop right hand corner of the photo

1.  SPECIAL OCCASION -- Pure Indulgence

Luxury Pistachio Cheesecake: Blogger rates it 5-star! Pale richly creamy fillling, studded with bright green chopped pistachios, slathered over a generous crumb crust.  

Singleton's Quick & Easy Chocolate Coconut Cream Torte: full size option is very much a special occasion in terms of calories but the ingredients are wallet-friendly; the prep takes just 15 minutes. Apologies for slightly blurry photo but tasters cheered its 'Restaurant quality; sublime airiness.'

Egg Nog Truffles: boozy, creamy rich indulgence, surprisingly easy to make

Choco-Mint Croissant Bread & Butter Pudding: Truly To die for.  Households have  been known to make one for Christmas Mass supper and another for Christmas Day.  Rich, light, gooey, with a crispy top, the intensity of chocolate sends guests into raptures.  Cook's Delight: it's made 3 days before it's needed and and forgotten until it's time to bake.

Triple Chocolate & Cointreau Shortbread, melts in the mouth, warms as it goes down!

Upside Down Cheesecake: Skinner, lower in fat, and the crust is served separately to accommodate gluten-phobes.  Adapted from Heston Blumethal's mother, this sensational classic cheesecake doesn't take long to put together but the cooling/wait time - virtually all day - is more than worth it!  It is absolutely delicious with fabulous textures.  

2.  FABULOUSLY FRUGAL & WALLET-FRIENDLY FESTIVE TREATS

Two-stage prepare in advance Sensational Apple Crumble with crunchy to topping: low sugar, fresh fruit; part-cook now; combine before finishing in oven before serving

Creamy Pineapple Glazed Pudding, thrifty, easy; replace pineapple with other fresh fruit

Boozy Orange Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding: Inexpensive but yummy with an alcoholic twist 

 

3. TEA-TIME TREATS

Twisted Scone Wreath stuffed with Chocolate & Nuts, Orange & Cinnamon; drizzle with melted white chocolate or buttercream for a snowy finish

Ok

Blueberry Orange Sponge: tastes even better made 2-3 days ahead; butter/dairy free option; fresh fruit; spelt option; choice of low sugar topping or fully fledged rich buttercream

Pineapple, Walnut Blueberry Cake: rich, fine-crumbed cake stuffed with fresh fruit and nuts is the perfect indulgence for visitors/guests. Tasters loved it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fingers: vegan option, easy-peasy

4.  DIETERS' DELIGHTS

Skinny Chocolate Peppermint Mousse: No cream unless you want it as a topping - and the pudding's chocolate flavours are still deep & dark  

Light & lovely but still intensely chocolatey; 
no-bake, butter-free, cream optional

Tiramisu Pudding: less fat and fewer calories: fabulous layers of creamy filling, coffee dipped ladyfingers & chocolate ganache; making it will be fun and quick if  family is involved 

Luscious Lemon Pudding: gloriously gorgeous crowd-pleaser; yoghurt lightens & enhances creaminess and flavour; Foolproof lemon curd instead of shop-bought elevates the dish

4.  EASY-PEASY 

Fruit 'n Nut Flapjacks: truly fabulous and wallet-friendly, with a winning difference; option for dairy free 

1 Recipe=2 Delicious Treats: Cinnamon Breakfast Twists for breakfast & Blueberry Scones for Tea: mouthwatering contrast of flavours 

5.  VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

Special Occasion Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake: Indulgent, fat & egg free.  Easily the best of the vegan cake recipes tested by 67goingon50.  Truly fabulous taste & texture but the cake has a maddening tendency to sink in the middle; just fill the dip with fresh fruit!  Financial indulgence unless you have shares in a maple syrup farm!

Cherry Garcia Ice Cream: Vegan, easy-peasy; the nicest, tastiest, healthiest ice cream ever; no cream - just bananas...

'Irish Coffee' Chocolate Cake':  Vegan-glorious; dark, rich and gorgeously chocolate, the cake is fine-crumbed and hints of whiskey.  The frothy topping is served on the side or turned into icing 

Orange Berry Plate: fresh, colourful, guilt-free, budget friendly

Pomelo (Chinese grapefrut) fruit platter with Cinnamon Vanilla Yoghurt Cream: wallet-friendly, low-fat 

6.  CHEATS' DELIGHTS

Cheat's Black Forest Trifle: with cherries, brandy, custard & cream

Simple, light but ever-so-delicious, so yummy & quick.  Tasters thought it tasted fantastic and praided the 'light' cream and lovely texture of chocolate sponge. Not frugal.

Cheat's Christmas Log: When the pressure's on, a good supermarket Swiss Roll, whether chocolate or fruit,  smothered in simple home-made chocolate ganache, makes a great impression.  

For more Christmas dishes, see How to...on the Nav Bar above; they're 2/3 of the way down the page

These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

Make your own Cranberry Sauce 2025: fabulous whether Sophisticated or kid's delight; low sugar & preservative; knock-out flavours

In the 67goingon50 kitchen when it comes to Christmas dinner, Cranberry Sauce is always home-made and always from fresh berries (although there is often a a jar of supermarket Cranberry Sauce, preferably with Port, in the fridge for emergencies. )

Neither difficult nor time-consuming, make-your-own cranberry sauce is lower in sugar, free of the usual preservatives and so tasty, diners are astounded.  Once you've made your own, there will be no going back

Note: prices are historical

Cranberry Red Wine & Ginger Sauce

Punchy. Tasters reel back a little, go 'Whoa!!' and enthusiastically dig in again.

Sophisticated, a little different and full of character but not over-the-top.  Savoury rather than sweet with a hit of fresh ginger  - and all the better for it. Easy, make ahead, low sugar & preservative  

Kid-friendly Cranberry Orange & Cinnamon Sauce

Make ahead, lower sugar & preservatives; freeze till needed

Does what it says on the tin; kids love it, especially the jewel-like texture

 

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.

Festive Vegetable Sides 2025: luxury to budget; roast, steamed, raw

This selection of vegetable sides for the festive season covers luxury, family and budget-friendly combos, hot or cold.  They are all delicious, a few are a bit sassy and nearly all are pretty healthy too.  Instructions are simple and clear; novice cooks can rest easy.  

PLEASE NOTE: some prices are historical, adjust accordingly.  (date of firsts post is above and to the right of the photo)

CHEAP 'N CHEERFUL SALADS

Lettuce Wedges with Low-fat Thousand Island Dressing

Simple crisp lettuce dolloped with chunky dressing is a refreshing counterweight to festive dishes...and it's so wallet friendly

Wonderful Waldorf Salad: famous New York combo of apples, celery & walnuts; simple prep, low cost, low-fat but hugely delicious with crisp crunchy and creamy (dairy-free opt) ingredients

COOKED

67's top choice: SIMPLE SENSATIONAL SPROUTS  

Vegan with carnivore option, low-salt, low cost; steamer.  Relax; this is so easy & tasty, you can get on with the rest of Christmas dinner without worries!

Simple but sensational: Steamed Sprouts with Savoury Spice Mix & Lemon
'Makes sprouts a tasty must-have; the spice mix utterly makes it!'

  Air Fried Sprouts with Pears & Tangy Mustard Sauce

 Vegan, easy-peasy, eat hot or cold  

Unusual but sophisticated combo for an intriguing delicious side that won't take up oven space!  Dairy-free, kids options.

Festive Sprout Latkes

Vegetarian with vegan opt, wallet-friendly, gluten-free, high fibre

Stonkingly delicious sprout latkes with a tangy balsamic sauce: a worthy addition to any festive table 

ROASTED

Easy Festive Roast Veg from Jaimie Oliver

67 makes no apologies for including these recipes from Jaimie Oliver for zhuzzing up carrots & parsnips for Christmas dinner or Hannakah.  The carrots are roasted with oil, honey or maple syrup, rosemary and clementine.  The parsnips, by contrast, are roasted in olive oil, red wine vinegar and bay leaves. Cook in separate pans or in 2 foil packets in one pan.

Sprout, Parsnip & Baby Corn Melange 

oven roasted: perfect consistency

Careful preparation ensures the dense round sprouts, starchy parsnips
 and crunchy baby corn are all ready at the same time.

RAW VEGETABLES

Christmas Slaw: Sprout, Pear, Walnut & Cranberries:

Every festive table needs raw food - salad or fruit - to offset the richness of festive dishes.  This multi-textured slaw is one less vegetable to cook, prepped ahead & refrigerated until needed.

SINGLE VEGETABLE SALADS: Wallet friendly, healthy (recipe includes all three salad veg shown here)

• One vegetable transforms into a crisp, tart salad in minutes...giving them a new ease of life
  
  
  

  
  
  
  Radishes in tangy creamy dressing, dairy-free option
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Cucumber, in sweet & sour sauce

Lettuce with Green Herb 

These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

Christmas Sides 2025: festive breads, rolls & crackers

This post includes unforgettable baked items which pack a culinary punch.  They'll impress guests, add tasty wallet-friendly treats for family meals, provide  snacks between meals or reward family for good behaviour! 

And guess what?  Many of the items are ultra easy and take little time to prepare. Kids will love getting stuck in. 

PLEASE NOTE: some prices are historical, adjust accordingly.  (date of firsts post is above and to the right of the photo)

INDULGENCES

Festive Fan Rolls: 

Cream cheese makes these appealling rolls so soft and rich they melt in the mouth. Serve with sensational Orange Butter.  Instructions are simple and clear; tweenagers love making them.  0ption for double size rolls

             

Luxuriuous Date & Nut Crackers: for cheese

Vegetarian, Dairy-free option, fat-free: prep ahead; slice & bake as needed

The stuff of heaven, a crispy take on fruit and nut breads.  Crunchy and delicately earthy; the crackers require a bit of a financial outlay if you haven't a store of nuts and seeds on hand.  That said, the recipe makes 50-70 crackers.  

Cranberry Nut Oatmeal Molasses Bread: 

Easy-peasy, elevates any cheese board; but also great elsewhere 

Versatile: a centrepiece on a cheeseboard, a healthier alternative - or addition - to the usual Cinnamon buns Or a pick-me-up toast the morning after indulgent evenings. 

Exquisite home-made cream crackers: 

egg-free, easy, prep ahead, dairy-free option

Crisp white shards - broken not cut - are a stunning surprise: so far above shop-bought in taste and texture as to be a different animal. As easy as scones; the  dough can be frozen for a month.  Testers have replaced butter with schmaltz - a terrific success.  Not yet tested with vegan margarine.

 

 

'Midi' Soda Breads for Singletons & Small Households

Quick & Easy rustic soda breads are terrifically versatile and egg & butter free (from left: Olive; Walnut & Seeds; Dried Cherry with Nuts & Seeds)

Perfect for small households - freezes well!

SNACK BREADS

Dad's Latin American Cornbread 

with corn niblets, chilli & spring onions, 1 bowl wonder

Tender and slightly sweet but with a kick of heat; it's low-sugar, yeast-free and comes in slices or muffins; perfect for brunch, dinner and potlucks.  The version pictured has a small amount of wholemeal flour for fibre but white is fine.  

SIMPLE DAILY BREADS: quick prep:  tweenagers can make them

                          Cheese & Nut Light Wholemeal Loaf

An easy light healthy loaf; a stir or two and it's virtually ready for baking.  Ambrosial warm from the oven.   

                                                          Almost Instant Bagels
This frugal fun recipe is for the kids to help shape; they're no-boil; no fat, yeast or sugar.  And no one will know they're home made in minutes.

                       The Easiest Cheese Muffins Ever? (egg-free)

Run out of eggs?  This culinary life-saver provides the texture and taste of muffins -- unbelievably light & beautifully flavoured.  Cholesterol-phobes should restrict portions.

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