Want to make some festive treats for the big day? Well you’ve come to the right place!

Nothing screams Christmas like the warm smell of ginger, ‘tis the spice of the season! So here are some fun ginger recipes that are a little different from the traditional gingerbread biscuits. These tasty ginger delights should win even the grumpiest of family members over…

 

Gingerbread Cheesecake

Fancy a change from a Christmas pud? Why not try a deliciously festive cheesecake?

Ginger Cheesecake

Image: Allrecipes

Ingredients:

For the base

  • 250g gingerbread/ginger biscuits
  • 150g unsalted butter

For the filling

  • 300g cream cheese
  • 100g light brown sugar
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 284ml double cream
  • 3 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup

 

Method:

1. Line an 8” loose bottom round tin with parchment paper.

2. Blend or finely crush the gingerbread, then pour the melted butter into the gingerbread crumbs and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the tin using a spoon until the entire base is covered and smooth. Pop in the fridge to set while the filling is prepared.

3. For the filling, whisk the cream cheese until soft, adding in the light brown sugar, icing sugar, ground ginger and cinnamon until all the ingredients are combined.

4. Add the golden syrup to the filling mixture and continue to combine. Lastly, pour in the double cream and whisk on a high speed until the filling is thick.

5. Pour the cream cheese filling mixture on top of the chilled gingerbread base and tap the tin a few times on the surface to remove any air bubbles. Smooth the top with a knife, add decorations of your choice and leave to chill overnight before serving.

 

Ginger Snap Gin and Lime Cocktail

For a Christmassy tipple that’s sure to go down a treat try this!

The following measurements will make 4 cocktails…

Ginger and Lime Cocktail

Image: Caligirlcooking

Ingredients:

For the lime syrup

  • 150g granulated sugar
  • Freshly grated zest of 2 limes and the juice of 4

To serve

  • 200ml gin
  • 600ml ginger beer or ginger ale
  • Juice of 2 limes (or to taste)
  • Ice and wedges of lime, to serve

 

Method:

1. To make the lime syrup, put 175ml of water, the sugar and the lime zest into a pan. Gently bring to the boil and stir to help the sugar dissolve. Leave to cool and let the zest infuse.

2. Once cool, stir in the juice of 4 limes and pour through a sieve to remove any lumps.

3. Mix the gin in a jug with the ginger beer/ale, 240ml of lime syrup and the juice of 2 limes or to taste.

4. Serve over ice with wedges of lime. Sip, sip, hurray!

 

Gingerbread House

A fun gingerbread recipe that the kids will love!

Gingerbread House

Ingredients:

Gingerbread

  • 650g plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 225g butter, cut into small cubes
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 250ml honey
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Icing

  • 200g icing sugar
  • 2 or 3 tablespoons hot water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/ Gas 4. Prepare a few baking trays with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger then set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl cream the butter with the sugar then add the honey and mix until smooth.

4. Combine the flour mixture with the creamed butter and sugar mix and knead until you have a ball of dough. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for anything from an hour to overnight.

5. Roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of 3-5mm (about the thickness of a £1 coin). Cut out the house parts according to a template (there are loads to choose from online!).

6. Bake on the prepared trays for about 15 minutes, then take them out of the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

7. While the biscuits are cooling, prepare the icing by combining icing sugar, water and lemon juice into a small bowl. Make sure the icing is thick enough to be able to hold the biscuit pieces together.

8. Once the icing is thick enough, begin to construct your house using the icing as a glue. Leave to set and harden for at least 4-5 hours (but ideally overnight). Once set you can adorn with the sweets and decorations of your choice!

 

We hope these ginger treats have tickled your tastebuds. After all, we deserve a delicious December this year!

For more DIY fun why don't you check out some of our homemade gift ideas?!