These simple but tasty Christmas treats may be easy to make but they’ll have family and friends begging you for the recipes.

Healthy hot chocolate

It may be hard to believe but this simple hot chocolate recipe is full of good fats, which takes a little bit of the guilt out of a favourite Christmas treat.

• 300ml almond milk
• 2 tsp of raw cacao
• 1 or 2 tbsp of honey depending on how sweet you like it
• 1 tsp of almond butter
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Gently heat all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring to make sure everything is mixed well. When hot, pour into your favourite mug, sprinkle on some ground cinnamon and enjoy. It also goes well with slippers, a fire and your favourite Christmas film.

Cranberry and red wine chutney

Not much beats the combination of cranberries and turkey, so give this great chutney a go; the red wine and berries combine to make a rich flavour. If you want, double or triple the recipe, and give the chutney as a great Christmas gift for family and friends.

• 300g caster sugar
• 250ml of red wine (dry is best)
• 350g fresh cranberries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp of orange peel cut into strips

Firstly, pour the red wine and sugar into a medium saucepan, bring it to boil over a medium heat then add the cranberries, cinnamon stick and orange peel.  Make sure you bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often.  When most of the cranberries have burst, take the chutney off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes or so.  Spoon the chutney into a sterilised jar of your choice - jam or small mason jars work well. Pop it in the fridge overnight and you’ll have tasty chutney to enjoy over Christmas.

Spiced party almonds

If you’re going to a Christmas party and want something that’s easy to make but tastes amazing, these spiced almonds will do the trick.

• 500g raw whole almonds
• 90g of light brown sugar
• 2tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp of hot paprika
• 1tsp dried thyme
• 1tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tbsp of water

Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1 then add all the spices to a large bowl and give them a good stir. In a separate medium bowl whisk the egg white and water together until foamy then add the almonds, making sure they all get a good coat of the egg mix. Sieve the almonds to drain off any excess mixture and then add them to the bowl of spices, coating them thoroughly.  Grab a large baking tray and give it a spray with some cooking oil.  Spread the almonds on the tray evenly and bake for 30mins. Give the almonds a mix and then reduce the heat to 120°C/gas mark 1 for another 30 minutes until dry and golden. Before serving let them cool for 20min then throw them in your favourite bowl and enjoy.

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