As not everyone loves traditional Christmas Puddings, I’ve put together a collection of 5 Festive Desserts that are all perfect for a special occasion in their own way. Featuring recipes from the #CookBlogShare community.
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I have to admit it is a little early for me to start thinking about Christmas. I’m a 1st of December at the earliest kind of gal.
I went and dove right in to Novembermas on the Food Network last year and binged on Channel 5 and Netflix Christmas movies for a good 6 weeks. And quite frankly by mid December, I was over it.
But needs must and I know I am in the minority – many people are already researching and planning their food ideas. So this week I’ve chosen to showcase some desserts which might just be perfect across December.
Christmas Dinner Ideas
Before we dive into dessert ideas, I just wanted to share some of my favourite savoury recipes which might help in the planning. As a dedicated carnivore, turkey is my main centerpiece of choice but many of my side dishes are vegan and suitable for all.
And of course, don’t forget your Get Ahead Gravy, Homemade Bread Sauce or, and this is crucial, the Proper Yorkshire Puddings.
WHAT IS #COOKBLOGSHARE?
CookBlogShare is a community for food bloggers to share recipes and foodie posts and generally support the food blogging community. The community is centred around the #CookBlogShare linky.
It is a wonderful way for a wide range of food writers, recipe creators and bloggers to come together and share each other’s recipes.
The linky is now hosted regularly by myself and Sisley from Sew White. New members are always welcome to join so make sure you invite your other food blogger friends!
The last linky was hosted by Cat at Curly’s Cooking who put together a collection of Tasty Sausage Recipes.
Each week the host chooses a selection of recipes which have been submitted during the previous week to showcase. This week I’ve chosen to showcase some sweet treats that would be ideal for dessert around Christmas or even on the big day itself.
Festive Desserts
Whilst traditional Christmas pudding with lashings of brandy butter or cream will always likely remain a must for many people, there are just as many of us that aren’t keen. And another bunch of folks who might just want something a little different. Or, lets face it, something a little lighter after a big dinner.
So here are a few options of alternative recipes to try this year.
Double Chocolate Cheesecake
Cheesecakes are always a favourite around Christmas, especially with no-bake options being so quick and easy to make. Plus they are easy to make in advance and store for a day or two until they’re needed to be served.
Double Chocolate Cheesecake – Glutarama
Christmas Rocky Road
It isn’t all about dessert on the big day. Sometimes we just want some easy festive treats to keep on hand over the holiday period. Bars and slices like rocky road are a great fun to make with no baking. And they’re super customisable too.
Christmas Rocky Road – The Family Food Kitchen
BLACK FOREST CAKE – AN ICONIC GERMAN GÂTEAU
With chocolate, booze, cherries and cream, Black Forest cakes are to my mind, pretty christmassy! A little retro, totally delicious and a real Christmas showstopper!
Black Forest Cake – Gluten Free Alchemist
Dense Chocolate Muscovado Cake
My recipe for a single layer, unadorned gooey chocolate cake is super easy, and most importantly super versatile. Keep it classy with simply a dusting of icing sugar and cocoa, pile on the fresh cream for pillowy decadence or create layers and fully frost for a real centerpiece!
Dense Chocolate Muscovado Cake
Crumble Topped Mince Pies
Ok so mince pies aren’t exactly an alternative dessert idea as such but these are a little different to the norm with their crumble topping. And to make that makes them perfect to serve a little warm with brandy sauce for a smaller, less substantial dessert!
Crumble Topped Mince Pies – Curly’s Cooking
HOW TO TAKE PART IN THIS WEEK’S #COOKBLOGSHARE
BLOGGERS
Scroll down to the linky widget and add your links. Make sure to read the rules so we can all share the love!
I’ll be commenting and sharing as many of the links as possible. They’ll also be pinned to the #CookBlogShare group Pinterest board.
Use the same hashtag #CookBlogShare on Instagram and social media and you can post your recipes in the CookBlogShare Facebook Page.
READERS
Scroll down to see what recipes have been linked up so far this week. Have a read and let us know what you think. Feel free to help share the love by sharing the recipes far and wide! You can also follow the #CookBlogShare hashtags on Twitter and Instagram to discover new and wonderful recipes.
THE RULES!
You can link up any recipe or foodie posts you have. Both old and new posts are welcome as long as they have not been linked to #CookBlogShare before. There is no set theme but it is always sensible to think about upcoming seasons and holidays.
It is usually beneficial to link up towards the beginning of the week for maximum benefit to you.
You can link up to a maximum of 4 posts per linky.
Required – Add a link from your post(s) back to the host’s post. E.g. “I have linked this recipe to #CookBlogShare run by Sisley & Chloe which was hosted by Chloe at Feast Glorious Feast.
Required – For each recipe that you link up, choose at least 2 of the other recipes which have been linked that week, go to the blog post and leave a 5* rating & lovely positive comment. You might want to come back later in the week when more posts have been linked up – but don’t forget!
Required – Please also comment on at least one post from that week’s host. Their linked posts will be marked “HOST” in the title. Please note that a host might request that comments are not left on the linky post as this isn’t always the most beneficial place for a host to feel the love!
My linked post this week are my Chewy Ginger Cookies and How to Prepare Avocado. Comments on this post are turned off.
Bonus – There is no set requirement but there are several other ways that you can help share the love with the other members linking up. These can include:
- Pinning the recipe
- Sharing or scheduling a share to your Facebook page
- Sharing or scheduling a share to your Twitter Feed
- Saving the post to other sites like Yummly
- Hitting the heart icon in the bottom left corner if the blogger is using Grow.Me or Slicksteam.
Please note that by joining in, you are giving the #CookBlogShare hosts permission to use your pictures in a roundup and on social media if your recipe is selected as one of our favourites!
The next linky will be hosted by Melissa at melissatraub.com.
BECOME A GUEST HOST
CookBlogShare are always looking for new bloggers to become guest hosts. Please get in touch with one of the regular hosts or post in the Facebook group if you want to be added to the rota.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY
- Follow #CookBlogShare on Instagram and like/comment on linked up posts.
- Follow #CookBlogShare on Twitter and like/retweet linked up tweets.
- Keep up with the Facebook Group for roundup recipe requests and other shouts for help.
- And do all these things yourself too!
- Get involved with the Facebook Group. Ask questions, answer questions, share successes and generally be part of the awesome community!
Pin 5 Festive Desserts That Aren’t Christmas Pudding! For Later
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THIS WEEK’S #COOKBLOGSHARE LINKY
Please click the Visit Link Party button to see the linky. Unfortunately InLinkz hates my site!
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