Flora Shedden’s Christmas desserts recipes for figgy crumble mince pies, boozy ice-cream, and choc pear meringues 13 December 2025 at 05:00

Flora Shedden’s Christmas desserts recipes for figgy crumble mince pies, boozy ice-cream, and choc pear meringues

13 December 2025 at 05:00

Three sweet treats for even the fussiest sweet tooth: fig and hazelnut crumble mince pies, sherry and raisin ice-cream, and chestnut and pear meringues

Out of sheer laziness, this is a no-churn, very quick to assemble take on things. I tend usually not to recommend no-churn ice-creams unless there is booze involved, so this sherry and raisin one is a great candidate (the alcohol stops the ice-cream from becoming too hard and crystallised). And keep the leftover egg whites from the mince pies to make the chestnut and pear meringue, an alternative for the Christmas pudding haters at your table – there is always one. I think it’s important to have at least two puddings at Christmas.

Roll up! Philip Khoury’s recipe for pistachio yule log | The sweet spot 12 December 2025 at 08:00

Roll up! Philip Khoury’s recipe for pistachio yule log | The sweet spot

The Guardian

By:Philip Khoury

12 December 2025 at 08:00

This rich and moreish (and plant-based) yule log is a Lebanese Christmas favourite that harks back to the country’s French colonial past

I love a yule log, also known as a bûche de Noël. It’s a remnant from the time when Lebanon was a French colony, which lingers to the modern day, and is popular in Lebanese bakeries and patisseries over the Christmas period, often decorated with small figurines, plastic holly leaves and festive messages. Those decorations, and the trompe-l’oeil nature of this treat, enchanted me as a child, and I wanted to bring back some of that enchantment with this take on a woodland yule log.

This is an edited extract from Beyond Baking, by Philip Khoury, published by Quadrille at £30. To order a copy for £27, go to guardianbookshop.com

Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband no longer called ‘chocolate’ after recipe change 10 December 2025 at 15:22

Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband no longer called ‘chocolate’ after recipe change

The Guardian

By:Nadeem Badshah

10 December 2025 at 15:22

Nestlé confectionery treats now described as being ‘encased in a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating’

Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars can no longer be called chocolate after Nestlé reformulated their recipes due to the increasing cost of ingredients.

The Swiss conglomerate now describes the treats as being “encased in a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating”, rather than being covered in milk chocolate.

How to make the perfect Dubai chocolate bar - recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect … 7 December 2025 at 08:00

How to make the perfect Dubai chocolate bar - recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …

The Guardian

By:Felicity Cloake

7 December 2025 at 08:00

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.