December 10, 2016

Happy Christmas from Clementine Rose, Alice-Miranda and me (and a special recipe for Mars Bar Christmas Crackles!)

Hello everyone,

It is hard to believe that it’s almost Christmas because each year seems to fly past even faster than the one before. There are so many things to love about the holiday season. In Australia, it’s summer time and the weather is hot. Despite the temperature, in my family, we usually have a hot lunch on Christmas day with roast turkey and pork, ham and vegetables and of course lots of gravy followed by Christmas pudding. My mum is a wonderful cook and her Christmas dinners are the best.

We don’t always spend Christmas at home though, and in the past ten years Ian and I have spent quite a few Christmases in other countries. I adore the Christmas markets in Europe and the pop-up ice rinks you see in London. I love that it’s cold and you can wear your boots and coats and sometimes it snows. We were in Germany for Christmas a couple of years ago and it was gorgeous.

This year we will be celebrating Christmas in America for the first time. Ian, Olivia and I will be in California – so it won’t be cold like Europe but it won’t be quite as hot as it is in Sydney either. We’re all looking forward to seeing how things are done over there. I’m also looking forward to having a bit of a holiday as it’s been a huge year.

So wherever you are and however you celebrate (and even if you don’t celebrate Christmas) Clemmie, Alice-Miranda and I wish you all a fabulous time – with family and friends and remembering all the things that matter the most. Keep scrolling for the recipe down below – thanks to my friend Linda!

Mars Bar Christmas Crackles

Ingredients

200g Mars Bars, chopped

2 tbsp pouring (thin) cream

2 tsp cocoa powder, sifted

3 cups Rice Bubbles

Canola Spray

100g white chocolate

24 red smarties or M&M’s

Method

Spray a little canola spray into 2 x 12 mini muffin trays.

Melt Mars Bars, cream and cocoa in a glass bowl over simmering water. The bowl should not touch the water (Best to ask Mum or another adult to help with this bit). Stir the mixture until smooth.

Put the rice bubbles in a separate large bowl, pour in the chocolate mixture and stir until well mixed.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin trays and press down gently.

Refrigerate for at least two hours then turn out onto a tray to decorate.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, checking and stirring it at 30 second intervals. Pour it into piping bags while warm and snip the tip off.

Turn the crackles upside down and pipe the chocolate on. Finish with a red Smartie on top of each one.