8 Christmas Recipes That Even Wannabe Chefs Can Whip Up To Impress At Potluck Parties

Easy Christmas recipes

As merry as Christmas is, it can be a rather stressful time as well. Between shopping for gifts, decorating trees, and attending or hosting festive parties – it is a whirlwind of activities and festivities that never seem to end. Oftentimes, the work is far from over even on Christmas Day, especially when you’re roped into a gathering or potluck event that requires you to make sure your holiday dish is not just edible, but also delicious.

To help you take some of that stress off your plate, here are 8 Christmas recipes that even amateur cooks can whip up to please a crowd. 

– Mains –

1. Tarte au Soleil

Image credit: Olive and Mango

As beautiful as it is tasty, Tarte au Soleil doubles as a showstopper and a delicious treat. A gorgeously crisp pastry that’s stuffed with wonderfully herbaceous pesto, this tarte looks way more complicated than it actually is to execute. With little effort, you’ll have in your hands a stunning dish that will be the star of the night – literally.

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• Store-bought pesto
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sesame seeds

Makes 1 large Tarte.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Roll out the sheets of puff pastry. Using a 10-inch dinner plate as an outline, cut out two circles from each puff pastry sheet.
3. Transfer the circles to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
4. On one of the pastry circles, spread the pesto across it, leaving a 1-inch border around the circle.
5. Place the second pastry circle on top of the first.
6. Take a glass and place it in the centre of the circle to create an indentation, then remove the glass. This will mark the centre of your “flower” design and will help to line the rays.
7. Cut the pastry into four quarters. Then, cut each quadrant into halves, then quarters. You should now have 4 slices per quadrant, or 16 sections of “rays” around the circle.
8. If the puff pastry gets a little too soft to work with, place the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm the pastry up again.
9. Twist each ray with a 2-turn twist, allowing the ends to lay flat.
10. Brush the tarte with the beaten egg, and sprinkle the centre of the “flower” with sesame seeds. Place the pastry in the freezer for another 5 minutes before popping it into the oven.
11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.

Recipe adapted from: Entertaining with Beth

2. Cranberry Brie Bites

Image credit: Well Plated by Erin

These Cranberry Brie Bites are a definite crowd pleaser. To have it all in a mouthful – lusciously creamy brie encased snugly in the embrace of a golden buttery puff pastry, along with the sweetly piquant cranberry sauce and brittle pecans – these gems are bound to disappear within minutes at any party.

Ingredients:

• A packet of puff pastry
• 1 (230g) wheel of brie 
• ½ cup (165g) cranberry sauce
• ¼ cup (30g) chopped pecans
• 6 sprigs of rosemary, chopped into smaller sections

Makes 24 servings.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet and cut it into 24 squares.
3. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray, and place the puff pastry squares into muffin tin slots.
4. Cut the brie into small cubes and place one each inside the puff pastry squares lining the muffin tins.
5. Then, top with a spoonful of cranberry sauce, some chopped pecans, and a sprig of rosemary.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Recipe adapted from: Delish

3. Shepherd’s Pie

Image credit: Sainsbury Magazine

A centrepiece that’s worthy of a holiday table, Shepherd’s Pie is the comfiest of all comfort Christmas dishes. Deeply flavoured and downright decadent, this casserole is rich with everything yummy – a medley of saucy veggies and meat in one layer, and tantalising fluffy mashed potatoes as the other. If you’re looking to feed and impress, look no further than this dish.

Ingredients:

Mashed Potatoes

• 1200g russet potatoes
• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (120ml) milk
• ⅓ cup (85g) creme fraiche
• ½ cup (75g) Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Filling

• 3 trumpet mushrooms or 6 button mushrooms, diced 
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 680g ground beef or lamb
• 170g bacon, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp (30g) tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp (6g) fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp (6g) fresh thyme, minced
• ½ cup (118ml) red wine
• 1 cup (200ml) beef stock
• 1 cup (140g) frozen peas
• ½ cup (75g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan cheese
• ½ cup (75g) grated gruyere

Makes 1 casserole.

Steps:

For the mashed potatoes

1. Rinse and peel russet potatoes. Cut lengthwise into halves, then lengthwise again, and then into quarters.
2. Boil the potatoes for 7-10 minutes. The potatoes should be able to be easily pierced through with a fork when done.
3. In a small sauce pot set over medium heat, add in the unsalted butter and milk, and let heat until the butter is melted.
4. Mash the potatoes, then pour in the hot butter-milk mixture. Mix together before adding in the creme fraiche.
5. Grate in Parmigiano Reggiano or add in the parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix together until thoroughly combined.

For the filling

1. Grind the grounded beef and chopped bacon together. Then, knead the mixture to form a ball.
2. Heat a medium size pot over medium-high heat until smoking hot. Add in the meat, pressing it in and searing for 3 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side.
3. Once both sides are seared, mash the beef until fine and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until evenly brown. Place the cooked ground meat aside.
4. Add butter to the same pot and melt over medium heat. Then, add in diced mushrooms and sear until just brown before adding in the diced onions, diced celery, diced carrots, and sliced garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, mixing occasionally. 
5. Toss in tomato paste and saute until caramelised. Deglaze with red wine, stock, or vinegar.
6. Follow with Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Add in fresh chopped thyme and rosemary, then mix to combine and let the mixture reduce until all the liquid is gone.
7. Add in beef stock seasoning, then the frozen peas. Mix and let cook until the peas are all soft.
8. Dump the meat and vegetable mixture into a casserole dish, spreading out evenly to the edges of the pan. Press the meat down so that it’s nice and compact.
9. Layer the mashed potatoes on top of the mixture, and spread it evenly over the surface of the casserole.
10. Grate in some Parmigiano Reggiano and gruyere. You can make fork markings on the surface of the mashed potatoes for some texture.
11. Place into an oven that has been preheated to 190ºC and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Recipe adapted from: Joshua Weissman

– Dessert –

4. Festive Chocolate Bark

Image credit: Cook and Tell

A retro idea but an ultimate life-saver is the Festive Chocolate Bark, which is the ultimate Christmas candy we all want to get our hands on. Better yet, you can personalise it however you want. But the best part of this is that you can make it in just 15 minutes flat.

Ingredients:

• Dried lemon slices
• Dried pear slices
• Freeze-dried strawberries
• Banana chips
• Assorted nuts
• Optional toppings: Oreos, chocolate chips, cacao nibs
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated white sugar
• 500g dark chocolate
• 500g white chocolate
• Strawberry flavouring
• Chocolate bar mould

Makes about 6 chocolate bars.

Steps:

1. Chop the dark chocolate and white chocolate into small pieces.
2. Melt the dark and white chocolate separately in bowls over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat once all melted.
3. To make strawberry chocolate bars, pour half of the melted white chocolate into a separate bowl and add in a few drops of strawberry flavouring. Mix to combine.
4. Pour the melted chocolate into the chocolate mould bars. Add the toppings onto each bar as desire.
5. Chill the chocolate bars in the fridge for an hour or until set.

Recipe adapted from: CooknTell

5. Christmas Brownie Trees

Image credit: My Diverse Kitchen

Christmas Brownie Trees are a wonderful option for those who are short on time, but don’t want to bring something that looks like sloppy work. The recipe uses a brownie mix, which will serve as your magical helpers this holiday. Make them into mini Christmas trees and voila, you’ll have something adorable and festive to show off at potlucks.

Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix of any brand
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (96g) vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp (44ml) water
• 2 cups (63g) icing sugar
• 2 tbsp (30ml) milk
• Toppings to decorate the trees: sprinkles, M&M chocolates
• Chocolate finger or love letter biscuits

Makes 12 chocolate trees.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a baking tin with baking paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the brownie mixture with the eggs, vegetable oil and water. Mix well to combine.
3. Pour the batter into the baking tin and bake the brownie for 18 to 22 minutes.
4. As the brownie is done and cooling, you can get started on the frosting. Combine the icing sugar and the milk into a bowl. Mix until there are no lumps left.
5. Cut the cooled brownies into 12 triangular tree-shaped wedges.
6. Insert a chocolate finger or love letter biscuits into each “tree” to create a tree trunk
7. Drizzle the frosting in a zigzag pattern onto each triangular brownie wedge. Decorate each “tree” with sprinkles or any toppings of your choice to make them look like mini Christmas trees.

Recipe adapted from: When Is Dinner

6. Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian “Snow White” Cookies)

Image credit: My Diverse Kitchen    Christmas recipes

While not technically a classic festive bake, these Putri Salju Pandan – Pandan “Snow White” cookies – certainly personify Christmas in all of its gloriously melty mounds. The cookies may be a bit of a messy eat with its “snowy” exterior, but it is totally worth it. They are ridiculously easy to make, and trust when we say that everyone else will not be able to have just one.

Ingredients:

• 1 ⅓ cups (250g) unsalted butter
• ⅔ cup (70g) icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 ¾ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cups (30g) cornstarch
• 3 tbsp full cream milk powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pandan flavouring
• Icing sugar 

Makes 30 cookies.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC.
2. Cream the butter and icing sugar until combined properly.
3. Add in the egg yolk, a few drops of pandan flavouring, and vanilla extract. Cream until everything is incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and full cream milk powder together. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture gradually. Mix the mixture using a spatula until a dough is formed.
5. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes if it is too sticky to work with.
6. Pinch about a ping-pong sized amount of dough and roll into a ball. Arrange the balls on prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake the cookies for 25 to 30 minutes. Once done, let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes.
8. Prepare a bowl of icing sugar. Roll the slightly warm cookies into the icing sugar to coat. Let the cookies sit until completely cool.

Recipe adapted from: Umm Umar

– Drinks –

7. Mulled Wine

Image credit: Wine Enthusiast      Christmas recipes

After all the frantic holiday prepping and cooking, you’ll want to wind down with a drink, and preferably, with one that has some booze. Mulled Wine is pretty much a staple festive drink when it comes to Christmas, packing a sweet yet smoky punch and dose of warmth.

Ingredients:

• 2 large oranges
• 4 ¼ cups (1 litre) of red wine
• 1 ¼ cups (295ml) brandy
• ½ cup (104g) brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• Orange slices

Yields 12 servings.

Steps:

1. Peel the oranges and leave the peels aside to be used later, then juice the oranges.
2. In a saucepan, combine the orange peels, orange juice, and the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
4. Increase the heat to high, bring mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Leave it to simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
5. When done, strain the mixture to discard the solids.
6. To serve, ladle the mulled wine into cups. Garnish each with orange slices or garnishes of your choice.

Recipe adapted from: New York Times

8. Non-alcoholic Christmas Punch

Image credit: Delish

A festive and blood-red twist to a common mocktail, this Christmas Punch really is the go-to party drink. Deep red from the cranberry juice, warm from the notes of cinnamon and tart in all the right places, this drink will offset any Christmas blues in no time at all. Feel free to add in some liquor in place of the ginger ale, and you’ll have some jingle juice to lighten up the party.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (236g) apple juice
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• 2 cups (473g) cranberry juice
• 2 cups (473g) pomegranate juice
• 1 cup (236g) pineapple juice
• 1 cup (236g) orange juice
• 2 cups (473g) ginger ale
• To garnish: grapefruit slices, orange slices, pomegranate arils, cranberries, cinnamon sticks
• Ice, optional

Yield 8 servings    Christmas recipes

Steps:

1. The day before making the punch, pour the apple juice into a bowl or container. Add in the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Cover and place in the fridge to let the flavours infuse overnight.
2. The next day, pour the apple juice into a pitcher or a punch bowl along with the cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, and ginger ale. Stir well to combine.
3. Then, add the garnishes of your choice.
4. To serve, add some ice into glasses before pouring the Christmas punch into each glass.

Recipe adapted from: The Busy Baker

Christmas recipes that will impress

Christmas gatherings and potlucks don’t have to be a concern for those not as adept in the kitchen. From holiday potluck classics to fresh takes on comfort foods, this list of Christmas recipes will guarantee a better contribution than fast food meals.

For more Christmas articles, here’s 10 Christmas gift ideas to get in Malaysia and 8 festive activities for Malaysians spending the holidays alone.

Cover image adapted from: Food Network, Olive and Mango, SPAR & CooknTell