Leigh Baxter didn’t like the taste of Christmas pudding when her mother made it each December, but as a child, she always hoped to find the pence coin in the British treat, signifying good luck for the next year.

“It's a dried fruit date cake that's served warm, and served with a brandy sauce or whipped creme, and then some families set light to it with brandy,” Baxter said. “My mom, she would put 50 pence in the pudding, and whoever got the piece with the coin in it, it gave you good luck.”

Despite her dislike for the dish, the British expat makes her own version of Christmas pudding each year, but in cookie form.

The sweet can even be a no-bake item, which she said is a good and easy treat for families to make with children.

“This is my take on creating a Christmas pudding,” said Baxter, who now resides in Winfield Township. “To make it easy, I took an English Digestive — an English cookie — but you can use any chocolate-covered cookie. You melt white chocolate, and then you put some Christmas decorations on it. You can easily make gingerbread, make a chocolate cookie, pretty much anything you want.”

Baxter considers herself an experienced home baker, and she frequently shares her sweet treats with her co-workers, and at some charity events. The Christmas season is when she gets the chance to bring her English background to the forefront, by making and sharing treats she had in her youth during the season.

Her offerings this year include the Christmas pudding cookies, a Christmas chocolate-covered wreath, triple chocolate hazelnut biscotti with crushed candy cane, and her take on a chocolate Yule log.

All the preparation took Baxter about 10 hours in the kitchen, which she fit in over just one weekend, she said. The Christmas log was one of her bigger undertakings this year.

The Christmas bark Baxter made is simple when created with a pre-made Swiss roll. She said bakers can make the base roll if they would like, however — it’s the covering that really makes it unique to each baker.

And, again, the Baxter Yule log is also a no-bake item that is a good treat for beginners or children to make.

“What I like to do is make a Swiss roll, and then cover it with tree bark,” Baxter said. “It's a regular size Swiss roll covered in frosting.

“You get parchment paper, pour melted chocolate on top of it, leaving a small limb around, roll it up while it's wet, freeze it, then once it's frozen and then you can break it up and make it into whatever,” Baxter continued. “You break it up with the chocolate shards.”

The “Christmas Chocolate Wreath” is relatively simple, according to Baxter.

“You can make it with cereal and white chocolate,” Baxter said. “You can make it with Rice Krispies or cornflakes. Cornflakes work best.”

Depending on what size you want to make, you can increase the recipe amounts, Baxter said. A Christmas wreath can easily go from a treat for one to a treat for a small group.

“They can make their own individual ones,” Baxter said. “ There's no baking at all. It's easy, inexpensive and good for the kiddos.”

The biscotti can be the most involved recipe, if you choose to make the biscotti from scratch. Otherwise, it is a simple addition to any Christmas sweets platter. While Baxter made her own biscotti at home, she said casual cooks may want to buy it pre-made, so they can focus on adorning them with toppings they enjoy.

“You can make your own biscotti, or buy naked biscotti, and you drizzle it with whatever chocolates you want, and sprinkle over candy cane,” Baxter said. “You can bake it at home, make your favorite and decorate with candy canes and chocolate.”

Ingredients

Chocolate covered round cookies

1 cup of white chocolate chips – melted

Christmas-colored sprinkles

Instructions

1. Drizzle the white chocolate on the cookies and create a dripping effect.

2. Sprinkle on Christmas-colored sprinkles.

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Ingredients

Four eggs, separated

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

¾ cup cake flour, sifted

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Confectioners sugar, for dusting, sifted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and set aside.

2. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until light. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, and mix well.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the sifted flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture.

4. Fold in the egg whites into the egg mixture and pour the batter into a 15-by-10-by-1-inch jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cake is golden.

5. Loosen edges of cake, invert cake onto a towel dusted with confectioners' sugar.

6. Gently peel waxed paper off cake. Trim ¼-inch of hard crust off each long side of the jelly roll cake. Begin with the narrow side and roll the cake and towel up together.

7. Cool cake on rack, seam side down, for 10 to 15 minutes.

8. Once cake has cooled, gently unroll and spread cake with jam/jelly and re-roll. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or cover with buttercream frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter (1 stick softened)

4 cups sifted powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)

2 tablespoons milk, heavy cream or water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Cream the butter on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and scrape down the bowl occasionally.

2. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Start by mixing each cup on a low speed then on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each cup of sugar is added. When all the sugar has been mixed in, the frosting will appear dry and stiff.

3. Gradually add small amounts of cream or milk or water at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Continue to beat at a medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl once more and beat again to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Add a pinch of salt and mix.

Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

2 cups of dark or milk chocolate chips - melted

Instructions

1. Pour the melted chocolate onto parchment paper.

2. Roll up the parchment paper and freeze for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Once frozen, unroll and break up the chocolate as you roll it out.

To make the Chocolate Log:

1. Prepare the jelly roll as stated above.

2. Place the frosting on the jelly roll covering all sides and ends.

3. Place the chocolate bark on the frosting.

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Ingredients

1 cup of melted white chocolate chips or green chips

2 cups of cornflakes

Green food dye, if not using green chips

Christmas-colored sprinkles

Instructions

1. Mix the melted chocolate while still warm with the cornflakes.

2. Place a spoonful of the mixture on parchment paper and shape into a wreath, as big or as small as you like.

3. Decorate with sprinkles while the chocolate is still melted.

4. Place in the fridge to harden.

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Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons espresso powder

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blanched hazelnuts, lightly toasted

½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Topping

½ cup milk chocolate chips – melted

½ cup white chocolate chips - melted

Crushed candy canes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

3. In a stand mixer, add the butter and granulated sugar and cream together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated; add the vanilla. Add the dry mixture and mix until the dough just comes together. Add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips and mix lightly.

4. Turn out the dough and shape into two balls. Form each ball into a log about 11 inches long by 2 inches wide. Transfer each log to the parchment-lined sheet pan. Flatten out. Brush the egg wash on top and dust with the turbinado sugar. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

5. Take the sheet pan out of the freezer and place in the oven. Bake until set on top, cooked through, and the log holds its shape, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer the logs to a cutting board.

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

7. Slice the logs ½-inch thick. Arrange the cookies on the parchment lined sheet pan, cut side down, and put back in the oven for 40 more minutes, flipping the cookies halfway through baking.

8. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping

1. Drizzle the milk chocolate over the cooled biscotti, then drizzle the white chocolate on top on the milk chocolate, then while still warm sprinkle the candy cane.