10 simple recipes for a stress free Christmas

The busy Christmas season can be super stressful!

I totally get it!

Between school holidays, shopping, wrapping gifts, endless Christmas parties and forgetting to move Elf on the Shelf – there’s so much to do and fuss over! But your festive food can be stress-free!

Today I’m sharing 10 simple recipes for a stress free Christmas.

These 10 recipes are your secret weapon to making Christmas a time for nourishment, celebration and joy!

From simple make ahead desserts, to party platter essentials – I’m sharing the recipes I’ll have on repeat this silly season!

Merry Christmas!

perfect roast chicken with crispy potatoes

Consider your Christmas dinner sorted with this simple roast chicken. You can make the herb butter, stuff and prepare the chicken the day before – leaving you to simply pop the chicken into the oven on Christmas day. And these crispy crunchy amazingly roasted potatoes are always a hit – who doesn’t love a roast spud! This simple Christmas lunch or dinner is full of fragrant fresh herbs, totally comforting and almost always yields leftovers.

crispy parmesan pita chips with beetroot hummus

Achieve platter perfection this Christmas with these gorgeous crispy parmesan pita chips and beetroot hummus! The hummus is luscious and full of flavour and yes, another recipe you can make well in advance! And these crispy parmesan chips are totally moorish!

cherry pistachio and white chocolate christmas cookies

Get your kids into the kitchen to bake these cookies together this Christmas! These darlings are the epitome of Christmas cookie heaven! Chock full of juicy fresh cherries, lots of crunchy pistachios and TONNES of white chocolate they’re a hit with everyone. Your batch will disappear at record breaking speed – just be sure to leave one or two cookies to leave alongside a glass of milk Christmas Eve for Old Saint Nic.

blueberry and yoghurt panna cotta’s

These panna cotta’s make a darling dessert this Christmas! They can be made way ahead of time, are luscious and creamy (perfect for our Aussie stinking hot Christmas day) and are light and refreshing after a big Christmas dinner! Take the pressure off this Christmas with this lovely little dessert! Oh be sure to serve the sweet little desserts with a dollop of cream, drizzle of maple and scattering of blueberries. Yum.

blueberry orange and poppy seed pancakes

We’ll be hosting a Christmas brunch this year and YES, these EPIC blueberry orange and poppy seed pancakes are on the menu! If you love pancakes, try this blueberry/orange/poppy seed combo, I promise you and your guests won’t be disappointed. Serve the pancakes with greek yoghurt, extra blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup for extra festive cheer.

crispy crunchy baked potato fries with zesty pesto dip

This recipe is another lovely platter option or even a delightful side dish. The pesto dip can be made the day before and stored in the fridge and whilst the fries bake away to golden perfection – tummies are set to rumble.

rocky road

You simply can’t have Christmas without rocky road and this recipe is lovely. It combines turkish delight, italian biscotti, marshmallows and pistachios with decadent dark chocolate to create the ultimate festive treat. Be sure to share with lots of loved ones!

Christmas brownies

Another decadent treat – these epic chocolate brownies are a little (or a lot) naughty but to celebrate a special occasion – this is my ‘go-to’ recipe. And the feedback is always the same….‘best. brownies. EVER!’ These epic brownies come together in 1 bowl, take 25 minutes to bake and give you 16 decadent squares of chocolate heaven to share with loved ones over the silly season!

cookies for santa

For Old St. Nick bake these festive looking cookies, chock full of brilliantly green pistachio and dotted with a glacé cherry as bright as Rudolph’s nose. They come together effortlessly in the bowl of a food processor and after a quick roll in icing sugar they’re ready for the oven. I adore baking these all year long, but there’s something extra special about the homemade delights that emerge from the heart of the home during the month of December. It’s as if somehow a little extra magic is added to each recipe, especially a batch of cookies like this.

christmas gingerbread

Chock full of fragrant Christmas spices like ginger, mixed spice and cinnamon and deep dark rich molasses, these loaves are the epitome of festive cheer. And these little Christmas loaves couldn’t be simpler to prepare, just whisk together the wet ingredients, sift in the dry ingredients & voilà you’re ready to bake. Whilst in the oven though, be prepared to be transported to Christmas heaven as these gorgeously golden darlings smell AMAZING.