recommended by Fashion & Lifestyle Writer Elisa Brunke

“This recipe is from the German book “Süss & Gesund – Weihnachten” (Sweet and Healthy – Holidays) by Stefanie Reeb. It is her third book and she also has a blog, where she shares delicious and plant-based recipes, most of them gluten and dairy free, beautifully pictured by her husband. When it comes to healthy cooking and baking, Stefanie is one of my favorite bloggers and cookbook authors and for me, who loves chocolate and peanut butter, these cookies are an absolute winner!

Ingredients
100 grams ground almonds
100 grams brown rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
200 grams + 2 tbsp salted unsweetened peanut butter
80 ml maple sirup
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
 
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except the 2 extra tbsp peanut butter and cacao powder in a big bowl.
2. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Mix one part with 2 tbsp peanut butter and the cacao powder.
3. Once again, divide each part into two parts. Form each part into a roll and then twist each peanut butter roll with a cacao roll, so you have two marbled rolls of 18 cm length. Wrap them in foil and put them into the refrigerator for one hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
5. Cut the dough rolls into discs of approximately 1,5 cm and put them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes and let them cool completely.
 
 

Chestnut and Mushroom Pie
recommended by Merchandising & Partnerships Manager Karen Denton
“Why not try a beautiful Chestnut and Mushroom pie this year to accompany all the usual roast trimmings? This recipe from Wallflower Kitchen is the perfect warming, festive option for Christmas day.”
 
Gingerbread Mousse
recommended by Art Director Emilee Seymour
“Berlin restaurant Viasko ( make an incredible gingerbread mousse, which I discovered at a brunch two Christmases ago. My German friends found and translated this recipe for me, which I modified a little – and have made many times since.”
 
200g dark vegan chocolate
300g silken tofu
6 tbsp non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp rum
3 tsp gingerbread spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, aniseed, coriander, cloves, and if you like, ground dried orange or lemon peel)

 
Melt chocolate over a low heat (in a bain-marie, or a double-saucepan setup). In a blender, blend all of the other ingredients, then add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours until the mousse is solid.

 
 

 
Christmas Granola
recommended by Beauty & Wellness Writer Jessica Sjoholm
This recipe from Livia’s Kitchen combines all the flavours of Christmas (cinnamon, pecans, cranberries, orange, raisins and coconut) to make a delicious and healthy breakfast. I have a bit of an addiction to granola, and I love anything containing cinnamon, so this recipe is just perfect!”
 
 

 
Vegan Nutella-Inspired Hot Chocolate
created by Beauty Editor Mary Hood Luttrell

“As a Christmas treat inspired by Nutella, I decided to make my own hazelnut-chocolate spread–and then Pinterest inspired me to put it in hot chocolate! This hot chocolate is a perfect excuse to use vegan marshmallows ;)”

Ingredients

1 cup raw hazelnuts
1/3 cup semi-sweet vegan baking chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups water
3 dates, pitted
vegan milk of choice (I used coconut)*
vegan marshmallows for garnish
dusting of cocoa powder for garnish
chocolate chips for garnish
stevia or liquid sweetener of choice (optional)

Directions
*Adjust milk quantity depending on how many servings you’re making. A standard single serving is 12oz./ 1.5 cups milk (same size as Starbucks’ “Tall”). If you’re serving four people, you’ll need about six cups milk.
1. Place hazelnuts on a roasting sheet. Roast at 300°F for 12 minutes. Remove and allow hazelnuts to cool.
2. Remove the skin from the hazelnuts. Add hazelnuts to a high-speed blender or food processor. Process until the nuts form a butter. You may have to scrape down the sides of the blender as you go.
3. Melt the vegan baker’s chocolate in the microwave or over the stove top on a low setting. Add melted chocolate, sea salt, and vanilla to blender (with hazelnut butter). Blend until well combined. Sweeten with liquid sweetener of choice. (I used 8 drops of liquid stevia.) Decant chocolate hazelnut butter into a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Simmer pitted dates in 2 cups of water for three minutes. Spoon dates into the blender. Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Then add 10-12 tablespoons of the hot cooking water. Blend until you read a syrupy consistency. (Add more water by the spoonful if necessary). Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
5. Heat milk using your preferred method. Add warmed milk to blender and 2 tablespoons of chocolate hazelnut spread per serving. (So four servings would require 8 tablespoons of the spread). Blend until well-combined and frothy.
6. Pour into mugs and garnish with marshmallows, cocoa powder, chocolate date syrup, and chocolate chips. Enjoy!

Also available at Peaceful Dumpling

Vegan Gingerbread Cake with Vanilla Glaze

recommended by Founding Editor Sascha Camilli

“Anyone who knows me is aware of my passion for cake. Cake is what makes life worth living! Growing up in Sweden, gingerbread was the flavour I most associated with Christmas. It was the flavour of all things cosy and indulgent, a flavour that carried with it that subtle yet comforting warmth of all things December. And this recipe from Happy Healthy Life is a grown-up version of that.”

Top photo by Sara Carraro. Hot chocolate photo by Mary Hood Luttrell. All other photos from linked websites.