Gingerbread Snowflakes

This year I've made so many batches of these delicious gingerbread biscuits that I just had to share the recipe! They really have been the perfect home made gift, great to munch while watching those Christmas films and have gone down a storm!
The recipe I've been using is this one, from BBC Good Food. Can never go wrong with them.
Christmas might be over, I hope everyone had a wonderful few days relaxing with family and loved ones; slowly eating your own body weight in cheese, chocolate and minced pies! But I don't think it's any excuse to not keep those festive, cosy vibes going through the next few months.
So when those January blues sink in, I urge anyone to go do a bit of backing and whip up some of these tasty little guys. Oh, and guess what?? They're super easy to make!
Only downside is they aren't the best for my waistline ...

White Chocolate & Peppermint Candy Cane Bark

I'd never come across this festive treat until a girl on my university course brought some in for everyone to get us in the Christmas spirit. I'm never very much into minty things but white chocolate I love, and I was pleasantly surprised by the combination. It is, in fact, rather yummy; but even better than that is how insanely easy it is to make! Melted chocolate sprinkled with crushed candy cane pieces,brilliant! This year I'm definitely having to be very crafty with my presents and anything I can make on a tiny student budget is right up my alley.

All you need are two ingredients; white chocolate and some candy canes, pulverised into pieces with a blunt instrument - this was great for venting my essay writing frustrations! (Pop the candy canes in a zip lock freezer bag for this bit or it can get quite messy)
You will then need a vessel of some kind to pour the chocolate that you will be melting into.
Here is where things are super flexible; you could go ultra thin and use a baking tray, or something smaller and deeper like a tin or glass dish. Either way you will need enough white chocolate that, when melted, will fill your tray/tin/dish to your desired thickness (for example, I used 400g of chocolate and a 18x25cm tin so my pieces were just over 0.5cm thick).
Be sure to line this tin with kitchen foil to ensure you can pull out the chocolate when set.
To melt your chocolate you can simply use a microwave and a heat resistant jug, or use a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. With both methods make sure you keep stirring the chocolate at frequent intervals.
When your chocolate is completely melted pour it into your foil lined tray. Shift the tray around slightly if you need to spread the chocolate to the corners.
Now simply sprinkle over your crushed candy cane chunks, as many as you like!
Pop into the fridge and allow to cool for at least an hour.
When it's done you can pull out your slab of bark with the edges of the foil and proceed to breaking into pieces as big or small as you desire.

It's that simple! A really affordable festive treat, and a great gift for any chocaholic!
Fill a cute jar with bite size pieces and adorn with a label and bow, wa la.