These cookies will make you wish it was Christmas already!!

We can't wait for it to be Christmas! And what shouts 'holiday spirit' more than delicious cookies for the occasion. Lack of inspiration in making your own? Don't worry, we'll help you!

1. Even penguins can be festive! From @mycookiecrumbled


2. Classic and personalized from @dolores__official



Dobar dan dragi moji! x Jesu li vas razveselile pahulje snijega ili ipak ne? :) Želim vas predstaviti preslatke i prije svega vrlo ukusne kolačiće koje možete potražiti na @sestro.slatka ! Moram priznati da sam oduševljena jer sam prvi put u životu dobila personalizirani kolačić! Moja draga @girl_belgrade me očarala i svojom osobnosti i ovom umjetnošću koju stvara!:) Bliži se vrijeme blagdana sigurno želite svoj stol svake godine ukrasiti divnim kolačima ali kao i ja niste baš stručnjak za ukrašavanje! Vjerujte mi, pokušala sam više puta, nije išlo 🤷🏻‍♀️. Zato će moj dom ove godine krasiti kolačići @sestro.slatka isto preporučam i vama! ✨ _______________________________________________________________ #beograd #belgrade #belgradephoto #belgradestreets #city #serbia #visitserbia #travel #travelphotography #vacation #vacationmood #cookies #cookieshots #food #xmasdecor #xmascookies #christmascookies
Una publicación compartida de dolores____official (@dolores____official) el

3. How about an Alpaca? @thegingerbakery


4. Cookies for a very fancy Santa! @rustictarts



Una publicación compartida de RusticTarts (@rustictarts) el

5. My heart will definitely go on for these ones! @gutinsaluksne


6. Sweet and simple @simple.slow.living



On Sunday its the first of Advent. Time for baking and preparing for Family Gathering❤️ These cookies are made by my daughter @josephine_oderland They are so cute❄️🦌 . . På Söndag till första Advent kommer storfamiljen❤️ Nu ska det bakas och förberedas. Dessa söta kakor har dottern @josephine_oderland gjort. På Gammelfarfars Bondkaksrecept😍 Sååå söta! Med tanke på min Farmor å Farfar tror jag faktiskt att vi ska bjuda på deras jullunch till Första Advent. De bjöd oss alltid på detta goda till lunchen på Julafton. Vi har fört traditionen vidare men de har alltid varit inkluderade rätter på Julbordet. De försvinner i mängden med mat som det bjuds på på Julafton🙈 Så i år kommer vi bjuda på det till Första Advent och de återfår sin stjärnglans☺️ Köttkorv, Saltkött, potatismos, brysselkål, Julknäcke, Doppigrytan med Vörtbröd. Det enda som kommer att saknas är min Farmor å Farfar❤️Äter ni oxå några kärt utvalda rätter till Jul som ni för traditionen vidare med?
Una publicación compartida de Simple Slow Living (@simple.slow.living) el

7. @cookiestartswithc decided that Mrs. Claus also deserves attention!


8. Mixing the colour up a lil' bit! @cubbyhousecanteen


9. How cute are the ones from @_bakedcookies??


10. And finally, for the more experienced or adventurous: a challenge! By @wintoncakes

You'll NEED to try this easy and delicious Apple Pie recipe



It's a consensus that home-made food always tastes better, especially in this time of the year, when days start getting colder and the only thing that could make them better is a delicious sweet treat right out of the oven.
Need some inspiration? Our friends from Good Food magazine had the perfect easy and tasty recipe for a seasonal classic: apple pie!

First, you’ll need to gather all the ingredients.
For the filling
   1kg of apples
   140g golden caster sugar
   ½ tsp cinnamon
   3 tbsp flour
For the pastry
   225g butter, room temperature
   50g golden caster sugar, plus extra
   2 eggs
   50g plain flour, preferably organic
   Softly whipped cream to serve

Now, the steps! 
1.  The apples.       Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Set aside covered in paper towel.

2. The pastry. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Break in a whole egg and a yolk. Don’t throw away the white! You'll need it for glazing later. Beat together for just a minute. Work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it clumps up. Gather everything together with your hands and work the dough into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 45 mins. After the pastry has chilled, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

3. The filling. Now mix the sugar, the cinnamon and flour in a large bowl.   Lightly beat the egg white with a fork.

4. Shaping your pie up.  Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest, which you'll use to line a pie tin – 20-22cm round and 4cm deep –. Leave a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately pile high into the pastry-lined tin. Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay the pastry lid over the apples pressing the edges together to seal. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and make 5 little slashes on top of the lid for the steam to escape. Brush it all with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar.

5. Bake and enjoy! Bake for 40-45 mins, until golden, then remove and let it sit for 5-10 mins. Sprinkle with more sugar and serve while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream.



These Autumnal Pinterest Fails will make you LAUGH

We wish our Pinterest cupcakes always came out looking this good...

Here at Stuffed. we love a Pinterest attempt, so we know all too well that things don't always go to plan. We've collected some of our favourite autumnal Pinterest Fails from Twitter for your amusement (and ours!) However, don't let these put you off attempting your own Pinterest recipe! Sometimes it's more about the process than the results, but even if your treats don't come out picture perfect, we're sure they'll still be tasty. If you need some pinspiration after this post, head to our Pinterest for lots of exciting ideas and recipes to try out!


1. These Frankenstein rice crispy cakes that went a little wrong...


2.  This pumpkin that did not turn out as planned



 3. These teeth are scarier than Dracula's



4. These treats still look tasty tbh 



5. That's not how turkeys are supposed to look



6. Oh dear



7. Truly spooky



8. Not quite there...



Think you can do better? Head to our Pinterest for inspiration and then tag us on Twitter (@stuffedfood) and Instagram (@stuffedfoodmag) to show us your masterpieces!

Seren Morris 

6 Alternative Christmas Dinners in London


If, like us, you like food, Sahara-dry turkey and tepid gravy isn't the most appealing option as a Christmas meal. Especially when you're having it with work, friends, and family twice a week for a month. Move over Hereditary; now THAT'S a horror film. Groundhog Day with burnt Christmas pudding and still-frozen Yorkshire puddings. Vile, and for the rip-off price of £25. That's why we, the benevolent do-gooders at Stuffed, have come up with some helpful alternative options for Christmas dinners for you to lobby your mates with.

Old Street Records

Taking the alternative title maybe a tad too literally - but hey, you got to (rock'n')roll with it. Sorry. This oldschool rock and soul bar serves up great wood-oven pizzas and cocktails for a head-swivellingly low price; 2 pizzas and 2 drinks for £19. With great music and a charmingly raucous vibe, it's a pretty cool and cheap, and not a turkey in sight. Check it out here.

Dishoom

Dishoom has rapidly become one of the most celebrated and popular South Asian restaurant chains in London, and they have a mouth-watering Christmas menu to boot. Based on small plates and grills, inventive, surprising and incorrigibly flavourful, this is the antithesis of your Christmas lunch woes. Also, they do do Turkey; but it's slow-cooked over a full day in its own juices then served with bombay potatoes and masala greens. Your innocuous gastro pub this ain't. Check it out here.


Monty's Deli

Tired of Christmas dinner - how about a Insert December Festival Here dinner instead? Monty's Deli adopts a self-awareness to the tired tradition, blending Christmas and Hanukkah for turkey-cum-bagels, apple strudel and malt cake. All the culinary interplay is backed up by some exceptional reviews and reasonable prices. Check it out here.

The Big London Bake

How about foregoing dinner altogether... and just smashing your bodyweight in gingerbread? Twee? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. This baking contest in Tooting is a wonderful alternative to sitting down and regretting paying £6.20 for a watered-down Peroni, engaging, fun; after a few hours of sweet delights, assumedly nauseous. In a good way. Check it out here.

Rosa's Thai Cafe

You know why I love Christmas menu? There's no contrived Christmassyness. No shoehorned turkey, no try-hard Brussel sprouts (the prats). It's all Thai food, and all delicious, just wrapped up in a nice Christmassy context. Get merry off the complimentary prosecco and pull your crackers then dive into a chilli and holy basil stir fry. Magic. Check it out here.

Tropicana Beach Club

The heatwave never ended with the Tropicana! Palm tree decorations, copious cocktails, and grilled beach food. You'd struggle to get further from the windswept Soho streets or flu-riddled London tube than here. Escapism at its tipsiest. Check it out here.