94. Do Christmas baking

Pistachio and marzipan festive yule logs

(from the Christmas Tesco magazine)

150g milk/plain chocolate

50g dried sweetened cranberries

50g shelled pistachio nuts

icing sugar to dust

500g natural marzipan

50g white chocolate

1. Finely chop 50g milk/plain chocolate with the cranberries and pistachio nuts, reserving a few pieces for decoration.

2. Dust work surface with icing sugar. Roll marzipan into a rectangle 23x33cm (9x13in). Cut into 4 equal pieces. Sprinkle each with the chopped chocolate and nut ixture then roll up tightly to make log shapes.

3. Mel remaining milk or plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (or heat in the microwave until melted). Spread over the logs and leave in a cool place to set.

4. Melt the white chocolate in the same way. Drizzle over the logs and decorate with pistachio and cranberry pieces. I don't like white chocolate so I made icing from icing sugar and water mixed slowly, then drizzled over the logs in the same way.

5. Leave to cool, cut in slices and giftwrap in Cellophane. Keeps for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Yum.

No actual baking involved - so not strictly Christmas baking, but it was all I could muster the enthusiasm to do. And since I made them when I was brewing the stomach bug we've all been doing with, I should probably throw them away now :(

Day 21: Mission complete.