Freezable Christmas Recipes You Can Prepare This Week.

Including my irresistible Vegan Cheese and Chive Scones!

The first of my Christmas guests arrive this week, and although it’s only the second week in December, me and my freezer are ready for them.

It happens every year. The clock strikes midnight on December 1st and *poof*, my calendar fills up with house guests faster than you can say “vegan eggnog”. Maybe it’s because they like my sparkling company, maybe it’s the draw of my super friendly dog Ripley. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because they know about my fully stocked festive freezer.

I’ve been caught off guard too many times, and as a feeder, I can’t think of anything worse than trying to feed a hoard of hungry friends with half a bag of stale pretzel sticks. So this year I’m uncharacteristically prepared, and I’ve put my freezer to good use! As I speak, it’s packed with ziplock bags of pre-scooped cookie dough, with baking instructions written on the bag (who have I become?!). It’s bursting with half-proofed dinner rolls, ready for dunking in delicious soups (which I’ve also frozen!). I’ve even frozen individual portions of pumpkin sticky toffee pudding which can be steaming hot and ready to eat in 45 seconds.

Yes, the people who know me are afraid I’ve been body-snatched by the spirit of Martha Stewart, and maybe I have. But do you want freshly baked cinnamon rolls or not?? That’s what I thought.

So for this week’s newsletter, I’m going to show you how to freeze, de-frost and reheat some of my favourite Christmas recipes. Paid subscribers also get an exclusive Vegan Cheese and Chive Scones recipe. They’re perfect for freezing and ideal for a freshly baked Christmas brunch or boxing day breakfast. Full recipe (with printable PDF) down at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you want this exclusive recipe, or perhaps you just fancy helping me to keep School Night Vegan going, you can upgrade to a paid membership for just a few bucks. My blog and this newsletter only exist because of your support, so thank you for all your support. You’re amazing! 🥰

OK, let’s get this party going!

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Your Freezer-Friendly Christmas

Make-Ahead Cookies

OK, I’m going to start with one of my freezer favourites: Cookies! If you’re hoping to wow your guests with big Stepford Wife “how did you make those so fast??” energy, these cookies are the one. Pre-scoop the dough for any of these recipes and they can be baked from frozen.

To Freeze: Follow the recipe to the dough portioning stage. Scoop out your dough onto a lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for an hour or until solid. Transfer to a ziplock freezer bag or a freezer-safe air-tight container. They can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months!

To Bake: All of these recipes can be baked from frozen. No need to de-frost! Just pop on a lined baking sheet and bake at the temperature provided in the recipe. Add 2-3 mins onto the baking time and keep an eye on them in those final stages to make sure they don’t burn. Don’t worry if they seem under-done when they come out of the oven - I write all my cookie recipes this way because they continue to bake on the sheet and will firm up once cooled.

The Recipes:

• Vegan Crinkle Cookies - A super fudgy, vegan take on the Christmas classic.

• Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies - Based on snickerdoodles but with added pumpkin and spices. They’re soft and a little tangy!

• Vegan Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies - Not to pick favourites, but easily the best cookie recipe I’ve ever written. They’re beyond fudgy and are packed with chocolate.

• Classic Vegan Snickerdoodles - Crispy, sugar coated exterior, chewy vanilla interior! My dream cookie!

Bonus Cookie: Spiced Shortbread Cookies
I love these because there’s actually no need to freeze them. I bake a batch of these and pop them in a sealed jar before I have house guests. They make for addictive snacking

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Savoury Bakes

Don’t let these guys take any time out of your Christmas day schedule - prep them early and freeze!

• Vegan Dinner Rolls or Vegan Cheesy Beer Rolls - These are both great companions for Christmas dinner or for serving alongside a hot bowl of soup.
  To freeze, follow the recipe up to the second proofing stage. Carry out half of their allotted second proof then place in the freezer for an hour, or until firm. Transfer the froze dough to a ziplock bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months!
  To defrost, remove from the freezer the day before you want to bake them and place on a lined baking sheet. Allow to defrost overnight in the fridge then finish off the second proof at room temp the next day.
  To bake, just follow the recipe for perfect bready goodness.

• Vegan Sausage Rolls or Vegan Sausage Roll Wreath - My sausage rolls and their festive wreath-shaped siblings make for an ideal lunch or Christmas party snack.
  To freeze, follow the recipe up to the baking stage, but don’t bake! Place on a baking sheet and freeze for a few hours or until hard. Transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
  To bake, there’s no need to defrost! Just place on a lined baking sheet and bake at the temperature stated in the recipe. You’ll need to add 5 mins to the baking time to make sure the filling is cooked through.

• Vegan Cornbread Stuffing - Super fruity, nutty and delicious, with apricots and pecans!
  To freeze, make the recipe to the point where you pour the vegetable stock/broth over the stuffing mixture. Cover with tin foil and and freeze for up to 3 months.
  To bake, no need to defrost this one. Just bake at the temperature stated in the recipe for 35 minutes but keep the top of the stuffing covered with tin foil for the first 20 mins of baking. The final 15 minutes of uncovered baking will make the top crispy without burning the pecans and cornbread.

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Soups and Sauces

Ideal for festive starters or for pouring all over your Christmas dinner! All of them freeze and defrost beautifully, so you can serve homemade mushroom gravy on the big day and somehow remain chilled!

To Freeze: Follow the recipe then leave to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: Allow to defrost on the counter overnight and transfer to a saucepan to reheat. Alternatively you can reheat in the microwave.

The Recipes:

• Vegan Sweet Potato Soup - Deliciously smooth and creamy. Ideal topped with some crispy chilli oil and vegan creme fraiche!

• Vegan Mushroom Soup - My absolute fave appetiser for a day of festive food. Feels nourishing but indulgent!

• Vegan Mushroom Gravy - Ideal for taking your roast dinner to the next level. Chunky and hearty!

• Homemade Vegan Custard - I mean, what else were you going to pour over that Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding??

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Vegan Cheese and Chive Scones
(Paid Subscriber Recipe)

I’ve absolutely nailed this recipe (if I may say so myself!). There’s zero vegan cheese in this recipe and yet the flavour is so mind-blowingly cheesy, you’ll think you’ve been duped!

I’ve frozen a batch of these (unbaked, so they can fill the house with that insane smell as they cook) and will be serving them to Mum and Dad next week alongside my vegan sweet potato soup! They also make a great boxing day or even Christmas day breakfast. With a soft tofu scramble and some vegan sausages! Or, just serve them with vegan creme fraiche or cream cheese and loads of sweet chilli jam. Oh my gosh I’m STARVING!