Cookbook Review: The Magical Christmas Cookbook, by Murdoch Books

A charming book of Christmas magic with recipes that will whisk you off to the European winter.

Feature image credit: Murdoch Books

Christmas is a time of cooking recipes passed down and maintaining family culinary traditions, but if you’re looking for some new inspiration this season, or perhaps you want proper guides on dishes you’ve always created from memory, The Magical Christmas Cookbook is the answer. This delightful new collection from Murdoch Books marries an array of entertaining recipes with festive charm, and the result is a gorgeous gold-foiled book that foodies and Christmas-lovers alike will love.

The recipes are divided into five chapters: starters and bites, mains, desserts, baking, and drinks. Since this is a European-inspired Christmas book, the recipes are wintry and some might not be that applicable for an Aussie Christmas, but they would work beautifully for Christmas in July. Most are included with entertaining or gifting in mind, while some are easy and quick enough to make that they’d also be fine for a low-key dinner at home.

Since the focus of the book is Christmas magic rather than cooking skill, some of the recipes come with less than precise instructions. For example, they don’t typically reveal how long the recipe will take to cook overall or how many people it serves, while others leave out small but important details like how hot a pan needs to be. But still, it’s easy enough to work out for someone used to being in the kitchen.

As someone who starts counting down from March until the Christmas tree can go up, I found this book adorable. The hardcover is gorgeous, but the real magic is in the excerpts of Christmas carols and stories that are interspersed between the recipes. The dishes themselves come with accompanying photography, while the creative writing is decorated with Christmasy artwork.

Garlic and porcini mushroom pull-apart bread with a feta and mushroom spread (page 38)

The best kinds of recipes look like a lot of effort went in, when they can actually be whipped up at the drop of a hat. This mushroom pull-apart is definitely one of those: looks impressive, and only took a few minutes of prep. It might not be the most ideal recipe for the mushroom-phobic, but it would be easy to adapt for any taste. Chopped up spinach would make a good substitute, and this would also just work as a cheesy garlic bread. I didn’t rate the accompanying feta dip as it was too sour for my taste with the yoghurt, plus the garlic butter and cheese on the bread made it rich enough on its own.

Pepper-crusted fillet of beef with sweet potato rosti (page 84)

Yum! I’ve officially been converted to finishing steak in the oven and I’m never going back. Even without a meat thermometer, it’s such an easy way of cooking. The rosti were delicious although they didn’t stick together for me, so I added another egg which helped marginally. This could be because I swapped half the sweet potato with normal potato since I don’t love sweet potato (sue me). Just be aware that if you forget to oil the steak first (my fault, not the book’s), don’t spray oil directly onto the meat when it’s in a flaming pan … I’m lucky to still have my eyebrows.

Cranberry shortbread (page 144)

If you’re looking for a fool-proof Christmasy sweet, either to serve at a festive function or give away as an edible gift, this one is for you. Cranberries are inherently holiday-friendly because of their red colour, but they really cut through the sweetness of this shortbread recipe. Another quick recipe that can be made ahead, it’s equally good for gifting and for serving. The cranberries do mess up the shape of your uniform cookie cutouts, but that’s part of the festive charm—just think of them as decorations. A winner!

Reviewed by Vanessa Elle
Instagram: @vanessaellewrites

The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.

Distributed by: Murdoch Books
Released: October 2025
RRP: $39.99