And with the kids off for Christmas, why not get them involved in the kitchen helping to make some yummy sweet treats which all have a fun festive twist.
Here's some of our favourite Christmas baking recipes which are fun and easy to make with the kids, from classic gingerbread to reindeer brownies.
Ready, steady, bake!
Gingerbread People
Gingerbread men and women are an essential when it comes to Christmas baking, particularly for kids as they can have a lot of fun bringing their biscuits to life with whatever decorations they choose.
Ingredients350g plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground ginger 100g butter (chopped up and softened) 175g light muscovado or brown sugar 4 tbsp golden syrup 1 egg Icing and sweets for decoration
Recipe1. Weigh and sieve the flour into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Get those hands messy!2. Add the rest of your dry ingredients in and mix it all in.3. Then spoon in the golden syrup and add in the egg. Mix it all together until it resembles a smooth ball of dough, using those hands if needed.4. Lightly flour a surface and roll out the mixture making it about half a centimetre thick. Use a cookie cutter to get the classic gingerbread men shape and bake them in an oven on a lined tray at 190C/170C fan for 10/12 minutes, until they have become a darker shade.5. Leave to cool on a wire rack and get decorating to your heart's content! Leave to set and then enjoy.
Christmas Tree And Reindeer Brownies
Nothing beats a scrummy chocolate brownie, which are not only easy to make but you can put a fun festive spin on them too with some simple decorations and by cutting them into triangles.
Ingredients100g self raising flour 75g cocoa powder 275g butter (softened) 375g caster sugar 4 eggs 100g chocolate chips Pretzels, icing and sweets for decoration
Recipe1. Grease, line and prepare a baking tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan.2. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl (except the ones for decoration) and mix together well. Add more chocolate chips if you feel like it, or if you want to make the brownies extra chocolatey.3. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top. Bake for 40/45 minutes until a skewer put through the middle comes out clean.4. Cut the brownies into triangles and get decorating. Pretzels make for perfect reindeer ears, with a red sweet making for a great nose for Rudolph. Or flood them with green icing and add hundreds and thousands to make cute Christmas trees.5. Leave to set and then get stuck into our favourite part - eating them!
Snowman Cupcakes
If you want to make your snowman cupcakes even fancier, replace the marshmallow heads with mini cupcakes just like in the image above.
Ingredients250g caster sugar 250g butter (softened) 4 eggs 250g self-raising flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla extract Marshmallows Icing and sweets for decoration
Recipe1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C/130C fan and line a tray with cupcake cases.2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.3. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture together between each one.4. Then add in the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is nice and smooth.5. Divide evenly between the cupcake cases and bake for 15/20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool.6. Once cooled add icing and stick on some marshmallows, creating little snowmen on top of the cupcakes. We find matchmakers make for perfect arms whilst mini smarties work for the eyes and buttons.7. Leave to set and enjoy.
Christmas Cake Pops
Cake on a stick?!? Count us in as here at IWOOT we love adorable cake pops, especially when they are Christmas themed!
Ingredients100g butter (softened) 100g caster sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 100g self-raising flour 200g white or milk chocolate Sprinkles to decorate with Tub of buttercream
Recipe1. First we have to make the cake. Pre-heat the oven to 190C/170C fan and prepare a 20cm sandwich tin, ensuring its greased and lined.2. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a large bowl and mix well until its creamy.3. Slowly add in the eggs mixing as more is poured in, then fold in the flour and mix well again.4. Tip into the tin, level the top and cook for 20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out of it clean.5. Once the cake has cooled down on a wire rack, put chunks in a food processor to make crumbs, or just do this by hand.6. Roll these large crumbs into balls using some buttercream to help ensure they keeps to their shape. Push lollypop sticks into the end and place on a tray or plate. Put these into the fridge for an hour to set.7. Melt the chocolate and get those decorations ready. Roll the balls into the chocolate, add some festive decorations and leave them on a tray or plate to set, either at room temperature for an hour or in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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