Easy Christmas Treats

1. Easy Christmas Treats Christmas is a great time to get the children in the kitchen making tasty treats that they can eat. As well as teaching your kids practical life skills, it is also the perfect opportunity to have fun and get in the Christmas spirit. We have come up with five festive fancies, easy and simple to make with young children at home. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

2. Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Gingerbread men are not only easy biscuits to make, but your kids can decorate each one as they wish. Multi coloured icing, gummy sweets, and chocolates all make for ideal decorations. There are a variety of gingerbread man cookie cutters available such as this gingerbread family with rolling pin and recipe book in a rustic style tin. Ingredients: • 100g butter • 350g plain flour • 174 brown sugar • 6 tsps. ginger • 2 tsps. cinnamon • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 4 tbsp. golden syrup • 1 medium egg • Decorations of your choice Recipe: Preheat oven to 180C and line baking trays. Mix together butter, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and bicarbonate of soda with fingertips until breadcrumbs. Mix in remaining ingredients until formed a pastry. Roll out pastry until around 5mm thick and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place on baking tray and cook for around 15 minutes until golden. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

3. Snowman Snowman Marshmallow Pops Marshmallow Pops Even if you there’s not enough snow to make a snowman outside, what’s to say you can’t make one inside. All you need is a pack or two or marshmallows and some wooden skewers, these easy treats don’t require any baking and can be decorated however the kids want. Quick and easy, these tasty snowmen can be put in festive mugs or cups for decoration and nibbles at a Christmas party. Ingredients: • 400g white chocolate buttons • 250g white marshmallows • Smarties and sweets to decorate • Wooden skewers Recipe: Melt chocolate in a bain marie then stir through oil until smooth. Put three marshmallows onto each skewer and dip into chocolate. Before completely set, stick on sweets to resemble snowman features and accessories. fancier term for ‘bung everything in a pan and fry it’, bubble and squeak was literally made for leftovers. Tradition calls for potatoes and cabbage with the option for any other leftover vegetables but it’s all up to you. If you don’t have any cabbage, don’t put it in, if you want to add in some meat, cut into cubes and put it in. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

4. Reindeer Cupcakes Reindeer Cupcakes These delightful chocolate cupcakes are decorated to look like Santa’s favourite animal companion. How about making one Rudolph with a red nose out of every batch of 12. Ideal to keep on any worktop and table for people to feast on during the festive period. Icing – Cake - • 100g butter • 100g self-raising flour • 180g icing sugar • 1 tbsp. cocoa powder • 50g cocoa powder • 1 tsps. Baking powder • Splash of milk • 100 margarine • 100 caster sugar • 2 eggs Decoration – • Pretzels • Smarties or similar round sweets Recipe: Preheat oven to 180C. Cream butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Divide into cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes-20 minutes. For the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and then beat in icing sugar and cocoa powder half at a time. Add milk to loosen if need be. When cupcakes are cooled, spread over icing and decorate. Break up pretzels to make antlers and add smarties for eyes and a nose. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

5. White Chocolate Bark White Chocolate Bark Chocolate bark is incredibly easy to make and can be used for decoration on big cakes such as being stuck around a yule log. Being wrapped in cellophane and tied with a festive coloured bow makes for great party favours and stocking fillers. This recipe is our favourite mix of sweets but feel free to add in any sweets, nuts, or berries that you wish. You could also drizzle some milk chocolate over the top for a more finished look. Ingredients: • 450g white chocolate • 1 pack of Oreos • 200g pretzels • 150g smarties Recipe: Melt chocolate over a bain marie. Crush up Oreos and pretzels and add with the smarties into the melted chocolate. Spread mixture over baking tray and leave in the fridge for two hours or until fully set. Break up and serve however you wish. Get the whole family involved this Christmas and try some of these sweet treats!

6. Emporium Cookshop The Emporium Unit 9 Sandars Road Gainsborough DN21 1RZ UK https://emporiumcookshop.co.uk www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk