Biscuits and buns to bake with the kids

3 Using a 5cm ice-cream scoop, drop 6 scoops of the mixture on to each baking tray, spaced well apart to allow them to spread. Bake in the oven for 12-14 min until risen and firm to the touch. Cool for about 5 min on the trays before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

4 To make the holly leaves, dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the green icing thinly. Use a small holly-leaf cutter to stamp out 9 leaves and set aside. Break off tiny pieces of the red icing and roll into 18 small balls to make the red holly berries. Set aside.

5 To make the white icing, measure the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the boiling water and whisk until smooth and fairly thick, but still slightly runny. Spread the icing over half of the peaked cold pies, leaving it to run down the sides a little. Decorate with 2 green holly leaves and red berries.

6 To make the filling, put the butter into a mixer and beat until soft. Gradually sieve in the icing sugar and cocoa, beating well after each addition to make a smooth chocolate buttercream. Spread thickly over the un-iced half of the pies.

7 To serve, once the icing on the pie tops has set, carefully sandwich them with the filled pies.

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Candy cane Christmas trees

Makes 9 cakes

Ingredients
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour
150g caster sugar
25g cocoa powder
175g soft butter
50g plain chocolate, melted
50g milk chocolate, melted
1 tsp baking powder

Decoration
Writing icing pens
Candy canes
Mini Smarties

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 3. Line a 24cm x 24cm tin with parchment and grease.

2 Measure all of the cake ingredients into a bowl and mix using an electric hand whisk until smooth.

3 Spoon into the tin and bake for 20-25 min until springy to the touch (a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean). Leave to cool.

4 Cut into 9 squares, then cut into triangles. Decorate with icing pens or piped icing and Mini Smarties. Push short lengths of candy cane into the base of the triangles to make tree trunks.

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Snowman cupcakes

Makes 10 cakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes
125g butter (at room temperature) or margarine
125g caster sugar
½ tsp lemon zest
2 eggs
125g self-raising flour
¼ tsp baking powder

For the icing
500g vanilla buttercream
20 chocolate chips
50g orange fondant icing, or colour white fondant orange
Plain chocolate Matchmakers
A little milk chocolate
Edible silver balls

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cases.

2 Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, self-raising flour and baking powder into a bowl and beat in an electric food mixer until smooth.

3 Divide the mixture between the paper cases and cook in the oven for about 20 min or until golden and springy to touch.

4 Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

5 When cool, make the arms from the Matchmakers. Cut off a short length and attach using a little of the melted chocolate.

6 Take small amounts of the orange fondant icing and roll into carrot noses.

7 Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe the buttercream on top. Add chocolate chips for eyes, mini orange fondant carrot for the nose and silver baubles for the mouth. Add Matchmaker arms.

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Reindeer cookies

Makes 10 cookies

Ingredients
350g plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
175g butter
150g light brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup

For the decoration
Curly Wurly chocolate bars
Glacé cherries
M&Ms
Black writing icing pens

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Measure the flour, spices, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a bowl.

2 Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix. Lightly knead together.

3 Form the dough into 10 balls. Pinch out one end of the balls to form a point, then flatten with your hand. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 min until the cookies are lightly golden but still slightly soft.

4 Using a skewer, make a slit on either side of the cookie heads for the antlers to slot in, leave to cool for a few minutes. Decorate each cookie with lengths of Curly Wurly for the antlers and halved glacé cherries for the nose. Take two M&Ms of the same colour for the eyes and dot with black icing for the pupils.