Three Easy Festive Recipes Anyone can do!

Hot on the tails of my Super Easy Christmas Pudding Tiffin Balls blog post, I'm sharing Three Easy Festive Baking Recipes Anyone Can Do.... especially with children. I've found baking to be the perfect way to switch off at the moment and I'm really enjoying it so with Christmas being right around the corner I thought it was only right to share some festive inspired bakes.

Each of the recipes are perfect as Christmas film snacks or to give as gifts to family and friends if you're sticking to homemade presents this year plus we all like something that is a doddle to make right?

Let's get stuck in!

Christmas Tree Brownies (Vegan)

These are super cute and really easy to make. I used a vegan brownie recipe via my Thermomix but you could use ANY brownie recipe as your base brownie as the key is in your decorating to give these bakes a Christmas flair.

What You'll Need:

100g pecan halves (you don't have to include)
150g plain flour
Qtr fine sea salt
Qtr bicarbonate of soda
400g dark chocolate chips
80g coconut oil
160g soft dark brown sugar
80g water
Christmas sprinkles
Icing sugar
Green food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 and line a square baking tin with baking paper
If using, crush pecans with a rolling pin and set aside in a bowl
Add flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl and stir
Place 210g dark chocolate chips into a glass bowl and heat over a saucepan of boiling water
Add 80g coconut oil to dark chocolate and continue to melt
Once the chocolate has melted add it to the reserved flour mixture with the sugar & water then mix
Add chopped pecans if using and stir in the remaining chocolate chips
Transfer to the baking tin and bake for 25 minutes
Leave to cool for a few hours before lifting out of the tin to a rack
To create Christmas tree shapes, cut the brownie square in half and then cut into triangles
Make your icing mix and add green food colouring before transferring to a piping bag
Zig zag across your brownies before adding your sprinkle decorations

Reindeer Rice Krispy Squares

This is a bit of a cheat one because there isn't any real baking involved unless you make the rice krispy squares yourself - if you'd like to just heat melt mini marshmallows and rice krispy cereal together then set into a square and chill in the fridge until set. The fun part about Reindeer Rice Krispy Squares is the decorating and it's a great toddler activity too.

What You'll Need:

Kelloggs Squares
Pretzels
100g Dark Chocolate Chips
Edible Eyes
Red Smarties

Method

Place your dark chocolate chips in a glass bowl and heat over a saucepan of boiling water until melted
Cut your rice krispy squares in half and place on a chopping board
One by one, dip half a square into the bowl of melted chocolate
Add on your edible eyes and pretzels
Dip a red smartie into the chocolate and stick on to the lower half of the square
Once all are completed, pop in the fridge to set

Peppermint Chocolate Bark

I've always wanted to attempt chocolate bark and I vowed that this would be the year - it was SO easy and I was really pleased with how it came out. It's a great treat for mint chooclate lovers as the candy canes give it just the right amount of freshness. It goes great with a warming hot chocolate too.

What You'll need:

80g Candy Canes
250g Dark Chcolate Chips
25g White Chocolate

Method:

Line a baking tray with baking paper
Place candy canes in a sandwich bag and crush using a rolling pin then set aside
Place dark chocolate in a glass bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water until melted
Once melted, slowly pour the choclate onto the baking tray and spread out using a silicone spatula
Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and leave to set for one hour at room temperature
Melt your white chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water
Once melted, take a table spoon and drizzle over the dark chcolate and candy canes
Place in fridge to set
Once set, break up and enjoy