Christmas jumper cookies, Rudolph cake pops and Strawberry Santas: Annabel Karmel reveals the ultimate Christmas treats for kids that will impress the grown ups too 

STRAWBERRY SANTAS

These strawberry Santas are a cute way to get your children eating fruit by piping on a sweet cream cheese icing to look like Santa's beard

Makes 10

Ingredients: 15g softened butter, 15g cream cheese, 70g icing sugar, 1 tsp milk, a few drops of vanilla, 10 large strawberries, 10 mini white marshmallows, black icing pens

Method: Put the butter and cream cheese into a small bowl. Beat together until creamy. Add the sugar, vanilla and milk. 

Beat again until you have a smooth icing. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle.

Slice the tops off the strawberries and stand up on a board. Slice off the tips of the strawberries to make the Santa hats.

Draw two black eyes on a mini marshmallow using the black icing pen.

Pipe icing on top of the strawberry body and place the hats on top. Stick on the mini marshmallow eyes and make Santa’s beard by piping around the base of the mini marshmallow. Pipe a bobble onto the top of Santa’s strawberry hat. 

SNOWMAN CUPCAKES

These snowman cupcakes are a vanilla sponge topped with cream cheese icing, and marshmallows to look like snowmen. They have a Rolo for a hat and an orange Tic Tac for a nose

Makes 12

Ingredients

Cupcakes: 125g softened butter, 125g caster sugar,125g self raising flour, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 large eggs

Icing: 50g softened butter, 50g cream cheese, 200g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp milk

Decoration: 24 large white marshmallows, 12 orange Tic Tacs, black writing icing pens, 12 Rolos, chocolate ready made icing, 12 cocktail sticks

Method: Preheat the oven to 160C Fan. Line a muffin tin with muffin cases.

Measure all of the cake ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.

Spoon into 12 cases. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden. Leave to cool.

Measure the butter and cream cheese into a bowl. Whisk until creamy. Add the sugar, vanilla and milk. Whisk until light and fluffy. Spread over the cupcakes, reserving a little for assembling the snowmen.

Stick the marshmallows together with a little icing and stick a cocktail stick through the middle to secure (but make sure that you remove before your child eats the cupcake).

Make a hole in the middle of the marshmallow and insert an orange Tic Tac for the noses, using a small bit of icing to help make it stick. Draw on the eyes, mouth and buttons using black writing icing,

To make the hat: roll out the chocolate icing, cut out a small circle and place on top of the snowman’s head attaching with a little of the icing. Place a Rolo on top.

Make a hole horizontally through the body of the snowman and push through a Matchmakers stick to create the arms.

Insert the cocktail sticks with the marshmallow snowmen on top of the cupcakes.

REINDEER POPS

These cute reindeer cake pops use chocolate pretzels for antlers and red M&Ms for the nose

Makes 8 

Ingredients: 50g softened butter, 80g icing sugar, 150g Madeira sponge, 2 tsp milk, a few drops of vanilla extract

Decoration: 75g milk chocolate, 8 red M&M’s, white and chocolate icing pens, chocolate covered pretzels, 8 cake pop sticks

Method: Measure the butter and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the milk and vanilla. Whisk until light and fluffy.

Crumble the Madeira cake into the icing. Mix until well coated. Shape into 8 balls, then insert a pop stick into the middle of each ball. Chill for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate into a bowl over a pan of simmering water until runny.

Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate, Swirl around until coated. Place on a stand, then put one M&M in the middle to make a nose.

Cut a chocolate covered pretzel in half and add to the sides of the cake pop to make the antlers. Make eyes and a mouth with the white and chocolate icing pens.

Leave to set in a cool place until firm.

CHRISTMAS JUMPERS

These very clever and cute Christmas jumper biscuits can be decorated in a number of different ways

Makes 10-12

Ingredients: 250g softened butter,, 150g golden caster sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg yolk, 300g plain flour

Icing: 300g icing sugar, 2 tbsp water

Decoration: Sugar snowflakes, Red ready to roll icing, Red, green & white icing pens, green food colouring

Method: Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg yolk. Whisk, then add the plain flour. Beat until the mixture comes together. Knead into a dough and chill for 30 minutes.

Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface, cut out Christmas jumper shapes using a cookie cutter and arrange on the baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 180 C and bake the cookies for about 12 minutes.

To make the icing: Mix the icing sugar and water together to make a smooth paste. Divide into 2 bowls. Leave one bowl as it is for your white icing and in the other add drops of green food colouring to create your desired shade of Christmas jumper green.

For the decoration - green Christmas jumpers: Spoon the green icing into a small icing bag fitted with a small nozzle.

Carefully pipe the icing onto the biscuits, following the edge of the jumper shape

Using the red & white icing pens draw on festive patterns!

White Christmas jumpers: Spoon the white icing into a small icing bag fitted with a small nozzle.

Carefully pipe the icing onto the biscuits, following the edge of the jumper shape

Using the green & red icing pens draw on festive patterns!

Red Christmas jumpers: Roll out red ready to roll icing and cut out Christmas jumper shapes using a cookie cutter. Place on top of the biscuit.

Stick on sugar snowflakes. 

ANGEL COOKIES

Whip up a batch of beautiful and quietly impressive angel biscuits which use yoghurt covered pretzels to resemble wings

Ingredients: 225g plain flour, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp mixed spice, 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, 50g unsalted butter, 100g dark brown soft sugar, 100g golden syrup, 1 tbsp milk

Icing: 150g icing sugar, 1 tbsp water

Decoration: Edible glitter, edible mini pearls, sugar snowflakes, yoghurt covered pretzels

Method: Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, ginger and mixed spice. Heat the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a small pan, stirring frequently until dissolved, then allow to cool for five minutes. 

Stir the syrup mixture, egg yolk and milk into the dry ingredients and form into a ball of dough. Cover with plastic film and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until about 5 mm / ¼ in thick. 

Cut into angel shapes. Bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes or until golden. 

Allow them to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the icing: Mix the icing sugar and water together to make a smooth paste.

Spoon the icing onto the body of the angels.

Stick on the yoghurt coated pretzels to make the wings.

Sprinkle with the edible glitter and decorate with edible pearls and sugar snowflakes.

RUDOLPH CUPCAKES 

These Rudolph chocolate cupcakes are topped with chocolate icing and use a glace cherry for the nose, and a Curly Wurly for the antlers. Sultanas form the eyes

Makes 12

Ingredients: 1 tbsp milk, 2 eggs, 150g butter at room temperature, 150g caster sugar, 150g self-raising flour, half tsp baking powder, zest of half a small orange, 45g dried cranberries, chopped

Icing: 100g softened butter, 150g icing sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, pinch of salt

Decoration: 4 x Curly Wurly chocolate bars, 12 glace cherries, sultanas, white writing icing

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas 4. Line a deep muffin tin with 12 paper cases.

Measure the eggs. Caster sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, milk and zest into a mixing bowl. Beat together using an electric hand whisk. Stir in the cranberries and spoon into the cases.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing: sieve the icing sugar into the soft butter, beat together until smooth.

Add the cocoa powder and the pinch of salt and mix until smooth. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a little.

Spread the icing over the cold cupcakes using a small spatula. Cut lengths of Curly Wurly Chocolate Bars for the antlers. Push the antlers into the cupcakes. 

Place a cherry in the centre of each cake to make a nose. Put 2 sultanas on each cake to make the eyes and add a blob of white writing icing in the centre. Chill until firm. 

GINGERBREAD WREATH

Makes 1 

Ingredients: 180g soft butter, 350g plain flour, 130g dark brown sugar, 60g beaten egg, 130g black treacle, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp sat

Icing: 150g Royal icing sugar, approx. 1 ½ tbsp water

Method: Preheat the oven to 180 C Fan. Line two large baking sheets with non-stick paper. Measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl. 

Whisk together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Add the egg and treacle. Whisk until combined. 

Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until the mixture has come together.

Knead into a firm dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 45 minutes until firm.

Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half to a 10” / 25cm circle about 1 – 1 ½ cm thick. 

Cut out an inner circle measuring 11 cm diameter. Stamp out a small circle near the edge to make a hole to tie a ribbon.

Place on one of the baking sheets. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Leave to cool.

Roll out the remaining dough including the stamped out circles. Using Christmas cutters stamp out Christmas trees, stars, angels etc… Place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes then leave to cool.

To make the icing: Mix the icing sugar and enough water together to make a smooth paste. Spoon into a small icing bag fitted with a small nozzle.

Pipe decorations onto the gingerbread shapes. Stick shapes onto the ring using the icing. Tie a ribbon into a bow in the smaller hole so that you can tie the wreath up.