• Gingerbread men are still a favourite with all ages. Get your child decorating with lollies of different shapes and sizes, icing, sprinkles, chocolate chips and licorice. There are so many innovative cutters available now you may be able to make gingerbread houses, animals, letters, numbers and shapes of all kinds.
• Get your little ones to dip strawberries or dried apricots into melted chocolate creating chocolate dipped strawberries or apricots. Mix it up with whole and milk chocolate.
• Although it’s better if an adult makes this one, children will be intrigued by popcorn popping…once popped flavor with icing sugar, melted butter and salt or toffee sauce (by combining golden syrup, butter and brown sugar).
• Chocolate dipped spoons are a brilliant, easy gift children can make. Dip wooden or plastic spoons in melted chocolate and leave to dry on waxed paper. Make some using white chocolate and others with dark chocolate. Keep refrigerated until required then wrap in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.
• Prepare your favourite truffle recipe but get your children to roll the balls then cover them in coconut.
• Make little edible mice by slicing strawberries in half, gently slicing two slits near the front where the ears can go (chocolate buttons) and licorice as the tail.
• Make chocolate crackles from rice bubbles, cocoa, kremelta and coconut. For the real Christmas theme, serve in Christmas themed patty cases and garnish with peppermint leaf lollies and jaffas to represent holly and berries.
• Using green, yellow, white and red jellybeans fill plastic piping bags/cellophane party bags (available at homeware or party supply stores) with jellybeans to resemble a jellybean Christmas tree. Start with a few yellow jellybeans at the end to resemble the angel or star then follow with green jellybeans for the main part of the tree. Scatter in the odd red, yellow and white jellybean to reflect lights and decorations. Tape the bag close then wind brown pipe cleaners round the base of the ‘tree’ to represent the trunk.
• With some adult help, thread lollies onto elastic thus creating edible jewellery.
• Allow your children to decorate cupcakes by providing a variety of toppings and flavours – jelly crystals, hundreds and thousands, coloured icing, chocolate chips, lollies, grated chocolate and crushed nuts and allow their imaginations to run wild.
• Help your children thread three marshmallows onto short skewers then dip them in melted chocolate before sprinkling with hundreds and thousands or chocolate hail for marshmallow swizzle sticks.
• Make your own lolly tree by attaching soft jubes, wine gums or jellybeans onto the ends of tooth picks cut in half and sticking them into a styrofoam cone (available from most craft shops). Start placing them at the bottom of the cone and continue until all the tree/cone is covered. Use green and red lollies for a Christmas theme.
• Make reindeer lollipops using brown coloured/chocolate flavoured lollipops. Unwrap and cover tightly with Gladwrap, securing at the base with sellotape. Wrap a brown pipe cleaner around the neck of the lollipop and bend upwards, shaping into antlers. Stick on goggly eyes (available from craft shops), attach a red pop pom for the nose and tie a red ribbon around the base of the lollipop and voila you have your very own edible reindeer!
• Make toffee apples and get children to cover them or dip them in decorations such as hundreds and thousands, chocolate chips, chopped nuts and chocolate hail. Place on wax paper to dry.