All Elves on Deck! Christmas recipes to make with your kids
Christmas is less than a month away it promises to be a busy time with presents to be bought, the house and tree to be decorated, dinners and lunches with family and friends and cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Get your little elves and gnomes into the kitchen this holiday season and rustle up these kid friendly treats to ring in a very merry Christmas.
1. Strawberry Banana candy cane: This recipe by rabbitfoodformybunnyteeth is really pretty and very easy to make. Not to mention a much healthier alternative to regular store-bought candy canes. All you need is strawberries, firm bananas and some help from Mommy with a knife if needed. Slice up the fruits and arrange them into canes. Ready to eat.

2. Chocolate Rudolph cupcakes: Who doesn’t love Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer who takes Santa around the world to deliver presents? Perfect as a dessert for kids at your Christmas lunch, or holiday play date snack, these Chocolate Rudolph cupcakes are easy for kids to decorate . Dig out your go-to cupcake and chocolate icing recipe, or follow the one in the link, and use pretzels to fashion antlers and mouths. Mini marshmallow eyes with little black icing pen dots, red gems or small strawberry bits for noses, and your Christmas cupcakes are ready.

2. Gluten free dairy free hot white chocolate: While Singapore does not have the chilly winters that make the thought of a hot chocolate appealing, this dairy free, vegan white hot chocolate by Vegan8 is delicious enough for you to feel all the cosy Christmas feels. Just boil together coconut milk, cashew butter, cocoa butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract, top with mini marshmallows (vegan if you are very particular) and a little nutmeg and enjoy.

3. Christmas Fruit Tree: What better way to encourage your kids to eat healthy than building a Christmas tree entirely with fruits? This beautiful looking fruit tree recipe from blogger iowagirleats is sure to be a hit with the young and old both. Get you kids involved in sorting out fruit, maybe an older child can peel or slice under your supervision, while younger tots can help assemble the tree itself. You need a ripe pineapple and a medium ripe pear to make your base. Then pop fruits like strawberries, orange segments, grapes, kiwi and anything else on to toothpicks which then get pierced into the pineapple and pear. In less than 30 minutes, you can have a showstopper for your dessert table, or a healthy snack your kids.

4. Chocolate covered ice cream balls: If you are looking for a treat that is not too high on the indulgence meter this recipe from GoodtoKnow is for you. Your kids can help you scoop out melon sized balls of icecream (experiment with vanilla, chocolate, mint or something decadent with nuts), dip them into melted and cooled chocolate, and pop it back on a silver foil lined baking tray into the freezer. Easy peasy and oh so yummy.

5. Gingerbread Reindeers: Gingerbread men are a traditional favourite that we keep coming back to every Christmas. But this recipe from blogger createbakemake is a delicious and creative spin on this popular treat. It has just the right amount of ginger so it’s not a very strong flavour for kids, and it’s great fun to give them some icing pens and have them decorate their own reindeer. Follow the recipe to make your ginger bread dough, have your kids roll it out and use a gingerbread man shaped cutter and any other shapes the little ones may like. Bake, cool and then flip the little men over and use icing pens to create a smile, antlers and little eyes. Don’t forget a red nose!!

6. Cheese Stars: While Christmas is synonymous with cakes, cookies a and other sweet treats, why not make a nice savoury snack to combat the dessert overdose. This super easy cheese stars recipe from BBC good food is quick and easy, and kids will enjoy using star and other shaped cutters to fashion a delicious snack. All you need is a puff pastry sheet, your favourite grated cheese, flour for dusting and toppings your family will like-think oregano, sesame seeds, sundried tomatoes. Just unroll the pastry sheet, spread cheese on one half of the sheet, fold and seal. Then roll it out till its double in size, use your cutters to create cool shapes and brush them with milk. Pop them into a preheated oven on prepared baking sheets but not before sprinkling your favourite topping on.

7. Melting Snowmen cookies: Do you want to build a snow man? For all the young Olaf fans out there, this is a perfect Christmas treat. Since no one seems ready to let (it) go of Elsa, why not make these Melting snowmen cookie balls and watch Frozen on Christmas day? Just crumble leftover cookies made for Santa, or buy two dozen of your favourite ones, crumble, mix with softened cream cheese, shape into cute balls and freeze. Just dip in melted white chocolate and let the excess drip off to create a puddle of delicious melted snowman. Use fondant to create a mini carrot nose or just use a simple icing pen to draw faces… voila, your melting snow men are ready..

Happy baking and merry Christmas!!!
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