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Christmas Eve Treats Santa and his Reindeers will Love

Christmas Eve treats Santa will love - Christmas Day Dad Jokes

Do you leave cookies and milk out for Santa every year? Why not give him a treat this year by whipping up some of these unique treats to leave Santa this Christmas Eve. 


mini-elf-doughnuts

Mini Elf Doughnuts
 

You’ll Need:

  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 100g plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp golden caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp buttermilk

For the icing

  • 250g icing sugar
  • 50ml milk
  • Red and green food colouring
  • Red, green & white sprinkles
  • Red and green writing icing tubes (optional)

Method:

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush some melted butter in the holes of a 24-hole mini muffin tin.
  2. Put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in a big bowl and mix together with your hands.
  3. Pour the melted butter into a jug with the egg, vanilla, maple syrup and buttermilk, and mix together with a fork.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and use a big wooden spoon to mix until there are no lumps.
  5. Use teaspoons to divide the mixture between the holes in the tin. Bake in the oven for 8-10 mins, then cool in the tin.
  6. Now it’s time to turn them into doughnuts. Once cool, carefully tip the cakes out. Sit each on a chopping board and push an apple corer into the centre to cut the middle out so you have a ring.
  7. Put the icing sugar and milk in a saucepan over a low heat. Whisk until runny and smooth. Divide the icing between three bowls, and mix a little green food colouring into one bowl, and a little red colouring into another.
  8. Sit the doughnuts on a wire rack (so the drips can fall off), then spoon a little icing onto each. Decorate with sprinkles and writing icing, if you like. As this glaze dries quickly, finish decorating one colour, then start the next colour. If the icing is not runny enough, put in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir well. Will keep for 2 days.

Recipe: BBC Good Food

rudolphs-carrot-patch-cakes
Rudolph’s Carrot Patch Cakes
 

You’ll Need:

  • 140g light soft brown sugar
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Zest 1 orange
  • 2 medium egg
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • 50ml milk
  • 100g carrot (about 2 medium sized), grated

For the icing and to decorate

  • Orange and green food colouring
  • 140g fondant icing
  • 100g butter, chopped
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 25g desiccated coconut
  • Few parsley sprigs and edible green glitter (optional)

Method:

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Arrange 6 mini loaf cases (8 x 4 x 4cm) on a baking tray. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, spices, orange zest and ¼ tsp salt. In a jug, whisk the eggs, oil, milk and carrots. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 30 mins until risen and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  2. While the cakes are cooking, make the carrot decorations. Mix the orange food colouring into the fondant icing until evenly coloured, then divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder, about 5cm long, then roll one end a little thinner to create a carrot shape. Use a cocktail stick to make indentations along the sides. Set aside, standing them on their fattest end, to firm up for 30 mins. Now make the chocolate icing. Put the butter, cocoa, icing sugar and milk into a saucepan, and bubble for a few mins, stirring with a small whisk until smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool for 20 mins. For the green coconut ‘grass’, tip the coconut into a small bowl, add a little green food colouring and mix until evenly coated.
  3. To assemble the cakes, first cut a little hole, about 1cm, into the centre of each to ‘plant’ your carrot later. Stir the icing and spread over the cakes to cover the surface. Push your carrot into the centre, then scatter the green coconut around the edges. Stick a sprig of parsley into the top of each carrot and sprinkle the coconut grass with green edible glitter, if you like. Can be stored in a sealed cake tin for up to 3 days.

Recipe: BBC Good Food

reindeer-food
Reindeer Food (for Humans too!)

You’ll Need:

  • 1 Box of cereal (similar to Golden Grahams Cereal)
  • 1 Bag Chocolate Chip
  • 1 Bag Marshmallows
  • 3 Tb Butter or Margarine
  • ¾ Cup Corn Syrup
  • ½ Cup Red Jaffas

Method:

  1. In a large bowl empty the cereal box and put aside.
  2. In a sauce pan mix the corn syrup, butter and chocolate chips. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring often.
  3. Remove from the heat and pour the chocolate mixture on the cereal. Add the marshmallows right away to the cereal and mix all together until the marshmallows melt. Some of the marshmallows may not melt all the way and that’s fine.
  4. Top with red jaffas to give it a festive look!

Recipe: The36thavenue

For more Christmas cooking inspiration, head to our Pinterest page!