Planning for the festive season? We’ve got the ultimate list of Christmas treat ideas for you!
We do love the festive season here at Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine. There’s something about the special smells and sights at Christmastime that make the heart smile. And what else comes with Christmas? Why, Christmas treats and sweets of course!
Whether you’re looking for fun baking sessions at home with the kids, sweet treats for a quiet festive dinner party, or looking to throw down some serious Christmas baking skills to show Karen from number 25 that her mince pies have nothing on you, you’ve come to the right place!
The ultimate list of cute Christmas treat ideas!
Salted caramel Christmas meringue
Christmas sugarpaste decorations
Pretzel Christmas tree cupcakes
Sugarpaste bow
Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft regular contributor Zoe Burmester shows you how to decorate your cakes with a fondant bow! A fabulous alternative to decorating your cake with regular ribbon, go one better with one that’s edible! This Christmas treat idea can be used all year round too, so feel free to use this tutorial to inspire your bakes no matter the occasion or season! Decorate with fun festive colours for Christmas, go pretty and pink for Valentine’s Day or keep in dark and mysterious for Halloween bakes - the possibilities are endless!
Salted caramel Christmas meringue
Salted caramel really is the gift that keeps on giving! A gorgeous flavour, it’s a trend that we’re very happy to see is going nowhere. We’ve paired up with our friends at Bonne Maman to offer you this gorgeous and indulgent salted caramel Christmas meringue recipe. It looks gorgeous, tastes gorgeous and is gorgeously simple to make - what more can you ask from your Christmas treats?
Stocking surprise cookies
Immediately singing of festive joy, this Christmas treat idea comes with an extra gift…a secret sweet-stuffed centre! Elise Strachan offers up this super sweet stocking surprise cookie recipe to keep everyone happy this Christmas. Make it with the kids and let them in on the secret, or take it to a party and watch the delight on faces young and old as they bite into a cookie stuffed full of chocolate and festive sprinkles!
Festive gingerbread cake
How about a Christmas treat idea with a twist? Bake Off’s 2016 semi-finalist Benjamina Ebuehi brings you an elegant festive gingerbread cake with a lightly spiced sponged and indulgent buttercream. The special secret to the buttercream’s gorgeous flavour? Maple syrup! This makes for a perfect Christmas dinner party finishing course, with an elegant semi-naked finish and classic festive decorations like cranberries and gold leaf for the ultimate extravagant party showstopper.
Christmas sugarpaste decorations
While we love a good baking recipe at Christmas, we’re still all about the decorations too! If you’re looking to mix up your sugarcraft skills with festive designs, look no further than these elegant sugarpaste Christmas treat ideas! Our friends at Cake Decorating TV show you how to create stunning winter sugarpaste ferns and golden pinecone decorations, perfect for adorning any number of Christmas bakes. Or, simply sit in the middle of your party table for guests to admire and taste!
Pretzel Christmas tree cupcakes
It can sometimes be difficult to try and think of new and imaginative ways to decorate Christmas cupcakes, so here’s something a little unusual for you! Brilliant baker Britt Box brings us these fun festive cupcakes with a difference! A simple mixture of pretzel sticks and white chocolate make these cupcakes shine, so feel free to mix up this Christmas treat idea with different sprinkles and embellishments if you wish!
Read this Christmas idea tutorial
Apricot Mince Pies
Check out this super sweet and special mince pie Christmas treat idea! Mince pies are one of those ‘love or hate’ kinds of food, so if you or the kids hear the words ‘mince pie’ and immediately go “yuck!”, then here’s a fabulous solution! We teamed up with Moyra at Bonne Maman for this delicious twist on the traditional mince pie, using apricot conserve to add a special extra something to your table this Christmas.
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Chocolate bark
If you’re looking for something sophisticated to impress your guests this Christmas, then this is the perfect Christmas treat idea for you. Deliciously rustic but elegant too, these chocolate bark shards are really easy to personalise and mix with your favourite flavours! Present them as a dinner party centrepiece, or wrap in cellophane with an extravagant ribbon as a gorgeous grown-up party bag!
Quick Christmas cupcakes
What’s better than one Christmas treat idea? FIVE Christmas treat ideas! And what’s better, these are quick, simple and oh-so-effective. If you prefer a more visual recipe, these cupcakes are perfect for you. We paired up with our friends at Cake Decorating TV to show you five fabulously festive cupcake designs, perfect for parties and fun for kids and adults alike!
Watch all five Christmas cupcake ideas
Glowing candy cottage
If you love a traditional gingerbread house but either don’t have the time or the patience to create one, Elise Strachan has an excellent alternative to save you both time and energy! An ideal project to make with the kids, this delightful Christmas treat idea is chock full of, well, choc! Decorate however you like and simply finish with a battery-operated tealight candle for a cosy festive glow.
Merry modelled mice
How about some adorable modelled mice to make your Christmas truly merry? Perfect for beginners and lots of fun to create with the kids, these cute cake toppers are an ideal Christmas treat idea for the whole family to enjoy. Requiring very few tools or ingredients, these mice won’t have you scurrying around looking for strange equipment or odd edibles!
Click here to make this adorable Christmas treat idea
Looking for tips or advice on how to get organised for the big day? Head over to this handy guide from Sugar and Crumbs, where you can find tips, hints, tricks and simple recipes to get you through the season!
Christmas tree cake
Fun, festive and super effective, what more could you ask from this cute Christmas treat idea? Our friends at Wilton show you how to create a sweet Christmas tree cake design, lavishly decorated and delicious to boot! This is the chance to break out your different decorating tips and forgotten icing colours that don’t get much chance to shine. Make it a Christmas to remember with this lovely Christmas tree cake design.
View the full Christmas tree cake tutorial
Siena panforte
Go back in time and try a traditional Christmas treat idea that dates back centuries. Siena Panforte is a traditional chewy Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts. It is similar to a Florentine but much thicker, or a little like a lebkuchen. Its origins date back to the crusaders, who discovered it in Turkey. The fruit and nuts used in this recipe are totally flexible to your palette, so as always feel free to mix things up with your favourite ingredients!
Christmas cookies
Never quite sure what to do with your pumpkins after Halloween? No worries, Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft and Amy Guittard have the solution! These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have a light and fluffy texture, almost like muffins. Add a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon and you’ve got the perfect festive flavours AND you haven’t let your Halloween pumpkins go to waste. The school Christmas fair has never seen anything like it!
Read the full Christmas treat recipe
Alternative Christmas pudding
Have you heard of Stir-up Sunday? Well, you have now! The Sunday that falls closest to one month before Christmas is the traditional time to make your Christmas pudding. But, this is Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine and we like to make your Christmas treat ideas a bit different! We teamed up with Bonne Maman to bring you this super sticky Christmas pudding with a tangy mandarin sauce for an indulgent alternative Christmas pudding recipe.
Pretty penguin cake
This Christmas treat idea makes for the perfect party centrepiece - this fun and super sweet penguin cake looks impressive but is surprisingly simple to create! If you’ve been looking to try out the ball pan that a friend bought you last Christmas but you weren’t quite sure what to do with it, then this is your chance! A brilliant Christmas party centrepiece from our friends at Cake Decorating TV, you’ll have kids and adults alike ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing at the fun design!
Make your own penguin Christmas treat
Take a break from all that yummy baking with this blog on why baking is the perfect stress relief and a great activity for the whole family!