Top 4 Easy Make and Bake Items with Children this Winter

You need: white marshmallows, ready to roll white fondant icing, icing made from icing sugar, black writing icing and various small sweets (strawberry laces, mini candy canes, chocolate chips, orange tic tacs etc.) for decoration, lolly or cake pop sticks for assembly.

Method: Thread two marshmallows onto a lolly stick, fat sides together. Thread a third on sideways, so that the top of the marshmallow forms the snowman's face. Knead your icing and shape it into a base for your snowman. Twist your strawberry laces together to make a nice bright scarf for your snowman and tie it around his neck. Use your writing icing to give him eyes and stick an orange tic tac on his face for a carrot nose and chocolate chips on his body for buttons with your icing. Ready in minutes, and a sweet gluten free treat too.

You need: 100g butter, 250g biscuits (shortbread or chocolate are best), 75g mixed chopped nuts, 100g mixed dried fruit (glacé cherries and candied ginger optional), 75g marshmallows, 400g milk or plain chocolate, 140g golden syrup.

Method: Butter a square tin or square mould and break your biscuits into small pieces. Mix the nuts through the biscuits, and then the mixed fruit, cutting up any larger pieces. Cut up the marshmallows and add. Melt 3/4 of the chocolate, golden syrup, and butter together in a pan over a low heat and pour this over the biscuit mixture and mix. Pour the mixture into your greased tin, and level the top. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top until the surface is almost level. Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight. 

You need: 175g muscovado sugar, 85g golden syrup, 100g butter, 350g plain flour, 1tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1tbsp ground ginger, 1tsp ground cinnamon, 1 egg (beaten), shop bought writing icing and small sweets for decoration.

Method: melt the sugar, butter and syrup in a saucepan and let it bubble for a couple of minutes. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Mix flour, bicarb, and spices in a large bowl, then add the syrup mixture and egg, and stir together. Once it takes on a dough texture, start kneading until the mixture is smooth. Wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Roll out the dough to about the thickness of a pound coin and use a cutter to cut out people shapes. Keep re-rolling the dough until it is all used up. Put the gingerbread biscuits on baking trays lined with parchment and bake at gas mark 6 for 12 minutes. Leave them to cool, then have fun decorating with icing and sweets!

You need: For the cakes 280g self-raising flour, 175g golden caster sugar, 175g unsalted butter (softened), 150g pot natural yoghurt (preferably fat-free), 1tsp vanilla extract, 3 eggs, For the frosting 85g unsalted butter, 1tsp vanilla extract, 200g icing sugar, For decoration food colouring (optional), sweets, sprinkles, milk and white chocolate buttons.

Method: Heat your oven to gas mark 5, and line a bun tin with cake cases. Mix all your cake ingredients together with a mixer until smooth and spoon the mix into the cases. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and leave on a wire tray to cool for half an hour. For your cupcake frosting, beat the icing sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together until smooth and creamy. Divide into portions and colour some for decoration - green or red are lovely for Santa, Christmas tree, or holly decorations with a piping bag. Decorate further with sweets and sprinkles.