Christmas baking with kids, recipes to share

Cooking with kids can be messy, but it’s also loads of fun and a great way to teach them the joy of giving a Christmas gift they’ve baked themselves. Check out these recipes.

Making gingerbread is fun for all ages. Picture: Dominika Lis

MAKING delicious Christmas gifts with your children is a fun activity that can easily become a family tradition. They’re a personal present, sprinkled with love.

We asked Sesame Lane Care and Kindergarten North Lakes, Flinders Parade, chef Rosie Manku for a couple of her favourites. She chose gingerbread, white Christmas and an Indian dessert that’s part of her family’s celebrations.

Chef Rosie Manku with Elkira Wijaya, Ella Williams and Basil Hambling, making gingerbread. Picture: Dominika Lis

GINGERBREAD

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup golden syrup

1 egg

2 cups plain flour

1/4 cup self-raising flour

1tbls ground ginger

1 teas bicarbonate of soda

330g icing mixture, to decorate

Small decorations of choice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Beat butter, sugar, syrup together in a bowl until creamy. Add egg and beat well.

3. Sift flours, ginger and soda together. Stir into butter mixture.

4. Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead lightly until smooth.

5. Roll out to 5mm thick. Use cutters to cut out shapes and transfer to tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes until light brown.

6. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

7. To decorate; prepare the icing mix following packet directions and colour as desired. Spread on biscuits and decorate.

Decorating gingerbread men. Picture: Dominika Lis

WHITE CHRISTMAS

Ingredients:

500g white chocolate buttons

1 ½ cups rice bubbles

100g red glace cherries

160g almonds, roasted and roughly chopped

160g sultanas

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 teas vanilla extract

Method:

1. Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and cook in the microwave in one-minute bursts, stirring in between each burst, until it has melted. Alternatively, place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted.

2. Add remaining ingredients to the melted chocolate and stir until combined.

3. Line a slice tin with baking paper. Pour chocolate mixture into the tin and press down firmly. Refrigerate to set.

4. Drizzle slice with melted dark chocolate. Slice into squares or wedges.

NO-COOK COCONUT BARFI

Ingredients:

2 cups desiccated coconut

1 ½ – 2 cups icing sugar or powdered sugar

1/2 cup condensed milk

1/2 teas vanilla essence

A few drops of food colour of your choice

Extra coconut for dusting

Method:

1. Line a chopping board or plate with plastic wrap and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, coconut and vanilla essence.

2. Add the condensed milk and use your hands to combine the ingredients.

3. Sprinkle some coconut on the plastic wrap you have kept aside. Take half of the barfi mixture and press it onto the sheet to form a rectangle, shape it from all sides.

4. Add food colouring of your choice to the remaining half of the mixture, combine and press this mixture over the barfi you have already made into a rectangle, creating two layers.

5. Sprinkle more coconut on top and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cut into squares.