With Christmas creeping ever-closer, there’s so much to do and seemingly a lot of money to spend. But you don’t have to break the bank to make a festive dessert, and we’ve got some great ideas for you…
Nutella Christmas Tree
For this one you’ll need a jar of Nutella (or the shop’s own version), two sheets of ready to roll puff pastry, and an egg. Icing sugar is an optional extra!
All you need to do is roll out one sheet of pastry, and spread your hazelnut chocolate spread all over it. Then add your second layer of pastry, and use a pizza cutter to cut a triangle shape by going from each bottom corner to the middle of the top edge. Then cut into each side a few centimetres apart to create strips along each vertical side. You’ll then twist these strips, and you should have something resembling a Christmas tree!
Use the excess to cut star shapes if you want to, and place on top of your tree shape. Brush with an egg wash, and place in the oven for about 20 minutes on 180C, then you’re done. You can sprinkle icing sugar on it when it’s cool if you want, but it’s not a must. This looks so impressive, but it’s super easy to make.
Penguin biscuits
This one couldn’t be simpler. You’ll need a pack of Oreos, though the store’s own brand works perfectly fine too, and a pack of white chocolate buttons. Some tubes of writing icing and some of those sugar eyes from the baking aisle, and you’re ready to go.
Simply stick a chocolate button towards the bottom of the flat front of the biscuit – you can stick it with the writing icing, or use syrup/honey if you have any in. Then draw on a little yellow nose, and stick down the sugar eyes. If you couldn’t find any, or want to save some cash, you can use the writing icing to draw on some eyes too. And you’re done!
Reindeer brownie bites
You’ll need: a box of brownie bits, a pack of chocolate beans like M&Ms (particularly the red ones), sugar eyes and some small salted pretzels.
Another easy peasy festive dessert that takes hardly any time at all. Break up your pretzels, and poke two into the top side of each brownie bite to make ‘antlers’. Stick a red chocolate bean in the middle of each, on the front, and add two eyes too. You can stick these down with writing icing or honey/syrup. And that’s honestly it. A super easy but adorable Christmas dessert idea.
Snowman cupcakes
For this one, you can make your cupcakes from scratch (eggs, butter, sugar, flour) or just buy a pack of plain cupcakes depending on time and budget! It’s all about the topping, anyway. For that you’ll need buttercream – make your own from butter and icing sugar, or buy a tub of vanilla flavour from the baking aisle. You’ll also need writing icing tubes and a bag of desiccated coconut.
If you’re baking the cakes, get that done first. Then it’s time to decorate! Spread some buttercream onto the cakes, or pipe if you have the equipment. You’re aiming for a sort of dome shape with the buttercream, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Baking and decorating cakes is supposed to be fun! Once you’ve ‘iced’ the cakes, pour your desiccated coconut into a bowl then dip each cake in so the buttercream becomes covered in white, snow-like flakes.
Let that set for a few minutes, then using the tubes of writing icing to draw black dots for the eyes and mouth, and a little orange triangle for a carrot nose. Voila, snowman cupcakes!
Hopefully these easy, budget-friendly Christmas desserts will help you out and provide some fun memory-making in the process. Have the best Christmas ever.
