The cutest Christmas treats to make at home

Melting Snowman Oreo Balls

Ingredients

1 packet cream cheese, softened

36 OREO Cookies (regular size), finely crushed

1 packet white chocolate melts

48 Mini OREO Bite Size Cookies

Decorations

Decorating icing or gel

Multi-coloured sprinkles

Instructions

Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended. Crush the Oreos in a food processor and then add the cream cheese and process it together.

Shape into 48 balls and place in single layer in shallow pan. Freeze for at least 20 minutes. They can be frozen for longer if you prefer. Dip balls in melted chocolate. Use a fork and tap the fork on the bowl of chocolate to remove some of the extra coating. Place in shallow waxed paper-lined pan, allowing excess coating to pool at bottom of each ball.

Decorate with remaining ingredients as shown in photo. You can use the melted chocolate to adhere the hat to the head.

Refrigerate one hour or until firm. Keep refrigerated.

Strawberry Santas

Ingredients

1 punnet of large strawberries

1 packet cream cheese, softened

3-4 tablespoons icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top, (enough for a hat). Clean out the whole strawberry with a paring knife. Prep all of the strawberries and set aside.


2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with cheesecake mixture.


3. Once strawberries are filled, top with the 'hats.' Decorate according to photo.


4. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

Mini Gingerbread Houses

Ingredients

500g flour

200g honey

120g caster sugar

120g butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 package gingerbread spices

Method

Mix flour with baking soda. In a saucepan heat the honey, sugar and gingerbread spices up and melt together. Set aside to slightly cool. Pour honey mix pour into the flour. Then add the eggs and butter into the mixture. Mix thoroughly with a spoon and then knead with your hands, to form a smooth dough. Shape into a ball and wrap in cling film, put down, for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to rest.

Remove from the refrigerator, divide in half, one part of the re-wrap film, the second roll, lightly roll in flour (or between two sheets of film) to a thickness of 4-5mm and cut ready to shape. Roll the dough is 2-3mm thick.

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Lay gingerbread dough on a flat baking tray lined with baking paper, keeping the distance between the cut outs. Before baking, gingerbread can be spread with beaten egg and garnish with nuts or dried fruit.

Bake depending on the thickness and size of shapes 7-9 minutes for larger pieces and 4-5 for smaller parts minutes. Each oven bakes differently and best first badge check every 2 minutes. Gingerbread should be slightly yellowish, the darker the colour, the harder the houses will end up. If you have a fan oven, set temperature to 170 C.

Assembly of houses

After baking and cooling cut outs, cover all the walls with the icing and glue into shape of house. Set aside a few hours to dry then feel free to decorate. Store like other gingerbread in a tightly closed container.

Pretty Present Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1 portion of Royal Icing Paste (directions below)

Various bottles of food colouring

Directions

In a food processor process toasted almonds until finely ground. In a small bowl combine the ground almonds, flour, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, lemon peel, and, if desired, almond extract. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour mixture. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill for 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 180 C. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 3 cm thick. Using a square cookie cutter, cut out dough; reroll scraps as necessary (if necessary, chill scraps before rerolling). Place cutouts even spaced apart on an lined baking tray.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are light brown and centres are set. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

Icing Paste into three or four portions. If desired, leave one portion white; set aside. Tint remaining portions with different food colouring. Divide each colour of icing in half. To half of each colour, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches a drizzling consistency. Use a thin spatula to spread thinned icing on cookies. Place biscuits on a wire rack set over waxed paper. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours or until dry. Place each colour of the remaining tinted icings into separate Ziploc bags; cut a small hole in one corner of each bag. Pipe lines and bows on dry iced cookies. Let stand about 1 hour or until dry.

Royal Icing

Ingredients

4 cups icing sugar

3 tablespoons meringue powder

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a large mixing bowl stir together the icing sugar, meringue powder, and cream of tartar. Add the water and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined; beat on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes or until icing reaches a stiff piping consistency. If not using right away, cover bowl with a damp paper towel and cover paper towel with plastic wrap; chill for up to 48 hours.

Chocolate Melting Snowmen

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1 packet white chocolate melts, coarsely chopped

20 bite-size chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Brown and orange sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 175 C.

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

Shape dough into twenty small balls. Place balls on baking tray.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are just firm. Cool on tray for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place cooled biscuits on prepared baking sheet. Melt white chocolate on stove very gently until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Spoon melted chocolate over each biscuit to cover biscuit and resemble melted snow. While coating is still sticky, add a peanut butter cup for a top hat and decorate with sprinkles or other candies to resemble snowman faces. Let stand until set.

Santa Crackers

Ingredients

Pepperoni slices

Round crackers

Ricotta cheese

Celery, sliced thin

Christmas Tree Pull-Apart

Ingredients

1 packet of frozen pizza crust

1 packet of cream cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian blend shredded cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced very fine

3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil and rosemary

1 cup tomato relish sauce for dipping

Directions

Heat oven to 200 C. Lay pizza dough on a work surface and stretch out thinly. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 36 equal squares. In a small bow, combine cream cheese and shredded cheese. Mix well.

Add one tablespoon of the cheese mixture to each dough square. Make a ball with the dough, sealing the edges. Place on a baking tray in a Christmas tree form as shown above. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes, or until golden brown.

After removing pull-apart from the oven, brush with butter and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Serve pull apart with tomato relish.

Click through the gallery above to see all the cute Christmas treats!