Add the sparkle-dust of imagination to your 2023 festive desserts with Emily Gussin’s recipes full of Wonka-esque delight. Dim the lights for… the showstoppers!

Black forest ‘forest’

PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN

Decoration or dessert?

Triple chocolate baubles

These beautiful baubles require patience but they’re fairly easy to make. With a triple-treat of white chocolate shell, milk choc truffle and dark choc mousse, they’re a stunning make-ahead pud that knocks supermarket desserts out of the park

Gingerbread houses are so passé.

This year, it’s all about the gingerbread tree! Break off a couple of pieces, sandwich one of the toasted marshmallow snowballs between them, dip in chocolate and enjoy a s’mores-inspired festive bite

Gingerbread s’mores tree

Serves 4-6

Hands-on time 1 hour 45 min, plus cooling and setting

Oven time 15 min

Specialist kit The delicious. templates – see Know-how; piping bag with small round nozzle; sugar thermometer; kitchen blowtorch

MAKE AHEAD

KNOW- HOW

The gingerbread will keep in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Download templates at deliciousmagazine.co.uk/ templates. Cut them out and use as a guide to cutting out the gingerbread tree.

• 200g plain flour, plus extra to dust

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• 1½ tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cloves

• 60g unsalted butter

• 30g light soft brown sugar

• 40g black treacle

• 75g golden syrup

• Melted chocolate to serve (optional)

For the royal icing

• 120g icing sugar, plus extra to dust

• ½ free-range medium egg white, lightly beaten

• ½ tsp lemon juice

For the marshmallow snowballs

• 6 gelatine leaves

• 80g liquid glucose

• 100g caster sugar

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• Icing sugar to dust

1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/ gas 4 and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Over a gentle heat, stir the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup together until smooth, then add to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to create a dough. On a floured surface, roll out to 5-7mm thick. Using the templates (see Know-how) and a sharp knife, cut out 3 Christmas tree shapes and the star for the top. With the scraps, cut out any other festive shapes for individual biscuits.