Create classic festive bakes the whole family will love...

★ COVER RECIPE

Christmas snowmen

These frosty treats are 'snow' much fun!

Recipe and photography by Stockfood, the Food Media Agency

MAKES 8

For the pfeffernüsse (spiced soft gingerbread)

100g (3½oz) dark brown sugar

100g (3½oz) runny honey

75g (2¾oz) unsalted butter

45ml (1¾oz) double cream

325g (11oz) plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground star anise

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp ground white pepper

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

25g (1oz) ground almonds

1 large free-range egg

250g (9oz) icing sugar, plus extra to serve

To complete the dominosteine (chocolate covered sweets with marzipan and gingerbread)

150g (5½oz) membrillo

200g (7oz) marzipan

100g (3½oz) dark chocolate, melted

75g (2¾oz) white chocolate, melted

To assemble

8 jaffa cakes

1 tbsp multi-coloured sprinkles

8 sandwich biscuits

8 pink sweets

1 First make the pfeffernüsse dough. Put the brown sugar, honey, butter and double cream in a medium saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Leave to stand, off the heat, for 5 minutes.

2 Add the flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda and ground almonds and stir to combine, then beat in the egg to make a glossy paste.

3 Transfer the paste to a plastic container, then cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.

4 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line a small loaf tin (see tip) with greaseproof paper.

5 Press a third of the dough into the bottom of the loaf tin. Roll the rest into 24 walnut-sized balls and space them out on the lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

6 Make a simple glacé icing by stirring 2-3 tbsp hot water into the icing sugar, a few drops at a time, until thick and smooth. Dip the round pfeffernüsse biscuits in the icing to coat and leave to set on a wire rack. Reserve the leftover glacé icing.

7 Turn the big piece of pfeffernüsse out of the loaf tin and top with a layer of membrillo. Roll out the marzipan into a rectangle the same size and lay it on top. Use a sharp serrated knife to trim the edges, then cut the sheet into eight cubes.

8 Dip four of the cubes in melted dark chocolate and four in melted white chocolate, then leave to set on a wire rack. Reserve the leftover dark chocolate.

9 To make the hats, spread the jaffa cakes with the leftover glacé icing and decorate with multi-coloured sprinkles. Place a dominosteine in the centre of each one and top with a little more glacé icing.

10 To construct the snowmen, use a sandwich biscuit as a base and stack three pfeffernüsse biscuits on top, using glacé icing to stick them together.

11 Re-melt the leftover dark chocolate in the microwave and transfer to a small piping bag. Pipe on eyes, mouth and buttons, then attach a pink sweet nose with a dab of icing. Attach the dominosteine hats with a little more icing, then leave the snowmen to set. If desired, dust with more icing sugar before serving.

Tip Ideally, your loaf tin should measure 8x16cm (3x6in) at the base, but any small rectangular cake tin can be used.

Mulled wine & mixed fruit crumble slice

By Crazy Jack (www.crazyjack.co.uk)

MAKES 16

125g (4½oz) butter, softened

2 tbsp icing sugar

200g (7oz) plain flour

250g (9oz) Crazy Jack Mixed Fruit

50g (1¾oz) Crazy Jack Soft Prunes, chopped

50g (1¾oz) Crazy Jack Cranberries

250ml (9fl oz) mulled wine

50g (1¾oz) golden caster sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

25g (1oz) oats

25g (1oz) Crazy Jack Ground Almonds

2 tbsp Crazy Jack Pumpkin Seeds

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm (8in) square baking tin.

2 Place the butter, icing sugar and flour in a food processor and blitz until just beginning to clump together. Reserve 50g (1¾oz) and set aside. Press the remaining crumb into the prepared tin and press down. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, place the dried fruit, mulled wine, sugar and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and simmer for 8-10 minutes until syrupy. Spoon over the pastry base.

4 Mix together the reserved pastry crumb with the oats, ground almonds and pumpkin seeds and sprinkle over the fruit. Bake for a further 15 minutes until golden. Allow to cool before removing from the tin and cutting into 16 squares.

Coconut mincemeat streusel bake

By The Groovy Food Company (www.groovyfood.co.uk)

SERVES 20

For the mincemeat

150g (5½oz) raisins

150g (5½oz) sultanas

100g (3½oz) currants

100g (3½oz) dried cranberries

100g (3½oz) chopped mixed peel

1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated

100g (3½oz) The Groovy Food Company Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

25g (1oz) dessicated coconut

125ml (4½fl oz) The Groovy Food Company Agave Nectar Light Amber and Mild

1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice finely grated zest of 1 lemon

100ml (3½fl oz) dark rum

For the topping

75g (2¾oz) The Groovy Food Company Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

75g (2¾oz) self-raising flour

40g (1½oz) semolina

2 tbsp The Groovy Food

Company Agave Nectar Rich and Dark

For the pastry

200g (7oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

125g (4½oz) chilled The Groovy Food Company Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, cut into cubes

2 tsp The Groovy Food Company Agave Nectar Light Amber and Mild 1-2 tbsp cold water