Christmas Tree Pops Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the base with a circle of baking parchment.
• Put the butter in a big mixing bowl with the sugar and vanilla extract, and mix until it looks creamy. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one. Sift the flour and cocoa together, add to the bowl with the milk and stir everything together until smooth. Spoon into the cake tin and use the back of a wooden spoon to spread the top to make it as flat as you can. Bake for 20 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean, with just cake crumbs stuck to it, not wet batter. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
• Remove the cake from the tin and use a serrated knife to cut it into 8 wedges. Turn each one so that the round, outside edge is facing you, and push a lollipop or cake pop stick through the middle of the outside edge. Remember to leave enough of the stick poking out for you to hold.
• Mix the food colouring and icing sugar with enough water to make an icing that is a bit runny, but still quite stiff. Try drizzling a bit on a spare piece of paper; you want it to stay in strips, not run all over the place.
• Spoon some icing over each cake wedge (you can cover it completely or drizzle lines across them in a tree shape). Decorate with sugar snowflakes and mini Smarties, then lift onto a wire rack and leave to set completely (this will take a few hours). Iced cakes will keep in the tin for up to 2 days. The un-iced cake can be frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost completely before cutting and decorating.

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the cheesecake into 8 even wedges. Firmly insert a wooden ice pop stick into the short side of each cheesecake slice, about 2 1/2 inches deep. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and freeze until solid, at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the green candy melting wafers and coconut oil to a tall wide-mouth microwave-safe container. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until the melting wafers and coconut oil are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
• To make a plain tree: Dip a frozen cheesecake slice in the candy melts to fully coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and immediately sprinkle with green sprinkles. Dip the bottom of a gold star dragee in the candy melts and press on the top of the tree.
• To make a tree with rainbow lights: Follow the directions above for a plain tree, quickly sprinkling a few a few rainbow nonpareils over the green sprinkles. Add a gold star as above.
• To make a tree with white lights: Follow the directions above for a plain tree, quickly sprinkling a few silver nonpareils over the green sprinkles. Add a gold star as above. Attach a small round piping tip to the tube of white decorating icing and pipe a garland on the tree.
• To make a tree with snow: Follow the directions above for a plain tree, quickly sprinkling a few white nonpareils over the green sprinkles. Add a gold star as above.
• Freeze the pops until ready to serve. Use a sharp knife to trim any frozen candy melt drips from the sides of the pops. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving, or serve frozen.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Make cookie dough as directed on pouch for cutout cookies. On work surface sprinkled lightly with flour, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Use various sizes tree-shaped cutters to cut trees from dough, rolling and rerolling dough as necessary.
• Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Press paper lollipop stick into center of each cookie. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set and cookies are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Divide frosting into 3 or 4 bowls; color with assorted shades of green food color. Frost cookies with frosting; decorate as desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine sun-dried tomato pesto and goat cheese in a small bowl and stir well.
• Unroll 1 puff pastry sheet onto the prepared baking sheet. Cut away 2 strips at the bottom of the sheet to form a tree trunk, about 1 inch wide and tall. Cut diagonally to the top of the puff pastry sheet to create a long triangular shape, removing excess pastry on either side.
• Spread a thin layer of the pesto mixture over the pastry, all the way to the sides. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Pecorino-Romano cheese on top.
• Roll up the second puff pastry sheet and place at the tip of the triangle. Unroll carefully towards the bottom. Press down lightly and carefully cut away the sides to match the first triangle. Remove excess pastry.
• Cut 2/3-inch thick branches into the sides of the triangle from both sides, leaving a space lengthwise in the center all the way from the trunk to the tip. Twist the branches away from you, trying to get in 2 turns on the lower branches. Continue moving up the tree, twisting away from you as you go.
• Brush the entire tree with beaten egg. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of Pecorino-Romano cheese and dried oregano.
• Bake in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet slightly.

Steps:

• Melt the marshmallows and golden syrup in a pan, then stir in Rice Krispies. Working quickly, pack the mixture into ice cream cones and push a lolly stick into the middle of each one. Chill the cones for 1 hr until completely firm. Mix icing sugar with green food colouring and enough water to make a thick icing. Dip the cones into the icing and decorate with sweets and sprinkles. Prop up on a wire cooling rack to set.

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.
• Shape into 40 (1-inch) balls. Mix melted chocolate and food coloring until blended. Dip 1 lollipop stick in melted chocolate, then insert chocolate-dipped end into center of 1 cookie ball. Place on waxed paper-covered rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie balls. Freeze 10 min.
• Dip balls in remaining chocolate; return to baking sheet. Decorate with decorating icing and candies as shown in photo. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate coating is firm.