in the fridge until needed. Cut out your gingerbread family and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Repeat with the other dough. Bake for 10 mins or until golden. Cool on a wire rack, before adding faces and outfits with icing and sugar balls or any decorations

separately and divide the Extra Large between the prepared bowls and the Small between the paper cases. Bake both mixtures just under the middle shelf of the preheated oven – 45–55 minutes for the larger bowls, 30–35 minutes for the smaller bowls and 20

-of-three Fiona Faulkner has devised a series of delicious wintry recipes aimed at appealing to children’s palates as well as their sense of fun. Read on for her trio of delectable confections full of quirky twists and plenty of whizz, bang, pop certain to delight

The First Baking Activity Book (Dorling Kindersley, £5.99) is a lovely book for first-time bakers. Here is one of the recipes – a Rich Chocolate Cake. The book also comes with stencils in shapes to help you decorate your cake. Serves 8–12Ingredients

 (Ryland Peters & Small,£16.99). There are lots of easy-to-make recipes, but Coco’s favourite is this Double Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. Double Chocolate Chip CookiesMakes 12Ingredients50g (13/4oz) unsalted butter450g (1lb) dark chocolate, chopped2 eggs170g (6

Princess Party Cookbook by Annabel Karmel (Ebury, £12.99) is filled with sparkling recipes, there are healthy snacks, such as the Fruit Flowers, but these cupcakes caught our eye. Jewelled CupcakesMakes 10IngredientsFor the cupcakes125g (41/2oz

baking paperPiping bag, fitted with a star-shaped nozzleMethodPreheat the oven to 180ºC/ 350ºF/ Gas Mark 4. Make the Extra Large Vanilla or Chocolate Sponge mixture and divide it between the cake tins. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 30

tin, greased and lined with greased baking paper12-hole bun tray, with paper cases4 piping bags, with varying nozzlesMethodPreheat the oven to 180ºC/ 350ºF/ Gas Mark 4. Make the Vanilla Sponge mixtures separately and spoon the Extra Large quantity

Gold and silver sugar starsMethodPreheat the oven to 180˚C/ 350˚F/Gas Mark 4. Place 12 brown paper cupcake cases in a muffin tin and fill the cases two-thirds full with the Buttermilk Sponge mixture. Put the muffin tin on the middle shelf of the oven and bake

the Large Vanilla Sponge mixture and spoon into the prepared basins until they are two-thirds full. Use the remaining sponge mixture to fill the cupcake cases, allowing approximately 1½–2 teaspoons of mixture per cupcake.Bake all the mixtures in the middle