3 Easy Christmas Robin sweet treats for kids to make
Get the kids into the kitchen with these Robin inspired treats! With Robin topped Christmas cupcakes, Robin shaped coconut balls and strawberry Robin lollipops will have the kids flocking to the table in no-time..
Robin Coconut Balls
- Preparation time: 1 hour + cooling
- Cooking time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes + cooling
Makes: 12
Ingredients
FOR THE COCONUT BALLS
200g pack desiccated coconut
1 tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
3 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp milk
FOR DECORATING
150g pack Milk Chocolate, broken into chunks
25g red icing from a 5 x 100g pack of Dr Oetker Regal-Ice Ready To Roll Icing
12 Honeycomb Niblets
24 Chocolate Beans
32g Cadbury Flake
Dr Oetker Gel Food Colour Jet Black
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Method
1. Place the coconut and coconut oil in a food processor, and blitz for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the honey, vanilla essence and milk, and continue to blend in the processor until the mixture has formed a thick mouldable paste.
2. Tip the mixture onto a board and divide into 12 equally sized portions, then roll each into a ball 3-4cm in diameter. Place the coconut balls onto a backing parchment-lined tray and chill in the fridge for about a hour, or until firm.
3. Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a small glass bowl and place over a pan of simmering water until just melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. To decorate, roll out small rounds of the red icing and apply to one side of each ball. Have a tray lined with greaseproof paper ready on the side, then carefully hold the ball on either side of the red disc and dip it into the melted chocolate to coat it, but leaving the red disc and a little white on either side exposed. Place on the prepared tray. Then, with clean hands, insert a small piece of honeycomb above the red disc for the beak. Cut the Flake into 2cm lengths and break lengthways into pieces suitable for the tail. Dip into the melted chocolate and fix onto the back of the ball towards the base for a tail. Finally fix 2 chocolate beans at an angle, one on each side of the ball, to act as the wings. Return to the greaseproof tray and leave to harden. Repeat with the remaining coconut balls.
5. Finally, pipe 2 dots of black food colour on each ball as eyes just above the beak. Leave in the fridge until the chocolate and icing has completely set before serving.
TIP: As an alternative to robins, make snowballs by rolling the balls in desiccated coconut at the end of step 2, then chilling in the fridge.
Chocolate Robin Cupcakes
- Preparation time: 30 minutes + setting
- Cooking time: 20 minutes to 25 minutes
- Total time: 50-55 minutes + setting
Makes: 12
Ingredients
150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
3 medium Free Range Eggs, beaten
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
25g Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder
FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING
25g butter
1 tbsp Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp milk
125g royal icing sugar, sifted
FOR DECORATING
150g royal icing sugar
10g tube Dr Oetker Gel Food Colour Bright Red
24 brown or yellow Smarties
1 x 26g Cadbury Curly Wurly, cut into 24 triangles
12 Cooks’ Homebaking Fudge Chunks
24 Cooks’ Homebaking Chocolate Beans
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Place 12 paper muffin cases in a muffin tray. Using an electric hand whisk, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until very pale and creamy. Gradually add the beaten egg, then sift in the flour with the baking powder and the cocoa and, using a metal spoon, fold in carefully. Spoon this mixture equally between the muffin cases.
2. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes have risen and a skewer when inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
3. To make the chocolate icing, melt the butter with the cocoa in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, or microwave on high for 1 minute. Add the milk and the icing sugar, and beat until smooth and glossy. Place a little of the icing on each cake and smooth with a small palette knife dipped in hot water.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the decorations. Place the royal icing sugar into a small bowl with 1 tbsp of water and beat to a paste. Continue beating until shiny and smooth. Spoon a third of this icing into a disposable piping bag. Add the tube of red food colouring gel to the remaining icing, mix to a even red colour and spoon into another disposable piping bag. Pipe an upturned ‘U’ shape with the red icing and fill in the centre lower half of each cupcake, to form the robin’s breast. Then pipe a white dash on either side of the red breast.
5. Press 2 yellow or brown Smarties into the base of the red icing as feet. Then place 2 Curly Wurly triangles on either side to form the wings and a piece of fudge at an angle for the robin’s beak. Finally press on 2 chocolate beans for its eyes.
Strawberry Robin Lollipops
- Preparation time: 30 minutes + setting time
- Cooking time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes + setting time
Makes: 12
Ingredients
12 strawberries, not hulled
150g pack White Chocolate, broken into chunks
150g pack Milk Chocolate, broken into chunks
32g Cadbury Flake, cut into thin sticks
12 Honeycomb Niblets
24 Dark Chocolate Curls
Dr Oetker Gel Food Colour Jet Black
12 wooden skewers or lollipop sticks
Method
1. Thread each of the strawberries onto a skewer or lollipop stick, and push the other end of the skewer into a styrofoam block to use as a holder. Alternatively, cut a thin slice from the base of a baking potato or fill a jam jar with sugar, to use as a holder.
2. Melt the 2 types of chocolate separately in 2 small bowls over a pan of simmering water. Dip each of the strawberries into the white chocolate, leaving an inverted ‘V’ shape uncovered for the robin’s red breast. Allow to set.
3. Then dip the strawberries into the milk chocolate, leaving an inverted red ‘V’ shape with a border of white around it. After dipping, return each skewer to the stand to set. Before the milk chocolate hardens completely, fix a small stick of the Flake on the back of the strawberry for a tail, a piece of honeycomb above the robin’s breast for its beak and a dark chocolate curl on each side for its wings. Allow to set. Finally add the eyes using 2 dots of black food colouring gel.