As mentioned in a previous post, I bagged myself some great bakeware bargains in Homestore & More recently. I decided once I saw it that the Christmas Tree tin would create a lovely Chocolate biscuit Christmas tree that the children could decorate and enjoy as a little treat, it is the festive season after all and I do tend to relax a little bit regarding treats at this time of the year, particularly if they are homemade.

To make the Christmas tree I just used my chocolate biscuit pudding recipe. This makes a two pint pudding, I had a bit extra left from the tree so made a miniature pud  which Mr. S/H devoured!

Chocolate Biscuit Pudding Ingredients for a 2 pint pudding bowl

300g Pack of Rich Tea Biscuits

300g Dark Chocolate, melted

1 Can Condensed Milk

1 Sharing Bag of Malteasers

Any other sweets/biscuits/dried fruit etc. that you like.*

Method

Line your pudding bowl with cling film, this makes removing the set pudding very simple.

Break, bash, pummel your biscuits until they resemble a crumbly mess with fine pieces up to bitesize pieces. There are no rules to this.

Add the malteasers and any other treats you want to have in it. Mix them together.

Pour in the melted chocolate and condensed milk and mix it up fast as the mixture becomes quite stiff rather quickly.

Transfer the pudding mix to your bowl and really press it down, a potato masher works a treat for this, at first the mixture may look like it’s a lot for the mould but once it’s really pressed in it’s a perfect fit!

Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours, then it should be ready to remove, just peel away the cling film and there you have it a chocolate biscuit Christmas pudding ready to be decorated how you wish.

*These puddings are very adaptable, for the Christmas tree I added some pecan nuts. I’m making a pudding for my brother for Christmas with rolos, my sister’s one will have marshmallows, my neighbours will have proper Christmas pudding added (delicious!)

For the Christmas tree I made with the children, we coated it in buttercream icing (50g icing sugar, 25g butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon milk, all combined) then covered it in green fondant and we made some snowflakes, stars & baubles from white fondant and they stuck on some silver and gold baubles. Well Abbie stuck them on, Harry preferred to eat them!

The little people thoroughly enjoyed helping with this and were absolutely thrilled with themselves!

Kids, toddlers especially,  love helping in the kitchen, particularly when they are given little tasks for themselves, but lets face it, it can be frustrating, that’s why I find it easier, particularly with toddlers, to just set some time aside and do these things with them.

They love it, get so excited and I’m prepared for the icing sugar snowstorm, fondant to be thrown around, decorative balls to be rolling everywhere,  it’s all a part of it. The giggles & smiles, the 2 year old waiting proudly to show her Daddy her work of art and the 1 year old ready to scoff it all make it a worthwhile activity.