DIY Christmas gifts

A jar of chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are a firm favourite and who could resist the beautiful presentation of this one-bowl recipe? Simply layer the dry ingredients into a Kilner jar and voila! All the recipient will have to do is add butter and eggs before baking them in the oven.

• 160g flour

• 146g brown sugar

• 67g caster sugar

• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• About 100g chocolate chips, to fill the top of the jar

You’ll need to label your jar with the extra ingredients that must be added to make cookies, as well as the baking instructions. These are…

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 115g unsalted butter, softened

Empty contents of the jar into a large bowl and mix in butter and egg. Spoon onto a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 180˚C for 10-15 minutes.
No-bake nicker balls

• 85g rolled porridge oats

• 250ml water

• 1-2 teaspoons molasses or honey

Method:
Mix the oats and the water until
they are damp, then add the molasses or honey until the mixture is sticky. Roll into balls and refrigerate to harden.

Carrot canter snacks

• 1 carrot, grated

• 85g porridge oats

• 4 tablespoons of honey or molasses

• 2 tablespoons water

Method:
Combine all the ingredients together. Roll into balls and bake at
180˚C for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Custom horseshoes
These are a great idea for Christmas or as a wedding gift. There are loads of ways to decorate a special horse’s shoes, with paint or sweet flowers. Spray-paint the horseshoe with gold enamel paint or add a coat of clear lacquer for a bit of shine. Don’t worry if the shoes have been used, because they’ll remind the recipient of all the great times spent in the saddle with their favourite horse. Add a bit of ribbon or string for hanging.

Horse cookies

Make a herd of lovely, yummy horses with this simple cookie recipe and a horse-shaped cookie cutter. Decorate with some white icing and glittery candy topping.

• 100g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

• 100g caster sugar

• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 275g plain flour

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190˚C and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

• Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until combined, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract, a little at a time, until well-mixed.

• Stir in the flour until the mixture comes together as a dough. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1cm/½in.

• Using your horse-shaped cookie cutter, cut cookies out of the dough and carefully place them onto the baking sheet.

• Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden in colour. Remove them from the oven and leave them to harden for five minutes. Place on a wire rack then decorate when fully cooled.

Horsey treat jars
Treats or chocolate chip cookie mix look extra-special in these beautiful jars. All you need is a small plastic horse model, Kilner jar, a bit of superglue and some spray paint. Glue the rim and centre of the lid together, then glue the horse to the lid. Spray-paint the horse your desired colour and let dry. Add a bit of blackboard paint to the front of the jar for a personalised label that can be reused.