Candy Cane Hearts

Okay, okay, this isn’t a ‘recipe’. I know that, you know that, but it’s almost Christmas, so give me a break.

However, hear me out, this is a really quick and easy win to impress visitors and kids. And it really is speedy. Blink and you miss it. Read on.

Lots of great recipes like this in my books, Recipes from a Normal Mum and The Power of Frozen.

One year ago: Mini gingerbread houses and Cranberry chutney and Cashew pesto and Maple stained glass biscuits and Salted caramel millioanire’s shortbread.

Two years ago: Mince pie brownies and Pulled jerk turkey sliders and Christmas pudding crackers and Fail safe mince pies and Boxing day pie and Christmas pudding flapjack and Last minute tropical trashy Christmas cake and Sausage,onion and apple sesame plait and Cherry eccles cakes and Cinnamon apple pie and Mushroom, leek and Stilton soup and Firecracker
scones.

Two years ago: Two minute marinade for chicken and Melted snowman biscuits and Egg nog truffles and Chocolate biscuit Christmas pudding and Drunken Amaretto mince pies and Cheese concertina loaf and Hot chocolate on a stick and Sausage, sage and squash lasagne and Chocolate hazelnut granola and Orange and cranberry loaf and Chocolate ganache tart.

Three years ago: My slow cooker beef bourguignon pie and Crumble topped mince pies and a very ugly but delicious cranberry & raspberry traybake

Four years ago: Mini Yorkshire pudding canapes and Christmas pudding fizz and Brandy butter icing and Rudolf morsels

Five years ago: Lime meringue pie with chocolate pastry and Christmas scones and Ginger cake with Christmas cottage and Hot chocolate on a stick

Six years ago: Moonuts and Cheese biscuits and Parsnip soup

Candy cane hearts

Makes 4

Ingredients:

· 8 small candy canes

Preheat the oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas ½ and line a tray with non stick baking paper. Remove the plastic protective coating from the canes and use scissors to trim the canes on an angle at the hook end and again, cut off about half the cane at the longer straight end, at an angle so that the canes fit together flush.

Place in the oven for a few minutes. Keep opening the oven door and checking the canes. They need to be slightly warm but not in any way bubbling. Remove from the oven every minute or so and check if you can push the ends of the canes together to make them stick. If you can, repeat for all the canes and leave to cool completely before hanging on the tree as they are or using ribbon to hang instead.

Photography by Scott Choucino

Board by Woodrow Studios

This recipe first appeared in Back to School magazine.