Give the kids an extra special treat this Christmas and get baking, suggests Maxine Gordon.

IT may be the season to be jolly, but there are still five days to entertain the kids until Christmas Day arrives.

Anyone with an ounce of sanity left will want to avoid dragging them into town for last-minute shopping.

But, if you still need to get some small stocking fillers, then food writer Sara Lewis's new book is an early Christmas gift.

Simply called Christmas Treats (Hamlyn, £4.99), it contains 40 recipes for you to make at home with the children, featuring everything from tree decorations and truffles to cranberry brownies and gingerbread snowmen.

Many of the recipes would make brilliant 11th-hour gifts: sweet biscotti, chocolate macaroons, triple chocolate pretzels, white chocolate mint truffles and creamy pistachio toffee. Once made, you simple have to wrap them in a cellophane bag and tie with a festive ribbon.

My daughter and I made the reindeer cupcakes: chocolate fairy cakes with a chocolate icing and a glace cherry for a nose and chocolate antlers, and gave them to her friends along with a Christmas card, much to their delight.

The recipes are easy to follow and offer a fun way to while away the hours until the real Rudolph makes his appearance.

Here are some of Sara's Christmas treats for you to make at home:

Tree decorations

Makes 25

Preparation time: 40 mins

Cooking time: 15-17 mins

Ingredients:

75g (3oz) butter

4 tbsp golden syrup

100g (3oz) caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

tsp ground ginger

1 large pinch ground allspice

300g (10oz) plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 tbsp of milk

125g (4oz) read-to-pipe white icing

a few edible coloured balls (optional)

Method

1. Lightly grease three baking sheets. Put the butter, syrup and sugar into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.

2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the spices. Mix together the flour and bicarbonate of soda then beat into the spicy butter mixture, adding enough milk to make a smooth dough.

3. Turn out the dough on to a board and leave for five to ten minutes until it is cool enough to handle. Knead well, then roll out on a floured surface or on a piece of non-stick baking paper.

4. Cut out festive shapes using cookie cutters. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out more shapes. Place on the baking sheets.

5. Make a hole in the top of each biscuit with the ends of a skewer and bake in a preheated oven, 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4, for ten to 12 minutes until browned. Enlarge the hole for ribbon if needed. Allow to cool in baking sheets.

6. Pipe the icing on to the biscuits, add the coloured balls, if using, and let harden. Thread fine ribbons through the holes and tie on to Christmas tree. Eat within two days.

TIP: If children take a long time cutting out biscuits, you may need to soften the dough in the microwave for 20 seconds before re-rolling.

White chocolate mint truffles

Makes 20

Preparation time: 30 mins plus chilling

Cooking time: 4-5 mins

Ingredients:

125ml (4 fl oz) double cream

150g (5oz) white chocolate broken into pieces

25g (1oz) strong, hard white peppermints

40g (1oz) icing sugar

Method

1. Pour the cream into a heavy-based saucepan and add the chocolate. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, for four to five minutes until the chocolate has melted. Allow to cool.

2. Whisk the cream mixture until thick, then chill in the refrigerator for three to four hours.

3. Put the peppermints into a plastic bag, crush with a rolling pin, then stir into the chilled cream mixture. Drop teaspoons of the soft mixture on to a plate and chill for one hour or freeze for 30 minutes until firm.

4. Sprinkle the icing sugar on another plate then roll the truffles in the sugar to form neat balls. Pack into a small box lined with greaseproof paper and dust with the remaining sugar.

5. Chill for at least two hours before serving. The truffles can be stored in the fridge for four days.

TIP: For a variation, roll the truffles in grated white chocolate instead of icing sugar, or coat them in a solid chocolate shell.

Updated: 08:40 Tuesday, December 20, 2005