Popcorn Cluster Cups - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

This sweet popcorn is chewy and delicious! Start by popping a bag of popcorn and crushing 200g of candy canes or your favourite boiled sweets.

Cut 1-2 lengths of marshmallow rope into pieces (the more you use the yummier it is!) Microwave in short bursts until it goes gooey and inflated as below. Mix to coat popcorn and candy mix before it hardens.

Serve in cutesy pink cupcake papers and decorate with further lengths of marshmallow rope.

Another popcorn option is to go savoury and festive. Simply dry roast 3 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon, cumin and paprika in a warm pan. Add 6T butter and stir to melt together then pour over a bag of pre-popped microwave popcorn and stir to coat.

This is a moreish movie snack and goes nicely with a chilled beer!

Toffee-style popcorn looks gorgeous for Christmas when presented in sleigh cupcake papers and adorned with candy canes. Over a bag of microwave popcorn sprinkle 10-12 crushed candy canes and 150g of your favourite melted nut brittle/bark/toffee bar. Stir quickly to combine. Break the toffee'd popcorn into chunks to serve. The pepperminty candy canes and chopped nuts make this popcorn really addictive.

Share-the-Love Hearts - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

These festive hearts are super simple to put together and are a great activity to do with kids in the lead-up to Christmas. You will need:

Candy Canes (2 per heart)

White Chocolate

Glitter / Cachous to decorate

There are many variations of candy canes on the market now, so let them guide your decoration decisions. Fruit flavour candy canes are now available as well as the traditional peppermint. 

Hearts can be full length (pictured in the centre) or snapped shorter for a more balanced shape.

Unwrap the candy canes and ensure all traces of the clear wrap is off. Use a sharp knife to carve candy canes to fit snugly where they meet up.  

Arrange candy cane heart outlines on a baking paper lined tray and gently fill with melted white chocolate. (I used white candy melts to create a truer white than supermarket white chocolate. Whitener powder can also be added to further whiten melted chocolate). Smooth chocolate into place with a teaspoon. Tapping the melted chocolate on a bench is also a good idea to release any air bubbles and smooth the surface. Remember to support the candy canes while tapping so your chocolate doesn't escape!

While the chocolate is still warm, add your festive decorations... 

Chocolate peaks can be highlighted with hologram gold rainbow dust for sparkle. The pictures I took just don't do this glitter justice - it looks magical in real life! 

Crushed candy cane sprinkled over the top looks fun when served up beside cool lemonade in a bottle with a matching red retro paper party straw.

Christmas style sprinkles or red and green cachous complete this heart. You could use Christmas Confetti, Christmas Trees, Candy Canes or Jumbo Snowflake sprinkles. 

You can speed up the setting process by refrigerating the hearts briefly. I found that when kept airtight in a cellophane bag these lasted easily for a few days. When packaged and tied with ribbon they make neat year-end thank you pressies.