We tested three Christmas Pinterest baking hacks, and there was one clear winner (and one hilarious failure!)

Strawberry Santa

What you need:

•  Strawberries
• Whipped cream in a canister
• Melted chocolate
• A chopstick for dotting chocolate eyes and buttons

How it went: Easy, fast and cute, but wholly unsuited to the South African climate. My strawberry Santas became strawberry puddles within five minutes. Best done as a fun project with the kids, and eaten while still in production. A firm butter icing would likely last longer, but I’m not convinced it would taste very good!

3-ingredient Christmas tree

What you need:

• Frozen puff pastry
• Chocolate spread (I used the new Lindt spread)
• Egg, to brush over before baking

How it went: The winner by a country mile. It was surprisingly easy to do, once the pastry had thawed sufficiently. It gets super-tacky quickly though, so you need to work fast. This is a genuinely fast pudding that would be delicious with a scoop of ice cream.

Get the recipe for the 3-ingredient Christmas tree.

Date-ball Christmas puddings

What you need:

• 10 x date balls (make your own or buy them)
• 40 g melted white chocolate
• A handful pomegranate rubies
• Desiccated coconut

How it went: Easy if you opt for the Woolies date balls with flat bottoms. (I lost a couple of the round variety, which rolled away while receiving their melted chocolate). Also: date balls covered in white chocolate are rather delicious – particularly the Woolworths hazelnut-and-coffee date bites!

Get the recipe for 3-ingredient Christmas tree.

Want more impressive-looking Christmas baking tricks? Try our Chuckles-studded Christmas pudding or these Christmas pudding cutie pies.