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

Posted by Katharine Pope on 25 November 2020

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We tested three Christmas Pinterest baking hacks, and there was one clear winner (and one hilarious failure!) — Looking for a cute and Christmassy baking project? These three Pinterest hacks look easy, but are they? We put them to the test.

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!