The holidays are here and baking is a must-do family activity, but sometimes it just needs to be easy! Pop your apron on for some fun, shamelessly sugary creations. The fun is in the making.  Let's face it - this is the absolute opposite of achieving perfection, it's probably not even about eating the end result -  the more slightly rubbish the better! You know how you always remember the naff or outright disastrous creations on the Bake Off?  This is all about the way they made you smile more than the jaw-dropping achievements of the finalists...

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Our simple and speedy recipe for light, fragrant Madeleines - perfect for whipping up with the children in about 30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar or dip into decadent chocolate sauce. Madeleines are small, traditional French butter sponge cakes shaped like ridged scallop shells. They are very pretty and very moreish. Slightly crisp on the outside and tantalisingly soft and light on the inside, always endeavour to eat them whilst still warm. You can come across some very complex Madeleine recipes with multiple stages but, for me, this simple recipe just works.   I've put this recipe...

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Scrumdiddlyupmptious! Not too sweet, crispy, nutty biscuit-like festive cookies drenched in icing sugar to make them look like snowballs.

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This delicious, traditional Christmas Pudding recipe, given to me by a close friend, has been passed down through 6 generations of her family and she now makes it with her children. It's rich with black treacle, brandy and Guinness, but lightened by carrot, orange and breadcrumbs. The recipe was originally written by Rose Creed and she gave explicit instructions to mix the pudding on Stir Up Sunday, the last Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent, although if you've missed that, there's still time.   It's the perfect job for a cosy weekend, so make sure you're...

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This is my version. It’s so good I can’t explain. Don’t ever bother to buy cranberry sauce again, it’s so easy to make and utterly, unctuously fabulous. It’s dark and complex from the brown sugar, clementines and port and, I think, just sweet enough.  The recipe is simple enough for children to easily make, providing you oversee the hot bits. Put it into miniature Kilner jars, tie it up with a ribbon and take it along as a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner gift; serve straight from the jar. Eat with turkey, pork, on its own!...

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