Her Christmas treats include cookies, brownie trees and cupcakes as well as traditional festive desserts. You can try Catherine’s recipe for brownie trees below, but for more click here.

Brownie trees

Ingredients

125g/4oz Odlums cream plain flour

125g/4oz Butter or margarine (room temperature)

75g/3oz chocolate

150g/5oz caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 eggs (beaten)

Pinch of salt

Pinch Odlums baking powder

For decoration:

6 tablespoons sieved icing sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and a drop of green colouring

Red and green sweets

Sprinkles

Lollipop sticks

Method

  • Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas 3. Lightly grease and base line a 7”/18cms square tin. A small roasting tin would also do.

  • Melt the butter or margarine and chocolate together over a low heat.

  • Remove from heat, add the sugar and mix well.

  • Add vanilla essence and eggs. Beat well.

  • Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together and gently stir into chocolate mixture.

  • Pour into prepared tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes until crusty on top.

  • Remove from oven and allow to cool.

  • Cut into triangles to resemble Christmas trees. Mix the sieved icing sugar, water and food colouring to a thick paste. Drizzle over each ‘Christmas tree’. Decorate with the sprinkles and sweets as in photo.

  • Dip the lollipop stick into icing and press into the base of the ‘tree'.