Malteser Christmas Pudding

Quickly becoming an almost "timeless" classic handmade Christmas gift. Great project for kids (with adult assistance for hob-work)

Every year, my niece and our family, embark on our quest to either supervise or participate in handmade yummies and gifts. This is one of my niece's brilliant, yet messy, handmades.

These were made for her mam and dad, her brother and uncle.

I only had minimal involvement in this make, but what an excellent family evening it was. This make brought us all together for a fun time and everyone was involved, even if it was insisting on 'washing' the bowls out.

The biggest one was a chocolate teddy bear, my niece made this for herself - cook's privilege I guess

The Rudolph extra handmade gift is used for the decoration of this final picture.

If this Instructable wins any prizes, they will belong to my niece. She only has restricted social media access and other accounts are also restricted, due to her young-ness :-)

Terry's Chocolate Orange +

Available from:

• UK - www.amazon.co.uk/Terrys-Chocolate-Orange-Milk-175...

• US - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IIG7N48/ref=s9_dcacs...

Maltesers (or Whopers)

Milk chocolate or dark chocolate

White Chocolate

Small red chocolate beans

Green fondant

Holly / leaf cutters (optional if you can cut by hand)

A large pan and a bowl - to use as a double boiler / bain marie

Cellophane for wrapping

Ribbons and bows to decorate

Twist ties

A glass to rest your project on - big enough to be stable but small enough not for the chocolate ball to fall in

+ You can also use a round chocolate ball about the same size

Place a pan of boiling water on the hob (adult interaction required if children are making this), a gentle simmer is required

Place your bowl onto the pan to use as a bain marie

Break up the milk chocolate and melt in your bain marie

Place your chocolate ball on the glass

Dip one Malteser in the melted chocolate. Don't dip it all the way in, just enough to use as a 'glue'

Starting at the top of your chocolate ball, stick it on.

Continue to half way down, this first half can be tricky

Tip: I find, if you put the Maltesers in the freezer first, this helps stop them melting when you're securing them with your fingers whilst the chocolate glue takes hold

Place your project in the refrigerator to chill regularly

When you've covered the 'top' half, place your project in the refrigerator until the Maltesers are stuck solid

Once well chilled, take your project out of the refrigerator

Place completed side onto your glass

Cover the remaining half in the Maltesers

Tip: This time, start building up onto the row below, if you can't get one in on the top and there's a gap, don't worry, this will be the bottom. No one will see this and it will offer some stability when finished

Return to the refrigerator and chill

Make your fondant leaves and place to one side

Melt your white chocolate in the same way as you melted your brown chocolate.

Remove project from the refrigerator and place on your glass

Using a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate over your Malteser covered chocolate balls so it runs down the sides and looks like white sauce poured over a Christmas Pudding.

Before this chocolate goes solid, we're going to add the top decoration (next step)

Place about three small, red chocolate buttons / beans on the top - you can add less or more

Add three green leaves around the red beans - you can add less or more

Allow to chill

Measure your chocolate pudding against the cellophane.

Make sure the cellophane is big enough to cover and allow extra to tie off and 'fan' out on the top of the pudding.

Bring the cellophane up to cover the pudding

Scrunch up the top and use a twist tie to secure

Tie with ribbon

Tease out the excess cellophane. If you've wrapped it in too much, just trim a little off neatly

I'd like to say 'Well done' to my niece for needing such little help with this project. Hob-work, fondant and wrapping are the only steps where she needed adult assistance