The festive season is a great opportunity to spend time with family. So, what better way to share some quality time with your children and grandchildren than in the kitchen, rustling up some tasty Christmas treats?

Baking need not be complicated, so here are 10 simple recipes for you and your budding Giuseppes and Nadiyas to make this Christmas.

1. Christmas rocky road

In the unlikely event you have any left-over biscuits this Christmas, a rocky road is a versatile way to use up any sort of Christmas biscuit.

This clever recipe from BBC Good Food combines shortbread or cookies, Christmas sweets, and traditional dried fruit and nuts, chocolate, and golden syrup into a sticky, gooey traybake. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, too.

2. Snowflake biscuits

This is one of the simplest recipes you can make and so is perfect for the younger children in your life.

All you have to do is cream the butter and sugar and add the flour. You’ll need a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter (or buy a mixed bag of Christmas cutters and make a range of shapes). Make sure you also have some icing on hand, or a glitter icing pen.

3. Snowman cake

This delicious buttercream-filled snowman cake will make a fantastic display for any family gathering over the festive period – and kids will have great fun with the decoration.

You’ll need a couple of 18 or 19cm cake tins for this one, along with either coloured ready-to-roll icing or a range of food colourings to make the snowman’s hat, eyes and nose.

4. Mini turkey and cranberry quiches

It’s not just sweet treats than can add flavour to Christmas. These little quiches are also a great way to use up leftovers from your Christmas dinner, combining turkey, onion and cranberry sauce.

You’ll need a few eggs and some puff pastry, but this recipe is quick and easy and makes 48 mini quiches – perhaps perfect for a New Year’s Eve party?

5. Christmas cupcakes

Cupcakes are a great introduction to baking for any youngster, and these easy seven-ingredient cupcakes will be perfect for the festive season.

The joy of these little cakes is that you can let your imagination run riot when it comes to decoration. Use Smarties to create a snowman or reindeer face, or find some coloured icing pens from your local supermarket to draw Christmas trees.

6. Cinnamon shortbread stars

Is there a more wintery flavour than cinnamon? These simple cinnamon shortbread stars add a festive flavour (and smell!) to a seasonal favourite.

You simply add some ground cinnamon to the standard flour, butter, and sugar recipe, and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top. You’ll need a star-shaped cutter – although you could ask your child or grandchild to mould them into a range of festive designs including snowmen and reindeer.

7. Chocolate and cranberry Christmas mini cakes

These lovely little chocolate and cranberry cakes are really versatile, as they are vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.

The ingredients might require a trip to the supermarket (no eggs or milk here!) but the results are some stylish and tasty cakes that would make perfect Boxing Day treats for all the family.

8. Cheese stars

Grab some puff pastry and mature cheese and go to town with these cheese stars – perfect for any party.

These are easy to make and can be ready in just half an hour. And, as you can choose what to sprinkle on your baked stars, it’s also an opportunity for kids to get creative – from more grated cheese to sesame seeds or dried oregano.

9. Holly cupcakes

A simple cupcake recipe is really brought to life with some additional decoration, in these holly cupcakes with candied cranberry.

The cakes themselves are easy to make, then it’s time to get your children involved in creating tuile holly cookies and candied cranberry for decoration.

10. Santa crackers

If you’re looking for another savoury snack, then your kids will have great fun creating these cute little Santa crackers – and there’s no cooking required!

A combination of the traditional Ritz cracker, cheese, sundried tomato, currants and cream cheese, the little ones will have great fun making these one-bite festive treats.