Lunch Box Series 29: Essential Christmas Sweet Treats

‘Tis the season to sprinkle a little magic into the lunch box! With Christmas just around the corner, we’re leaning right into the sweet, sparkly spirit of the holidays. This week’s edition is dedicated to those essential festive treats that are equal parts delicious and delightfully easy. 

Whether you’re whipping up goodies for school, gifting, or just sneaking a nibble while “taste-testing,” we’ve got three crowd-pleasers ready to jingle their way into your kitchen: Christmas Truffles, Chocolate Pinecones, and our colourful Christmas Bark.

So pop on a carol, dust off the sprinkles, and let’s make snack time feel a little more merry and bright!

 

Christmas Truffles

If there’s one recipe guaranteed to disappear faster than you can say “Merry Christmas,” it’s these irresistible Christmas Truffles! Truly the ultimate crowd-pleaser, they’re the kind of treat you’ll find yourself double batching - because one tray is never enough. 

They’re wonderfully freezer-friendly too, making them perfect for preparing ahead of the festive rush. Bring them out on Christmas morning, after lunch, or as a little sweet something post-dinner… trust us, there’s never a wrong time for a truffle.

⚠️ Warning: Only make these if you’re prepared for them to be requested every Christmas from now on!

Ingredients: 

• Tin condensed milk

• 1 cup desiccated coconut 

• 1x packet Nice biscuits (Arnotts) 

• 2 tbsp cacao powder 

• 120 chopped chocolate (Red & Green M&M’s or Toblerone) 
  

 

Method: 

1. Crush biscuits to a fine crumb. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the biscuits, sifted cocoa, chopped chocolate and half the coconut. 

3. Pour in condensed milk and combine well. 

4. With damp hands, roll mixture into bite size (golf balls) and roll through the remaining coconut or cacao to coat. 

5. Place on a lined baking tray and pop in fridge to firm up. 

6. Store in airtight container in fridge. 

 

Chocolate Pinecones

Get ready to impress with the cutest (and tastiest) little showstoppers of the season - Chocolate Pinecones. These whimsical treats look like they’ve been plucked straight from a snowy Christmas forest, yet they’re wonderfully simple to make!

Kids adore them, adults can’t resist them, and they bring instant festive magic to any table. They’re rich, chocolatey, perfectly textured, and guaranteed to spark a few “How did you make these?!” moments.

The only challenge? Trying not to eat them all before they make it to the plate.

 

Ingredients: 

• Box of Milo cereal 

• 2x packets of Oreos

• 150g cream cheese 

• Icing sugar 

Method: 

1. Crush oreos in the food processor to a fine crumb. 

2. Fold in cream cheese. Roll mixture into a tear-shaped ball (a bit thinner and pointier towards the top) a tad smaller than your palm. 

3. Using the milo cereal, stick the cereal into the balls pointing upwards until you’ve resembled a pinecone.

4. Dust with icing sugar and store in the fridge. 

Christmas Bark

Christmas Bark is the ultimate holiday activity for little helpers - fun, colourful, and completely customisable. With school holidays fast approaching, this is the perfect recipe to get the kids involved in the kitchen! 

They can sprinkle, swirl, and decorate to their hearts’ content, making each batch as unique as they are. Best of all, you can easily tailor the toppings to suit your family’s favourites - lollies, pretzels, biscuits, chocolates… the options are truly endless.

It’s sweet, simple, and guaranteed to keep little hands busy (and little faces smiling!) all Christmas long! 

Ingredients: 

• Mini pretzels 

• 2x block of dark cooking chocolate 

• 2x block of white cooking chocolate 

• 2x block of milk cooking chocolate 

• Packet of Red & Green M&M’s

• Turkish delight 

• Box of Tiny Teddy’s 

 

Method: 

1. On a lined baking tray, place whole blocks of white, dark and milk choc (make sure the same two aren't touching).

2. Place in the oven until softened. Using a toothpick, swirl the chocolate to create a pattern. 

3. While the chocolate is soft, scatter the red and green M&M’s, turkish delight, Tiny teddy’s and mini pretzels. 

4. Place in the fridge until chocolate has hardened and bark has set. 

5. Roughly chop or slice into pieces. Store in the fridge 

Pack With Us 

For this week’s festive treats, we reached for our favourite Nesting Containers - mixing and matching sizes and colours to keep everything neatly stored and ready to go in the fridge. The variety of sizes not only keeps things organised but also ensures nothing gets squished in transit… especially those delicate chocolate pinecones!

And when it came time to pack a gorgeous little selection, our 3 Fixed Compartment Bento in Dusty Pink was the perfect fit, keeping each treat snug, separated, and looking as good as they taste.

Practical, pretty, and perfectly festive - just the way we like it.

 

And there you have it - three simple, joy-filled Christmas treats that are perfect for gifting, sharing, or sneaking straight from the fridge. As you dive into the festive fun, don’t forget to check out our Silicone Lunchware range, which makes the perfect practical present for teachers, friends, foodies, and little lunchbox lovers alike.

For even more holiday inspiration and easy recipes leading up to Christmas, come join us over on @packedby_elaandearth - we’ll be spreading the cheer one delicious creation at a time.