Christmas is rapidly approaching, and life is getting hectic with shopping, decorating and holiday gatherings.

When I do get some spare time in December I love to spend some of it in the kitchen, listening to my favourite Christmas music and making some seasonal treats. These are ideal to give as gifts, share with folks that drop by, or to simply enjoy yourself over the festive season.

Chocolate truffles are relatively easy to make but look great as a gift or presented on a platter at a party.

One of my favourite ways to make truffles uses just chocolate, jam, a splash of alcohol and cocoa powder. This example uses blueberry and ginger jam and ginger wine but you can use any combination of jam and alcohol that takes your fancy. Use your imagination and have some fun.

Another truffle technique which can be endlessly customised is using a hot water ganache. This uses just chocolate, sugar and water, so is dairy free. The liquid doesn’t have to be water, so again it is a great technique to experiment with. This recipe uses coffee, but whisky works really well too.

I’ve also had a lot of success using crumbled cakes and sweet breads as the basis for a truffle centre. Here are recipes for panettone truffles and sticky toffee pudding truffles but you could use the same approach with the dessert of your choice.

In the deep south, bourbon balls are a popular seasonal treat, typically made with crushed cookies, pecans, chocolate and, of course, bourbon. It is another recipe that lends itself to experimentation. I was pleased with my version using British HobNob biscuits, walnuts and Scotch whisky.

At this time of year, high end food shops here offer a range of mouth watering chocolate barks, often at eye watering prices. It is relatively easy to make your own and make it the way you like it. Check out this recipe for a chocolate bark with coffee and biscuits.

For a variation on the bark theme, you could make tiffin, a delicious, no bake, mix of crushed biscuits, raisins and chocolate. My recipe uses digestive biscuits, brandy soaked raisins and some classic English chocolates thrown in for good measure.

Christmas treats don’t have to involve chocolate. You could just make a quick batch of buttered pecans to nibble with your favourite tipple.

Finally, if you can get hold of some rice paper you can make edible decorations with an optional boozy kick. Here is how we made whisky infused snowflakes but you can choose your own shapes and flavours to make your own unique treats.