Owls

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Rice Krispies owl

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  1. Prepare the Rice Krispies mixture as per the recipe. Grease your hands with butter to prevent the mixture from sticking to them. Shape two balls from the Rice Krispies mixture, one for the body and a smaller one for the head. Allow to set.
  2. Spread white butter icing over the body. Use a wooden skewer to join the head and body together, then spread butter icing over the head. Place the owl on the cake board, using butter icing to secure it.
  3. Roll out the brown fondant and cut out small circles. Attach a row around the bottom edge of the body. Roll out the white fondant and cut out the same size circles. Attach the white circles in a triangular shape to form the breast of the owl. End with one circle just below the top of the body. Attach the rest of the brown circles until the body is covered completely. Cover the whole head with brown fondant circles.
  4. Shape the ears from light brown and dark brown fondant and attach to the head. For the eyes, cut two large circles from white fondant and attach them to the front of the head. Cut two circles from blue fondant, smaller circles from the black fondant and very small circles from white fondant. Add them to the white circles.
  5. Shape the orange fondant into a triangular beak and attach to the face. Use pink fondant to make the bow. Shape six toes from the orange fondant and attach three to each foot.
  6. Use a little water to attach the different parts if they don’t stick. Set aside until the fondant hardens.

MAKES 1 OWL

Tree cones

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  1. Roll out the brown fondant – it should be quite thick – and cut out the shape of a tree. Use the point of a knife to make markings resembling wood. Shape small leaves from the green fondant and attach them to the tips of the branches. Attach the pink sugar paste flowers to the leaves. Roll out the yellow fondant and cut out a sickle moon shape. Brush with edible gold glitter. Set aside until the fondant hardens.
  2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and dip the open end of the ice-cream cone into it. Quickly fill the cone with small sweets and place a Marie biscuit over the open end to seal the sweets inside. Set aside until the chocolate sets.
  3. Using royal icing, attach the tree to the front of the cones and the moon against the tip. Place the cone on its side while the icing hardens.

MAKES 10

Rainbow owls

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  1. Cut a small round biscuit in half and spread with royal icing. Sprinkle over rainbow vermicelli. Set aside until the icing hardens.
  2. Spread royal icing over a Marie biscuit and place two sugared ring-shaped sweets near the top edge to make the eyes. Attach Smarties in the centre of the ring-shaped sweets and cake confetti in the centre of the Smarties. Place two long liquorice allsorts at an angle above the eyes.
  3. Attach the halved decorated biscuits on either side, for the wings. Place another biscuit beneath the edge of the wing to keep it in place while the icing hardens. Attach four chocolate-covered sunflower seeds to make the feet. Trim the liquorice allsorts into a beak shape and attach in the centre of the face. Set aside until the icing hardens.

MAKES 10

Marshmallow owls

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  1. Insert a lollipop stick into a marshmallow. Cut the long liquorice allsorts in half and insert two halves into the top of the marshmallow (to make this easier, use a wet wooden skewer to make holes before inserting the liquorice allsorts). Melt the pink chocolate in the microwave and dip the marshmallow into it until covered completely. Hold the marshmallow upside down so the excess chocolate can drip off. Set aside until the chocolate has hardened.
  2. Melt the chocolate again if necessary and make the rest of the owl. Halve a ring-shaped sweet and attach it to the sides, for the wings. Use two small sugar paste flowers and two sugar pearls for the eyes, a chocolate-covered sunflower seed for the beak and two star-shaped cake confetti for the feet.
  3. Set aside until the chocolate has hardened.

MAKES 10

Owl on a branch

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  1. Shape the body of the owl from coloured fondant. Set aside for a short while to let it firm up. Roll out some white fondant, cut small circles and attach to the front of the face to make the eyes. Shape a small triangle for the beak from a different colour fondant and attach it. Roll out the same colour fondant as the beak and cut out small flowers. Trim the flowers so that only three petals remain and attach them to make the feet.
  2. Roll out another colour fondant and cut out heart shapes. Attach to the front of the body to make the breast of the owl. Use a little water if the fondant won’t stick. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen. Set aside until the fondant hardens.
  3. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave. Place the finger biscuits on a wire rack with a bowl underneath to catch the drips. Pour the chocolate over the biscuits until covered completely. Set aside until the chocolate has hardened. Melt the light brown chocolate and use a fork to drizzle some over the biscuits.
  4. Attach the owl to the biscuit while the chocolate is still wet. Using a little more melted chocolate, attach the sugar paste leaves to one end of the branch. Set aside until the chocolate has hardened.

MAKES 10

Apple owls

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  1. Shape the body of the owl from coloured fondant. Set aside to let it firm up. Roll out the white fondant, cut small circles and attach to the front of the face, for the eyes. Shape a small triangle for the beak from a different colour fondant and attach it to the face. Roll out the same colour fondant as the beak and cut small flowers. Trim the flowers so that only three petals remain and then attach them to make the feet. Roll out another colour fondant and cut heart shapes. Attach to the front of the body to make the owl’s breast. Use a little water if the fondant won’t stick. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen. Set aside until the fondant hardens.
  2. Wash the apples and dry thoroughly. Insert a skewer into the stalk end of each apple.
  3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Dip the apple into the melted chocolate until covered completely. Hold the apple upside down and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Set aside on wax paper until the chocolate hardens.
  4. Melt the chocolate again, if necessary, and use it to attach the sugar paste flowers to the apple. Put a blob of chocolate on top and attach the owl. Set aside until the chocolate hardens completely.

MAKES 10

Owl lollipops

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  1. Roll out the light pink fondant and cut 20 circles the same size as the lollipops. Use two circles per lollipop and attach them to either side of the lollipop. Press the edges together to enclose the lollipop in fondant.
  2. Roll out the dark pink fondant and cut circles for the body, removing a small semi-circle, to shape the head. Roll out the purple, white and orange fondant and cut out the wings, eyes and beak. Attach the body to the fondant-covered lollipop. Add the wings, eyes and beak, using a little water if the fondant doesn’t stick.
  3. Roll a piece of brown fondant between your fingers and place it beneath the owl to make a branch. Shape a leaf from green fondant and attach it to one end of the branch. Add a sugar paste flower on top of the leaf.
  4. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen.
  5. Set aside until the fondant hardens.

MAKES 10

Fudge nests

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  1. Shape the body of the owl from coloured fondant. Set aside to let it firm up. Roll out the white fondant, cut small circles and attach to the front of the face to make the eyes. Shape a small triangle for the beak from a different colour fondant and attach it to the face. Roll out the same colour fondant as the beak and cut out small flowers. Trim the flowers so that only three petals remain and attach them to make the feet. Roll out another colour fondant, cut out heart shapes and attach them to the front of the body to make the owl’s breast. Use a little water if the fondant won’t stick. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen. Set aside until the fondant hardens.
  2. To make the fudge nests, melt the butter and sugar together. Add the golden syrup and condensed milk and bring to the boil. Stir continuously for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla essence and Rice Krispies.
  3. Spoon the fudge mixture into edible cookie cups and make a hollow in the top. Work quickly, because the mixture sets fast. (Spoon any extra fudge mixture into cookie cups and serve these separately.) Put two chocolate eggs and an owl in each nest.

MAKES 10

Night owl

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  1. Roll out the pink, purple, black and white fondant. Cut out the sections for the house, starting with the pink square. Use the point of a knife to make marks resembling wooden planks. Cut the triangle from the purple fondant and use a drinking straw to make marks resembling roof tiles. Cut out a circle from the black fondant and smaller circles from the white fondant. Attach the black circle to the centre of the pink square, followed by the two white circles in the centre of the black circle. Use water to get the fondant to stick. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen. Place the purple roof above the pink square.
  2. Shape a small branch from brown fondant. Use the tip of a knife to make marks resembling bark.
  3. Spread the royal icing over the Tennis biscuit. Place the branch and house in position. Place the cake confetti on the open sections of icing. Set aside until the icing hardens.

MAKES 10

Tree stump owls

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  1. Shape the body of the owl from coloured fondant. Set aside to let it firm up. Roll out the white fondant, cut two small circles and attach to the face, for the eyes. Shape a small triangle for the beak from a different colour fondant and attach it to the face. Roll out the same colour fondant as the beak. Cut two small flowers, trim them so that only three petals remain and attach them to make the feet. Roll out another colour fondant, cut a heart shape and attach to the front of the body to make the owl’s breast. Use a little water if the fondant won’t stick. Add dots to the eyes with a non-toxic marker pen. Set aside until the fondant hardens.
  2. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave. Pour a little into a shot glass and roll the glass on a flat surface so the chocolate coats the inside. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set. Repeat until the chocolate layer is at least 3 mm thick, reheating the chocolate each time, if necessary. Gently tip the chocolate mould out of the glass.
  3. Melt the light brown chocolate. Use a fork to drizzle melted chocolate over the upturned chocolate mould. Place the owl on top while the chocolate is still wet (use an extra dab of chocolate, if necessary). Set aside until the chocolate has hardened.
  4. Melt the green chocolate and spread it over a round biscuit. Carefully fill the chocolate mould with small sweets and then place the iced biscuit over the open end to seal the sweets inside. Attach sugar paste flowers around the rim of the biscuit while the green chocolate is still wet. Set aside until the chocolate hardens.

MAKES 10

Brown owls

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  1. Prepare the brownie mixture as per the recipe and leave it to set in the dish. Cut heart shapes from the set brownie mixture.
  2. Roll out the different colours of fondant. Cut out the shapes for the wings and beak. Cut flower shapes for the eyes and place a small circle of a contrasting colour fondant in the centre. Add a dot with a non-toxic marker pen. Cut out more flower shapes and trim them so they have only three petals and resemble feet.
  3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and use it to attach all the fondant pieces to the heart-shaped brownie. Set aside until the chocolate hardens.

MAKES 10