Edible santa and sleigh

Santa and reindeer made with chocolate and marzipan

300g Marzipan
Red, Green and Black food colouring
70g Milk chocolate buttons
100g Galaxy Milk chocolate
250g White roll out icing
Red glimmer sugar
2 Strawberry laces
25g White chocolate
Chocolate Santa
Wrapped chocolate sweets for presents
1 Glace cherry for Rudolph's nose

Equipment:
Red and Gold shiny paper
Tape
Scissors
Lots of cardboard
Couple of cans, different sizes for the sleigh base mould (I used potatoes and soup)
Greaseproof paper
Kids paintbrushes, small

To make the sleigh:

1. Create a sleigh shape mould by taping the cans together, use a strip of cardboard to bridge the gaps.  Stand this on it's end (so the cans are upright) and trace 2 sleigh side shapes onto greaseproof paper.  You can get creative with the top edge, I just kept it simple and put in a couple of 'door' shapes.

2. Cut a strip of greaseproof paper to the width you want your sleigh and lay the buttons on it in an overlapping lattice pattern.  Place this somewhere warm to melt together into one strip.  I put it on the radiator - be careful it doesn't melt the whole thing though, you want to keep the shape of the button pattern for presentation.  You need it melted enough that it just sticks together, once it's at this stage drape over the can mould and gently tape another strip of greaseproof paper over the top to hold the curved shape.  Leave to harden.

3.  While it's drying start on the slegh sides.  Get the shapes you traced earlier and make a thin sausage of black marzipan to put around the edges.  Make sure it's all joined up before filling with melted chocolate.  Leave to harden.

4. Once everything's set you're ready to assemble!  Carefully remove the curved sleigh base from the cans and sit on it's side.  Remove one of your sleigh sides and place in the base.  Brush melted chocolate along the join and leave to harden, once set repeat with the other side and leave the whole thing overnight somewhere cool.

5.  To decorate, brush an thin layer of melted chocolate where you want the glimmer suger to go and sprinkle it on.

To make the reindeer:

1.  Colour the bulk of the marizpan with the red and green colouring to make brown, you'll need a lot more green than red and add gradually to get the shade you want.  Then colour some black for eyes, noses and hooves and leave some yellow/uncoloured for the antlers.

2.  Split the brown into 8 equal pieces and one larger piece for Rudoplh.   I'll give instructions to make Rudolph, the rest are the same except slightly smaller and use black marzipan for noses rather than a glace cherry.

3.  Split the Rudolph piece into 3 roughly equal balls.  Use the largest for the body, the smallest for the head and split the third into 4 more parts to make legs. 

4. Leave the head piece as a ball, press two holes in the top for the antlers to go in.  Stick the cherry and eyes on with melted chocolate (the paintbrush can aid neatness!).  Leave to dry

5. Roll the body into fat sausage shape.

6. Roll the legs into four thin sausages and press on balls of black for hooves.  Gently stick the legs together into a block, then stick to the body - you may need to use more melted chocolate. 

7. Stick on the head and ou're ready to start on the antlers.

8. Roll out the yellow marzipan into thin sausages, cut three strips for each antler and press the ends together, they kind of look like bird feet.  Lightly brush on white chocolate for structural support and leave to harden (overnight preferably).

9.  Once the antlers are dry, dip the ends in more white chocolate and place in the antler holes on Rudolph's head.

Presentation:

1. Cut out piece of cardboard for base (use the can mould to help get the right size) and cover with red paper, I also made a little bridge shape, so the reindeer are presented better.

2.  Cut out a bigger piece of cardboard and cover it with gold paper (I had to this as my cardboad was too thin to take the weight and I needed to double it up, thicker cardboard and you'd get away with one layer, though I'm pleased with how it looks so hey ho prolly for the best!)

3. Rollout a strip of white icing for snow and place on sleigh and reindeer using white chocolate to stick them in place.  Apply fiddly red laces to make reins, fill the sleigh with chocs and stick on santa!