Jennifer Sheahan: How to make gingerbread, chocolate bark and stuffed meringues

The Home of the Year winner loves fast festive baking. Her she shares three of her favourite super-easy Christmas recipes

Baking items that don't make a mess is always a good idea: Think of recipes where all the ingredients can be mixed all in one bowl. File pictures

Christmas Eve is next weekend, and I’m just not ready. I still don’t have all my presents. Nothing is wrapped. I’m busy at work. And frankly, the last thing I want to do this week is to go shopping for some super complicated recipe that will take me hours to prepare and will leave me with a huge clean-up. Plus some things just taste better on the day they’re baked. With all that in mind, here are some of my favourite easy-peasy baking recipes that you can make with minimal fuss over Christmas.

The following recipes are quick to prepare (20 minutes or less, plus baking time), they don’t make a huge mess (all the ingredients can be mixed in one bowl), and they include common ingredients that you’re likely to have to hand.