Ideas for Christmas Goodies

Here's a really yummy idea that my mom is doing this holiday. She is taking pretzel squares and melting Hershey kisses on them to make chocolate covered pretzels. She shipped us a batch the other day and they were wonderful!!! They traveled well and got here looking great and tasting yummy! She said she just puts the kiss on top of the square and lets it melt in the oven for a few seconds, takes it out/cools and then they're done. Very quick, easy and yummy! She also took green and red sprinkles and used those to make them festive looking. Hope this gives an idea! Take care and have a blessed holiday!

E., I just did Oreo's and dipped them 1/2 way in some chocolate... I had the RED ones and also the Mint (Green) ones... and dipped them in their respective colors...

Another thing I just did was to dip plastic spoons in chocolate let it dry in between layers of dipping and then I added 3 mini marshmallows to the spoon and added a package of hot chocolate......

I also have dipped pretzels rods... dip 1/2 way and sprinkle sprinkles on top. You can dip just about anything.. you can take some Ritz crackers put PB in between and then dip.. YUM....

My FAVORITE thing is to melt chocolate and pop a bag of NON-buttered popcorn ( I use the microwave kind) and put a little chocolate on top of the popped popcorn, stir and allow to dry and presto.. Chocolate Covered Popcorn.. it is so delicious!!!

Let me know what you decide!

Have a GREAT holiday!

Hi E.,
Try making homemade hot chocolate mix. Go to www.allrecipes.com and put hot chocolate mix in the search engine and you will get all kinds of recipes....Walmart has cute jars for under $2 to store it in for each person you want to give it to.
They also have Chi tea, russian tea....anything you can think of...
Jen

This was just sent to me, but I haven't tried the recipe yet myself. Apparently, it's REALLY GOOD, REALLY EASY, and can be boxed and slow-mailed at this time of year:

1 lb Oreo cookies (3 sleeves)
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(using different extracts allows for subtle flavour changes...try mint extract, upped to 1 tsp) (optional)
1 lb milk chocolate
1/2 lb white chocolate

Directions
Using a food processor, grind cookies to a fine powder. With a mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese).
Roll into small balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Line two cookie sheets with wax paper.
In double-boiler, melt milk chocolate.
Dip balls and coat thoroughly.
With slotted spoon, lift balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off.
Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.
In separate double boiler, melt white chocolate.
Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls.
Let cool.
Store in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Hi E.,:)
I just received this recipe from a friend of mine; SOOO easy & travels well & is great!!
Hope you like it. :)

Chex Muddy Buddies

9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups powered sugar (I use a little more than that)
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside

2. In a microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2 gallon resealable food storage plastic bag.

3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Store in container or bag.

here is a variation of the pretzel idea - i like this one more than the hersheys kisses but i don't turn down ANY of them, of course! :) i have made combo batches of both and put in the same tin as gifts.

place any small pretzel, the snaps or the regular twisties on wax paper on a cookie sheet, place a ROLO - sometimes hard to find at stores, but Kmart in my area had them recently - or you can use Hershey's kisses with caramel, but they tend to be a bit messier. Anyway, heat those in a 200 degree oven for just 5 minutes (any longer will make a mess instead of a pretty little treat), remove and squish a pecan half on top! awesomely yummy! of course, know if anyone has any nut allergies beforehand. you need to put them in the freezer or fridge for a little while to let them harden, and i put a sheet of saran wrap or foil or wax paper between each layer of a tin. they tend to start to melt a little bit when put together - just enough to lick off your fingertips though!

you've gotten some great ideas so far - hope all goes well! :)

Merry Christmas to all!

make cookies in a jar! you put all the dry ingredients in a mason jar, they add egg, milk, vanilla when they are ready to make it!

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/giftsinajar/a/122099a.htm

Here is a variation on the response below: Take pretzel snaps (the square grid ones, Snyders makes them). Put a hersheys kiss on, and put in oven on 325 for about 10 minutes or so until it softens (you have to check often to make sure it doesn't melt too much). Then, you take a red or green m&m and press it down in the middle, and it looks like a little button. Refridgerate until they harden. Or similarly, you can take a Rollo candy (the chocolate covered caramel), put that on the pretzel and put in oven until soft, then press a pecan half on it and smoosh down, it is like a turtle candy on a pretzel. Refridgerate until hardened. These pack in tins really well and are fun and easy for little kids to help out with.

I have the best yummie that is so kid friendly.... preheat oven to 375. line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray with Pam (or use the easy release foil-even better) then unroll a crescent roll can onto the bottom so that it covers the pan. bake for 5 minutes. remove from oven and evenly spread 1 cup of each of the following: chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, slivered almonds, and cashew pieces. The kids love doing this part. then pour one can of eagle brand sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. bake for 20-25 minutes or until they just start to get brown. let cool for an hour and then refridgerate (overnight works best). once it solidifies remove foil and cut into small squares (36-48) Pizza Cutter works best. We did these in tins for teachers and parties we were going to and everyone can't get enough of them.....You'll be hooked once you try.
another fun one with the kids is to take mini pretzels and sit on hersheys hugs in the middle of each one (the white & dark chosolate one) and put in to the oven on 200 until it melts, then place some red and green M& M's onto of the melted chocolate and cool in the fridge. (using a foil lined pan helps) once cooled and chocolate solidifies they look like little wreathes and are yummy.
Both of these transport very well. good luck.

try rice crispie treats. You make them and while they are still warm, take cookie cutouts, butter them well and cut out Christmas shapes. Then you can decorate them with sprinkles. Or make a big Christmas tree and decorate with sprinkles. You have to do the cut outs while still warm, but not hot. If you wait until it cools then it will break. Kids love doing this. Mine did and do.

E.

Try pretzle rods dipped in white and dark chocolate, and drizzled with colored icing, they are really good. The chex mix is also a winner, go to Sam's or Costco for the ingredients. I hate these but others, love the marshmellow bars with rice crispies.

Dip pretzel logs in milk chocolate and/or white chocolate, shake some red/green sprinkles on and let dry on wax paper. They travel well, are fun to make with kids and taste really good.

My little 4 year old and I are making candy can cookies this year for everyone. They are real easy to make and very cute. The receipe is on Rachael Ray's Show website just search candy cane cookies. They are delicicous and something reflecting Christmas. Hope this helps and have a Merry Christmas

Rice crispy treats. They are fast, easy, cheap, the kids can help, and you can mix in all kinds of things to make them look festive, like sprinkles, or m&m's, or other types of cereal. Plus, everybody loves them. The basic recipe I always use is 2 Tbsp. margarine or salted butter, 6 cups of crispies, and 3/4 of a bag of small marshmallows. Just melt the butter in a nonstick pot over medium heat, add marshmallows, keep stirring until they are gooey, them remove from heat stir in krispies along with any other goodies you think might be fun, ( but adjust amount of krispies depending on if you want to add in frootloops or something like that). Spray a 13 by 9 inch pan lightly with pam, it helps to spray the spoon and sides of the pot too. The kids can help you smush them into the pan. Just let them cool, and enjoy.

I made hot cocoa mix from scatch this year, and paired it with premade cookie mix (all you have to do is add the wet ingredients) and gave them in pairs. The cookie recipe I found on kraftfoods.com under super chunk oatmeal cookie mix. The cocoa recipe is an old one so you have to improvise on the container sizes.
Hot Chocolate Mix:
1 -2 pound box of instatn non-fat dry milk
1-22 ounce jar of non-dairy creamer
1-2 pound bag lf confectioners sugar also called powdered sugar
1-32 ounce box of Quick chocolate mix

And I added 2 bags of marshmallows to mine too! It's a lot of mix too, I had to mix mine in the XL zip lock storage bags meant for clothes. It was the only thing I had big enough.

Merry Christmas! Hope that helps!

Depending on the # of houses you go to, and how close you are to people. Make Cookies in a jar...you don't bake, they do. Find a good layer type recipe one where you can see the flour, sugar, nuts, chocolate chips etc...and buy some mason jars, and some cute Christmas fabric and fill the jars with the ingredients, (except the wet ingredients - eggs, milk, oil etc...) put the fabric over the top of the jar and tie it with ribbon and instructions for the cookie. Then they can bake the yummy goodie, now or later after all the other goodies are gone. AND the kids can help you measure and pour into the jar(s). You won't have to bake a thing, but depending on who many houses you do, it might get expensive. I buy my baking supplies in bulk partly b/c I'm a cake decorator, but also because it's way cheaper and I bake a lot anyway. Hope that helps.
Any ?'s let me know.
A. B

One of my favorite "no bake" ideas is chocolate covered pretzels. I like milk chocoloate dipped ones with colorful sprinkles on them and white chocolate with finrly crushed candy canes. They are really pretty easy and once you get a grove going, go pretty quickly.

Pumpkin Bread is my favorite to bake in mini-loaf pans and give as gifts.

3 c sugar
1 c oil
2/3 c water
4 eggs
1 -15 or 16oz can of packed pumpkin
2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
3-1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a big bowl. Blend last 5 together in another bowl, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean.

SOmeone brought this to our Christmas open house and now I've made it for all the neighbors!
1 big box golden grahams
1 jar roasted peanuts
2 pkg Candyquick (you can get it near the chocolate chips in the baking aisle)

Put the cereal and nuts in a big bowl, microwave the candyquick for 2.5 minutes (I had to do one pkg at a time; add to cereal immediately), toss to coat. Let it harden on two cookie sheets, then store in fridge in 1-gallon sized bags. Or, makes about 6 quart-sized bags to share! :)

Make something that rolls up in balls. Like mixing peanut butter, nonfat dry milk, and honey, then dipping or rolling them around in something. There are lots of recipes for this kind of thing. You can mix the main stuff ahead of time and then supervise the rolling/dipping (washing hands when they lick). Even little kids can pat balls in their hands and roll them around in coconut or powdered sugar. I've done this with my preschooler for daycare teachers and given the gift (including the recipes) truly from "both of us." It has always been a big hit.

2 ideas for you that are kid friendly :
1 - Reese cup cookies:
You need a roll of refridgerated cookie dough and a big bag of mini reese cups. You will also need a mini-muffin pan. Have the kids mush cookie dough into the cups of the pan til each cup is about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for about 1 min less than the recommended time on the package. Take them out and smush the peanut butter cups into each one. The cookie dough will rise around it and they don't have to be attractive because the kids made them :)

2- chocolate covered pretzels.
You will need square shapped pretzels and melting chocolate disks (Can be bout at a craft store in the wedding/candy making section or at Walmart in the same sections-- the package says Vanilla but they taste like white chocolate)
have the kids put the pretzels on a cookie sheet and then place one disk on each pretzle. Put the cookie sheet in the oven at 250 for about 3 min until the chocolates look shiny. Then take them out and let them solidify.

You can leave them plain (they also come in colors) or I like to put M&Ms in the center of mine. You can also use sprinkles or crushed up candy canes. DELISH!

good luck!!!!!!

my cookie treats are easy and travel well, get roll of sugar cookie dough one roll makes 5 dozen of these get mini muffin pans and papers, and your favorite candy kisses, cut dough in 1 inch rounds then cut into 4 pieces, place in mini pans bake at 350degrees until lightly brown pull them out wait a minute or so put the unwrraped kiss in an there you are every one loves them and my granddaughter and i have fun doing them together have fun with them

These are DELICIOUS, and soooo easy. Preheat the oven to about 325-350. Then take square pretzels and lay them on a cookie sheet in one layer. Next top each pretzel with 1 Rolo candy. Then put a piece of pecan (like a half) on top of the rolo. Put them in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes, just enough to melt the Rolo a little bit. Lastly remove them from the oven and mash down on the pecan a little bit. It is soooo yummy and easy, the kids can also help without worry of messing them up. It tastes very much like a turtle. Good luck, and have a happy holiday season!

During the holidays, I make something that we call "Christmas Crunch". Here's the very simple recipe:

1 large box Fruit Loops cereal
1 bag pretzel sticks (or the loopy kind if you prefer)
1 package vanilla(or white chocolate)almond bark
1 jar salted peanuts

Pour entire box of fruit loops into a stockpot. Pour pretzels and peanuts in until you think the mixture looks good. If you like lots of peanuts or lots of pretzels...whatever you like best. Mix all dry ingredients together. Melt the bark in a large saucepan stirring constantly. Then, pour the melted white chocolate into your stockpot and stir until everything is coated well. Then, dump mixture onto wax paper and let it set for about 10 minutes (the chocolate turns white when it's done). Looks adorable in little individual christmas treat bags! This is the yummiest, most addictive thing EVER! =0) You can get creative with it and use different mixtures too. Like my daughter's class can't have anything with peanuts because of a child's allergy. I like it just as well w/o the peanuts. You could use M&M's, or rice chex....it's good no matter what and everyone LOVES IT!

I always go for the white chocolate/peppermint bark. The girls go downstairs with a baggie of peppermints (or candy canes if you have too many to eat in the next year!) and bang away with a hammer on them. Then, I melt the white chocolate/almond bark (found in the baking aisle-white squares) and dump the peppermints into them. I like a lot of peppermint and to have the peppermints in larger chunks so you taste them. They are great!!! They are pretty and red/white. And, help cover bad breath from all the food at the holidays.

My Aunt takes the big pretzel sticks and dips half of them in melted chocolate. They are yummy! You can also roll them in sprinkles after you dip them. This is definately a kid friendly idea also. Have fun!

How bout taking those Wilton Decorating Gingerbread men cookie kits? Their prepackaged, inexpensive, fun for the kids and mom to do together, and taste pretty good once theyre done.....

Or Godiva for mom is always a nice hostess gift too! LOL

dip ritz bitz peanut butter sandwich crackers (mini size) in chocolate.

3 minute chocolate mug cake
this is the cutest idea that someone brought to work...

you can mix up all the powder stuff and put it in a baggie in a mug w/ the receipe to give as gifts also!

1 coffee mug
4 tablespoons flour (that’s plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. (you can also put in a baggie to make gifts in a mug)

Add the egg, mix thoroughly
Pour in milk and oil, mix well.
Add chocolate chips and vanilla, mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little bit, tip out onto a place (if desired)

My grandmother use to babysit for a lot of kids and every year she would make them "snowman poop." This is quick and easy and fun for all kids. Here is a link to a website that tells how to make them....http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/christmas/ccrafts....
Hope this works for you, have a Merry Christmas.
S.
I am a 28 year old mom of two boys who are 8 and 4.

if you wanted something that's not sweet you could try a cheese and cracker platter. Get big block cheese and cut it into christmas shapes. You can use cookie cutters if they have sharp edges and you soften the cheese a little first. I love doing bit size/cracker size cheese chunks in the shape of christmas trees.

Try caramel corn. You can find a recipe in Betty Crocker or online. Make a big batch and fill the clear plastic goody bags (or bags with Christmas decorations on them). They travel well and stay fresh a long time.

my family & friends all love what we call "White TRash"
*Mix together Rolled Gold Pretzles (it does make a difference) and a can of salted cashews. Melt one to two packs of vanilla almond bark/candy coating and pour over pretzel mixture until well coated. Pour coated mixture onto a buttered cookie sheet and spread to a single layer, let cool and break into pieces, it travels good and tastes great not to mention easy - it takes about 5 minutes to make