Holiday baking has been a favorite tradition for me since I was little. My mom and I used to spend many days cooking and baking various yummy treats for friends and teachers during Christmas time. That was back when it was ok to give homemade goodies and allergies weren’t a worry. I have tried to keep the tradition going but it is hard with kids, work, busy schedules and the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
This year my sister, cousin and I took some time away from our busy schedules to get together and bake some of our favorite recipes. The puppy chow is an old family favorite but the other two are ones I started doing with my kids because they are so easy and kid-friendly for children that love to help in the kitchen.
Puppy Chow
This has been a family favorite for years. I don’t know a single person that doesn’t love it. Only problem is if it’s in my house, it’s as good as gone.
Ingredients
1 box of Crispix Cereal
1 cup of Peanut Butter
8-10 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1 box of Powdered Sugar
Directions
Put peanut butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat slowly in 15-30 second increments stirring in between. Put the cereal in a large bowl and pour half of the chocolate mixture over the cereal. Stir gently from the bottom coat the cereal but not crush it all. Then pour the remainder of the chocolate and peanut butter over the cereal and keep stirring until all is completely coated. Then take a gallon ziplock bag and pour a cup of powdered sugar in the bag an put a 1/4 of cereal in the bag. Close the bag well and shake until all is covered, then repeat adding a bit of powered sugar at a time. You might have to use a second gallon ziplock bag for the second half of the cereal. When all cereal is completely coated with powdered sugar, you are finished. Store in a airtight container or ziplock bags.
Reindeer Noses
These little guys are adorable and need no explanation at all!
Ingredients
1 bag of regular Pretzels
1 bag of Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
a bag of Holiday M&Ms (with the red M&Ms separated out)
Directions
Preheat oven to 225. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place pretzels and top with a chocolate kiss. Bake for approximately 3-4 minutes or just until the kisses are soft. Remove from oven a press a red M&M (“m” side down!) onto each kiss, gently. Let cool completely in a cool dry spot in your house.
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
When I grab the ingredients to these little treats, my kids go crazy. They are by far their favorite cookie.
Ingredients
Makes 12-18 cookies
1 package Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
1 egg
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
3 tbsp water
Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped and paper removed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 if using nonstick, dark coated pan. If using another pan preheat oven to 375. Make cookie dough per package directions. Then roll one- one and a half inch balls and place in prepared (sprayed with cooking spray) mini muffin pans. Bake for 7-9 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Pull them out a gently press peanut butter cups into each cookie. Let sit until completely cool.
Merry Christmas to all!
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