EASY Holiday Sweets Recipes Needed!!!!

One of our very favorites, and has always been a big hit at parties and such is the puppy chow mix. It is fast and easy and you can make a ton really cheap. I sometimes put it in cute Christmas tins, or bags with cute ties, etc.

9 cup Rice Chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour in chex and stir lightly to coat all the cereal. Put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat.

Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.

Oooooh I have tons of easy ideas!

My FAVORITES would have to be easy truffles and easy chocolate bark.

TRUFFLES:
Take 1 container of frosting (I love using mint chocolate frosting or regular chocolate) and 1 bag of chocolate chips (any kind, or you can use white chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch, etc)........ put in a saucepan and melt together. Pour into a container and let "set" until cool and soft.
Once it is set, scoop out enough to form little balls in your hands and dip the balls in your choice of toppings - coconut, nut pieces, colored sugar, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, etc.

CHOCOLATE BARK:
MANY options on this one! Get a cookie sheet and line with wax paper. (optional) Sprinkle nuts on wax paper (over the entire area). Melt your choice of either "almond bark" (chocolate, valilla, etc) or any kind of chocolate chips/peanut butter chips/etc and pour over the nuts or right onto the wax paper. (optional) cover with more nuts. Let harden (speed this up by placing in the fridge if you want!). Break into smaller pieces once hard to give away as gifts!
OR you can omit nuts and use crushed candy canes and/or sprinkles!

OH and pretzels are really easy to dress up! Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Top with tons of mini pretzels. Melt a bag of chocolate chips or white chocolate or any flavor you want and drizzle on top of pretzels. (optional) cover with Sprinkles/colored sugar/nuts

At my stepdad's family Christmas party last year, one of the family members had made "Christmas Bark." OMG this stuff is awesome and addictive!! Here's a recipe I found for it.

1 sleeve (4oz) saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
12 oz semisweet or milk chocolate pieces
opt: 1 cup chopped nuts

Line a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan with tin foil. Lightly spray foil with a non-stick cooking spray.

Place saltine crackers, salty side up, in prepared pan. In a saucepan, boil butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over crackers and bake at 400 for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven, top with chocolate, and spread evenly as chocolate begins to melt. Sprinkle with nuts, lightly press into chocolate. Cool until firm, then cut or break into pieces. (I use a pizza cutter) Can be frozen.

The Oreos were a BIG hit with our friends last year! They were also SUPER easy. Just melt the white chocolate chips in a bowl, dip the Oreo with a fork, and place on wax paper to harden. (You can speed up the process by placing them in the fridge or freezer.) Once hardened, drizzle with colored chocolate (white chocolate with food coloring) or nuts, sprinkles, sprinkle shapes (Christmas trees, etc.) or whatever you want. Allow to dry and package.

Some of the other great things to "dip" are Pretzel Rods or Pretzels, sugar cookies (buy plain and dip 1/2 the cookie in chocolate/white chocolate), fortune cookies, rice krispie treats, graham crackers, candy canes, biscotti...the possibilities are endless! lol

Let me know if you want some more ideas.

Another really easy one is sort of a turtle. Get the mini pretzels. Place them flat on foil lined cookie sheet place a rolo candy on top of each pretzel and melt in the oven a few minutes. They won't look that melted just press gently to see when the inside is soft. When it is soft take the pan out of the oven and press a pecan half on top of each rolo! These look and taste really good!
I'm glad you asked about this b/c I love reading all of the ideas.
S.

If you take chocolate bark white & Regular. Melt them in different pots. Then you take ritz crackers and Penut butter and make a penut butter sandwich out of them. Dip them in the chocolate and then set them on wax paper to dry! I know it sounds wierd but they are really good. takes about an hour to make 100 of them.

K.

Check out allrecipes.com that is my fave site when I need something! It is great and has several ways to search and a all around fun site!

I know this is not a "dress up a premade something recipe" but....It is super easy as long as you don't mind stirring. Go to Walmart or where ever and get a jar of Marshmello Cream. On the back is a recipe for "Fantasy Fudge" I think it calls for sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and 12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate (I use chocolate chips), oh and vanilla. Like I said the recipe is on the back. All you do is bring the sugar and milk to a boil over medium heat (stirring constantly). Once it starts boiling time it for about 5 minutes or if you have a candy thermometer heat it to 234 degrees. At that point turn off the heat, stir in the marshmellow cream and the chocolate until it is smooth and all melted. Add the vanilla and mix well. Pour it all into a 13x9 pan that has been lined with foil. Let it set and cool. And viola! The best fudge in the world. My grandmother has made it for years and I was amazed to find out it was SOOOO easy!

Have fun.