15 festive treats cookies, candies, and other fun foods to make your holidays sweet! tree ➞ cut ➞ assemble

2"

4"

dreidel

3" ➞

2"

➞

3"

center 4½" two-in-one cake With just a few cuts, you can transform a simple cake into a tree for Christmas or a dreidel for Hanukkah. After it’s frosted, let your kids add the sweet details.

To make one, bake your favorite cake recipe in a 9- by 13-inch pan (be sure to spread the batter evenly so that the top will be level). Let the cake cool thoroughly, remove it from the pan, and cut it as shown in one of the diagrams. Assemble the cake on a platter, then spread on frosting and decorate it with gumdrops, peppermints, and other candies. hot chocolate cones This cute cone is actually a gift of warming hot cocoa in disguise.

First pour 3/4 cup cocoa mix into a 6- by 12-inch cone-shaped cellophane bag (available at party stores). Close it with a clear rubber band (we used a hair elastic), then trim the bag 1 inch above the band. Place the bag into a second bag and flatten its top. Layer1/4 cup peanut butter mini chocolate chips and 3/4 cup mini marshmallows buckeyes on top of the cocoa- Graham crackers give this treat some crunch. Our filled bag and top with a big-batch recipe makes plenty for gifts! gumdrop. Close the bag with another band. Attach Ingredients 2 Roll the dough into a tag that says: “To make  1½ cups peanut butter 1-inch balls. Set them on cocoa, divide contents  6 cups confectioners’ the baking sheet and (but eat the gumdrop!) sugar insert a toothpick into among four mugs and pour  1 cup (2 sticks) each. Chill them in the in boiling water.” butter, softened freezer until hard, about  ½ teaspoon 30 minutes. vanilla extract 3 Melt the chocolate  6 whole graham chips in a heatproof crackers, pulverized bowl set atop a pot of into crumbs (optional) simmering water over  4 cups semisweet medium-high heat. Stir chocolate chips until smooth. Remove from the heat. With 1 Line a baking sheet the toothpick, dip each with waxed paper and ball into the chocolate; set it aside. In a large leave a small circle at bowl, stir together the the top uncovered. Put peanut butter, sugar, the candies back on the butter, vanilla extract, sheet and refrigerate and pulverized graham until the chocolate is set, crackers, if using. (Note: about 2 hours. Makes The dough will look dry.) about 84.

polar bear cubcakes Almost too cute to eat, this polar family is a cool reminder of Santa’s wintry home.

Ingredients 1 ­ Make the Mama Bear. Frost the bottom of the regular cupcake.  Light-colored cupcakes, Insert a fork in the bottom to hold it as you frost the top and sides, 1 regular and 3 mini then roll the cupcake in shredded coconut.  White frosting 2 Repeat with a mini cupcake, then press its top against the bottom  Shredded coconut of the larger cupcake as shown above.  3 large and 2 small white 3 Press on a round slice from a large white gumdrop for each ear, a gumdrops Junior Mint candy for the nose, and chocolate chip eyes.  1 Junior Mint candy 4 Frost, coat, and assemble each cub’s head using a mini cupcake  Chocolate chips, 4 regular and a large gumdrop. Add small white gumdrop slices for ears, a and 4 mini chocolate chip nose, and mini chocolate chip eyes.

pretty peppermint sticks

Our seasonal sweet is a cinch to make and proves that good things come in small packages.

1 In a small bowl, microwave 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil for 1 minute, then continue in 10-second bursts, stirring between heatings. When most, but not all, of the chips have melted, stir the chocolate until it is smooth. 2 Spread white nonpareils on a sheet of waxed paper. Dip one end of each peppermint stick into the tangled ball melted chocolate, then roll it in the nonpareils. Set each stick on another of lights sheet of waxed paper until Keep little hands busy creating treats inspired by the chocolate has set, a Christmas decorating mishap. about 1 hour. 3 To package them for gifts, Ingredients into a ziplock bag and place sets of five sticks  6 lollipop or popsicle sticks snip off a corner. in clear cellophane bags,  6 doughnut holes (we 3 Working with one staple them closed, and used Entenmann’s Frosted doughnut hole at a time attach decorative labels. Pop’ems; they’re smaller held over a sheet of Makes 15. than other brands) parchment paper, drizzle  1/2 cup of green melting on the candy to cover candy wafers the doughnut hole. If the  Chocolate-covered candy’s too runny, let it sunflower seeds cool slightly; if it cools too much, reheat it in the 1 Create a stand for bag in 3-second bursts. holding the treats while 4 Press the sunflower they cool by making slits seeds, pointy side up, in the underside of a into the treat. Slide the cardboard egg carton. lollipop stick into the 2 Insert a lollipop stick egg carton. Let the into each doughnut candy set completely. hole. Melt the candy Remove the stick, if wafers according to the desired, and repeat with package directions. the other doughnut Spoon the melted candy holes. Makes 6. baked snowflakes Santa will be pleasantly surprised to find this sweet, crisp treat on his plate.

Ingredients 1 Heat the oven to 400°. Warm the 2 Lightly brush the tops with the oil  6 flour tortillas tortillas (about 15 seconds) in the and place them on a cookie sheet,  Canola or microwave. Fold each tortilla in leaving space between them. Bake vegetable oil half once and then in half again, them until they’re lightly browned for baking to form a pie wedge. Use clean and crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes.  Confectioners’ scissors to snip shapes from the Sift confectioners’ sugar on them sugar edges of each wedge as if you while they’re warm. For an extra-  Edible glitter were making paper snowflakes, sparkly effect, sprinkle on a bit of (optional) then unfold them. edible glitter. Makes 6. rudolph cupcakes Decorating (and eating!) these whimsical treats is a fun party activity for kids. festive fudge To make one, carefully Add sparkle to your holiday table with snap two pretzels into our chocolate confections. antler shapes and press Ingredients 1 minute and stir. If them into a chocolate-  3 cups semisweet or milk they aren’t completely frosted cupcake. Shape chocolate chips melted, microwave each ear from a third of a  1 (14-ounce) can sweetened them for 30 seconds Tootsie Roll Midgee and condensed milk more, then stir until arrange them next to the  ⅛ teaspoon salt smooth. Stir in the antlers. Press on a mini  1 teaspoon vanilla extract condensed milk, salt, vanilla wafer for a snout,  Assorted sprinkles, sugars, and vanilla extract, then then use a dab of frosting and candy decorations spread the mixture to attach a red M&M nose. evenly in the pan. Add a pair of white M&M 1 Line a 9-inch square 3 Chill the candy until eyes dotted with pan with aluminum foil firm, about 30 minutes black decorating gel. so that the foil extends in the freezer or 1 hour about 2 inches beyond in the refrigerator. Lift each side. (This makes the foil from the pan it easy to remove the and place it on a flat fudge later.) Lightly work surface. Use 1-inch spray the foil with cookie cutters to cut cooking spray. out shapes, then lightly 2 Place the chocolate press decorations onto chips in a 2-quart bowl. each piece. Makes Microwave them for about 50. chocolate crinkles Beneath the crackled, powdery surface of these cookie-brownie hybrids is a soft interior that tastes like a fresh chocolate duoughnut.

Ingredients 1 In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter,  ¾ cup butter, melted cocoa powder, and sugar. Whisk in the eggs and  1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, stir together the cocoa powder flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using  1 cup sugar a large spoon, slowly add the dry ingredients to the  2 eggs chocolate mixture. Stir in the chips. Refrigerate the  2 teaspoons vanilla extract dough for 2 hours.  2 cups flour 2 Heat the oven to 350°. Form the dough into 1-inch  1 teaspoon baking powder balls, then roll them in confectioners’ sugar. Bake the  1 teaspoon baking soda cookies on an ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes.  1/2 teaspoon salt Set the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes,  6 ounces mini semisweet then lightly dust the cookies with the remaining chocolate chips confectioners’ sugar. Transfer the cookies directly  ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar onto the rack to cool thoroughly. Makes 48. frosty the cheese ball

This cheery fellow won’t have a chance to melt—he’ll be gobbled up too quickly!

In a large bowl, mix ½ teaspoon garlic salt and ½ teaspoon onion powder with 16 ounces softened cream cheese. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Make the snowman by rolling two thirds of the cheese into a ball for his body. Roll the sweet other third into a ball for his head and stack it on santa hats top. Add features, such as When it comes to Christmas treats, our crispy a carrot nose and scarf, meringue confections are hard to top. raisin eyes, pretzel arms, and a hat of crackers. Ingredients: corner from the bag. Make a mini corncob pipe  2 egg whites, at On a parchment-lined by sliding a ½-inch piece room temperature baking sheet, pipe of canned baby corn onto  1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 24 Santa hat shapes a toothpick.  ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract each 1½-inch-long;  1/2 cup sugar you should have left  Red colored sugar about a quarter of the meringue. Sprinkle 1 ­­ Heat the oven to 200°. the hats with the red With an electric mixer colored sugar, then use set on medium speed, the remaining meringue beat the egg whites to add the pom-poms until soft peaks start to and the trim. form. Continue beating 3 Bake the meringue as you add the cream hats until they’re hard of tartar and the vanilla but not browned, extract, then slowly about 1 hour and 20 add the sugar. Beat minutes. Then turn off until stiff peaks form. the oven and leave the 2 Spoon the meringue hats inside for about into a quart-size an hour to crisp them. plastic bag and snip a Makes 24. crunchy nut clusters Customize these candies by varying the glazes, the type of chocolate, and the kind of nuts.

Ingredients and nuts on separate teaspoonfuls of the mixture f o r t h e c l u s t e r s cookie sheets. Bake each into the cups. Chill until set,  2⅔ cups sweetened until golden brown, about about 45 minutes. flaked coconut 9 minutes for the nuts and 3 To make the white chocolate  2 cups pecans or 1 (6-ounce) 10 minutes for the coconut, glaze, melt the chips and jar macadamia nuts, chopped stirring occasionally to keep the shortening in a small  2⅔ cups white or semisweet them from burning. Remove bowl in the microwave. Stir, chocolate chips them from the oven and let then pour the mixture into f o r t h e g l a z e them cool. a ziplock bag. To make the  ⅓ cup white or semisweet 2 Combine the toasted semisweet glaze, simply melt chocolate chips coconut and the nuts in the chocolate, stir, and pour  ½ tablespoon vegetable shorten- a medium bowl. In the it into a ziplock bag. ing, if using white chocolate microwave, melt the 4 Snip off a small corner of the chocolate chips according bag and drizzle the glaze 1 Line four mini muffin pans to the package directions. over the clusters. Chill until with paper candy cups; set Add the melted chocolate it is set, about 15 minutes. them aside. Heat the oven to the coconut mixture Store in an airtight container to 350°. Spread the coconut and stir well. Drop heaping in the refrigerator. Makes 48. peppermint fudge

The pepperminty flavor of this confection gives it a delightful twist.

Ingredients to the chocolate’s  24 ounces (about 4 cups) package directions, white chocolate chips then stir in the vanilla  1 (14-ounce) can sweetened extract and 1 cup of condensed milk the peppermint candies.  Salt Pour the fudge into  1 teaspoon vanilla extract the prepared pan and  1¼ cup coarsely crushed use a spatula to spread peppermint candies the mixture evenly. Scatter on the remaining 1 Line an 8-inch square peppermint candy. gingerkids pan with parchment or 3 Chill the fudge in the Our plump marshmallow waxed paper, allowing refrigerator until it’s pals are adorned with sugar, the paper to hang over firm and set, about spice, and everything nice. the sides. 2 hours. Using the 2 In a medium bowl, stir overhanging flaps of To make four of them, together the chocolate paper, lift the fudge combine ½ cup sugar with chips, condensed milk, from the pan and slice 2 teaspoons cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Melt it into 1-inch squares. and ½ teaspoon ginger in the mixture according Makes 64. a medium bowl and set it aside. Fill another medium bowl with water. Melt 1/4 cup white chocolate chips according to the package directions, then transfer the chocolate to a ziplock bag and snip off a corner. For each pop, slide two marshmallows onto a lollipop stick. Use the melted chocolate to adhere mini marshmallow arms and legs as shown. Let the chocolate set. Dip the pop in the water, then roll it in the sugar mixture until coated. Pipe on a chocolate face, then use more chocolate to attach heart and confetti sprinkle buttons, bows, and bow ties.