On those cold, rainy winter days, there’s not much to comfortably do outside. Instead, we can cozy up in the kitchen with our rolling pins and make delicious holiday treats.
Kraft Fantasy Fudge
The first recipe comes from the back of the Kraft marshmallow creme jar and only requires 6 ingredients.
To make this recipe, you will need: 3 cups sugar, ¾ cup butter or margarine, one 5-ounce can of evaporated milk, 1 ½ cups marshmallow creme, 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and, optionally, 1 cup chopped walnuts.
The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Line a 9’ square pan with aluminum foil.
Step 2: Bring butter, sugar, and evaporated milk to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Once a rolling boil is reached, let it boil while stirring constantly for 4 minutes, or until the candy reaches 234 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: Add marshmallow creme and chocolate and stir until melted.
Step 4: Add vanilla, and walnuts if desired, then pour into the lined pan and let stand at room temperature for four hours or until set.
Rolled Sugar Cookies
The next recipe is a holiday staple. We leave these cookies out with a glass of milk for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and he never gets sick of them, so neither should we.
To make this recipe you will need: 2 cups white sugar, 1 ½ cups softened butter, 4 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. The equipment needed includes two large mixing bowls, a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, and a rolling pin.
The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Beat sugar and butter on medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Avoid over-beating the dough as you continue.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
Step 3: Gently fold in dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover the dough and let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough out into a ¼’- ½’ sheet. Cut dough into any shape and place in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.
Christmas Puppy Chow
The final recipe comes from a cereal box and is a great sweet and savory snack to keep in the house during the holiday season.
To make this recipe you will need: 8 cups of Chex cereal, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, ½ cup smooth peanut butter, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar, 2 cups holiday-shaped pretzels or pretzel sticks, 1 cup white melting chocolate, 2 tablespoon holiday colored sprinkles, 1 cup mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, and 1 cup holiday M&M’s.
The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Pour Chex cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 2: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and peanut butter on high for 30 seconds and stir it. Continue to microwave for 15-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Then add the vanilla extract and stir.
Step 3: Pour the mixture over the Chex cereal and toss until thoroughly coated.
Step 4: Transfer the cereal to a large vessel and add 1 ½ cups powdered sugar. Gently toss the mixture until evenly and thoroughly coated in powdered sugar.
Step 5: Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and let it chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes or until firm.
Step 6: To make the festive pretzels, repeat the melting process with the white melting chocolate. Once melted, pour over arranged pretzels and quickly add the holiday sprinkles before the chocolate sets. Once all the pretzels have been decorated, transfer them to the fridge and let them chill for at least 5 minutes.
Step 7: Once the Chex mixture has firmed up, transfer the puppy chow to a large bowl, add the remaining ¾ cup of powdered sugar and shake until coated.
Step 8: Transfer to a clean baking dish and layer with the holiday pretzels, peanut butter cups, and holiday M&M’s.
Then it’s ready to enjoy.
While you’re on winter break and looking for some festive activities to brighten up your time at home during the holidays, adding these recipes to your list will give you something fun to do with a delectable holiday treat to enjoy at the end!
