By: Jenesis Gomez
The holiday season is the best time to get in the spirit and fulfill your yearly sweet cravings. From seasonal flavors like peppermint and cinnamon to the simple joys that baking with friends and family brings, this time of year is the best time to indulge in sweet treats. Here are five simple and tasty holiday recipes that are guaranteed to make your holiday season a little bit less bitter.
- Holiday Bark(S’mores):
Ingredients- Graham crackers, butter, mini marshmallows and chocolate.
Steps- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag and crush till it looks like little pebbles. Put about a ¼ cup of it aside and put the rest into a bowl. Add 1 cup of melted butter to the bowl and mix till like wet sand. Pour the crackers into a paper-lined, or sticky sprayed, baking sheet. Spread evenly and cover with marshmallows. Bake for 10 minutes. Then, after taking it out, spread the melted chocolate over the pan evenly with a spatula (You can melt the chocolate either in the microwave or over a pot of water in a bowl). Cover with marshmallows and the remaining graham crackers. Drizzle any remaining chocolate. Freeze for an hour, break into pieces and enjoy.
- Peppermint Bark:
Ingredients- mini candy canes, milk $ white chocolate, and peppermint extract.
Steps- Crush the candy canes in a zip log bag and transfer to a bowl. Melt 4 cups of chocolate in a bowl and mix in ½ a teaspoon of the peppermint extract in. Pour the chocolate into a parchment- lined baking sheet, spread evenly and freeze for 5 minutes. Take the pan out and spread evenly the melted 3 cups of white chocolate over it with a spatula. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the chocolate and freeze for an hour. Break into pieces and enjoy.
- Butter Cookies:
Ingredients- unsalted butter, granulated & powdered sugar, egg, milk, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, condense milk, and optional food coloring, sprinkles and M&Ms.
Steps- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stinking spray. In bowl, combine a cup of butter and a cup of sugar (Blend until light and fluffy, preferably use an electric mixer ). Add an egg and a 1 ½ tablespoon of milk and beat till smooth. In another bowl, stir together the ½ teaspoon of salt & baking soda and 2 ¾ cups of flour. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the first bowl and beat till the dough comes together (kind like giant clumps of sand). Put the dough on floured surface, combine and roll out till it’s ¼ inch think. Use any cookie cutter of your choice and transfer to the baking sheet, with each cookie an inch apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes (cookies should be firm around the edge and soft in the middle) and let it cool. To make the frosting, in a large bowl , add 2 pounds of the powdered sugar, ½ a cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 14 ounces of condensed milk. Bea until creamy and smooth, divide into smaller bowls and add the food coloring of your choice. Decorate the cookies with the frosting and M&Ms and enjoy.
- Mint Chocolate Snowman Ritz Pops:
Ingredients- Ritz cracker, white chocolate, mint extract, chocolate shavings, lollipop stick and orange & back gel frosting.
Steps- Melt the white chocolate, cover a side of the cracker with the chocolate, add the chocolate shavings and lollipop stick. Add more of both the chocolate and the shavings and top with another cracker. Repeat to make more and freeze until the chocolate is hard. In a bowl, melt more white chocolate and add ½ teaspoon of mint extract for every pound. Dip the chocolate in until completely covered. Cut into a box or something similar to hold the pops, freeze and decorate. \
- Strawberry Santas:
Ingredients- Strawberries, icing or whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.
Steps- Slice the tops and the top 1/3 off the strawberries. Squeeze some frosting/whipped cream onto the stop of the strawberry and replace the top. Decorate with buttons and hair, adding the chips as eyes.
Baking will forever hold a special place in celebrating the holidays, so make sure to bundle up and try a few recipes. Have a safe and happy holiday season this 2020!
The Watchdog 