P. Kelly Smith
Welcome to Freebie Friday! Can you believe Christmas is only a week away? Yikes! My shopping list is still a mile long, but I’m slowly making a dent in it. For my immediate family, I try to buy five or six small gifts. Most of them are practical in nature, but I always try to throw in one sentimental one. Something that really pulls at the old heartstrings.
In addition to tangible gifts, I love giving away holiday treats. Nothing says Christmas like homemade fudge, peppermint bark or some gooey, flaky pastry. My mother makes the most amazing Candy Cane Coffee Cake. Perhaps you’ve seen or tasted one. You essentially braid fruit-filled pieces of dough into the shape of a candy cane. Here’s an actual image from my mom’s 30-year-old Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook:
Candy Cane Coffee Cake
Looks delicious, right? My mom’s been giving these cakes away as neighbor gifts for as long as I can remember. The best part…they keep for several days, so you can nibble away at them piece by piece and not feel like you’re overdoing it. Because let’s face it, even though my mom would sometimes make 10 at a time, there would always be one or two that didn’t quite pass inspection, and therefore never left our kitchen. Waste not, want not!
I just happen to have three paper collections from Bo Bunny that remind me of the hearth and home. I’d love to hear your favorite holiday treat/sweet/snack. Feel free to even share a recipe! Leave a comment and I’ll pick three winners to each take home one of these fun collections. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, Dec. 20.
Three lucky people will take home one of these Bo Bunny collections!
Happy Friday!
Kelly
P.S. If you haven’t read Maren’s I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas post, it’s full of inspiring (and sinful!) ideas.
P.P.S. It’s time to announce the five winners from Jennifer’s Happy Christmastine’s Day post!
1. Rachel S (Dec. 15, 8:48 a.m.)
2. Barbara Staradumsky (Dec. 15, 8:17 a.m.)
3. Victoria S (Dec. 15, 8:25 p.m.)
4. Laura J (Dec. 15, 4:09 p.m.)
5. dahlhousedesigns (Dec. 16, 5:15 a.m.)
Congrats, winners! You’ve each won a copy of our new January/February issue! I’ll be contacting you shortly to get your mailing addresses. Thanks to all who left comments!
Hands down, peanut butter fudge, it just melts in your mouth.
It has to be the sugar cookies. I’ve made them for 35 years, my kids loved them and now my grandsons love them…
One of our family favorites is white chocolate popcorn- so easy and yummy! Pop 1 bag of microwave popcorn (remove all unpopped kernals) Sprinkle with cinnamon. Melt 1/2 to 1 bag of white chocolate chips drizzle over top, then stir. Turn out on parchment paper to dry. Delicious!
I love chocolate and peanut butter ritz cracker cookies. My daughter made us some the other night!
I love anything chocolate, of course! One of my favorite Christmas treats, though, is the candy my mom makes. She melts choc chips and butterscotch chips, then stirs in granola. She drops tablespoonfuls on waxed paper and chills–YUM! Quick, easy, and SUPER delicious!
Hope your Christmas is Merry!
It’s not Christmas unless we make the sour cream sugar cookies, decorated and frosted, a recipe from my great aunt Lora! ANother favorite is her Christmas cookie recipe, almost like mini fruit cakes–another big yummy treat! And who can forget fudge–yum!
I love this easy recipe from Becky Higgins
Little Holiday Pretzel Treats
Ingredients:
Bit size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey’s Kiss or Hershey’s Hugs
M & M’s candy
Step 1
Heat the oven to 170. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss or Hershey’s Hug.
Step 2
Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates fell soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press on M&M’s candy into the center of each Kiss or sprinkle with red & green sprinkles.
Step 3
Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.
Thanks for the chance to win.
That Candy Cane Coffee Cake looks delicious! Every year we make chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles and white chocolate.
Our favorite treat was Coconut Bonbons that my grandmother made!
Do I really have to pick just one?!?! I love eggnog and peppermint ice cream and wedding cookies….well, just about any of those sinfully good things! I love it all!
That candy cane looks scrumptious!! I love all the pastries and pies that people make during the holiday!! Pecan pie is a favorite for sure!
I make chocolate chip and rolled out sugar cookies, fudge, trash mix, peanut brittle, and almond bark with pretzels and Captain Crunch cereal. Yum yum
I make pecan sandies. It’s my mom’s recipe-very good.
snickerdoodles and buckeyes..YUM! Thanks for a chance to win some goodies!
Sweet Chex Mix…yum!
I like sugar cookies with buttercream frosting and gingerbread with cream cheese frosting….yummy!
My favorite is fudge and these cookies that my friends mom bakes just at christmas every year..don’t even know the name of them.
A favourite recipe is for peppermint cookies that my Oma used to make. It actually has ammonia in it!
Great post! My favorite Christmas treat is the peanut butter balls that my Grandma always made. She’s not able to make them anymore, so I do. I don’t think they are quite as good, but I try!
Oh, I think I have that same 30 year old recipe book! Now your making me feel old!!! My favorite recipe is my Dark Chocolate fudge. I love to add marshmallows and nuts. Yummmmmmmmm! Now I need to go make some!!!
Blessings,
Christine
I love making hot chocolate blend and Rachael ray’s fudge. If I win, can I pretty please have the non-Christmas one? I don’t celebrate Xmas for religious reasons! Thanks.
Peppermint bark with dark chocolate in it. Or maybe gingerbread. No, both! LOL! I love that Bo Bunny Christmas line. It’s a perfect vintage look. Hope I win!
I have several treats for Christmas that I love – Pumpkin Cranberry Bread, Peppermint Bark and Cranberry Upside Down Cake! I seem to find a new recipe a year and these have been my favorites for the past few years! I also love Bo Bunny and I know that the 3 people who win those will absolutely enjoy them!
Just ONE treat we love?! Hahahaha! I make peppermint bark & shortbread- faves! And my mom makes harvest bread & mil makes a pastry for Christmas morning that I look forward to all year! YUM & YUM!
Thanks for the chance at the Bo Bunny- it looks pretty yummy too!
mm….I love love love peanut brittle. My husband says you can get it all the time–but I remember making it for the holidays with my mom. Thanks for the giveaway–love Bo Bunny line:)
My favorite holiday recipe are cheese cookies (with tabasco) topped with a pecan. Sounds wild but they are so good.
My favorite treats during the holidays are hot cocoa and gingerbread. (not necessarily together, but if I can get either of them, I’m all for it!) Yummy stuff!
My favorite Christmas treat is iced sugar cookies yummy. And my step mom used to make homemade reece cups. They were fantastic and of course my mom’s strawberry candy was very tasty too.
I love the candy cane cake! What a cool gift that will make for my co-workers – with a handmade card and tag, of course!
My favorite treats are Chex Mix and chocolate chip cookies. I used to think my mom’s cookies were the best but now I think my husband has taken the crown. =)
My favorite treat is my pecan chocolate fudge. I am late baking this year. If I don’t get started, there will not be any this year. Never, fear, though, I am sure I squeeze in my baking time ome how.,
My favorite treats during the holidays are Christmas cookies—all shapes, sizes, and flavors!!!! YUMMY!!
Those Bo Bunny papers are super sweet!! Thanks for the chance to win!!
My husband always gives me one of those chocolate oranges that you have to whack open. They’re my favourite treat around Christmas!
Mmmm – I was thinking of trying to make one of those candy cane things this year.
Our favorite neighbor treat is caramel popcorn, a special microwave recipe that is easy and delicious! And it is always packaged in coffee cans that have been covered in Christmas wrapping paper–easy and cute!
my sister made a yule log cake! yummers!
my favorite would have to be eggnog.
My favorite treat is actually a drink, my fabulous punch. I’ve had 2 parties this year and it’s always the highlight. We could drink it by the gallon!
I like hot chocolate and the cold weather just makes it extra extra special.
Every year I make peanut brittle from my grandmother’s recipe. No one else in our family makes it so it is pretty special and everyone loves it. I enjoy making it and it gives me a chance to think about my grandma and how she used to make some for the whole family.
My favorite treat is petit fours, no family recipe, just reminds me of my Grandma. My families favorite recipe is pretzel hugs: 200 degree oven, place one hershey hug on a pretzel. Melt for 3-3 1/2 minutes. Remove from the oven, place 2 m&ms on each hug. Transfer to wax paper and chill to harden. Enjoy!!
We always make Buckeyes. I mean, we live in Ohio now so it is very appropriate:) Plus it is the one thing that my kids have always been able to help with. No matter how small they could always make a round ball out of the peanut butter. Or at least close to a round ball LOL. This year we are adding cream puffs to the “menu” of our holiday vacation baking day:)
One of my reasons for loving Christmas is the baked goods that are available. Every year I try to cut back on the 14 or so kinds of cookies and treats that I bake, but there is always a new one to try and it is so hard to omit an old favorite! Each of the kids has a different favorite, and so does the hubby and other relatives/ friends, and I don’t want to let them down. My baking starts in November and with the help of the natural freezer in the garage(this is Minnesota) cookies stay fresh. I haven’t gotten to the Swedish Tea Ring yet. It also is from Betty Crocker’s cookbook and is some thing I grew up with and will continue with for my kids. Oh, and the Sour Cream Twists, and Spritz, almond nougat…..need I say more?
My sisters and daughters get together every year for “cookie day”. We each bring a batch of cookies we have made, and we make hard tac and chocolate covered candies of all kinds. It is a most special holiday tradition!
My mom (77 now) has always made what she calls a Swedish Tea Ring for Christmas breakfast. We aren’t Swedish so I don’t know why she has always made this!! Anyway, it is sweet cinnamon roll dough formed into a wreath and topped with green frosting and red cherries in bunches of three to look like holly berries!
I love the special pastry my mom makes for Christmas as well. It’s a lemon-almond version. So wonderful!
This candy cane treat looks so good that it made me hungry:-)
My favorite holiday treat is one that my MIL makes every Christmas–Pignoli Nut Cookies from Italy. She keeps telling me that one day she will give me the recipe:-)
Happy Holidays to all.
My favorite treat/tradition is making spritz cookies with my dad. It used to be that I would always help my grandma make them, and then my dad and I picked up the tradition. He does the cookie press and I do the decorations.
My favorite holiday cookies are pizzelles which can only be made 2 at a time on a special iron. Maybe that’s why I cherish them because it takes a lot of love and patience to make them!
My favorite holiday treats are my mom’s sausage balls and my mother-in-law’s pecan pie. Yummmm!