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Christmas Treats By: mary Elisabeth Beam

With Christmas right around the corner, getting all the food together for family and friends staying at your house can be very stressful. Here are a few simple and fast treats to make this Christmas that everyone can enjoy!

Crescent Pizza Stockings

Total time: 3o mins Serving size: 14 servings

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet

¼ cup pizza sauce

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (1 oz)

2 tablespoons torn basil leaves

Stalking cookie cutters

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough on work surface. Press into 13x8-inch rectangle. Using 2 1/2- to 3-inch stocking-shaped cookie cutter, cut 12 stockings from dough. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes.

2. Top with sauce, leaving 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle mozzarella at top of each stocking. Bake 4 to 6 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

3. Transfer stockings to serving tray. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Donut snowman on a stick

Total time: 20 mins Serving size: 6 pops

Ingredients:

18 Mini Powdered Sugar Donuts

2 Fruit By the Foot

1/4 cup White Melting Chips (Or I prefer Almond Bark)

12 Skittles

2 Orange Starburst

6 Lollipop Sticks

Black Gel Icing

Directions:

1. Heat White Candy Chips in large bowl by microwaving for 30 seconds stirring and repeating until melted

2. Dip lollipop stick in white chocolate. It will help to act as glue to keep donuts from slipping.

3. Push 3 donuts onto stick to form head and body.

4. Place a small glob of white chocolate below bottom donut to keep it from sliding

5. Lay donuts flat to set

6. Cut starbursts in half, and then cut each half on the diagonal and mold to form carrot shape

7. Sut Fruit by the Foot in about 6″ lengths and wrap around snowman to make scarf

8. Using gel icing pipe black dots to make “coal” eyes and mouth

9. Use white chocolate to set Skittles as buttons in 2 body donuts.

10. Use white chocolate to set Starburst “carrot as nose in donut head

Pull apart Christmas tree

Total time: 40 mins Serving size: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. refrigerated pizza dough

Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water)

7 mozzarella sticks

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan

1 tbsp. Thinly sliced basil

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 tbsp. chopped rosemary

Marinara, warmed (for serving)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut mozzarella sticks into 1” pieces and set aside.

2. On a floured surface, divide pizza dough into two pieces. Stretch and roll each piece of dough into a long rectangle, then cut dough into 2” squares (you’ll need 33 total).

3. Wrap a dough square around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball. Place balls seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree (they should be touching). Brush egg wash on dough balls and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter, Parmesan and herbs. Brush on baked pizza balls. Serve warm with marinara for dipping.

Christmas tree rice krispies

Total time: 10 mins Serving size: 20 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

10 ounces Marshmallows, 1 package, about 40, or 4 cups mini marshmallows

Green Food Coloring

6 cups Rice Krispies

Sprinkles

20 Small Pretzel Sticks

Directions:

1. Grease or spray a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.

2. In a large pan, melt butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Once it almost smooth and melted, add green food coloring little by little until you achieve your desired tree color. Once completely smooth and perfectly green, remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies. Continue to stir until all the cereal is coated.

3. Press evenly into prepared pan (I always spray my hand with nonstick cooking spray to do this, but you can also use a piece of wax paper). Immediately sprinkle with sprinkles. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

4. Cut one cut down the middle of the pan (the long way). Then, cut each of those rows into triangles (you should have 4 scraps leftover, one at each side of each row).

Christmas tree peanut butter blossoms

Total time: 22 minutes Serving size: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

48 Hershey's Kisses chocolate candies

½ cup shortening (I used Crisco)

¾ cup Peanut Butter

⅓ cup sugar

⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ sugar, for rolling

green frosting

red, green, & white holiday sprinkles

disposable piping bag fitted with a Wilton #4 piping tip

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended.

3. Add ⅓ cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy.

4. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well.

5. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

6. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar and place on prepared cookie sheet.

7. Bake 7-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

8. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Christmas tree pancakes

Total time: 30 mins Serving size: 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups Original Bisquick™ mix

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons green paste food color, if desired

4 eggs

Directions:

1. In large bowl, stir all Pancakes ingredients until well blended. Heat nonstick griddle to 375°F. or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. (To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, heat is just right.) Brush with vegetable oil if necessary (or spray with cooking spray before heating).

2. Each pancake tree is a stack of 8 different size pancakes. Make only one tree at a time. Pour 1/4 cupful, 3 level measuring tablespoons, 2 level measuring tablespoons and 1 level measuring tablespoon batter onto hot griddle. Watching each pancake carefully, cook until bubbly on top and dry around edges (small pancakes will get done first). Turn; cook other side until light golden brown around edges. Keep warm. To make remaining 4 pancakes to form one tree, pour 2 level measuring teaspoons, 1 level measuring teaspoon, 1/2 level measuring teaspoon and 1/4 level measuring teaspoon batter onto hot griddle. Watching each pancake carefully, cook until bubbly on top and dry around edges; pancakes will cook quickly. Turn; cook other side until light golden brown around edges (they will cook very quickly). Repeat with remaining batter to make 5 more trees

3. To assemble trees, stack on serving plate starting with largest size pancakes on bottom and stacking each smaller size pancake on top. Drizzle with Snowy Vanilla Glaze and garnish with sprinkles or candies, or, just sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with sprinkles or candies.

Pita Christmas tree appetizer

Total time: 25 mins Serving size: 32 servings

Ingredients:

4 flavored or plain pita folds or pita (pocket) breads (about 6 inches in diameter)

16 thin pretzel sticks, halved

½ cup fat-free sour cream

½ cup guacamole

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon garlic-pepper blend

¼ cup very finely chopped red bell pepper

Directions:

1. Cut each pita fold into 8 wedges. Insert pretzel stick half into center of bottom of each wedge to form "tree trunk."

2. In small bowl, mix sour cream, guacamole, parsley and garlic-pepper blend. Spread about 1 teaspoon sour cream mixture on each pita wedge.

3. Blot bell pepper with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon bell pepper on each wedge or arrange to form a garland. If desired, cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.

Santa hat brownies

Total time: 10 mins Serving size: 12-16 brownies

Ingredients:

1 pan of your favorite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter)

12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled

Vanilla-mascarpone buttercream

Directions:

1. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth. Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.

2. To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie. Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place. Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the santa hat.

Hopefully these easy recipes will take some stress off when trying to feed everyone this Holiday season. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Credits:

Created with images by rawpixel - "christmas holiday yuletide"

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