Christmas treats

HannahMaryTaylor

With all the christmas lights up in London, I am really starting to feel festive!!  Here are a few goodies which are fun to make and nice to snack on!

Reindeer dognuts

Add a cherry to the middle of a chocolate dognut and add broken pretzels.

Snowman cheese ball

What you'll need

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 10 raisins for eyes, mouth, and buttons
• 1 piece of carrot for the nose
• 4 crackers for the hat (we used Ritz and Dare water crackers)
• 1 thyme sprig for the hat (optional)
• Strips of carrot for the scarf
• 2 broken pretzels for the arms
• 1 (1/2-inch) piece of a canned baby corn for the pipe
• Toothpick for the pipe

How to make it

In a large bowl, let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for about 30 mins.  Stir in the garlic salt and the onion powder, then 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 and the other third into a ball for his head,  Stack the balls, then add the facial features, clothing, arms, and the pipe as shown.  Serve with crackers or mini bagels.

Jelly bean christmas trees

What you'll need

• 1 dozen 12-inch plastic decorating pastry bags (available at party supply stores)
• 4 cups green jelly beans
• 1 cup total yellow, white, and red jelly beans
• Tape
• 12 brown pipe cleaners

How to make it

1. Place a few yellow jelly beans in the tip of the plastic decorating bag. Then carefully pour about 1/3 cup of green jelly beans into the bag. For lights and ornaments, you can mix the green jelly beans with yellow, white, and red. For the tree's trunk, tape the bag shut and twist a brown pipe cleaner around the base. Trim off the excess plastic. (Note: in the top photograph, the trees are held upright with fishing line.) Makes 12 trees.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   
   

   Stained glass cookies

   
   

   What you'll need

   • Refrigerated cookie dough (use your own favorite recipe or store-bought brand)
   • Fruit-flavored hard candies (e.g., Life Savers)
   • Plastic sandwich bags (one for each color) and a rolling pin
   • Non-stick spray
   • Parchment paper

   How to make it

   Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into strips about 1/4" thick.  Use to make outlines on a foil-covered cookie sheet.  Pinch ends together well.  Start with simple shapes and then try more complex ones.  Sort the hard candies into plastic bags by colour.  Crush them with a rolling pin.  Use to fill openings in the cookies.  If you want to hang the cookies on your christmas tree, thicken dough at the top and punch a hole with a straw before baking.  Lightly coat parchment paper with non stick spray.  Place paper on cookie sheet, arrange the cookies, and bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.  Cool cookies completely, then peel off foil.

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