Nothing Beats Holiday Treats
Christmas: a time to spread pure joy. A time to give, and a time to be thankful. And, most importantly, it is a time to be with the ones you love and create unforgettable, lifelong memories. But, although this is the core of the, obvious, best holiday, the other aspects of the Christmas atmosphere make the season even more enjoyable. Delicious, warm, and sweet, one of those being the treats we all look forward to, come the approach of December.
Many people, around the holidays, will constantly surf the internet for the easiest, yet tastiest sweet treat to take to the annual family holiday get-together; however, fail to find what they’re really looking for. While Food Network outlines many different options for the “perfect” Christmas desserts that are both eye-catching and delicious, many of us realize that in the holiday rush that Christmas brings, taking ten hours over the course of two days to bake a cake is simply unrealistic.
So, to aid your frantic scramble for the best dish, listed below are some of the Christmas must-haves for the perfect party. These recipes will easily make you the talk of the family festivities and surely force you to share the recipe with everyone in attendance.
Grandma’s Soft Sugar Cookies
Prep: 15 min. Cook: 10 min. Ready: 25 min.
Ingredients:
2 ¾ Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Baking powder
1 Cup butter, softened
1 ½ Cups white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
Reviews:
“Yum… the easiest and best-tasting sugar cookie recipe I’ve tried.”
“I wish I could give these cookies a 10! I absolutely love these and made over 12 dozen over the holidays. I had to make so many because they all disappeared faster than I could bake them.”
“The name of this recipe says it all...it's so easy and VERY good!”
Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep: 20 min. Cook: 10 min. Ready: 1 hr.
Ingredients:
1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup White sugar
1 Cup Packed brown sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Baking soda
2 tsp. Hot water
½ tsp. Salt
3 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.
Reviews:
“This is the perfect chocolate chip cookie!! Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside!!”
“I've tried a lot of different chocolate chip cookie recipes and this is the best one by far!”
“THESE COOKIES ARE LIFE-CHANGING. The best I've ever tasted in 25 years of baking. They have the [perfect] balance of flavor and texture.”
Brownies Beyond Compare
Prep: 25 min. Cook: 35 min. Ready: 1 hr.
Ingredients:
½ Cup butter
1 Cup White sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
⅓ Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
½ Cup All-purpose flour
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking powder
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
Reviews:
“These brownies are magnificent!!! I mean "melt in your mouth" and I didn't even make the frosting. I doubled the recipe and it still won't be enough.”
“I doubled the recipe and made a 9x13 pan of these brownies for a party, and everybody loved them!”
“These are the BEST!!! I never made homemade brownies before and these came out PERFECT! They're fudgy and delicious.”
Sinfully Delicious Cinnamon Rolls
Prep: 20 min. Cook: 10 min. Ready: 1 hr.
Ingredients:
Dough-
1 Cup Warm milk
2 ¼ tsp. (1 packet) Yeast
½ Cup Granulated sugar
½ Cup Melted butter
2 tsp. Kosher salt
4 ½ Cups All-purpose flour + a bit extra for handling
Filling-
1 Cup packed brown sugar
2 ½ tbsp. Cinnamon
½ Cup butter
Frosting-
½ Cup butter, softened
1 ½ Cup Confectioners sugar
¼ Cup Cream cheese
½ tbsp. Vanilla
⅛ tsp. Kosher salt
Instructions:
Dough-
Add yeast and sugar to warm milk in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine and allow the yeast to foam to proof. Once the yeast has proofed, stir in melted butter, salt, eggs, and flour into yeast mixture. Gently mix until well-combined.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes. Form the dough into a large ball and place into a large buttered glass bowl. Cover lightly with plastic or with a tea towel and place in a warm location free of any drafts. Allow to rise so that the dough is doubled in size.
Filling-
Place dough on a large lightly floured surface and roll to a 1/4 inch thickness. Spread softened butter over the top of the dough.
Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle generously all over the buttered dough.
Tightly roll the dough, beginning at the long edge, until a log of dough has been formed.
Cut the dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch slices and place onto a lightly buttered sheet pan.
Baking and Icing-
Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
Allow rolls to rise for 30 minutes on sheet pan.
Place rolls into oven and allow to cook until lightly browned and cooked through, but not overcooked, about 15-20 minutes.
While cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare cream cheese frosting by creaming together butter, confectioner's sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and salt.
Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Spread frosting generously over rolls while they are warm.
Reviews:
“Just made these and they are so delicious! Not to sweet, spot-on cinnamon-y flavor, the perfect bite to them. I’ll be adding these to my Holiday recipes and “just because” weekends. Store bought just doesn’t even compare.”
“Incredible cinnamon rolls. Easy to make and they came out delicious.”
“I love to bake and am always looking for new recipes for classics like cinnamon rolls- this one was a hit! Fantastic rolls!”