5 Easy Cookie & Treat Recipes You Can Make For Christmas

Trying to find time to buy and wrap the presents is hard enough! Forget about the baking that goes along with the Christmas season! To help you get through the Christmas baking with as little stress as possible, here are 5 SUPER easy cookie and treat recipes you can make in less than an hour …

1. Christmas Crack (aka Saltine Toffee Bark)

This stuff goes together so easily and is unbelievably addictive (hence the not-so-family-friendly name)! With 5 ingredients that most people already have in their pantry, these are sure to please any sweet tooth!

Ingredients

• One sleeve of crackers
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F
2. Line a pan with parchment paper
3. Create a single layer of saltine crackers (the crackers should be touching)
4. Put butter and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat
5. Once melted, stir together then bring to a boil for 3 minutes
6. Spread the mixture on the saltines
7. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes
8. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers as soon as you take them out of the oven; the heat from the toffee should melt the chocolate (you can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler for a more even spread)
9. Sprinkle with nuts and let cool before breaking apart and eating

If you want to go nut-free, you can sprinkle with salt, M&Ms, marshmallows or nothing at all.

2. Flourless Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

When it comes to easy cookie recipes for Christmas (or any time of year) you can beat this three-ingredient dessert. They’re not only health conscious (because ya know… Those New Years’ resolutions can sneak up on you) but they’re also simple and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut or almond butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or alternative sweetener) plus some to sprinkle on top of cookies
• 1 egg

Optional

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Beat together peanut butter and sugar/sweetener until smooth
3. Add egg and mix until well-combined
4. Add optional ingredients and mix in
5. Scoop batter onto your tray in heaping teaspoons; keep them about two inches apart (you should have about 14 cookies)
6. Flatten your cookies using the bottom side of your fork to make a crisis cross pattern
7. Sprinkle the top of your cookies with sugar
8. Bake 9 to 11 minutes until cookies start to get golden around the edges
9. Cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before moving to cooling racks

3. Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

This 4 ingredient sweet is simple to make and it adds a nice twist to an ordinary pretzel! These are great for after dinner, snacking while you’re watching your favourite Christmas movie, or even as a gift in a cute mason jar with a ribbon!

Ingredients

• 16 oz pretzels (one bag)
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 to 3 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper
3. Place pretzels in a large bowl
4. Combine oil, sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl and mix together well
5. Pour over pretzels and then toss the pretzels to ensure they are well-covered (be gentle to avoid breaking the pretzels)
6. Pour out pretzels on the baking sheet
7. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping them every 10 minutes
8. Cool before serving

 4. No Bake Coconut Snowballs

The simplicity is in the name itself! You don’t even have to bake them and the ingredients are minimal. Perfect for the coconut lover in your family.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

1. Put the coconut oil and 1 cup of coconut in a food processor
2. Process at high speed until the mix is the consistency of butter; scrape down the sides regularly to make sure everything is well-combined
3. Add maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt to the food processor
4. Mix at high speed until well-combined
5. Add 3/4 cup of coconut and process on high until combined
6. Roll out one-inch balls and coat in remaining shredded coconut
7. Refrigerate for 1 hour
8. Bring to room temperature before serving
9. Can keep refrigerated for up to 1 week

Alteratively, you can dip them in chocolate instead of rolling them in coconut in step 6. For best results, put the balls in the fridge overnight before dipping them in melted chocolate.

5. Rolo Turtles

It can’t get any easier than Rolo Turtles…

These little guys are fun, easy to make, and delicious to eat. They are also a simple recipe for kids to make if they want to help with the Christmas baking!

Ingredients

• Bag of pretzels (the square ones work great)
• Rolos
• Whole pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Place pretzels on the baking sheet in evenly spaced rows and columns
4. Place one Rolo on each candy
5. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes (the Rolo should look shiny but still Rolo shaped)
6. Place a pecan on top of each Rolo and gently push down; be careful not to burn yourself on the hot caramel and chocolate
7. Cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge
8. Remove an hour or so before eating

No matter what your baking skills or preferences are, there are lots of fun and tasty recipes you can make to celebrate the holiday season! These five recipes are a great place to start, so go ahead and enjoy some delicious cookie and treat recipes this Christmas!

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