Home Home, Furniture & Kitchen Recipes Easy sweet dishes to bring to Christmas parties

Easy sweet dishes to bring to Christmas parties

December 22, 2016

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There are only two more sleeps until Christmas Day, but that doesn’t mean the holiday festivities are coming to an end. In fact, it’s almost as if this weekend marks the beginning of a two-week stretch of endless get togethers with family and friends. I, for one, feel as though I need to stretch myself between about 805 events, but I’m not complaining. However, in lieu of bringing something savoury for the potlucks on my list, and in lieu of brining a traditional hostess gift for the non-potlucks on my list, I’m showing up with some deliciously sweet treats that are exceptionally easy for anyone to make.

Santa hat cupcakes are oh so festive!

In my opinion, you really can’t go wrong with cupcakes, no matter what the occasion. I like to toot my own horn about my cupcake making abilities and made some adorable chocolate ones with little Santa hats for a recent party and they went over very well. To make things really easy, you can use a box of pre-mixed batter for your cupcakes, just be sure to use a non-stick cupcake pan like this one from Wilson, so you can easily remove your little cakes.

What makes these Santa hat cupcakes special is the buttercream icing. I found a recipe a while back and it has been my go-to for years.

Ingredients

1 cup of salted butter
3 teaspoons of vanilla
4 cups of icing sugar
4-5 tablespoons of coffee cream (18% and up)

Whip that butter, with a paddle beater if you have it, if not, don’t worry.
Add in the icing sugar.
Add in the cream. Not milk, cream. Stiffer icing = less cream. Whippier buttercream icing = more cream.
Add vanilla.
Then whip it…whip it gooooood!

Place your icing into a piping bag with your preferred icing tip and ice away!

For the santa hats, add a stemmed strawberry to the top of your cupcake and a dollop of icing and you’re all set!

Peppermint brownie cake pops are a crowd pleaser

I’ve always wanted to make cake pops, but they looked like they were exceptionally difficult to whip up. However, with this Lekue Silicone Cake Pop Mould, they are easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy as my nephew likes to say. You can just choose the ingredients, add them to the mould, pop them in the oven, decorate them as you please, and you’re good to go.

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 tsp vegetable oil
crushed peppermint pieces

Prepare brownies according to directions
Place mix cake pop mould
Let cake pops cool completely
Combine chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until smooth.
Dip cake pops into white chocolate.
Sprinkle with crushed peppermint pieces. Let set until chocolate is set.

You can’t go wrong with sugar cookies

If there is one staple sweet that screams Christmas, it’s sugar cookies. I remember making them with my mom as a child and spending hours decorating them as a family. It’s a tradition I hope to uphold with my future children, and this recipe is a true classic in that it is straight from my late Nana.

Ingredients

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs beaten
5 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder

Cream shortening and add sugar gradually until creamy.
Beat egg and then add milk and vanilla.
Sift all dry ingredients together and add alternatively with liquid ingredients to creamed mixture.
Roll out small portions of dough on a floured surface.
Cut into festive shapes for the holidays.
Place on a non-stick cookie sheet like this one from Wilson.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
Decorate as you please!
Makes 170 cookies