Holiday Baking

Christmas is 3 days away and I’m sure a ton of y’all are beginning to bake your treats! I know it’s a tradition in our family to whip up some of our favorite sweets and munch on them throughout the holiday! Below I’m sharing some of my go-to recipes!

Sugar Cookies

Use this recipe to bake some sugar cookies and decorate them however you like!

1 ½ cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Peanut Butter Balls

This recipe is super easy and only calls for 4 ingredients! We usually make it every year for our Christmas festivities!

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp salted butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix peanut butter & softened butter together in a mixing bowl. Gradually stir in powdered sugar until fully combined. Cover and place in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up.
Using your hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips.
Using a fork, dip the peanut butter balls one at a time into the melted chocolate. Allow the excess chocolate to fall off. Place the chocolate balls onto wax paper, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Oreo Balls

One of my all time favorites! I could eat these everyday!

38 oreos One 14oz package
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 cup white candy melt Or chocolate
(2 tbsp dark chocolate optional, for decorating)

Pulse the Oreos in a food processor until only small crumbs remain. You can also smash by hand using a rolling pin, can, or crumbling in a sealable bag.
Add crumbled Oreos and cream cheese (at room temperature) to a mixing bowl and combine. (Make sure there are no pockets of unmixed Oreos or cream cheese.)
Roll the Oreo mixture into balls. Each ball should be about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter or about 20 grams. Place balls on a large dish as you go and then chill in the fridge.
In a small bowl melt the candy melt. You can use a vegetable oil to thin it out to a dipping consistency but make sure to really whisk the oil in if doing so.
Dip each ball in the candy melt using a skewer and place on a sheet or parchment paper to set. (If you’re decorating the tops with Oreo crumbs you need to sprinkle those on immediately as the shells will harden quite fast. If you’re decorating with a chocolate drizzle then melt a few tablespoons of chocolate in the microwave and drizzle with a spoon or use a piping bag with the tip snipped off.)

Peppermint Brownies

6 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
¾ cup (5¼ oz.) granulated sugar
¼ cup (2 oz.) light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
⅔ cup (2¾ oz.) all-purpose flour
½ cup Andes mint chips

for the ganache

4 oz. dark chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream
Crushed candy canes

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line with parchment and lightly grease an 8×8” baking pan.
Whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.
Put the chocolate and butter in a large glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, and repeat until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined. The mixture should be room temperature.
Add 2 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and stir. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible. Fold in the Andes mint chips. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool brownies completely.
Heat the heavy cream for 30 seconds until the microwave until bubbling. Add the dark chocolate and let sit for 1 minute before stirring until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled brownies and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until the ganache is set before cutting into 16 equal squares with a very sharp knife.
Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.