Holiday Recipes

Easy Holiday Recipes

Holiday recipes include the best holiday baking recipes for all your holiday parties including holiday desserts recipes, holiday appetizer recipes and other healthy recipes for your festivities throughout the year.

Pecan Praline Brownies

We are always looking for something new to try for the holidays.  That something special that might become a tradition in your family.  We start this recipe with a basic brownie mix and dress it up for the holidays!  Any recipe that starts with "  Chocolate Lovers Milk Chocolate Chunk "  automatically gets our attention. It only gets better from there.  Definitely a keeper.

(Bonus: Use baking to get the kids involved. Have them stir AND count.  Packing the brown sugar is also a kid-friendly activity)

 Holiday Baking Ingredients

Brownies:
1 package Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers Milk Chocolate Chunk brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil ( plus some to grease the pan )
3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Holiday Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9" x 9" square baking pan with the canola oil or PAM baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, water, oil and pecans.
Stir with a wooden spoons until combined.  It should only take about 50 strokes.  Count them!
Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.  Do not overbake.

While the brownies are in the oven, make the topping.

Combine all the topping ingredients together in a medium bowl until stir until well combined.

When the brownies come out of the oven, and they are still warm, spread the topping over the top.
Return the brownies to the oven and bake another 15 minutes, until the topping is set.

Cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut into bars, make about 16 squares.

Thanksgiving Oreo Turkeys

This is one of these great holiday cookie recipes project that you can share with the kids. You will simply fall in love with these adorable little creatures and they are entirely and completely yummy. Depending on the age of your helpers, you may need to assist with the cutting of the candy.

Read the instructions through, beginning to end, before attempting the assembly. It will give you an idea of the whole magic of making these little cuties. Placing each on a cupcake paper will make them easier to manage.

One great thing about this recipe is you can make as few or as many as you want, depending on the attention span of your helpers. Any leftover ingredients will be happily consumed!

Best Holiday Ingredients

For each of these precious little turkeys you will need:

2 double stuff Oreo cookies
1 small Reese's peanut butter cup
1 Whopper malted milk ball
9 pieces of candy corn
white frosting
black frosting

Holiday Cookie Assembly Instructions

Place the peanut butter cups in the fridge, this will make them easier to cut.

Take one of the Oreos and carefully separate one side of cookie from the other, leaving the frosting on the remaining side of the cookie,.

To make the tail feathers, gently press the pointed end of 6 candy corn pieces into the frosting along half of the circle. Use some of the white frosting to "fix" the cookie back together.

Take the second Oreo and lay it on a flat surface. Pick up the first Oreo, put some frosting on the bottom edge of the cookie and place it one side of the Oreo that is on the table, making the tail feathers upright. Carefully place the cookies against an edge, wall or book, to prop it up while the frosting dries. Add more frosting if necessary to keep it upright.

For the body of the turkey, take the peanut butter cup out of the refrigerator and cut off a small piece so that it will stand on it side.

Place some frosting on the flat side and the opposite side, attach it to the Oreos, to form the body. Add the Whopper on top of the peanut butter cup to form the head. Use more frosting to fix it to the back Oreo.

To form the eyes, place two small circles of white frosting. Add a smaller dot of black frosting for the pupils.

For the beak, trim the tops off one of the candy corns or a dab of frosting.

To make the wings of the turkey, trim off the bottoms of 2 pieces of candy corn, (set them aside to use later) glue the wings in place with the frosting to each side of the peanut butter cup.

Use the bottom pieces of the candy corn ( that you saved from the wings) to form the feet. Use frosting to secure the feet to the front of the body. Or we used some frosting to form the feet if you are artistically inclined.

Allow to set about 20 minutes before moving them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blueberry Jello Salad Recipe

This is among the holiday baking recipes that will become one of your traditional favorites.  Everyone loves Jello and with the addition of blueberries,  you get that extra antioxidant boost that is so healthy. This holiday recipe is made in two steps, so make sure to plan ahead.

Holiday Dessert Recipe Ingredients

1  6-oz box of raspberry or blackberry Jello
2 cups of boiling water 
1 can of blueberries, drained, saving the juice 
1 large can of crushed pineapple, drained, saving the juice

Holiday Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 oz reduced fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1  8-oz package of reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Easy Holiday Recipe Instructions

Save a total of 1-1/2 cup of the juices from the blueberries and pineapple. Set aside.
Make the Jello in a medium bowl using only the 2 cups of the boiling water.
Add both fruits and the reserved juice.
Pour into a 9-1/2 x 11 glass pan.
Chill until firm.

For the topping, combine all the ingredients except the nuts in a medium bowl.
Stir until well mixed.
Spread over the congealed salad.
Sprinkle with the chopped nuts.
Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Easy Cheesecake Squares Recipe

These are so easy, you will wonder why you aren't making them more often.  Cheesecake lovers beware!   These holiday dessert recipes for easy cheesecake squares can be addicting. Only six ingredients!  How easy is that?

Holiday Dessert Ingredients 

2 cans reduced fat refrigerated crescent rolls

3  8-oz packages reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for the topping

Easy Holiday Recipe Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla.  Set aside.

Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking pan with one can of the crescent rolls.

Pinching all the edges together to form a crust across the bottom of the pan.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust.

Top with remaining crescent rolls, spreading across the surface.

Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Halloween Chocolate Cake Recipe

Add some 'spooky' to your desserts.  This is an easy way to transform a plain chocolate cake into a scary delight. Use white icing, thinned out a bit, to draw the web on the top of the cake. Top with a plastic spider and BOO!  Halloween is done!