3 ingredient straightforward Christmas Candy Recipes that are great for gifting or enjoying! Try white chocolate peppermint hearts, pretzel hug bites, thin mint Oreo cups, and straightforward turtles.
White Chocolate Peppermint Hearts
A few quick tips:
- It is worth a high quality white chocolate for flavor purposes, and for the best possible melt. a reliable white chocolate to use is Guittard or Ghirardelli. (You can use chocolate chips or the baking bars for peppermint hearts.)
- Line the pan with parchment paper for straightforward removal of these peppermint hearts
- Add some string into the chocolate before it sets and make these into ornaments!
Product Links:
- Christmas Sprinkles
- Miniature candy canes
straightforward Christmas Candy Recipes: Rudolph Noses
A few quick tips:
- I like square pretzels best for these Christmas candies, but regular twist pretzels work too.
- Stick with plain pretzels instead of butter-flavored ones.
- Use these cute Rudolph Noses as an edible table centerpiece. Alternate between kisses and hugs for extra color and visual appeal.
Product Links:
- Rolo
- Christmas M&Ms
Thin Mint Cups
A few quick tips:
- You can find the Andes Mint baking chips next to all the other chocolate chips in the baking aisle of the store. (They are in a green bag!)
straightforward Christmas Candy Recipes Product Links:
- Christmas Sprinkles
- Oreos
straightforward Christmas Candy Recipes: Simple Turtle
Products Links:
- Twist Pretzels
- Rolo
Featured Comment
“Made these yesterday and today. Made them for the teachers gift and to bring to friends who invited us over for Christmas Eve breakfast. They were so simple and straightforward. Thanks for sharing I think this will become a Christmas gift giving tradition.”
– Mal
Ingredients
- 20 miniature candy canes (unwrapped)
- 6 ounces white chocolate (high quality chips work/taste best!)
- Holiday sprinkles
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (skippable)
- 25 pretzels (squares or twists)
- 25 Hugs (or Kisses or Rolos, whichever you prefer, see note 1)
- 25 holiday M&M’s
- 16 Oreos (or chocolate sandwich cookies)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 to 2 bags Andes Creme De Menthe baking chips (see note 1)
- Sprinkles (skippable)
- 25 pretzels (twist or square)
- 25 rolos
- 25 pecans
Method
- Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper and keep nearby.
- Set the candy canes on the tray—two together to form hearts all over the tray.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring between each burst for 10–15 seconds. Patiently melting the chocolate will make sure it doesn’t burn!
- If needed, add the oil to slightly thin the chocolate. Add very slowly and just if the chocolate is too thick.
- Pour the chocolate into a plastic bag and snip off the tip with scissors.
- Pipe the melted chocolate into the centers of the candy cane treats. Gently wiggle the candy canes to get the chocolate smooth.
- Sprinkle immediately with sprinkles.
- Let set.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Do not Heat using convection settings (see note 2).
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the pretzels on the tray.
- Unwrap the hugs/kisses/rolos and place on top of the pretzels.
- Bake for 3–4 minutes or until the hugs/kisses/rolos are soft but not melted.
- Press an M&M candy into the center of the hugs/kisses/rolos right out of the oven.
- Allow the chocolate to harden.
- Prepare a mini muffin pan by lining with mini muffin papers.
- Pulse the sandwich cookies in a blender or food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. You do not need to separate the cookie from the creme.
- Beat the crumbs with the room-temperature cream cheese until a thick mixture forms.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Starting with 1 bag, melt all the baking chips in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring between each burst for 10–15 seconds.
- Spoon melted chocolate into the bottom of the prepared muffin cavities—not a lot here.
- Allow to set completely. (If you don’t work fast, the Andes mints harden quickly—that’s okay, just pop them in the microwave for another 15 seconds or so.)
- Remove the dough from the fridge and form into small balls. Flatten those balls to thin and completely flat disks and place on top of the set chocolate.
- Spoon more melted chocolate to cover the disk of chocolate.
- Add sprinkles to the top if desired.
- Allow to set at room temperature.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (see note 1).
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the pretzels on the tray.
- Unwrap the rolos and place on top of the pretzels.
- Bake for 3–4 minutes or until the rolos are soft but not melted.
- Press a pecan into the center of the hugs and kisses right out of the oven.
- Allow the chocolate to harden.
