Last week, I was feeling like the holiday season was passing me by and I was starting to get worried that Christmas Eve would arrive without me having watched all the necessary holiday movies!

So, I immediately ran out and got a festive-flavored latté and started watching Christmas movies while I did some work. Over the weekend, I moved my “work station” to be near the Christmas tree. I also made TONS of holiday goodies — mostly to send to friends and take to parties, but still.

Here’s what I’ve made so far:

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

These are a sentimental favorite, originally made by a dear family friend who LOVED Christmas. She is an angel now, and her daughter sent me the recipe for her Peppermint Candy Cane cookies that are made with red and “white” dough and twisted into cute candy canes.

You can use any sugar cookie dough to begin, but here’s her recipe that I followed:

• 3/4c butter (1.5 sticks)
• 1c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla
• 3.25c flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• .5 tsp salt

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Chill overnight.

Divide the dough in half and color one half with red food coloring, if desired. Roll small chunks of dough into skinny “logs” and twist one red and one white into a candy cake shape. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

I added red crystals to mine, and I also put a few drops of peppermint extract into thr “white” dough-ball.

M&M Cookies

I cheated on these and used store-bought sugar cookie dough and mixed in red and green M&Ms… it wasn’t as tasty as I hoped. So, if you want to make them from scratch, I’d suggest this recipe.

Butterscotch Brownies

Also another cheat… but these turned out DELICIOUS. I knew I wanted to make something using those Butterscotch caramels from Trader Joe’s — if you’ve never had them, do yourself a favor and grab a bag. They are yummy on their own, but would also be could in cookies!

So, I got a bag of those and the Truffle Brownie Mix from Trader Joe’s. Mix it all together and wow, best brownies I’ve had in a long time. Whip these together and tell everyone you made them from scratch.

White Chocolate Snack Mix

I know there’s “Puppy Chow”, which has peanut butter and powdered sugar. This mix has the same base — all the Chex you can find, pretzels and Cheerios… I added red and green peanut M&Ms… and then mix it all up with melted white chocolate. This treat is pretty freeform, but if you are into measurements, here’s a recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

I needed something to make for a holiday party and saw this on Instagram — so beautiful, but rustic and seemed simple to make. It was pretty easy (if you don’t mind peeling apples) and I got many compliments over it at the party. Recipe is here.

What kinds of goodies are you making this season?

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