The holiday season is one of the happiest and most celebrated times of the year. Despite all of the chaos associated with it, there is one unifying factor that simply no one can resist on a holiday: indulging in a nice, sweet treat! A peanut buttery dessert, maybe some ice cream, or a salty bite will fulfill a sweet tooth anytime. If you show up to a holiday party with the best tasting sweets, you will be the talk of all the guests. Trust me!

So, here’s some of my favorite easy, stress-free, delicious recipes that will impress your friends.

I love avalanche cookies. I brought these to my aunt’s cookie exchange and everyone wanted my secret recipe. Little did they know it’s only four ingredients. They’re a mix of Rice Krispie treats plus peanut butter. So good!

Ingredients: 

12 oz white chocolate chips, 

1 bag ⅔ cup peanut butter, creamy 

1½ cups mini marshmallows 3 cups Rice Krispies

To make them, first melt the chocolate chips in a pot and mix in peanut butter. When it’s creamy and smooth, mix in the mini marshmallows (don’t melt them) and then stir in Rice Krispies. Spoon out the dough into cookie-like shapes onto parchment paper; this is where they get their name, dropping from the spoon like an avalanche. Try not to eat them all so you can share!

Outside of cookies, there are also many deserts that are just as tasty for the holiday season. Have you ever tried fried ice cream? Unlike what you may imagine when hearing the name, the ice cream is not put into a pan of oil with egg and flour. Instead, it is coated in corn flakes and cinnamon and is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

vanilla ice cream

5 cups cornflakes

½ cup butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

First, melt your ice cream until you can form it into 2 ½ inch balls. Put them into the freezer to harden, and smash cornflakes inside a zip lock bag. Melt the butter in a pan and add the cornflakes, sugar & cinnamon. Cook it for 2 minutes until it appears toasted, and make sure to stir frequently. Cool and roll the ice cream balls in the cornflake mixture and put them back into the freezer until they’re ready to eat. These are great topped with caramel, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. “Sometimes even the simplest treats are the best around the holidays. I for one enjoy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream,” explains Travis Lee (9).

Are you craving a pairing of the sweet and salty? I’ve got two words for you… Rolo pretzels! They are very easy to make and mouth watering!

Ingredients:

bag of pretzels

Rolo candies

M&Ms

Simply place pretzels on parchment paper and top each one with a Rolo. Then bake the treats for 3 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Take them out and press an M&M into the top, then wait for them to cool. Don’t eat all of the Rolo pretzels in the process! They’re so easy to make, yet so good. 

After reading a whole article about desserts for the holidays, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get to baking! Impress your friends and family with your abilities and create a treat everyone will enjoy. Sometimes even the simple things really make a difference in bringing joy into your holidays!