• Christmas Party,  Parties,  Sweet Treats

    Christmas party candy buffet

    While I love the look of some of the elegant, completely color coordinated candy buffets, I will, as I always try to do, go with an approach that is practical as well as beautiful. Typically around 30 children attend our annual Christmas party and because of this, gumballs and many of the hard candies that look so lovely in candy buffets are out.  I really don’t want to find gum and half eaten hard candies in my sofa for the next six months. Our candy buffet feature more candies that kids actually like.  We have red and green M&Ms, Christmas Hershey’s Kisses, Christmas Hershey’s Hugs, homemade Peppermint Bark , homemade Moose…

  • Christmas Party,  Parties,  Sweet Treats

    Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

    The final quick and easy treat for today is chocolate coated marshmallows.  The idea here is to get the delicious taste of a chocolate fountain treat without actually having to get out the chocolate fountain.  My kids love helping coat the marshmallows in chocolate. Simply melt chocolate – I melt the chocolate in the microwave and then use an electric melting pot so that the chocolate stays warm as we are making these and we do not have to rush to finish before the chocolate hardens.   Hold the marshmallow by one end and dunk the other into the melted chocolate.  Then place the half-coated marshmallow onto wax paper to…

  • Christmas Party,  Parties,  Sweet Treats

    Peppermint Bark

    Let’s begin with my son’s favorite, Peppermint Bark.  It’s funny that he likes this at all as he isn’t a big fan of peppermint in general and frequently finds minty flavors to be “too spicy”. Peppermint bark takes about 15 minutes to prepare and another 10 minutes to cool and it only requires 2 ingredients White Chocolate Candy Canes Note: You can use any type of candy cane, however I wouldn’t mix types in the same batch of bark as all types taste a bit different and might not blend very well. The first step is to smash the candy canes.  This step can be quite messy and quiet fun. …

  • Christmas Party,  Parties,  Sweet Treats

    Moose Munch

    Moose Munch Another addictive, and quick, holiday treat is Moose Munch. This scrumptious snack only requires 2 ingredients and some wax paper: caramel popcorn (without peanuts) melted chocolate While you could make the caramel popcorn yourself, the treat would then no longer a quick one to make, so let’s begin with purchased caramel corn.  I often stock up during the Cub Scouts annual popcorn sale. For this treat, I use a chocolate candy coating found in grocery stores, typically in the seasonal baking section.  I melt the chocolate using my microwave’s “melt chocolate” feature – but melting instructions should be listed on the package of chocolate. While the chocolate is…

  • Christmas Party,  Parties,  Sweet Treats

    Quick and Yummy Chocolate Holiday Treats

    Three delicious and super-easy treats we always like to have on hand for the holidays are Peppermint Bark, Moose Munch, and Chocolate Covered Marshmallows.  All three are easy and quick to make.  The Peppermint Bark and Moose Munch can be made ahead of time, but the chocolate marshmallows are best fresh.  All three of these treats are easily transportable. Let’s begin with my son’s favorite, Peppermint Bark.  It’s funny that he likes this at all as he isn’t a big fan of peppermint in general and frequently finds minty flavors to be “too spicy”. Peppermint bark takes about 15 minutes to prepare and another 10 minutes to cool and it…