Christmas goodies

I love Christmas for so many reasons. Among the top are that I can eat as many sweets as I can because, well, it's the holidays! This year was my first year without the woes of school and finals, so I found myself with a lot more free time. I searched about 30 recipes that looked absolutely delicious but in the end, decided with 5. Here are my top picks for EASY, delicious recipes that are sure to bring a smile. The best part is that many can be made ahead of time, frozen, or kept out so you don't need to frantically bake for 48 hours straight!

1. Melted Snowman Cookies 
These are on the blog, but can be found pretty much anywhere! This was my pick for a "fun" cookie and they were so much fun to make! Greg even helped out and had his hand at decorating these melted men.

2. Nonpareils Candies
Greg's mom emailed me this link for homemade sweets from Martha Stewart. Normally, I am not a giant Martha fan, but after taking a look I decided I had to make something. These are SO incredibly easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to dry!  They are sure to impress. I caved and bought the Martha Stewart treat bags to go with them and made them that much cuter. These will stay for weeks once cooled!

3. White Chocolate Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
This link will deceive you at first. I found this recipe for oatmeal cookies, even though technically the link takes you to "oatmeal cookie sandwiches". This is in my opinion the most perfect recipe for oatmeal cookies. They stay soft and chewy for days and the addition of the white chocolate chips and craisins has an amazing effect. They are my favorite Christmas cookie. Just follow the recipe for the cookie and stir in a 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of craisins at the end.

4. Peanut Butter Blossoms
A classic cookie around the holidays. I made one batch of these and they turned out so yummy I made a second batch the next day! Very easy to make, and every ingredient can easily be found in the pantry. I may run and eat one right now.

5. Mini Cranberry Walnut Bread
I first tried these when my mom made them for Christmas. I ate almost the entire loaf in one sitting. They are so easy to prepare and to make them even more special I bought mini ceramic loaf pans from The Christmas Tree Shoppe for only $1! This bread freezes very well, so it makes a nice gift for any delayed holiday events.

Anyone have any traditions they have around the holidays? Enjoy the season!