Easy-to-make holiday treats
CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's the season when healthy food tends to take a backseat and we indulge in holiday treats. Don't resist, you know you want it - but you might not want to do a lot of work!
Amy Hanten, The Cooking Mom, came into our ABC 7 Eyewitness News studio to show us easy recipes for holiday treats that also make great gifts.
Amy's recipes:
Ingredients:
1 box (15.25 oz.) chocolate fudge cake mix
2 cups plain or holiday M&M's
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
Directions:
Beat together the eggs and oil in medium-sized bowl. Add dry cake mix and mix well. Fold in M&M's. Form dough into balls and place on ungreased non-stick cookie sheet in rounded balls. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.
Notes:
This makes a great gift in a jar! Use a quart-sized, wide-mouth jar. Place the dry cake mix into the jar. Pour two cups of M&M's on top and screw on lid.
Attach a ribbon and a label that reads Chocolate M&M's Cookie Mix with baking instructions:
-Beat together two eggs and 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil in medium bowl.
-Pour in entire contents of jar and stir well with spoon.
-Then drop onto ungreased non-stick cookie sheet in rounded balls.
-Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 bag (12 oz.) Rolos, unwrapped
1 bag (10 oz.) small pretzels
Holiday M&M's
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lay pretzels out on the cookie sheet and place a Rolo on the top of each pretzel. Bake for about 4-5 minutes until candy starts to melt. Remove from oven and immediately press an M&M on top of the Rolo to flatten it. Let cool before eating.
Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or a combination)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Lightly butter a 9-inch square pan, line with a piece of plastic wrap leaving the ends out to cover the finished fudge. The ends will also serve as handles, which will help you lift the fudge out of the pan. Heat condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter and vanilla in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts if you want and pour into the pan. Spread gently then cover with the ends of the plastic wrap. Chill until firm. Lift out of the pan and cut into small squares.
