Quick and easy christmas baking

[Twilight1]

I am having a bunch of friends over on Saturday for our yearly xmas party and want to make some baked goods.

Problem is...I suck at baking unless it is super easy/ simple.

I can do anything with meat, fish, pork or chicken but baking...I suck!

So I was hoping that some of you wonderful people could give me some ideas for some holiday goodies? I would be very grateful.

[milanessa]

Are you looking for sweet or savory?

[Twilight1]

Either/ both. I open to any suggestions/ recipes.

[KikiSashaFan]

I always make shortbread which is super easy, just butter, sugar and flour and I add a handful of dried cranberries and white chocolate chips to the dough. Everyone always raves about them.

[my little pony]

do you have an easy bake oven?

the stuff is a good size for parties

http://www.eborecipes.com/

[Veronika]

This recipe is easy, and the bars are amazing: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/...d-358c418748f1

[Prancer]

Maybe some no-bake recipes?

Cheesecake Make some cherry topping or use canned pie filling for something a little more festive. I know people who like this better than baked New York style cheesecake.

Oreo Truffles I can't eat these because they are soooooo sweet, but they got snarfed up last Christmas

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars Cut these REALLY small; they're more like candy than cookies. I make these as payment for a guy who occasionally handyman stuff for us. I hope he never figures out how easy they are.

Then there's the staple candy of Ohio. They're everywhere here at Christmas and everyone has a pet recipe.

Fifteens--haven't made these, but I think I might try them this Christmas. Not sure what I will use for digestive biscuits; maybe some tea cookies?

There are a lot of no-bake cookie recipes; these are really popular, but there are others.

[Really]

When in a pinch, my baking is called IGA...

[PDilemma]

Even easier than Prancer's cheesecake link:

2 cups milk
8 oz pack of cream cheese
Package of Instant pudding

Mix together and put in a ready made graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for a few hours. Top with fruit pie filling.

(I recommend mixing the cream cheese at room temp with about a cup of milk, get it pretty smooth, then add the other cup and the pudding.

You can do vanilla pudding and any fruit. Or you can use chocolate pudding and fruit or no. Or any combination of flavors.

[barbk]

Thanks, Veronika -- those look like a great treat to make with my nieces.

We make a shortbread cookie that was originally printed in the LA Times many years ago...it came from a restaurant called Pioneer Boulangerie, and the cookies are very easy and very, very yummy, and and you can do them as balls flattened by a fork or roll them and then use a simple cookie cutters. They're also egg free, and don't use either baking soda or baking powder, so you can make the dough ahead with no problems:

Pioneer Boulangerie Chocolate Chip Butter (Shortbread) Cookies:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar & more to dust on finished cookies if you like
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of flour
6 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add salt, vanilla, and flour, and mix until blended. Mixture will be stiff. Stir in chocolate chips.
Either make 1 inch balls and put them on an ungreased baking sheet (I use parchment paper, but you certainly don't have to) and then use a fork to press down and flatten them -- once vertically and once horizontally;
Or - sprinkle some flour on a pastry cloth and roll out the cookie dough to about the thickness of a single chocolate chip, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and a spatula to lift them onto a baking sheet. (I like hearts, circles, and bells, all of which reliably come up. As far as I'm concerned, you can keep reindeer, snowmen, and christmas tree cookie cutters.) The extra pieces of dough can be re-rolled and cut.

Bake about 15 minutes in the oven -- just to barest golden. After you've moved them to a cooling rack, dust with additional powdered sugar if you like. (I like them just as is.) Keeps well in an airtight container.

I've also had them without the chocolate chips, and they're still yummy.

[barbk]

These meatballs disappear...and simply could not be simpler. Buy premade frozen meatballs (we've used Costco, but most grocery stores have them in smaller quantities), 1 bottle chili sauce (usually above the ketchup -- Heinz is the name brand, but the much cheaper Kroger brand works great) and a large jar of grape jam. Heat the meatballs in a dish in the oven until warm. (Remember, they're already cooked.) Either heat the chili sauce and jam together in a crockpot, or heat it in a saucepan until it is all melted together. Either dump the meatballs into the crockpot and let them simmer an hour, or dump the stuff from the saucepan on your meatballs in the oven and set the oven to 225 for at least an hour. Serve with toothpicks and get out of the way. (When Mr. Barbk told me this recipe thirty years ago I didn't believe it. I was wrong. Been a great hit every year, and it takes me virtually no time at all. Women like them, men like them, and kids like them too. You can't tell that it involves grape jam, and most people have never heard of chili sauce, which is like a less sweet version of ketchup with some kick.)

[barbk]

Prancer...thanks for explaining "Buckeyes" -- I've seen them before, but had no idea what they were supposed to represent.

[Prancer]

Prancer...thanks for explaining "Buckeyes" -- I've seen them before, but had no idea what they were supposed to represent.

They represent Buckeyes, the nut of the official state tree. No comments about what this says about the OSU football team . No one eats the real thing that I know of, but the candy? There is no escaping it.

Here's another cheesecake pie recipe, one that requires a little easy baking but can be made to look very fancy and pretty if you swirl the jam with care: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/R...Cheesecake-Pie

Those meatballs are very good, too.

[Matryeshka]

Even better than that: the easiest bread recipe ever.

Three cups flour
Three generous tbsp sugar
One beer--preferably a darker one with a little bit of sugar in it. (It's a Christmas Party. Sugar is expected. )

Mix it together. Pour it in a loaf pan and put it in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes.
Not only do you have bread, which impresses the hell out of everyone, but you have the smell of it everywhere. Even better, soften some butter and pour in a little bit of honey to spread.

[BigB08822]

Please make the oreo truffles that Prancer posted! They are DELICIOUS. If you like oreos then you will love them. No baking required. Just crushing, mixing, rolling and dipping. You can't mess it up. People LOVE them. I don't think they are too sweet at all, but then again I have a big sweet tooth.

I also love cake balls and you can now buy the cake ball pan at Walgreens in the area where they have gifts and stuff seen on TV.

My SIL made some amazing peanut butter balls that tasted exactly like Reeses. I asked for the recipe but have yet to get it. If I get it soon I will post.

[Southpaw]

Please make the oreo truffles that Prancer posted! They are DELICIOUS. If you like oreos then you will love them. No baking required. Just crushing, mixing, rolling and dipping. You can't mess it up. People LOVE them.

Alright, I will!!!

Matry's bread is just too weird to pass up, too.

[Twilight1]

Ironically the one thing I can bake is New York Style cheescake. It is my favourite so I spent some time practicing.

Thanks so much for the recipes guys!!! I can't wait to try them all out.

[milanessa]

Matry's bread is just too weird to pass up, too.

Yeah, I'm gonna try that, too.

[BigB08822]

Even better than that: the easiest bread recipe ever.

Three cups flour
Three generous tbsp sugar
One beer--preferably a darker one with a little bit of sugar in it. (It's a Christmas Party. Sugar is expected. )

Mix it together. Pour it in a loaf pan and put it in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes.
Not only do you have bread, which impresses the hell out of everyone, but you have the smell of it everywhere. Even better, soften some butter and pour in a little bit of honey to spread.

But you never said the bread tasted any good??? Is it good?

[Aceon6]

Forgotten cookies

Preheat oven to 200º
Prepare stiff meringue using any standard recipe
Line baking sheets with parchment
Using a tablespoon, drop meringue on parchment. Leave about 1/2-1" between drops
Put in oven
TURN OVEN OFF
Leave until oven is stone cold (2-3 hours) or overnight
Peel them off the parchment
Eat