For me, the Christmas season wouldn’t be the same without all the delicious holiday recipes. Whether you’re making some decadent chocolate, homemade Bailey’s Irish cream or cooking with the kids, you’re contributing to the magic of the season and creating wonderful memories.
Do you have a spectacular homemade Christmas treat idea or recipe to share? Email it to us at sydney (at) mommysavers.com it along with instructions and a .jpg photo. If we use your frugal recipe or treat idea on our site, we’ll send you a copy of Instant Bargains: 600+ Ways to Shrink Your Grocery Bills and Eat Well for Less!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #1
Caramel Puffcorn Caramel Puffcorn tastes great any time of the year, but it lends itself well to the holidays. Look for inexpensive treat boxes or holiday goody bags at the Dollar Store and give this stuff away to friends and family. Plus, this one is fun and easy for the kids to help make. It’s hull-less, so it’s also friendly for toddlers.
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #2
Cream Cheese Igloo with Olive Penguins This season, create a cream cheese igloo (not only is it adorable, it’s pretty tasty!) and olives made to look like penguins to bring to your holiday party. The idea is so cute, nobody will want to be the first to dig in! A sprig of rosemary on the igloo makes it even more festive.
[Cream Cheese Igloo with Olive Penguins]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #3
Melted Snowman Cookies This fun holiday cookie recipe is pretty frugal, too. We used the Betty Crocker Cookie Mix to make the base of the cookie, but you can use any sugar cookie recipe. The icing can be a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it these guys are SO CUTE. They’re fun to share with neighbors!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #4
Copycat Recipe: Godiva Chocolate Martini Not all of our holiday recipes are for the kiddos. Moms like to have an “adult” treat once in a while too! Here’s the version of the chocolate martini served at Chicago’s Signature Room… only for a LOT less! I promise you’ll love this. Thanks to Susannah and Maggie for helping out with the perfect frugal copycat version of this holiday treat!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #5
Holiday “Merry Munch” Snack Mix This treat can be made any time of the year, but it’s especially festive with red and green holiday M&Ms. WARNING: It’s so “addictive” it can be hard to stop eating! It’s also perfect to bring to a holiday party because kids love it and it’s easy to make. Double the batch and you’re good to go. You can also put it in holiday treat bags or boxes to give to friends and neighbors.
[Holiday “Merry Munch” Snack Mix]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #6
Peppermint Bark Here’s another great treat to share with friends and neighbors. Peppermint Bark is easy and quick to make because it contains only two ingredients.
[Holiday Peppermint Bark Recipe]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #7
Red Velvet Cupcakes This recipe is based on the famous Magnolia Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes that every New Yorker knows and loves. They taste just as good – but cost a lot less. With their bright red color, they’re perfect to serve as a holiday treat.
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #8
Rice Krispy Ornament Treats You can turn traditional Kellogg’s Rice Krispy Treats into a cute holiday ornament using a Rolo candy and colored sprinkles for glimmer and shine. These look great on any holiday table and are great to bring to parties as well.
[How to Make Rice Krispy Ornament Treats]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #9
Chocolate-Dipped Oreos Whether you use chocolate, white chocolate, or mint flavored candy coating, dipped Oreos are a delicious treat and much more frugal to make at home than to purchase in-store.
[How to Make Chocolate-Covered Oreos]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #10
Edible Christmas Tree Cones This treat is an activity and dessert for kiddos all in one! Have the kids decorate their own Christmas trees using sugar ice cream cones – then eat them for dessert!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #11
Grands! Monkey Bread Recipe Monkey bread is easy to make at home when you use pre-made biscuit dough. Look at ALDI to get it at a fraction of the price of other supermarket brands. Try this delicious recipe for breakfast during winter break – or even on Christmas morning!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #12
Chocolate Mint Pebbles Treats These chocolatey, minty treats are so easy and fun to make with the kids. Its’ another holiday recipe that doubles as an activity for kids, and is perfect for sharing with little friends!
[Chocolate Mint Pebbles Treats Recipe]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #13
Chocolate-Covered Christmas Mice Chocolate-covered cherries, Hershey’s kisses, almond slices and Oreos come together to form these adorable little Christmas mice cookies. They’re not only cute, they’re delicious, too!
[Chocolate-Covered Christmas Mice]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #14
DIY Gingerbread House Creating a faux gingerbread house with graham crackers costs well under $5 – and that’s for as many houses as you want to make! Much less than the gingerbread house kits you see in the stores, plus each child in your household can make their own.
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #15
Christmas Breakfast Recipe: Santa, Snowman & Reindeer Pancakes Santa and Reindeer pancakes are the perfect thing to make your preschooler on Christmas morning! Plus, kids will have fun “decorating” them with the whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate chips. YUM!
[Santa, Snowman & Reindeer Pancakes]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #16
Easy Baked Brie It’s hard to believe that this baked brie recipe is so frugal, since it seems so upscale and elegant. With ingredients from ALDI I made it for under $5. Plus, since it has only four ingredients, it’s super-easy too!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #17
Snowman Cheese Ball Here’s another fun and easy recipe to make with the kiddos. This snowman cheese ball is composed mainly of cream cheese and soft, grated cheese (such as Cheddar). The decorations are up to you! A carrot nose and chocolate chips for eyes and buttons work well.
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #18
Hot Caramel Apple Cider This simple recipe for homemade caramel apple cider is sure to warm up your day! Pack the cider insulated mugs and take on the go while you go out Christmas shopping!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #19
Andes Creme de Menthe Mint Cookies These are a bit deceptive – they look a lot like regular chocolate chip cookies, but with the yummy and surprising flavor of Andes Creme de Menthe. Just like the mints, they are great as an after-dinner treat during the holiday season!
[Andes Creme de Menthe Mint Cookies]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #20
Chocolate Cookie Dough Truffles If you’ve got kids that like to “snitch” the cookie dough when you’re baking, they’ll love these treats! They’re easy to make and don’t require baking.
[Chocolate Cookie Dough Truffles]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #21
Baked French Toast This is great to prepare ahead of time and serve the next morning for the entire family. It’s perfect if relatives are visiting from out of town!
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #22
Homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream Making Bailey’s is a fun project to make, and give out as gifts! Be sure to do plenty of taste-testing as you go along to make it even more festive. Store in tiny Mason jars with decorate bows and give as gifts!
[ Bailey’s Irish Cream Recipe]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #23
Mini Snickers Cheesecake Cups This recipe uses a cheesecake base topped with snickers and caramel sauce. They’re truly decadent! But, the holidays are the time to indulge, right?!
[Mini Snickers Cheesecake Cups]
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #24
Rice Krispy Wreaths My mom used to make these Rice Krispy Wreath Treats when I was growing up. They’re basically just Rice Krispy treats with green food coloring added. Red M&Ms serve as the holly berries for the finishing touch. You can also choose to use Red Hot candies.
Christmas Recipes: Holiday Treat Idea #25
French Toast Cupcakes This is a really simple recipe, and is a great way to use up stale bread. Besides, who says you can’t eat cupcakes in the morning?!
Is it just me or are other people not getting the recipe for the gingerbread houses? When I click on the links, it says “page not found”???