holiday recipes

This Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Cracker Brittle Recipe Will Be Your New Favourite Holiday Treat

November 25, 2016 by Kathryn 24 Comments

I absolutely love holiday baking, and I’ve mentioned before that I often go overboard making sweet treats for family and friends during the holidays. But because I’m a busy mom, I do tend to favour quick and easy recipes over fussy and finicky ones. In fact, one of my favourites has always been a simple cracker brittle made with nothing more than crackers, butter and brown sugar.

So, when Kraft Canada challenged me to come up with a delicious holiday recipe featuring everyone’s favourite couple, Kraft Peanut Butter and Baker’s Chocolate, I decided to put a new twist on my old favourite by turning it into a peanutty, chocolatey treat. And the resulting Peanut Butter Chocolate Cracker Brittle was absolutely addictive! With just a few ingredients and less than fifteen minutes, you’ll have a full pan of decadence for your next holiday gathering! [Read more…]

Holiday Chocolate Cherry Biscotti with PAM No Residue

December 12, 2015 by Kathryn 18 Comments

As somebody that loves to bake, I’m pretty serious about protecting my bakeware. Keeping cookie sheets, muffin tins and pie pans in good condition means I’m always ready to cook up something delicious. So when I had the chance to see how I could keep my pans in better shape by using PAM cooking spray, I couldn’t resist the chance.

Since I wanted to make biscotti for Christmas anyways, I bought two cookie sheets especially for the test and got ready to pit PAM cooking spray against a no-name competitor. But first, I needed to whip up my very favourite Chocolate Cherry Biscotti!

[Read more…]

Foolproof No Bake Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

December 7, 2015 by Kathryn 35 Comments

There’s no question that the holidays are a busy time of year. And between school concerts, parties, shopping and visits from family, even the calmest, most collected parent can start to get a little frazzled.

That’s why I depend on a number of holiday sanity savers to get me through the Christmas season stress-free and ready to celebrate. From foolproof holiday sweets to streamlined shopping done online, the holidays don’t have to feel hurried!

butterscotch-oatmeal-cookies

One of my family’s favourite quick and easy holiday treats is my famous No Bake Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies. My oldest son insists that I make them every Christmas. Friends and extended family will gobble them up when they’re on a tray of assorted cookies. And, I must admit, I love the little morsels of butterscotch goodness too! [Read more…]

Surprise Your Loved Ones with Last-Minute Homemade Feel Good Holiday Treats from Nature’s Path-Giveaway

December 24, 2014 by Kathryn 231 Comments

Christmas is pretty much here and if you’re looking for a last-minute gift, Nature’s Path has some easy gift recipes that are sure to delight! Featuring Nature’s Path Love Crunch – Gingerbread, these treats are quick, festive and delicious. Even better, some are vegan, making them a great choice for those with dietary restrictions!

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Gingerbread Crunch Cookies-Mason Jar Cookie Mix

Give someone the gift of a beautiful, ready to mix cookie recipe, all in a mason jar. Try with a variety of Love Crunch flavours to mix up the cookie mix and create handy gifts for your friends and family.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 48

Calories 96 kcal

Author Nature's Path

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Nature’s Path Love Crunch® - Gingerbread
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Mason Jar Cookie Mix

In a wide-mouth 4-cup mason jar, layer the flour, baking soda, salt, granola, brown sugar, granulated sugar and chocolate chips. Cover with tight-fitting lid. Decorate jar as desired and attach cookie recipe.

Chocolate Gingerbread Crunch Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, with electric beaters, beat butter, maple syrup, water and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
Add contents of jar and stir until well blended.
Using a tablespoon, shape into balls and place on parchment-paper lined baking sheets. Flatten slightly.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden.
Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely.

[Read more…]

Spoil Your Family with Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

December 18, 2013 by Kathryn 47 Comments

I love Christmas for all kinds of reasons and Christmas food has always been one of the highlights of the season for me. But with two boys, quick and easy is still the name of the game for most of my Christmas baking, and that’s why I love whipping up recipes from the Kraft What’s Cooking website! I always find ideas for fast and delicious dishes on the site, but when new recipes for Christmas cakes, cookies and candy start appearing, I always feel like Christmas has truly arrived!

In fact, one of my favourite holiday recipes is one that is available on the Kraft Canada website. I’ve been making it for years and it was one my mother always whipped up for Christmas when I was a child too. No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are a must for our holidays!

My recipe has some slight variations, mainly in the preparation method since I tend to favour the hands-on experience of stove-top cooking most of the time. But the microwave method is also a great choice for these quick and easy treats!

[Read more…]

Come Join the @KraftCanada #whatscooking Twitter Party December 12 at 9pm EST

December 9, 2013 by Kathryn 3 Comments

I absolutely love Christmas traditions and one of my favourite things about the holiday is the food! I’ve been whipping up some of my most-loved treats over the last few weeks and I’ll be featuring many of them on my site in the coming weeks. But I always add a few new treats to my baking collection each year too, and I’ll have a great chance to find the best new recipes for the holidays this year thanks to Kraft Canada!

If you’ve been longing to start creating some festive and delicious creations for Christmas, you’re in luck because Kraft Canada is hosting a fabulous Twitter party! On Thursday, December 12, 2013 from 9pm-10pm EST, come chat about the season’s best festive recipes at the #whatscooking Twitter Party. Just make sure you eat something first! [Read more…]

Holiday Entertaining Just Got Easier with New Black Diamond Cheese Spread

December 5, 2013 by Kathryn 151 Comments

With Christmas less than a month away, holiday entertaining is on my mind. I’ve been spending the last week baking up some tasty goodies for the freezer, but I like having savoury snacks to offer as well as sweets. I adore using appetizers for entertaining and cheese is one of my top choices, simply because I love it so much. Recently Black Diamond asked me to create a few recipes perfect for holiday entertaining using its new Black Diamond Cheese Spread and I couldn’t resist the chance to test out the cheesy goodness for myself.

I decided to make the Bacon Cheddar Salsa Dip featured on the Black Diamond website. My boys and I are huge fans of Mexican food and this looked like a great easy way to enjoy our favourite cuisine. I made the recipe even easier by substituting our favourite store-bought salsa for the freshly made version and the results were perfect. [Read more…]

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Holiday Ornaments Make an Easy and Fun Holiday Gift-Giveaway

December 20, 2012 by Kathryn 323 Comments

Everyone knows that it’s better to give than to receive and this holiday season, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal has everything you need to create a dazzling gift on a tiny budget!

Impressive, simple, and a fun activity for the kids, the signature Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal Holiday Ornament is new for Holiday 2012 and puts a fancy twist on everyone’s favourite – the classic Rice Krispies square! I recently received a Rice Krispies holiday decorating package so that I could try making these fun ornaments for myself and I couldn’t wait to get started. [Read more…]