This tropical drink is enjoyed on beaches all over the world and it’s the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day wherever you are. Ready to make the perfect vacation drink?

Related: Mai Tai, Rum Runner, Piña Colada Snow Cone, Piña Colada Popsicles, How to Cut a Pineapple, Painkiller and 50+ Fun Cocktails to Make At Home.

Piña Colada Origins

The Piña Colada was originally invented in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Although the exact creator is not know, it may have been invented by bartender Ramón Marrero at the Caribe Hilton in 1954, although the Old San Juan Restaurant in Barrachina claims the drink was created in 1963 by one of their bartenders.

The name Piña Colada literally means “strained pineapple” in Spanish as fresh pressed and strained pineapple juice is what gives the drink its tropical flavor.

Which Rum is Best for Piña Coladas?

• White Rum: White rum is often what you might use for mixed cocktails as it’s less expensive and with other strong flavors present it may not matter as much. But given that Piña Colada is actually a very simple drink, I don’t recommend light rum, but you can use it if it’s what you have.
• Aged Rum: For a richer and more complex profile, use an aged rum. The notes of caramel, vanilla, and spice complement the mint and lime, resulting in a sophisticated Mojito experience.
• Dark Rum: If you prefer a more intense flavor, dark rum can add depth to your drink. It offers a distinct molasses-like sweetness.

Pina Colada Recipe- Ingredients

• Rum: While you can choose any rum you like for this drink, we suggest aged or dark rum over light, but you can experiment and see which is your favorite.
• Cream of Coconut: Don’t confuse this with coconut cream or coconut milk … cream of coconut is different in that it is sweeter and syrupier than the other counterparts, so make sure you’re getting the right thing (Coco López is a fan favorite).
• Pineapple Juice: Since the juice is a big portion of the drink, go for a better quality pineapple juice or consider even juicing fresh pineapple juice.

You can also garnish your drink with chunks of pineapple, cherries, or limes. The Piña Colada is traditionally served in a hurricane-style glass, although you can use any tall glass in a pinch.

How to make a Piña Colada:

Add your rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice to a blender.

Add your ice and blend just until the ice is crushed and slushy. Serve immediately with garnishes of your choice and enjoy!

Try this secret to make your Piña Coladas extra delicious:

Our best-kept secret is mixing coconut cream and coconut milk.

Doing this really brings out the best coconut flavor possible in the drink as just using cream of coconut is sometimes too sweet and also not as coconut-y or creamy.

Combine 1 (15-ounce) can of Coco López Cream of Coconut with 7 ounces full-fat unsweetened coconut milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until combined. Let cool completely before using.

You can store this in a container in the fridge for up to two weeks and adding a shot of rum will keep the shelf life a little bit longer. It will harden, so when you want to use it just take it out and let it come to room temperature.

How to Make a Pineapple Cup

For fun, you can hollow out a pineapple in which to serve your Piña Colada.

To hollow out the pineapple for your vessel, cut off the top of the pineapple. Then use a pineapple corer to remove the inside by pushing down and turning it. When you reach close to the bottom, pull the corer out.

If you’re unsure about how close you are to the bottom, you can do it in two steps. You just don’t want to puncture the bottom because we can’t have our Piña Coladas leaking. The core will remain in the middle and you can cut it out and discard it.

Tips for Making Piña Coladas

• Try using pineapple rum for an extra dose of pineapple flavor.
• Serving a Piña Colada in a hollowed out pineapple makes the drink look so festive and fun for summer.
• If you think Piña Coladas are too sweet, try adding some lime juice into the drink before blending as that will cut the sweetness with a tart lime flavor.
• Virgin Piña Colada- Recipe to make a piña colada mocktail follow this recipe and simply omit the rum. You won’t need any special NA liquor. This recipe makes an excellent mocktail by removing the liquor.
• Garnish ideas- Use the pineapple leaf (pineapple frond), pineapple slices or a pineapple wedge or maraschino cherries for a tropical garnish.

More Tropical Cocktails

• Blue Hawaiian
• Mojito and Mojitos by the pitcher
• Dark and Stormy
• Rum Punch
• Daiquiri – fresh or frozen
• Queen’s Park Swizzle

Print

The Best Piña Colada Recipe

Classic rum-based pineapple cocktail

Course Drinks

Cuisine Puerto Rican

Keyword cocktails, pina colada, pineapple, rum

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 person

Calories 516kcal

Author Natalie Jacob

Cost $5

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 ½ ounces aged rum
• 3 ounces coconut cream
• 6 ounces pineapple juice

Instructions

• Add your rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice to a blender.
• Add your ice and blend just until the ice is crushed and slushy. Serve immediately with garnishes of your choice and enjoy!

Notes

Tips for Making Piña Coladas

• Try using pineapple rum for an extra dose of pineapple flavor.
• Serving a Piña Colada in a hollowed out pineapple makes the drink look so festive and fun for summer.
• If you think Piña Coladas are too sweet, try adding some lime juice into the drink before blending as that will cut the sweetness with a tart lime flavor.

Try this secret to make your Piña Coladas extra delicious:

Our best-kept secret is mixing coconut cream and coconut milk.

Doing this really brings out the best coconut flavor possible in the drink as just using cream of coconut is sometimes too sweet and also not as coconut-y or creamy.

Combine 1 (15-ounce) can of Coco López Cream of Coconut with 7 ounces full-fat unsweetened coconut milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until combined. Let cool completely before using.

You can store this in a container in the fridge for up to two weeks and adding a shot of rum will keep the shelf life a little bit longer. It will harden, so when you want to use it just take it out and let it come to room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 544mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 3mg

Tiramisu is sometimes called “Tuscan trifle,” as it was invented in Italy in the 1960s or 1970s. In Italian, tiramisu means “cheer me up,” which this dessert most certainly will do! It’s got layers of cake soaked in coffee and rum with creamy, custard-like layers in between. This no-bake dessert is well known and much beloved.

Related – Here are a few other past birthday treats I’ve posted: my favorite brownies, birthday cake cookies, and angel food cake.

Ingredients

• Heavy whipping cream
• Meringue powder
• Granulated white sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Mascarpone
• Espresso
• Water
• Coffee liqueur – I use Kahlua
• Lady fingers
• Cocoa powder

Check out the tips and substitutions section for ideas of ingredients you can swap or change out if you want to avoid alcohol, caffeine, or can’t find certain ingredients in your local grocery store.

Directions

Allow your mascarpone to reach room temperature. In the winter months (when I photographed this recipe), I set it out on my counter overnight.

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream and meringue powder and until soft peaks form. Then, while mixing, add in granulated white sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. This is pretty much the process to make homemade whipped cream.

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the softened mascarpone until combined with the whipped cream.

In a pie pan or plate with a large lip, combine the espresso, water and coffee liqueur. Quickly dip the lady fingers in the mixture and then place in an even layer in a 8×8 square pan. Once you have the bottom layer, add a layer of the cream filling and smooth into an even layer. Repeat another layer of lady fingers on top. Then the remaining layer of cream filling.

Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, but up to two days before serving.

Tips & Substitutions

• If you want to make this in a 9×13 pan, you can easily double this recipe.
• The “hardest” part of tiramisu in my opinion is removing it from the pan to serve. If this bothers you, consider building the dessert in individual ramekins or even wine glasses to serve.
• Meringue powder – There isn’t a great substitute for this ingredient, BUT if you can’t find it you can skip it and this recipe will still be very good. It just adds some lift and a little dimension to the whipped cream.
• Mascarpone – If you can’t find this soft cheese, you can substitute cream cheese.
• Espresso – Instead of espresso and water you can use 1 1/4 cups coffee or decaf coffee.
• Coffee liqueur – Other great options are rum or marsala wine. If you want an alcohol-free option, I would just skip it and add an additional 1/4 cup coffee or decaf coffee.
• Lady fingers – These can be a little hard to find at some grocery stores; at mine, they are usually in the freezer of the bakery section. If you can’t find them, I would use vanilla wafers instead, which are more hardy and crispy, so feel free to soak just a little longer to soften them.

While these substitution ideas will make the recipe less authentic, they are meant to help you succeed in still making a delicious and flavorful no bake dessert.

More No-Bake Recipes

• Eclair Cake – the Midwest tiramisu
• Cinnamon Toast Tiramisu
• Green Tea and White Chocolate Tiramisu
• Banana Cream Pie
• Cherry Cheesecake
• Peanut Butter Pie
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake
• Key Lime Pie
• Chocolate Silk Pie
• 30+ Easy No-Bake Dessert Recipes

Print

Tiramisu

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword no-bake desserts

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Refrigeration Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 363kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Equipment

• stand mixer or electric mixer

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon meringue powder
• ⅓ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces mascarpone
• 1 shot espresso
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup coffee liqueur
• 1 package lady fingers
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions

• Allow your mascarpone to reach room temperature.
• In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream and meringue powder and until soft peaks form.
• Then, while mixing, add in granulated white sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
• Use a rubber spatula to fold in the softened mascarpone until combined with the whipped cream.
• In a pie pan or plate with a large lip, combine the espresso, water and coffee liqueur.
• Quickly dip the lady fingers in the mixture and then place in an even layer in a 8×8 square pan.
• Once you have the bottom layer, add a layer of the cream filling and smooth into an even layer.
• Repeat another layer of lady fingers on top. Then the remaining layer of cream filling.
• Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, but up to two days before serving.

Notes

If you want to make this in a 9×13 pan, you can easily double this recipe.

The “hardest” part of tiramisu in my opinion is removing it from the pan to serve. If this bothers you, consider building the dessert in individual ramekins or even wine glasses to serve.

Meringue powder – There isn’t a great substitute for this ingredient, BUT if you can’t find it you can skip it and this recipe will still be very good. It just adds some lift and a little dimension to the whipped cream.

Mascarpone – If you can’t find this soft cheese, you can substitute cream cheese.

Espresso – Instead of espresso and water you can use 1 1/4 cups coffee or decaf coffee.

Coffee liqueur – Other great options are rum or marsala wine. If you want an alcohol-free option, I would just skip it and add an additional 1/4 cup coffee or decaf coffee.

Lady fingers – These can be a little hard to find at some grocery stores; at mine, they are usually in the freezer of the bakery section. If you can’t find them, I would use vanilla wafers instead, which are more hardy and crispy, so feel free to soak just a little longer to soften them.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 961IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg

Cake pops are perfect for parties since they are individual servings, can be made ahead of time, and you can decorate them however you like, so they are easy to customize for party themes and holiday events.

Looking for more cake pop fun? Check out:

• How To Make Cake Pops
• Birthday Cake Pops
• Oreo Cake Pops
• Christmas Cake Pops
• Halloween Cake Pops

What you need to make chocolate cake pops

• Chocolate cake: You can use our yummy homemade recipe below, or you can also use a chocolate box mix cake if you prefer.
• Can of frosting: You will also need one container of store-bought chocolate frosting.
• Cake pop sticks: While it’s most common to use sticks like this, you can also use forks or edible items like pretzel rods!
• Candy melts: These discs of chocolate are the easiest way to get that chocolate coating as they melt easily and come in lots of color options.
• Edible decorations: Use whatever sprinkles or non-pareils you like to decorate.
• Microwave or Double Boiler: You can melt candy melts in the microwave, but you can also use a double boiler to do it on the stove top or a chocolate melter like this one.

How to make chocolate cake pops

1. Bake the cake: Bake your cake according to the recipe and allow to fully cool.

2. Add the frosting and mix: Spoon the baked cake into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 of the container of frosting. Using the full container makes the cake pops a bit too soft and harder to work with once we dip them in chocolate. But, this is how you get cake pops to stick together—with frosting. Use clean hands to mix together the frosting and cake. The cake pop batter is going to be pretty soft, but moldable.

Starting with less frosting is better as you can always add more if you need it, but you can’t take it away if you use too much.

3. Roll cake balls: Form your cake pop batter into small balls (about 3 tablespoons each). You don’t want them to be too big, just so they easily fit in the palm of your hand.

Once you have formed all your pops (a standard size cake will make around 35-40 cake pops), put them in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Melt your candy melts: Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30-second increments on half power. You could also use a double boiler to do it on the stove top or a chocolate melter like this one. If you need to thin your candy melts, you can stir in a teaspoon of canola or vegetable oil once melted and can reheat the chocolate for 15 seconds at a time to remelt if it starts to set up at any point.

5. Attach the cake pop stick: First, put your stick into the melted chocolate and push the stick 2/3 through a cold cake pop.

6. Dip the cake pop: Dip the attached cake pop into the melted chocolate and allow any excess chocolate to drip off the pop. Gently tap the cake pop stick on the side of your bowl to also shake off extra chocolate. Then, add any extra decorations and store the cake pop upright while it sets (unless you don’t mind a flat bottomed cake pop).

You can keep them upright in a number of ways like sticking them into a container that is filled with granulated white sugar or rice or you can stick them into a block of styrofoam.

Tips for Making

• Add your icing to your cake crumble in small quantities so you just get the point of having enough for it to stick together.
• Use a small cookie scoop to scoop cake mixture so you get even portions for each cake pop.
• Make sure your cake balls are well-chilled before coating.
• Have your decorations nearby and prepped to go so you can attach them while the chocolate is still melted.
• You can use a tall glass to pour your melted chocolate in so you have a little dunk tank to fully submerge your cake pop into.

Looking for party appetizers? Try:

• Roasted Grape + Honey Goat Cheese Crostini
• Buffalo Chicken Dip – 5 Ingredients
• Taco Dip
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Pigs in a Blanket – Easy Appetizer

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Chocolate Cake Pops

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, cake pops

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Chill time 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 35 cake balls

Calories 25kcal

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $10

Equipment

• microwave or double boiler
• 1 9" round cake pan
• cake pop sticks

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake

• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup oil (canola or vegetable)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 cup water

For the cake pops

• 20 ounces chocolate melts

Instructions

Make the cake:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, stir together the water, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.
• Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and allow to cool fully.

Make the cake pops:

• Add the frosting and mix: Spoon the baked cake into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 of the container of frosting. Using the full container makes the cake pops a bit too soft and harder to work with once we dip them in chocolate. But, this is how you get cake pops to stick together—with frosting. Use clean hands to mix together the frosting and cake. The cake pop batter is going to be pretty soft, but moldable.

  Starting with less frosting is better as you can always add more if you need it, but you can’t take it away if you use too much.
• Roll cake balls: Form your cake pop batter into small balls (about 3 tablespoons each). You don’t want them to be too big, just so they easily fit in the palm of your hand.

  Once you have formed all your pops (a standard size cake will make around 35-40 cake pops), put them in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Melt your candy melts: Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30-second increments on half power. You could also use a double boiler to do it on the stove top or a chocolate melter like this one. If you need to thin your candy melts, you can stir in a teaspoon of canola or vegetable oil once melted and can reheat the chocolate for 15 seconds at a time to remelt if it starts to set up at any point.
• Attach the cake pop stick: First, put your stick into the melted chocolate and push the stick 2/3 through a cold cake pop.
• Dip the cake pop: Dip the attached cake pop into the melted chocolate and allow any excess chocolate to drip off the pop. Gently tap the cake pop stick on the side of your bowl to also shake off extra chocolate. Then, add any extra decorations and store the cake pop upright while it sets (unless you don’t mind a flat bottomed cake pop).

  You can keep them upright in a number of ways like sticking them into a container that is filled with granulated white sugar or rice or you can stick them into a block of styrofoam.

Notes

Tips for Making

• Add your icing to your cake crumble in small quantities so you just get the point of having enough for it to stick together.
• Use a small cookie scoop to scoop cake mixture so you get even portions for each cake pop.
• Make sure your cake balls are well-chilled before coating.
• Have your decorations nearby and prepped to go so you can attach them while the chocolate is still melted.
• You can use a tall glass to pour your melted chocolate in so you have a little dunk tank to fully submerge your cake pop into.

Nutrition

Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 0.1mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.02g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Many of these are holiday specific, but I think Christmas cookies can also be classics or favorites throughout the year, so we are sharing a big variety in this post.So grab your baking trays, butter, flour and sugar. We’ll help you make the ultimate cookie platters.

Find other holiday sweets in our full Desserts archive.

Christmas Wreath Cookies

Easy Christmas wreath cookies made from cornflake cereal with a marshmallow coating.

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Easy Chocolate (Oreo) Truffles

An Oreo truffle recipe that’s perfect for the holidays. No baking required.

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Melted Snowman Cookies

Create delicious sugar cookies decorated to look like a melting snowman.

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Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Flavorful holiday cutout cookies. Some gingerbread cookies are firm and crispy but this recipe is soft and chewy.

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Butter Cookies

Soft and delicious butter cookies—use a holiday cookie press on top for a festive look!

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Grinch Cookies (With Cake Mix!)

Make a holiday favorite with these easy green Grinch cookies.

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Snowball Cookies

Nutty and buttery cookies rolled in powdered sugar so they look like snowballs!

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Meringue Cookies

Melt in your mouth egg white cookies. These are delicate with a little crunch.

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M&M Cookies

A soft and chewy M&M cookie recipe—you can use holiday colored M&Ms or all one color for any look you prefer.

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Thumbprint Cookies

These thumbprint cookies are easy to make and so good!

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Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe is like soft chocolate chip cookies but with peanut butter and peanut butter chips. A favorite at our house!

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White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and delicious white chocolate chip cookies—these are so good and perfect with hot chocolate.

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

An old-fashioned soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.

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Pinwheel Cookies

Vanilla and chocolate flavored cookies with a festive swirl design.

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Edible Cookie Dough

A cookie dough recipe that is safe to eat without baking. A great snack for watching holiday movies, or a fun homemade gift idea!

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Potato Chip Cookies

This is a one of those recipes that feel like my great-grandmother. Just a classic, salty and sweet cookie.

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No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

How to make no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies that set every time! This is probably my favorite chocolate cookie recipe.

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Peanut Butter Blossoms

A simple peanut butter blossom recipe with no chilling required. Fill the centers with mini peanut butter cups or chocolate kiss candies.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

This cookies for this recipe are soft, chewy and buttery. The flaky salt and macadamia nuts contrast with the white chocolate for the perfect sweet/salty combination. 

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Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies

A simple, easy to follow recipe for flavorful molasses cookies. These smell amazing while they bake!

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Espresso Cookies

Chewy chocolate espresso cookies—these are rich and feel perfect for the holiday season.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

A classic chocolate chip cookie bar recipe. These are a classic and a reader favorite.

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Candy Cane Cookies

An easy recipe for candy cane cookies made with peppermint extract. It’s fun to shape these and mix different colors together!

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Simple Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

An all basic ingredients recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

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Snickerdoodles

The best snickerdoodle cookies (without cream of tartar—I always seem to be out). These always smell like the holidays to me!

sGet the Recipe

How to Freeze Cookie Dough Balls

If you prefer to plan and work ahead, then read all our best tips for how to freeze cookie dough balls so your freezer is always stocked and ready for guests anytime you need some fresh baked cookies.

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Rocky Road Cookies

A favorite ice cream flavor transformed into cookies. These remind me a lot of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

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Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Big chocolate chip cookies with crispy edge and soft centers—these are BIG and so fun for the season.

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Tips for Mailing Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

This coming season is full of holiday gifting—get our best tips for mailing treats from a professional baker.

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How to Make Slice and Bake Cookie Designs

An easy slice and bake cookie recipe with cute designs. You could make autumn leaves, Santa hats, holiday presents, or any cookie cutout design!

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Classic Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are some of my very favorite cookies. They are wonderful all on their own, but they also go great with hot chocolate or coffee.

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I love citrus in the winter months and if you do too please make these lemon crinkle cookies!

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Brownie Cookies

If you are in need of an easy-to-bake cookie recipe and are in the mood for chocolate, then do yourself a favor and bake these brownie cookies.

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Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

These are the number ONE cookies I make for almost every holiday! I decorate for whatever season or event we are celebrating.

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The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies!

If you need a vegan (non-dairy) version of royal icing sugar cookies.

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Easy Gooey Butter Cookies

Gooey butter cake is one of my favorite desserts to bring to a holiday potluck. These are the cookie version.

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies (also Gluten-Free!)

For when you need a seasonal alternative. These may be vegan and gluten-free, but we guarantee they are also DELICIOUS!

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Red Velvet Cookies

Rich, red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips. These are thin and crispy and absolutely packed with flavor!

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Banana Cookies

This recipe is the cookie version of banana bread or almost like a banana bread muffin with a crumb topping.

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Chocolate Chip Slice and Bake Cookies

A great chocolate chip recipe you can easily make ahead and save in your freezer. When needed, just slice and bake!

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

I’m filing this one under inspired by childhood favorites. Who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly? This is the dessert version.

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Vanilla and Thyme Slice and Bake Cookies

Rich and buttery cookies with the flavors of vanilla bean and thyme. These are perfect with coffee or tea and smell like the holidays while you bake them.

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Chocolate Snowcap Mountain Cookies

Giant, oversized cookies featuring chocolate and those classic movie-theater candy: snowcaps!

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Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are slightly chewy with a little pool of sweet and spicy jam at the center of each. If you love classic thumbprint cookies, you’ll probably enjoy this variation.

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Blueberry Muffin Cookies

These embody all of my favorite parts of a muffin—namely sweet, delicious flavors and the crown: crumble tops!

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Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrots don’t get enough credit. And probably my favorite carrot recipe has got to be carrot cake. This recipe is the cookie version.

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Spicy Gingerbread Cookies Turned Cityscapes

If you love thin, crispy gingerbread cookies, this recipe is for you! Plus, how to turn them into snowy cityscapes.

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Make Homemade Cookie Butter (With Any Cookie!)

An easy homemade cookie butter recipe (using any cookie!). This recipe is perfect to add to a dessert board OR as a homemade gift.

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Pie Crust Cutout Cookies

It wasn’t until adulthood that I truly came to appreciate the buttery, flaky deliciousness that is pie crust! This cookie recipe captures the magic.

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Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is WAY easy to make (only six ingredients), and I love the soft, but not overly gooey texture it creates.

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Skillet Cookies

A great recipe for when you want cookies for a crowd! These are best served with ice cream on top.

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How to Make Macaron Cookies

These classic French cookies are as delicious as they are beautiful. While they are fairly labor-intensive to make, this post makes it easy.

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I also think of monkey bread as a holiday breakfast or special treat when family is visiting. It’s kind of like donuts for breakfast; we all know it’s not a balanced meal, but we also accept it as breakfast food. It’s fun to make! It’s easy to eat! And it’s very, very delicious.

Related: Looking for more crowd-pleasing breakfast options? Try Tater Tot Casserole or Air Fryer Donuts. Or for a more involved baking challenge learn to make homemade English muffins.

Ingredients

• Canned biscuits – the homestyle or non-flaky kind
• Granulated white sugar
• Cinnamon
• Butter
• Brown sugar

You can add other spices or ingredients to this to change up the flavors slightly. For example, you could replace half the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice or add one apple, peeled and cubed into small pieces throughout for a caramel apple variation. It’s a simple recipe so feel free to make it your own!

How to make Monkey Bread

Begin by opening the biscuit cans and cutting each of the biscuits into fourths.

In a gallon-size ziplock bag or large mixing bowl, combine the granulated white sugar and cinnamon. Toss the biscuit pieces so they get coated in the cinnamon sugar mix.

In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until fully melted and well combined.

Add the biscuit pieces to a greased bundt pan. Then pour the melted butter mixture over all the pieces; it should leak down between the cracks and coat everything.

Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips while baking. And bake at 350°F (177°C) for 40 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before placing a large plate over the top and then inverting to remove from the pan.

Serving Suggestions

Other breakfast/brunch recipes you may like:

• Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
• the Best Fruit Salad
• Coffee Smoothie
• How to Cook Bacon – in the oven, air fryer, or microwave
• the Best French Toast

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Monkey Bread with biscuits

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword canned biscuits

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 769kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Equipment

• bundt pan

Ingredients

• 3 cans homestyle biscuits non-flaky
• ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar

Instructions

• Begin by opening the biscuit cans and cutting each of the biscuits into fourths.
• In a gallon-size ziplock bag or large mixing bowl, combine the granulated white sugar and cinnamon.
• Toss the biscuit pieces so they get coated in the cinnamon sugar mix.
• In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until fully melted and well combined.
• Add the biscuit pieces to a greased bundt pan. Then pour the melted butter mixture over all the pieces; it should leak down between the cracks and coat everything.
• Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips while baking. And bake at 350°F (177°C) for 40 minutes.
• Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before placing a large plate over the top and then inverting to remove from the pan.

Notes

You can add other spices or ingredients to this to change up the flavors slightly. For example, you could replace half the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice or add one apple, peeled and cubed into small pieces throughout for a caramel apple variation.

Nutrition

Calories: 769kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 1455mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 571IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 5mg

We’ll also show you the secret to making cake pops in just minutes if you want a handy shortcut to get the decorating part faster, so look for that below …

Looking for more holiday treats? Check out:

• Christmas Wreath Cookies
• Melted Snowman Cookies
• Grinch Cookies (With Cake Mix!)
• Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
• Eggnog French Toast
• Spiced Gingerbread Waffles
• Eggnog Pie

What You Need to Make Christmas Cake Pops:

• Cake mix: You can use any flavor cake mix: chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, yellow, etc. Be sure to check your cake mix to ensure you have whatever other cake ingredients the mix recommends for baking (eggs, oil, etc.).
• Can of frosting: You will also need one container of store-bought frosting. I like to use anything with a simple texture like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry.
• Cake pop sticks: While it’s most common to use sticks like this, you can also use forks or edible items like pretzel rods!
• Candy melts: These discs of chocolate are the easiest way to get that chocolate coating as they melt easily and come in lots of color options.
• Microwave or Double Boiler: You can melt candy melts in the microwave, but you can also use a double boiler to do it on the stove top or a chocolate melter like this one.
• Edible decorations: For these Christmas cake pops, you’ll want mini pretzels, candy eyes, and red M&Ms for the reindeer, chocolate coins, Rolo or mini Reese’s cups, and orange sprinkles for the snowmen, and sprinkles or mini M&Ms to decorate your Christmas tree.

Looking for more cake pops? Check out our Chocolate Cake Pops, Birthday Cake Pops, Halloween Cake Pops, and Oreo Cake Pops!

How to Make Christmas Cake Pops

1. Bake the cake: Bake your cake according to the package instructions and allow to fully cool.

2. Add the frosting and mix: Spoon the baked cake into a large mixing bowl. Add 2/3 of the container of frosting. Using the full container makes the cake pops a bit too soft and harder to work with once we dip them in chocolate. But, this is how you get cake pops to stick together—with frosting. Use clean hands to mix together the frosting and cake. The cake pop batter is going to be pretty soft, but moldable.

3. Roll cake balls: Form your cake pop batter into small balls (about 3-4 tablespoons each). You don’t want them to be too big, just so they easily fit in the palm of your hand.

Once you have formed all your pops (a standard size cake will make around 35-40 cake pops), put them in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Melt your candy melts: Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30-second increments on half power. You could also use a double boiler to do it on the stove top or a chocolate melter like this one. If you need to thin your candy melts, you can stir in a teaspoon of canola or vegetable oil once melted and can reheat the chocolate for 15 seconds at a time to remelt if it starts to set up at any point.

5. Attach the cake pop stick: First, put your stick into the melted chocolate and push the stick 2/3 through a cold cake pop.

6. Dip the cake pop: Dip the attached cake pop into the melted chocolate and allow any excess chocolate to drip off the pop. Gently tap the cake pop stick on the side of your bowl to also shake off extra chocolate. Then, add any extra decorations and store the cake pop upright while it sets (unless you don’t mind a flat bottomed cake pop).

You can keep them upright in a number of ways, like sticking them into a container that is filled with granulated white sugar or rice or you can stick them into a block of styrofoam.

How To Make SUPER EASY Cake Pops:

• To make your cake pops even faster and easier, try using Little Debbie Snack Cakes or Zebra Cakes! Just crumble them into a bowl and mash them together with a mixing spoon until you get a thick dough. Use your small cookie scoop to scoop out balls of cake and continue to chill, dip, and decorate just like you would with the regular recipe! Such a time saver and you get about one cake pop per snack cake.

How To Make a Reindeer Cake Pop:

• Follow directions above to make a general cake pop and dip the cake pop into brown chocolate.
• Add two mini pretzels to the head for the antlers (or break off a section of a regular size pretzel), two candy eyes, and a red M&M for the nose.
• Allow the chocolate to set and your cake pop is ready!

How To Make a Christmas Tree Cake Pop:

• Follow directions above to make a general cake pop and dip the cake pop into green chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set.
• Add some melted green chocolate to a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the tip cut off) and lay the cake pop on some wax paper. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the tree back and forth and add sprinkles or small candies to decorate.
• Allow the chocolate to set and your cake pop is ready!

How to Make a Snowman Cake Pop:

• Follow directions above to make a general cake pop and dip the cake pop into white chocolate.
• Glue your Rolo or mini Reese’s cup to your chocolate coin with a little melted chocolate to make a hat and add to your snowman’s head. Add your sprinkle nose and allow chocolate to set.
• Once chocolate is set, melt a small amount of black or brown chocolate to pipe the eyes and mouth (or you can use black sprinkles or mini chocolate chips placed before the chocolate sets!).
• Allow the chocolate to set and your cake pop is ready!

Looking for a seasonal cocktail? Check out:

• Cranberry Spiced Hot Toddy
• Apple Cinnamon Hot Toddy
• How to Make Mulled Wine
• Grinch Punch or Sherbet Punch (Non-Alcoholic)
• Spiced Apple Cider Recipe
• Spiked Hot Chocolate (With A Secret Ingredient!)

FAQ

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Birthday Cake Pops

Create fun birthday cake pops for your next party!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword birthday cake, cake pops

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 35 cake balls

Calories 55kcal

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $15

Equipment

• 1 small cookie scoop optional
• 35-40 cake pop sticks
• 1 microwave or double boiler

Ingredients

• 1 boxed Funfetti or vanilla cake mix and whatever other ingredients you need to make the cake (eggs, oil, etc.)
• 1/2-3/4 of a 16-ounce can of vanilla frosting (add little by little until you have right consistency)
• candy melts in white
• sprinkles

Instructions

• 1. Bake the cake: Bake your cake according to the package instructions and allow to fully cool.
• 2. Add the frosting and mix: Spoon the baked cake into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2-2/3 of the container of frosting. Using the full container makes the cake pops a bit too soft and harder to work with once we dip them in chocolate. But, this is how you get cake pops to stick together—with frosting. Use clean hands to mix together the frosting and cake. The cake pop batter is going to be pretty soft, but moldable. Should feel like play dough consistency.
• 3. Roll cake balls: Form your cake pop batter into small balls (about 3-4 tablespoons each). You don’t want them to be too big, just so they easily fit in the palm of your hand. Once you have formed all your pops (a standard size cake will make around 35-40 cake pops), put them in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.
• 4. Melt your candy melts: Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30-second increments on half power. You could also use a double boiler to do it on the stove top or a chocolate melter like this one. If you need to thin your candy melts, you can stir in a teaspoon of canola or vegetable oil once melted and you can reheat the chocolate for 15 seconds at a time to remelt if it starts to set up at any point.
• 5. Attach the cake pop stick: First, put your stick into the melted chocolate and push the stick 2/3 through a cold cake pop.
• 6. Dip the cake pop: Dip the attached cake pop into the melted chocolate and allow any excess chocolate to drip off the pop. Gently tap the cake pop stick on the side of your bowl to also shake off extra chocolate. Then, add any extra sprinkle decorations and store the cake pop upright while it sets (unless you don’t mind a flat bottomed cake pop).

Notes

*You can keep them upright in a number of ways while they set like sticking them into a container that is filled with granulated white sugar or rice or you can stick them into a block of styrofoam.

 

Tips for Making Cake Pops:

• • Add your icing to your cake crumble in small quantities so you just get the point of having enough for it to stick together. It should feel like play dough.

• • Use a small cookie scoop to scoop cake mixture so you get even portions for each cake pop.

• • Make sure your cake balls are well chilled before coating.

• • Have your decorations nearby and prepped to go so you can attach them while the chocolate is still melted.

• • You can use a tall glass to pour your melted chocolate in (or melt it in a microwaveable mug) so you have a little dunk tank to fully submerge your cake pop into.

Nutrition

Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 0.3mg

It only takes about 15 minutes to put these wreaths together and you can customize and decorate them however you like!

Looking for more holiday cookie ideas? Check out:

• Melted Snowman Cookies
• Grinch Cookies
• Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
• Thumbprint Cookies
• Aunt Judy’s Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
• Snowball Cookies

Tips for making wreath cookies:

• Make sure to spray your fingers with nonstick cooking spray (or butter them!) so you can handle the sticky mixture when forming the wreaths.
• For sturdier cookies, you can pack your 1/3 cup measuring cup with the cookie mixture before dumping it out and shaping it into a wreath. The more loosely shaped wreaths will be a little floppier when picked up, so make your wreaths more dense if you want it to feel more solid when handled.
• Add a little powdered sugar once your cookie is cool for a snowy effect!
• The most common decorations are red hots or mini M&Ms, but you can use star candies, candy pearls to look like ornaments, or even pull-and-peel Twizzler pieces to make a small bow.

Ingredients for wreath cookies:

• Cornflakes: All you need is plain cornflake cereal for the base of these wreaths.
• Butter: Melted butter makes the marshmallows even creamier for a rich cookie coating.
• Marshmallows: You can use mini or regular sized marshmallows for this recipe.
• Vanilla extract (optional): Just a little hint of vanilla is added and you can also put in some almond extract if you have that on hand.
• Green food coloring: We like gel food coloring as it’s a more concentrated color, but you can use liquid as well.
• Decorations: You can use whatever sprinkles or candies you want to decorate your wreaths!

How to make wreath cookies:

Melt the marshmallows: Add your marshmallows and butter to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30-second increments until melted, stirring each time. Quickly add your green food coloring a few drops at a time until you get the color you like and stir in your vanilla and almond extract.

Add the cornflakes: Working quickly, add in your cornflake cereal and fold in until evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.

Shape your wreaths: Spray some nonstick cooking spray onto your fingertips (or butter them) and scoop a 1/3 cup of the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Use your fingers to make a hole in the center and shape the flakes into a wreath. Add your decorations while the coating is still warm.

Cool your cookies: Put your cookies into the fridge for about 2 hours to let the marshmallow coating to fully set before storing or serving.

Looking for more holiday recipes? Try our:

• Eggnog Pie
• Christmas Cake Pops
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – Small Batch
• No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
• Eggnog French Toast
• Spiced Gingerbread Waffles

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Christmas Wreath Cookies

Easy Christmas wreath cookies made from cornflake cereal with a marshmallow coating

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas, cookie

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Setting time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10 cookies

Calories 189kcal

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $7

Equipment

• 1 microwave safe-bowl or saucepan

Ingredients

• 4 cups cornflakes
• ½ cup butter
• 30 marshmallows (or 4 cups mini marshmallows)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• green food coloring
• candy decorations

Instructions

• Melt the marshmallows: Add your marshmallows and butter to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30-second increments until melted, stirring each time. Quickly add your green food coloring a few drops at a time until you get the color you like and stir in your vanilla and almond extract.
• Add the cornflakes: Working quickly, add in your cornflake cereal and fold in until evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
• Shape your wreaths: Spray some nonstick cooking spray onto your fingertips (or butter them) and scoop a 1/3 cup of the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Use your fingers to make a hole in the center and shape the flakes into a wreath. Add your decorations while the coating is still warm.
• Cool your cookies: Put your cookies into the fridge for about 2 hours to let the marshmallow coating to fully set before storing or serving.

Notes

Tips for making wreath cookies:

• Make sure to spray your fingers with nonstick cooking spray (or butter them!) so you can handle the sticky mixture when forming the wreaths.
• For sturdier cookies, you can pack your 1/3 cup measuring cup with the cookie mixture before dumping it out and shaping it into a wreath. The more loosely shaped wreaths will be a little floppier when picked up, so make your wreaths more dense if you want it to feel more solid when handled.
• Add a little powdered sugar once your cookie is cool for a snowy effect!
• The most common decorations are red hots or mini M&Ms, but you can use star candies, candy pearls to look like ornaments, or even pull-and-peel Twizzler pieces to make a small bow.

How to make wreath cookies without a microwave:

You can easily also make wreath cookies on the stovetop if you don’t have a microwave. Just add your butter to a saucepan over medium heat, and once it’s melted, add in your marshmallows, stirring often until melted. Remove from the heat, add your extracts and food coloring, stir to combine, and then fold in your cornflakes to finish your cookie dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 484IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 3mg

To make your recipe a snap, we use a cake mix so you can get to the baking (and eating!) part of your cookie experience even faster and easier. Maybe they will make your heart grow three sizes too!

Looking for more holiday recipes? Try our:

• Grinch Punch or Sherbet Punch
• Melted Snowman Cookies
• Christmas Cake Pops
• Christmas Wreath Cookies
• Eggnog Pie
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – Small Batch
• Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
• Spiced Gingerbread Waffles

Ingredients for Grinch Cookies:

• White cake mix: Use your favorite brand of white or vanilla cake mix that comes in a 15.25-ounce size.
• Eggs: You’ll want two eggs as the binder for this recipe.
• Vegetable oil: You can use any vegetable or canola oil.
• Vanilla extract: I’m using vanilla extract in my cookies, but you can choose to omit it if you choose a vanilla flavored box mix.
• Powered sugar: Rolling the cookies in powdered sugar gives it that snowy look with an extra touch of sweetness.
• Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch to the powdered sugar helps it lay on top of the cookie rather than soak right in.
• Green food coloring: You’ll want to add a few drops at a time until you get the perfect green that you’re looking for! Gel food coloring is a little more intense in color but liquid will work as well.
• Heart sprinkle: To represent the Grinch’s heart, add a heart shaped sprinkle after baking.

How to make Grinch Cookies:

Mix your dough: Add your cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined.

Add your green food coloring one drop at a time until you reach your desired color and mix on low until just combined (I used 5 drops of gel food coloring).

Cover dough and let chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes so it’s easier to scoop.

Roll your cookies: Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.

Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop a 1-2 tablespoon size ball of dough and plop it into your powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. Dough will be really sticky but once it lands in the powdered sugar it’s easier to handle.

Roll it around until covered and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Bake your cookies: Bake cookies at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until the center is just set but the cookies haven’t started to brown on top yet.

Add heart and cool: While still warm, add your heart sprinkle and after 3-5 minutes transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Tips for Making Grinch Cookies:

• Try adding flavored extracts like mint, pistachio, or almond to your dough for a fun twist!

• Make sure to mix the dough fully once you add your green food coloring so you don’t have any white streaks in your dough.

• If you don’t have cornstarch you can just roll the cookies in powdered sugar—some will sink into the cookie but you should still get a dusted effect.

• Make sure to keep an eye on your cookies so they don’t start to brown as that will affect the pretty green color of the cookie. These cookies should be soft and chewy.

• If you don’t have heart sprinkles on hand, you could also use pink royal icing to pipe on the shape of a heart once the cookies are cool.

These cookies are so soft and chewy and they are a fun one to make with kids and do some Christmas crafts or games by the fire. Enjoy!

Love a good cookie recipe? Check out:

• Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
• M&M Cookies
• Snowball Cookies
• Thumbprint Cookies

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Grinch Cookies (With Cake Mix!)

Make a holiday favorite with these easy green Grinch cookies

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas, cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 126kcal

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $7

Equipment

• 1 mixer or hand blender
• 1 cookie scoop (optional but helpful)

Ingredients

Cookie batter

• 1 box white cake mix (15.25 ounces)
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 drops green food coloring

Powdered sugar

• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup cornstarch

Instructions

• Mix your dough: Add your cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add your green food coloring one drop at a time until you reach your desired color and mix on low until just combined (I used 5 drops of gel food coloring). Cover dough and let it chill in fridge for 30 minutes so it’s easier to scoop.
• Roll your cookies: Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop a 1-2 tablespoon size ball of dough and plop it into your powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. Dough will be really sticky but once it lands in the powdered sugar it’s easier to handle. Roll it around until covered and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Bake your cookies: Bake cookies at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until the center is just set but the cookies haven’t started to brown on top yet.
• Add heart and cool: While still warm, add your heart sprinkle and after 3-5 minutes transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Notes

Tips for Making Grinch Cookies:

• Try adding flavored extracts like mint, pistachio, or almond to your dough for a fun twist!

• Make sure to mix the dough fully once you add your green food coloring so you don’t have any white streaks in your dough.

• If you don’t have cornstarch you can just roll the cookies in powdered sugar—some will sink into the cookie but you should still get a dusted effect.

• Make sure to keep an eye on your cookies so they don’t start to brown as that will affect the pretty green color of the cookie. These cookies should be soft and chewy.

• If you don’t have heart sprinkles on hand, you could also use pink royal icing to pipe on the shape of a heart once the cookies are cool.

Storage and Freezing:

In an airtight container, Grinch cookies will last for about 5 days before starting to get stale.

To freeze, put your cookie sheet in the freezer to first flash freeze the cookies for 30 minutes and then you can put them in a freezer bag for 2-3 months. Let the cookies thaw in the fridge or on the counter before eating.

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Our recipe uses our favorite Aunt Judy’s Sugar Cookie recipe, but if you want to make yours super easy you can also buy a sugar cookie mix or even premade sugar cookies to speed things up a bit. Don’t have time to make your own icing? You can also use ready-to-pipe icing in a bag as well!

Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Check out:

• Grinch Cookies
• Christmas Wreath Cookies
• Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipes
• Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
• Thumbprint Cookies
• Snowball Cookies

These cookies are perfect for a holiday cookie table or a kid’s classroom holiday party snack idea.

Tips for melted snowman cookies:

• If your icing piping skills aren’t great, try using food markers to add your details instead! Just wait until the icing has set a few hours before writing on the cookies.
• To make your marshmallow snowman head a little melty, try putting the marshmallows in the microwave for about 30 seconds until they puff up a little before pressing into your cookie.
• If you are transporting your cookies to a party, it’s best to make them the day before and let the icing fully harden overnight if possible.
• When mixing up your black icing, make it a little thicker than your white icing (just add a little more powdered sugar to it to thicken it) so that it will keep its shape and not spread out when you pipe it.
• You can use regular food coloring, but we love gel food color since it’s more concentrated and you’ll get a more intense color.

Decorating ideas for melted snowman cookies:

There are lots of different ways you can decorate your snowman, try using:

• Icing: You can stick to just icing in different colors for the buttons and scarf for easy decorating.
• M&Ms: Round candies like M&Ms or M&M minis make great buttons.
• Pull and Peel Twizzlers: These or sour straws make great scarves.
• Mini Reese’s Cups: You can use these for a snowman hat!
• Oreos: A mini Oreo on top of a single larger Oreo makes a cute top hat!

How to make melted snowman cookies:

Bake cookies: Make your easy cookie dough, roll out your dough and cut out cookies, bake, and let your cookies cool.

Ice cookies: Mix together your icing ingredients until you reach the consistency you want. The mixture should flow in thick ribbons, but not be super runny.

Use a piping bag or ziplock to pipe the frosting into a snow puddle shape on the cooled cookies (or you can spoon it on and spread with back of the spoon). You want the icing to look a little messy since the snowman is melting so it’s OK if some goes over the edge.

Decorate cookies: While the icing is still wet, press in your marshmallow head near the side of your cookies and any snowman buttons you want to add.

Add some icing to a small bowl and add black food coloring to a piping bag or ziplock bag and pipe on the eyes, mouth, and arms. Attach orange sprinkle nose with a small dab of icing (or make some orange icing to pipe it on). Use more candy to add scarfs, hats, or earmuffs for some extra details!

New to cookie decorating? Check out What You Need to Decorate Sugar Cookies!

Allow the cookies to set for at least 2 hours before serving, but the cookies are best if left to set overnight. The frosting will get harder as it sets, so this is best if you plan to transport the cookies anywhere.

FAQ

Looking for more holiday recipes? Check out:

• Grinch Punch
• Eggnog French Toast
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – Small Batch
• Spiced Gingerbread Waffles
• Eggnog Pie
• Puppy Chow Mix (Muddy Buddies)

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The Best Melted Snowman Cookies

Create delicious sugar cookies decorated to look like a melting snowman

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas, cookie

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Decorating Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 30 cookies

Calories 229kcal

Author Laura Gummerman

Equipment

• 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
• piping bag and small tip or ziplock bag

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

• 1 ⅓ cup softened butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Royal Icing

• 2 tablespoons meringue powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 5-6 tablespoons water

Decorations

• marshmallows
• black food coloring
• M&Ms for buttons
• orange sprinkles for nose
• gumdrops for earmuffs (optional)

Instructions

To Make The Cookies

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Then stir in the eggs and vanilla until just combined.
• In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Then stir the dry ingredients in with the wet until a dough forms.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough out so it's 1/4-inch thick or a little less. Cut out circle shapes with cookie cutters. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. The centers may look a little undercooked, but the edges should just be beginning to brown. Remove to a cooling rack and they will firm up.

To Make The Icing

• To make the royal icing, simply whisk together the meringue powder, powdered sugar, and water. Start with five tablespoons and add an additional one (or two) as needed. The mixture should flow in thick ribbons, but not be super runny. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add small bits of water until desired consistency.

Decorate The Cookies

• Use a piping bag or ziplock to pipe the frosting into a snow puddle shape on the cooled cookies (or you can spoon it on and spread with back of the spoon). You want the icing to look a little messy since the snowman is melting, so it’s OK if some goes over the edge.
• While the icing is still wet, press in your marshmallow head near the side of your cookies and any snowman buttons you want to add. Add some icing to a small bowl and add black food coloring to add to a piping bag or ziplock bag and pipe on the eyes, mouth, and arms. Attach orange sprinkle nose with a small dab of icing (or make some orange icing to pipe it on). For earmuffs, just shorten a gumdrop by cutting off a bit of the bottom and use a dab of icing to glue them to the sides of your marshmallow head. Use more candy to add scarfs or hats for some extra details!
• The cookies are best if left to set overnight, but you can also consume them immediately if you like. The frosting will get harder as it sets, so this is best if you plan to transport the cookies anywhere.

Notes

Decorating Ideas for Melted Snowman cookies:

• Icing: You can stick to just icing in different colors for the buttons and scarf for easy decorating.
• M&Ms: Round candies like M&Ms or M&M minis make great buttons.
• Pull and Peel Twizzlers: These or sour straws make great scarves.
• Mini Reese’s Cups: You can use these for a snowman hat!
• Oreos: A mini Oreo on top of a single larger Oreo makes a cute top hat!

Tips for melted snowman cookies:

• If your icing piping skills aren’t great, try using food markers to add your details instead! Just wait until the icing has set a few hours before writing on the cookies.
• To make your marshmallow snowman head a little melty, try putting the marshmallows in the microwave for about 30 seconds until they puff up a little before pressing into your cookie.
• When mixing up your black icing, make it a little thicker than your white icing (just add a little more powdered sugar to it to thicken it) so that it will keep its shape and not spread out when you pipe it.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 268IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

If you love fudge or the filling of these peanut butter bars, you will probably love this recipe. Plus, it’s SO easy to make with just four ingredients.

Related: More homemade candy recipes = peanut brittle, puppy chow, and Oreo cake pops.

Ingredients

• Butter – I use unsalted
• Peanut butter – creamy
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar – also called Confectioner’s sugar

I usually sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top as well, but this is optional.

Directions

In a large pot, melt the butter and peanut butter together, stirring so they incorporate well. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat.

Stir in the vanilla extract. Take care as you do, when you add extract to a hot liquid it can boil up and spit at you. Then stir in the powdered sugar until a thick paste forms.

Cover an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Press the fudge into an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with sea salt if using. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice and serve!

Tips for Making

• I like fudge to be firm enough that it holds it shape well as you cut it, but still chewy when you bite into it. If you like your fudge on the softer side, you can reduce the powdered sugar to 4 cups.
• This homemade fudge will only take about an hour to set in the refrigerator, but I often make this the night before and just let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before cutting.
• While peanut butter fudge does not have to be refrigerated for storage, it will keep longer this way. Also, keep in mind the butter can melt if the fudge gets too warm.

More Peanut Butter Recipes:

• Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
• Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
• How to Make Peanut Butter
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

Print

Peanut Butter Fudge

easy peanut butter fudge made with only 4 ingredients

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword fudge

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Refrigeration Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 323kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ¼ cups powdered sugar confectioner's sugar
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt optional

Instructions

• In a large pot, melt the butter and peanut butter together, stirring so they incorporate well. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat.
• Stir in the vanilla extract. Take care as you do, because when you add extract to a hot liquid it can boil up and spit at you.
• Then stir in the powdered sugar until a thick paste forms.
• Cover an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
• Press the fudge into an even layer in the prepared pan.
• Sprinkle with sea salt if using.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice and serve!

Notes

I like fudge to be firm enough that it holds it shape well as you cut it, but still chewy when you bite into it. If you like your fudge on the softer side, you can reduce the powdered sugar to 4 cups.

This homemade fudge will only take about an hour to set in the refrigerator, but I often make this the night before and just let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before cutting.

While peanut butter fudge does not have to be refrigerated for storage, it will keep longer this way. Also, keep in mind the butter can melt if the fudge gets too warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.3mg