Adventures of Mel

Category: Christmas

Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers with Peanut Butter
Make chocolate covered Ritz crackers with peanut butter in a jiffy. Quick and easy no bake recipe, only 3 ingredients, and they’re the perfect bite-sized candy for the holidays, family gatherings, parties, and celebrations!

Ritz cookies are another one of our favorite treats during the holiday season, and I’ve made them for years. My family can’t go a Christmas without making peanut butter Ritz crackers and rice crispy peanut butter balls; they make great Valentine’s Day and Easter candies too.

Every single Christmas when I was a kid, my mom would make chocolate covered Ritz crackers with peanut butter, along with this easy buckeye recipe.

I remember we’d store these crunchy little Ritz cracker peanut butter cups in the stairwell of our old farmhouse because there was no heat and they’d stay nice and chilled there. My bedroom was at the top of said stairwell, so of course, I’d help myself as I climbed past on the way to my room.

So Many Reasons to Love This Christmas Candy
- Chocolate Ritz crackers are so easy to make! And they’re no bake cookies, so they’re quick too! It’s super easy to make a double batch or triple batch of these delicious goodies.
- You need a grand total of 3 ingredients to make them, unless you want to get creative and add extras, like festive sprinkles or sea salt flakes. But they’re delicious just the way they are.
- I mean, if you think about it, what goes together better than chocolate and peanut butter?
- As a sweet and salty treat, they’re the best of both worlds. You get a sweet snack, while at the same time, a salty snack. Yum!
- They’re the perfect no bake treat for celebrations, holidays, and special occasions. They make an especially festive holiday cookie tray.
- Along with a cold glass of milk, they make the perfect yummy treats for Santa.
If you’re looking for more homemade candy, you may enjoy making chocolate peanut butter bars, homemade chocolate covered cherries, and chocolate covered almond coconut trees.

Ingredients and Substitutions Notes

You just need 3 simple ingredients to make Ritz cracker cookies dipped in chocolate…
- Ritz Crackers – If you want to make these little Ritz cookies gluten-free, you can use these crackers instead.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – I prefer Skippy Natural Creamy. And I LOVE using honey peanut butter too.
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate baking bars, or almond bark.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers with Peanut Butter

First things first, you’ll need to prep by placing a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Then…
1. Use a knife to spread peanut butter between 2 Ritz Crackers, sandwiching the peanut butter crackers together.
2. Set each sandwich cookie on the wax paper covered baking sheet, in preparation for dipping.
How to Prep Chocolate for Dipping

You’ll need melted chocolate that’s ready to go. Depending on the chocolate you decide to use, you can melt it a few different ways:
- Melt it using a double boiler on the stove – The double boiler method is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.
- Melt it in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl or Pyrex measuring cup – This is usually the route I go. I like to use my glass measuring cup for melting the chocolate wafers in the microwave, according to package directions, usually in 15 to 30 second intervals, stirring after each increment ’til the chocolate is melted. The depth of my measuring cup makes dipping a lot easier
- Or enlist the help of your family, and use a fondue pot for dipping.
Also, depending on the type of chocolate used (chocolate almond bark, candy melts, or chocolate chips), some people like to use shortening or paraffin wax, adding it into their chocolate as it melts. This allows for a thinner coat and stretches the chocolate a little further. If you use a good quality chocolate, you likely won’t need that extra step.

I started using Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers a few years ago, and I love them so much better than almond bark. They’re so much easier to work with, and they have fantastic flavor.

How to Dip Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers
1. Once the chocolate is melted, dip each cracker sandwich in the melted chocolate, using the forks or tongs.
2. Shake off any excess chocolate before placing the chocolate peanut butter Ritz cracker cookies back on the wax paper covered sheet pan to dry.
3. When all your crackers have been dipped, chill them in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the freezer and place them in an airtight container or festive Christmas tin (lined with wax paper) in the fridge.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s

How should you store chocolate Ritz crackers with peanut butter?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. They can be kept out at room temperature, but they won’t keep as long as they will if you keep them in the fridge or freezer. Kept chilled, they’ll last up to 2 weeks.

Can you freeze Ritz cracker cookies?
Yes, you can! Just be sure to keep them in an airtight container in between layers of wax paper, to avoid freezer burn.

Can I use a different nut butter?
Of course! You can use almond butter, cashew butter, etc.

Alternative Recipe Variations for Ritz Cookies
- Use marshmallow fluff instead of peanut butter in between the crackers.
- Add a layer of marshmallow fluff, along with peanut butter, for an even creamier treat.
- Use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy, especially if you like a crunchier treat. Or use a different nut butter, like almond butter, cashew butter, etc.
- Double or triple the layers on your cracker sandwiches, using more crackers and more peanut butter for a triple layer treat.
- Instead of dipping in chocolate, dip the cracker sandwiches in melted white chocolate chips, melted butterscotch chips, milk chocolate, peanut butter chips, mint chocolate chips, etc. The sky’s the limit.
- Drizzle the dipped crackers with white chocolate or dark chocolate. Or double dip, dipping half of each cracker in chocolate and half in white chocolate… You get the idea.
- Add sprinkles, sea salt flakes, or festive sugar on top of each of your Ritz crackers dipped in chocolate, before the chocolate hardens.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes

If you love this Ritz cracker cookies recipe as much as I do, you’ll love these recipes too…
- You and your family will really enjoy candy cane bark.
- Did you know you can make hot chocolate cookies with hot cocoa mix?!
- And check out my list of favorite Christmas and Holiday Recipes!
- My friend Kelly at Eat Picks has a very yummy recipe for homemade Thin Mint cookies.
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers with Peanut Butter

Make chocolate covered Ritz crackers with peanut butter in a jiffy. Quick and easy no bake recipe perfect for holidays and parties!
Wax Paper
Baking Sheet
Double Boiler
Pyrex Measuring Cup
Candy Dipping Tools
Festive Christmas Tins
3 sleeves Ritz Crackers
1 cup creamy peanut butter
20 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers ((or chocolate chips))
Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Use a table knife to spread peanut butter between 2 Ritz Crackers, sandwiching the crackers together.
Set each sandwich cookie on the wax paper lined baking sheet, in preparation for dipping.
Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl; and melt, starting at 30 seconds, then stirring every 15-20 seconds, 'til melted and smooth.
Using 2 forks or tongs, dip each cracker sandwich in the melted chocolate; shake any excess chocolate off before placing back on the wax paper to dry.
When all the crackers have been dipped, chill them in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove them from the freezer, and place them in an airtight container. They're best stored in between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Depending on the type of chocolate used (chocolate almond bark, candy melts, or chocolate chips), some people like to use shortening or paraffin wax, adding it into their chocolate as it melts. This allows for a thinner coat and stretches the chocolate a little further. But if you use a good quality chocolate, you likely won’t need that extra step. I started using Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers a few years ago, and I love them so much better than almond bark. They’re so much easier to work with, and they have fantastic flavor.

You can also melt the chocolate using a double boiler on the stove. This is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.

Sweet Snacks
American
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March 14, 2019
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats
Fun and simple holiday recipe for kids! How to make Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats with a cookie cutter, gooey marshmallow treats, and candy.

Rice Krispie squares are such a simple, classic dessert. They’re the quintessential kid-friendly dessert.

They’re also really easy to decorate and reinvent every time a holiday or special event rolls around. I mean, how cute are these snowman Rice Krispie treats, these festive Fruity Pebbles Christmas treats, and heart shaped Rice Krispie treats?

You only need 5 ingredients to make ordinary Rice Krispie treats. If you’re decorating and making special rice crispy treat shapes, you may need a few more decorative ingredients like icing, marshmallow cream, and candy.

Christmas tree Rice Krispies treats are super easy to make, and they’re a festive addition to the holiday dessert table.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE FOR CHRISTMAS TREE RICE KRISPIE TREATS?

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the Christmas Tree Rice Krispie treats recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

HOW DO I MAKE RICE KRISPIE TREATS?

You can follow this Rice Krispie Treats recipe to make a full pan of Rice Krispie treats.

I usually fill a 9″x13″ pan with this recipe. Sometimes I’ll use a regular cake pan, but if I know I’m cutting out shapes, I’ll use my more shallow brownie pan.

HOW TO MAKE RICE KRISPIE CHRISTMAS TREES

Once you’ve spread your Rice Krispies treats mixture in your pan, you can go ahead and start cutting out Christmas tree shapes with a Christmas tree cookie cutter.

Be careful because the treats will still be quite hot, so just take your time. Cutting out the Christmas trees will help them to cool more quickly, though.

WHAT SHOULD I USE TO DECORATE MY CHRISTMAS TREES?

First you’ll want to gather a few ingredients together, different candies and decorating icing.

And here is where I improvised… I had no icing on hand, and I didn’t really feel like making my usual favorite sugar cookie icing either. I looked around me, and happened to look over inside a cabinet, and what did I see?

A jar of Marshmallow Fluff… That’s right… Instead of using icing, I used Marshmallow Fluff, and it worked like a charm. I highly recommend it.

Other ingredients you may want to gather are M&M’s Minis, spice drops, sour straws, and Christmas sprinkles.

TIPS FOR HOW TO DECORATE CHRISTMAS TREE MARSHMALLOW TREATS

You can decorate these treats however you want. It’s a really fun thing to do with your kids too. Give them a buffet to work from, and watch their creative forces at work.

You can pipe a bit of marshmallow fluff on as tinsel, then place M&M’s Minis on the fluff as ornaments. The fluff will hold the candy in place.

Cut spice drops in half, which will give you a super sticky end to work with. Press that sticky end onto the Christmas tree and form a sort of spice drop tinsel (and even a star).

Sour straws are really sticky, so you can stick pieces of sour straws onto your trees as tinsel.

Then add sliced spice drops as ornaments.

Use Marshmallow Fluff to hold special sprinkles on the tree… I love these little snowflake sprinkles.

Marshmallow Fluff will pretty much hold anything on your cutout Rice Krispie trees that just won’t stick. It’s amazing stuff and works so much better than decorating icing, in my humble opinion.

LOOKING FOR MORE NO BAKE CHRISTMAS TREATS?

We absolutely love making these Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls every Christmas. Another one of our absolute musts at Christmas time are these Ritz Cracker Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

Mommy Hates Cooking has a scrumptious looking recipe for Peppermint Mocha No Bake Cookies. Sprinkle Some Fun has a recipe for the cutest ever Grinch Rice Krispie Treats.

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE CHRISTMAS TREE RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Dutch Oven or Sauce Pot

Heat-Resistant Spatula – This one is my go to spatula.

9″x13″ Baking Dish or Brownie Pan

Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter

Decorating Bag and Small Round Tip

CHRISTMAS TREE RICE KRISPIE TREATS RECIPE

If you love this Rice Krispie treats recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest! If you make the recipe, be sure to share that you tried it on Pinterest. I love when readers share feedback!

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Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats

Fun and simple holiday recipe for kids! How to make Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats with a cookie cutter, gooey marshmallow treats, and candy.
5 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
20 Sour Punch Twists (or Straws)
10 ounces M&M’s Minis
1 cup spice drops
1 cup sprinkles
Grease a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large sauce pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over low to medium heat on the stove.
Stir the vanilla extract and salt into the butter.
Add the mini marshmallows to the melted butter mixture, stirring until the marshmallows have fully melted.
Remove the mixture from the heat, and quickly stir in the Rice Krispies cereal.
Spread the Rice Krispies mixture in the prepared baking pan.
Cut out Christmas tree shapes with a Christmas tree cookie cutter, and place the Rice Krispie trees on a wire rack to cool completely.
For tinsel, pipe marshmallow cream back and forth on the trees, or pipe it onto the back of Sour Punch Twists (or Straws) to hold them on the trees.
Use M&M's Minis, spice drops, and sprinkles as ornaments for the trees. Cut spice drops in half, which will give you a sticky side you can stick onto the Christmas trees; or use a little marshmallow cream to hold the candies in place.
When you're all finished decorating, have fun serving and eating these festive treats!
*You can also use decorating icing, but Marshmallow Fluff works really well. You can use a regular cake pan, or to make cutting shapes easier, you can use a more shallow brownie pan. Be careful cutting out the trees because the treats will still be quite hot, so just take your time.

Desserts
American
Christmas recipes, Christmas treats, Christmas tree, marshmallow treats, no bake Christmas treats, Rice crispy treats, Rice Krispie Christmas trees, Rice Krispie squares, Rice Krispie treats, Rice Krispie treats recipe, Rice Krispies, Rice Krispies treats
December 14, 2018
Leftover Ham and Stuffing Crescent Rolls
Leftover Ham Crescent Rolls – Easy appetizer recipe with leftover ham, stuffing, and crescent rolls. Simple and delicious finger foods, perfect for party snacks or lunch with the kids!

Sometimes I think leftovers are even better than the main dish, especially when it comes to leftover ham and crescent rolls. When you combine the two with a few tasty ingredients, you’ve definitely got the makings of a delicious snack, lunch, or appetizer.

Not too long ago, I shared how to make the yummiest leftover turkey stuffing crescent roll appetizers. Well, now we’re going to do the same thing, only with ham.

Because Christmas and Easter are all about ham, right? So now you’ll have a way to use up all those holiday leftovers in a really delicious way.

These ham and cheese crescents really are the perfect finger foods to serve as easy appetizers or even a fun lunch with your kids.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE FOR LEFTOVER HAM AND STUFFING CRESCENT ROLLS?

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious leftover ham and stuffing crescent rolls recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

CAN I JUST USE DELI HAM IF I DON’T HAVE LEFTOVER HAM?

Yes, you can; in fact, that’s what I did for this recipe.

You can use any kind of ham, including a fully cooked ham, pineapple honey glazed ham, deli ham, or even chicken or roasted turkey.

You can also use sausage and make something similar to my favorite maple sausage stuffed pastry bites, only with crescent roll dough instead of puff pastry.

DOES IT MATTER WHICH CHEESE I USE?

The type of cheese used is really up to the individual because cheese is such a personal choice. At least, that’s how I look at it anyway.

I’ve been a cheese lover since I was a kid, sneaking pieces of American cheese out of the fridge when Mom wasn’t looking. In fact, I’d have much rather had a slice of cheese over a cookie any day… Unless they were chocolate chip cookies, of course.

You can use just about any cheese you want with these. A few suggestions might be…
- American Cheese
- Extra Sharp Cheddar
- Smoked Cheddar – One of my favorites.
- Speaking of smoked, smoked Gouda would be fabulous, as would smoked Swiss or smoked Gruyére.
- Pepper Jack
Really, your options are limitless. Pick a cheese, any cheese, and you’ll have the most delicious crescent roll appetizers ever.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE LEFTOVER HAM AND TURKEY STUFFING CRESCENT ROLLS

The first step for making these easy party appetizers is to gather your ingredients. You’ll need canned crescent rolls (or you can make homemade crescent dinner rolls), leftover ham, stuffing, your choice of cheese, and green onions.

When I first made these, I used American cheese, but these days I’d rather use extra sharp cheddar or pepper jack.

Take each piece of crescent roll dough, and add a quarter slice of cheese (or shredded cheese), as well as a small pile of leftover ham.

Then add a bite of turkey stuffing (or Christmas stuffing or whatever type of stuffing you want).

Another additional ingredient idea is leftover cranberry sauce. You can add just a tiny dollop of cranberry sauce on top of the ham for a li’l sweet and salty flavor.

Finally, add a little pile of chopped green onions. Don’t leave these out because they add so much delicious flavor.

Roll each crescent up, per the instructions on the can. They’ll probably be a bit bulky and might not be quite as pretty as they normally would, but that’s ok; they’ll still taste amazing.

Finally, pop them in the oven and bake as usual, per the instructions on the can.

When you take them out of the oven, they’re best eaten while warm. Dip them in leftover ham gravy and enjoy!

Mmmm…. Happy Holiday Leftovers Season! You’ll find even more ideas in our big list of Christmas recipes.

MORE LEFTOVER HAM RECIPES AND CRESCENT ROLL RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:

These 3 easy appetizer recipes are 3 of my favorites; the ham and dill spirals are perfect for using up leftover ham. You can also make the most delicious ham and cheese egg muffins (recipe coming soon).

Venturing out into friend land, Mommy Hates Cooking has a Leftover Ham and Stuffing Frittata that looks out of this world amazing. And Crazy Adventures in Parenting made the most delicious looking Ham and Cheese Crescent Roll Sandwiches.

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THESE EASY APPETIZERS

Cookie Sheet – This is by far my favorite cookie sheet; I use it for so many things.

Cheese Slicer

Rustic Appetizer Server

Holiday Dessert/Appetizer Plates

Disposable Holiday Plates

LEFTOVER HAM AND STUFFING CRESCENT ROLLS RECIPE

If you love this leftover ham recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

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Leftover Ham and Stuffing Crescent Rolls

Easy appetizer recipe with leftover ham, stuffing, and crescent rolls. Simple and delicious finger foods, perfect for party snacks or lunch with the kids!
2 cans crescent rolls
1 1/2 cups ham (leftover and chopped or sliced)
1 1/2 cups stuffing (leftover*)
2 cups cheddar cheese (**shredded)
1/2 cup green onions (chopped)
Pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
Separate each crescent roll.
Add a bite of cheese, a small pile of ham, a bite of stuffing, and a sprinkling of green onions in that order.***
Roll each crescent up, per the instructions on the can, and place on an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375° for 11 to 13 minutes or until the crescent rolls turn a golden brown.
They’re best served while warm, right out of the oven.
*You can use leftover stuffing or even boxed stuffing for this recipe.

**You can use any kind of cheese you want. I’ve used American, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Smoked Cheddar, etc.

***If you like, you can add just a tiny dollop of cranberry sauce on top of the turkey for a li’l sweet and salty flavor.

Appetizers
American
Christmas appetizers, Christmas party appetizers, crescent roll appetizers, crescent roll recipes, crescent rolls, easy appetizers, easy party appetizers, ham and cheese, ham and cheese crescent rolls, leftover ham, leftover ham recipes, stuffed crescent rolls
December 11, 2018
Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Make the best chocolate crinkle cookies ever! Made with cocoa powder, they’re a classic, family favorite Christmas cookie with a yummy chocolate mint twist.

Every Christmas I make a few of our favorite Christmas cookies, including cutout sugar cookies, hot chocolate cookies and crinkles. This crinkles recipe has become a staple Christmas dessert, even making it into Thanksgiving festivities this year.

While I used to make chocolate crinkles with a brownie mix, I don’t anymore. In fact, I’m actually pretty proud of this recipe for perfectly gooey chocolate mint cookies.

While the cookie dough is easy to mix up, it is a thicker, stickier dough. It’s a lot like brownie dough in that way.

The cookies themselves are coated in powdered sugar and infused with peppermint flavor. They’re best when they’re warm and gooey from the melted chocolate chips and mint baking chips.

If you enjoy these Christmas cookies, you may also enjoy these reindeer thumbprint cookies, butter almond snowball Christmas cookies, and chocolate lover’s Christmas light cookies.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES?

If you’d rather skip all of my baking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious crinkles recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE CRINKLE COOKIES

Your first step will be to soften the butter, which you can do by either getting it out of the fridge ahead of time and letting it sit or putting it in the microwave for a few seconds.

After creaming (or mixing) together the butter and sugar, mix in the eggs and the flavored extracts.

Sift the dry ingredients, and add them to the mixture.

Then comes the best part… Fold in the chocolate chips and mint baking chips, making sure they’re mixed into the dough really well.

DO I NEED TO CHILL THE COOKIE DOUGH?

You can if you want to, but you don’t have to. Here’s a tip, though.

These cookies are best when they’re warm out of the oven. In fact, they can be a little stale after a day or two (unless you pop them in the microwave and warm them up).

However, when you chill the dough, it helps to keep the cookies fresher for longer. I chilled my dough for about 4 hours the last time I made a batch, and the cookies were still fresh as a daisy and quite delicious 2 to 3 days later.

So… My recommendation is to chill the cookie dough for a good 3 to 4 hours before baking.

HOW DO I FORM THE CHOCOLATE CRINKLES FOR BAKING?

Once you have your baking sheet out and ready to go, oven pre-heated, and cookie scoop in hand, take the following steps:
- Scoop about a tablespoon or so of cookie dough.
- Drop that scoop of cookie dough into a small bowl of powdered sugar and roll the dough ball around, making sure it’s good and coated.
- Then just place each sugar coated dough ball on your baking sheet and you’ll bake according to the recipe instructions below.
These really are the best Christmas cookies ever; they’re one of my favorite Christmas recipes.

I dare you to try and stop at just one.

CAN I FREEZE THESE COOKIES?

You can freeze the cookies, but I’m not sure how fresh they’ll taste later on… I’d almost recommend freezing the cookie dough over the already baked cookies if possible.

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with Mixing Bowl

Sifter

Cookie Scoop

Cookie Sheet

Wire Rack

Christmas Cookie Jar or Festive Christmas Tin

LOOKING FOR MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES?

Nothing says Christmas quite like a warm batch of gingerbread cookies.

Mommy Hates Cooking has a scrumptious alternative to milk chocolate with these White Chocolate Christmas Cookies. And Around Our Family Table has a super easy recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.

CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES RECIPE

If you love this chocolate crinkle cookie recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

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Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Make the best chocolate crinkle cookies ever! Made with cocoa powder, they’re a classic, family favorite Christmas cookie with a yummy chocolate mint twist.
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups cane sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mint baking chips
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream or mix together the softened butter and sugar.
Mix the eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract into the butter mixture.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mixing well.
Fold the chocolate chips and mint baking chips into the mixture by hand.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop about a tablespoon of cookie dough, and drop it into a small bowl of powdered sugar; roll the dough ball around, making sure it’s coated with powdered sugar.
Place each sugar coated dough ball on the cookie sheet, and bake at 350° F for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are set.
Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
*I normally use an ungreased cookie sheet, but depending on the kind of baking sheet you use, you may want to spray it with a little cooking spray.

Cookies & Bars, Desserts
American
best Christmas cookies, chocolate crinkle cookie recipe, chocolate crinkle cookies, chocolate crinkles, chocolate mint, chocolate mint cookies, Christmas cookie recipes, Christmas cookies, cookie recipes, crinkle cookies, crinkles, crinkles recipe
December 6, 2018
Easy Orange Sherbet Punch Recipe
Inspired by family tradition, orange sherbet punch is easy to make and the perfect recipe for Christmas, weddings, baby showers, and holiday parties.

Soon we’ll be celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year, believe it or not. This orange sherbet punch is a recipe very similar to the sherbet punch my grandmother made every single Christmas without fail.

Orange sherbet really does make the best holiday punch. While I love the non alcoholic punch all by itself, the sherbet adds a creamy delicious froth that leaves behind an epic sherbet mustache.

Out of all the punch recipes in the world, this one is my favorite by far. I’ve even added it to my list of favorite Christmas recipes because it truly is the best.

If you’re looking for a Christmas punch or party punch you can throw together in just a few minutes, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’d rather have a different flavor, you may enjoy my Polyjuice Potion recipe, aka lime sherbet punch.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE FOR ORANGE SHERBET PUNCH?

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the sherbet punch recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

A HOLIDAY PUNCH THAT BRINGS BACK SO MANY MEMORIES

Every Christmas my grandma would set the punch bowl out on top of her big console tv. Little handled glasses hung on the sides of that punch bowl.

Grandma, my mom, and aunts would scoop orange sherbet as fast as they could, topping that delicious party punch with every scoop.

Everyone would grab a cup, and the punch seemed to refill itself as everyone enjoyed it. Looking back, I realize now how much pride and happiness Grandma got out of having everyone in her home.

Personally, I love a good non alcoholic drink recipe. My family doesn’t really drink, and we have a lot of kids in the family who love to enjoy a really good punch.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE A DELICIOUS SHERBET PUNCH

While Grandma used 7-Up in her punch, I love to use Cranberry Sprite. Really, any lemon lime or cranberry lemon lime soda will work.

I also use a little less cranberry apple juice than Grandma used. 3 cups seems to be just the right amount of juice.

Just a couple of tips…
- Chill the juices and soda ahead of time so they’re nice and cold, and the sherbet won’t melt as fast.
- Definitely be sure to get your sherbet out of the freezer ahead of time so it’s easier to scoop when you’re ready for it.
- 1/2 gallon of sherbet seems to do the trick, but if you want more, add a whole gallon. No one will ever complain of too much sherbet.
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE A SHERBET PUNCH RECIPE

Punch Bowl

Ice Cream Scoop

Punch Cups – These Glitter Plastic Cups and Snowflake Tumblers are so pretty. But my favorite is the Moose Mug from Christmas Vacation.

EASY ORANGE SHERBET PUNCH RECIPE

If you love this sherbet punch recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest! If you make the recipe, be sure to share that you tried it on Pinterest. I love when readers share feedback!

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Click on the video below to see how easy it is to make orange sherbet punch!
Orange Sherbet Punch

Inspired by family tradition, orange sherbet punch is easy to make and the perfect recipe for Christmas, weddings, baby showers, and holiday parties.
Punch Bowl
46 ounces pineapple juice
3 cups cranberry apple juice
2 liters lemon lime soda
1/2 gallon orange sherbet
Combine the pineapple juice, cranberry apple juice, and lemon lime soda in a large punch bowl, stirring well.
Then scoop orange sherbet on top, placing scoops all over the top of the punch.
Serve immediately!
I highly recommend chilling the juices and soda beforehand; this will help the sherbet not to melt so quickly.

*You can use any lemon lime or cranberry lemon lime soda for this sherbet punch.

*If you like more sherbet, feel free to add a whole gallon.

Beverage, Drinks
American
Christmas punch, easy punch recipes, non alcoholic punch, non alcoholic punch recipes, orange sherbet, orange sherbet punch, party punch, punch recipes, sherbet, sherbet punch, sherbet punch recipe
December 3, 2018
Red-Nosed Reindeer Thumbprint Cookies
Bake a yummy batch of reindeer thumbprint cookies, decorated with pretzels and strawberry jam. Easy recipe for your Christmas party or cookie exchange!

One of my favorite old-time Christmas specials, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, inspired these li’l reindeer thumbprint cookies. Strawberry jam really does make the brightest red nose.

Thumbprints are must have Christmas cookies. Just like our favorite cut out cookies, hot chocolate cookies and mint chocolate crinkle cookies, they’ve become tradition every year in our kitchen, and my boys look forward to the Christmas tins being filled with all our favorite holiday cookies.

While these reindeer cookies may seem like a lot of work, they’re actually really easy. All you need is a little time, and really, baking and cookie decorating are great ways to spend quality time with your kids this holiday season.

This festive thumbprint cookie recipe is just the thing for a holiday party or cookie exchange. They also make the best homemade gifts for your neighbors, as well as cookies for Santa.

They’re just one of many family favorite Christmas recipes.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE FOR REINDEER THUMBPRINT COOKIES?

If you’d rather skip all of my baking tips, important cookie decorating info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious thumbprint cookie recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE REINDEER THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Your first step is to mix up your cookie dough.

Start by creaming together (mixing together) the butter and sugar. Then mix the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract into the creamed mixture.

Sift together your dry ingredients, and then gradually mix them into the creamed mixture.

HOW TO FORM THE THUMBPRINTS
- Using a cookie scoop, take about a tablespoon or just slightly smaller scoop of dough, and roll it into a ball.
- Repeat the above step with the rest of the dough, placing the dough balls on an un-greased cookie sheet. Be sure to leave enough room between each cookie for your antlers. We’ll get to those in a minute.
- Using a smooth bottomed glass, you’re going to press each cookie flat.
- Then press your thumb into the center of each cookie, leaving enough room for eyes above and mouth beneath.
Life Made Sweeter has an awesome tip in her recipe for Easy Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies… She uses a round 1/4 teaspoon to make the perfect indentation in the middle of her thumbprints. So brilliant!

NOW LET’S GET TO THE COOKIE DECORATING TIPS

Once your thumbprint indentations are made, you’ll fill each thumbprint with a tiny spoonful or dab of strawberry jam. You can add as little or as much as you prefer, but don’t overfill because the jam may run out of the cookies as they bake.

Also, try to use a thicker jam. This will help prevent any mishaps with Rudolph’s nose during baking.

Break mini pretzels in half, and place one on each side of your thumbprint cookies, to serve as antlers.

You’ll need to bake the cookies at this point and allow them to cool before adding tiny eyes and a mouth with black frosting or decorating gel (though I prefer frosting because it hardens). If you don’t want to use black frosting, you can use candy eyeballs instead.

And then just give them a sprinkling of powdered sugar, using a powder shaker.

CAN I FREEZE THESE DECORATED CHRISTMAS COOKIES?

So if you’re wanting to make these holiday cookies ahead and freeze them, I’d recommend freezing the dough… Or you can freeze the already formed reindeer thumbprints.

I don’t know that I’d recommend freezing them decorated and all because I’m not sure how the pretzels would handle freezing and thawing.

But you can definitely freeze the dough or unbaked cookies themselves.

IF YOU LOVE THESE REINDEER COOKIES, YOU MAY ALSO LOVE SOME OF OUR OTHER FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES:

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Chocolate Lover’s Christmas Light Cookies

Butter Almond Snowball Christmas Cookies

30 of the Most Scrumptious Classic Christmas Cookies Ever

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with Mixing Bowl

Sifter

Cookie Scoop

Wire Rack

Powder Shaker

Christmas Cookie Jar or Festive Christmas Tin

RED-NOSED REINDEER THUMBPRINT COOKIE RECIPE

If you love this red-nosed reindeer thumbprint cookie recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

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Reindeer Thumbprint Cookies

Bake a yummy batch of red-nosed reindeer thumbprint cookies, decorated with pretzels and strawberry jam. Easy recipe for your Christmas party or cookie exchange!
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup cane sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam
2 cups mini pretzels
1/4 cup black decorating icing
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream or mix together the softened butter and sugar.
Mix the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract into the creamed mixture.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, a little bit at a time.
Using a cookie scoop, take about a tablespoon of dough, and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing the dough balls on an un-greased cookie sheet. Be sure to leave enough room between each cookie for the antlers.
Using a smooth bottomed glass, press each cookie flat.
Press your thumb into the center of each cookie, leaving enough room for eyes above and mouth beneath.
Fill each thumbprint with a tiny spoonful or dab of strawberry jam.
Break mini pretzels in half, and place one on each side of each thumbprint cookie, to serve as antlers.
Bake the cookies at 350° F for about 15 minutes, or 'til the cookies are set.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
After the cookies have cooled, use black decorating icing to add eyes and a little smile.
Finally, using a powder shaker, sprinkle the reindeer cookies with powdered sugar.
*You can use any flavor of red jam you prefer, including strawberry, raspberry, cherry, etc.

*I recommend using black decorating icing, decorating gel, or candy eyeballs for the eyes. If you want homemade frosting, you can make an easy sugar cookie icing; but you won’t need very much just for eyes and smiles.

Christmas, Desserts
American
Christmas cookie recipes, Christmas cookies, cookie decorating, cookie recipes, holiday cookies, jam thumbprint cookies, reindeer cookies, reindeer thumbprint cookies, thumbprint cookie recipe, thumbprint cookies, thumbprints
November 30, 2018
Easy 4 Ingredient Buckeyes Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
How to make dreamy, creamy 4 ingredient buckeyes, peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Easy small batch buckeye recipe perfect for the holidays! It’s the quintessential must have Christmas candy and holiday dessert.

Every Christmas since I was a little girl, I’ve made buckeye candy, or easy chocolate peanut butter balls with a creamy peanut butter center. If you’ve never had homemade buckeyes, they are the #1 must have Christmas candy.

When I was a kid during the holiday season, we’d store all the Christmas candy, including chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls, in the stairs that led up to my room because there was no heat or insulation. So they’d stay nice and chilled, and they were pretty easy to access on the way to my room.

It just wouldn’t be the holidays without a small batch of buckeye balls and Ritz crackers with peanut butter. In fact, this small batch buckeyes recipe is one of our family’s favorite Christmas recipes. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day too, especially if your significant other loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Sometimes I like to make them crispy too. Rice Krispie peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies are just the ticket. If you want even quicker and easier (no rolling or dipping), you’ll love buckeye bars.

Why I Love This Easy Buckeye Recipe
- Classic peanut butter balls consist of a creamy peanut butter center inside a chocolate coating.
- This buckeye balls recipe is super easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients.
- Kids can get in on the fun of making them too, as it’s a very kid-friendly recipe.
Is There a Difference Between Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls and Buckeyes?

Actually, yes, there is. And I didn’t really think it was that big of a deal until a few years ago, when a friend from Ohio (where the state tree of Ohio is the Ohio Buckeye tree) educated me otherwise.

Chocolate covered peanut butter balls are just that… They’re completely covered in chocolate. Buckeye candy is mostly covered in chocolate but with a bit of the peanut butter uncovered, so to look like actual buckeyes.

Ingredients and Substitutions Notes

You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make this easy buckeye recipe…
- Salted Butter – Be sure to give the butter time to soften and come to room temperature before mixing. You can also substitute plant-based or vegan butter if you need to make dairy-free buckeyes.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – You can also sub crunchy peanut butter. I do recommend using a regular creamy peanut butter vs. a natural peanut butter, where you have to stir in the oil before using, because the chocolate will coat better with less oily peanut butter.
- Powdered Sugar or Confectioners’ Sugar
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – You can use any type of melting chocolate, but I do recommend using a higher quality chocolate for better flavor. I have used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but an actual melting chocolate has better flavor, in my opinion.
How to Make 4 Ingredient Buckeyes Peanut Butter Balls
1. Your first step will be to soften the butter and adding it to a large bowl. You can soften it by either getting it out of the fridge and letting it sit beforehand or putting it in the microwave for a few seconds.
2. Add in the peanut butter with the butter.
3. Finally, add in the powdered sugar.
4. Mix everything together until it’s blended well.
How to Shape the Peanut Butter Balls
1. At this point, you’ll need to shape all of the dough into creamy peanut butter balls. You’ll take about a tablespoonful or small cookie scoop of the peanut butter mixture and begin to roll it between your hands. Shape it into round 1-inch balls and place each one on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
1. Add toothpicks (for dipping) to each ball.
Once all of the dough is rolled into balls, chill the whole sheet in the fridge or freezer for about half an hour.

How to Melt Chocolate for Dipping

While your peanut butter balls are chilling, it’s a good time to melt the chocolate and get it ready to go.

Depending on the chocolate you decide to use, you can melt it a couple different ways:
- Melt it using a double boiler on the stove – This is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.
- Melt it in the microwave – This is usually the route I go.
- Use a fondue pot and make it a family affair.
Also, depending on the type of chocolate used, some people like to add vegetable shortening or paraffin wax to their chocolate as it melts. This allows for a thinner coat and stretches your chocolate a little further. If you use a good quality chocolate, you likely won’t need this step.

I started using Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers a few years ago, and I love them so much better than almond bark. They’re so much easier to work with, and they have fantastic flavor.

How to Dip the Peanut Butter Balls
1. Dip the chilled peanut butter balls, leaving the very top part of each undipped, so to resemble an actual buckeye. We’ve used a regular table fork in the past, as well as tongs or toothpicks. You can also use a dipping fork or tool to dip your peanut butter balls into the chocolate.
1. At this point, you’ll need to chill the buckeye peanut butter balls for about 15-20 minutes in the freezer; then remove all the toothpicks and cover up each toothpick hole with your finger (totally optional).
As you can see in most of my pictures, I didn’t really care about the holes being there… But if you do, just smooth it over.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s

For best results, make sure the peanut butter you’re using isn’t a super greasy peanut butter. If it’s too oily, the chocolate may not want to coat the peanut butter mixture.

Put the melted chocolate in a deeper dish for dipping; I prefer my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup because I can use it in the microwave, and it’s the perfect depth and breadth for dipping.

My homemade buckeyes usually have kind of a chocolate ring around the bottom of the buckeyes. You can avoid this by letting excess chocolate drip off the buckeye after dipping; and just lightly press the bottom of the buckeye on a separate sheet of wax paper before putting it back on your cookie sheet.

Can I use crunchy peanut butter to make buckeye candy?
If you like to have a little crunch to your peanut butter balls, you most certainly can use crunchy peanut butter. I’ve also used honey peanut butter, which really does make delicious peanut butter balls.

How do you keep buckeyes from sweating?
Keep them chilled. Freezing or chilling the dough before dipping, then after dipping, will make the buckeyes sweat if removed from the fridge or freezer. So when not eating, keep them stored in the fridge.

How should you store buckeye candies?
As noted above, be sure to keep this candy in an airtight container, lined with wax paper, in the fridge. They can be kept out, but they won’t keep as long as they will if you keep them in the fridge.

Can you freeze chocolate peanut butter balls?
Yes, you can. You can freeze them before or after dipping. Just be sure to store them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container to avoid freezer burn. They should keep for up to 3 months.

More Easy Candy Recipes:

If you love this small batch buckeye recipe as much as I do, you’ll love these candies too…
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Easy 4-Ingredient Buckeyes Recipe

How to make dreamy 4 ingredient buckeyes, peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Easy small batch buckeye recipe perfect for the holidays!
Mixing Bowls
Baking Sheet
Wax Paper
Double Boiler
Candy Dipping Tools
Festive Christmas Tins
3 tablespoons salted butter (softened)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter*
1 cup powdered sugar
10 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers
In a large bowl, mix up the first three ingredients, including the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
Take about a tablespoonful or small cookie scoop of the peanut butter mixture and begin to roll it between your hands. Shape it into as round of a ball as you can and place it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
Continue rolling until all of your peanut butter mixture has been rolled into 1-inch balls.
Add toothpicks (for dipping) to each ball.
Chill the peanut butter balls in the fridge or freezer for about half an hour.
Melt the chocolate according to package directions.*
Once your chocolate is ready to go, you can remove the chilled peanut butter balls from the freezer, and start dipping right away.
As you partially dip each buckeye into the chocolate, using a toothpick or dipping tool, place it back on the wax paper lined cookie sheet.*
Chill the chocolate covered peanut butter balls in the fridge or freezer ’til set, probably about 15-20 minutes.
Then remove all the toothpicks and cover up each toothpick hole with your finger (optional step).
Store them in an airtight container or festive Christmas tin, lined with wax paper or parchment paper, in the fridge.*
*For best results, make sure the peanut butter you’re using isn’t a super greasy peanut butter. If it’s too oily, the chocolate may not want to coat the peanut butter mixture. You can also use crunchy peanut butter.

*How to Melt Chocolate for Dipping:

Melt it using a double boiler on the stove – This is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.

Melt it in the microwave – This is usually the route I go. I like to use my 2-cup Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup for dipping. Whatever you do, put the melted chocolate in a deeper dish for dipping; I prefer my Pyrex measuring cup because I can use it in the microwave, and it’s the perfect depth and breadth for dipping.

Use a fondue pot and make it a family affair.

Also, depending on the type of chocolate used, some people like to add vegetable shortening or paraffin wax to their chocolate as it melts. This allows for a thinner coating and stretches your chocolate a little further.

If you use a good quality chocolate, you likely won’t need this step. I started using Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers a few years ago, and I love them so much better than almond bark. They’re so much easier to work with, and they have fantastic flavor.

*My buckeyes usually have kind of a chocolate ring around the bottom of the buckeyes. You can avoid this by letting excess chocolate drip off the buckeye after dipping; and just lightly press the bottom of the buckeye on a separate sheet of wax paper before putting it back on your cookie sheet.

*They can be kept out, but they won’t keep as long as they will if you keep them in the fridge.

Can Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls Be Frozen?

Yes, they absolutely can. You can freeze them before or after dipping. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container or festive Christmas tin to avoid freezer burn.
Candy
American
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November 23, 2018
Easy Slow Cooker Mulled Cider
How to make mulled cider in your slow cooker. Warm apple cider filled with cinnamon, spices, and a smidge of brown sugar, perfect for the holidays!

‘Tis the season for warm drinks, soft blankets, good books, and apple pie spice with all of its fall spicy goodness. Even though I love summer, I love this time of year when the temperatures drop and mulled cider becomes the beverage of choice.

While I’m more of a hot chocolate girl myself, I do love a warm mug of cider, especially when my house smells as good as it does after an afternoon of slow cooking a batch of spiced cider.

This hot apple cider is so easy to make, anyone can make it. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or time in the kitchen.

Are you ready for an apple cider drink that will get you in the mood for fall? This is most definitely it.

I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR MULLED CIDER!

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious mulled cider recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

WHAT IS APPLE CIDER? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLE JUICE AND APPLE CIDER?

You can use either apple juice or apple cider for this recipe.

There are a few differences, though, between apple juice vs apple cider.

Apple cider is a thicker, more opaque apple juice, and it may have pulp and chunks of apple left behind. Apple juice is a thinner, more transparent liquid without any pulp left behind.

In terms of commercial apple cider vs apple juice, apple juice is pasteurized and has a longer shelf life than apple cider.

If you have fresh apples and want to make the juice yourself, here is a fairly simple recipe for how to make apple juice in your Instant Pot. You can also use the same recipe to make a thicker apple cider drink.

WHERE TO BUY APPLE CIDER

If you decide to actually go with cider and buy it instead of making it, you can usually find it at any grocery store, orchard, or maybe even a farmer’s market.

If apple cider isn’t available where you live and you decide to buy juice instead, you could go with a thicker juice, maybe Simply Apple or something similar.

APPLE CIDER BENEFITS

Remember the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Apples have a ton of nutritional value and are a great addition to our diet.

While you’d probably get a LOT more benefit out of the whole apple, apple juice is a good source of vitamin C and potassium. It’s also a great source of antioxidants.

Now with the added sugar (I use 1/4 cup of brown sugar), this hot cider won’t be quite as good for you, but it is delicious, so I guess you could say that’s a benefit too.

APPLE CIDER INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:

You’ll need a few ingredients to make this delicious mulled cider.
- Apple cider or apple juice
- An orange
- Whole cloves
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER

Making apple cider is really easy. Just a few steps and you can walk away and let your slow cooker do all the heavy lifting.

You’re essentially going to combine all of the ingredients in your slow cooker. But the orange and cloves require a bit of attention first.

You can wash and slice the orange, add the cloves to the orange slices, and then add the slices to the slow cooker. Or you can wash and peel the orange and stick the cloves all over in the orange, then add the orange to the slow cooker.

Note: You can leave the peeling on the orange, but it may add a little bitterness to your hot cider.

Once you’ve decided what to do with the orange, just combine all the ingredients and give it a good stir. Then cook everything on low for about 4 hours.

Homemade apple cider makes your house smell so good.

Once it’s cooked, strain out any loose cloves, the oranges, and the cinnamon sticks. You can serve it up in your favorite mugs, and maybe add a cinnamon stick for garnish.

IF YOU LOVE THIS MULLED CIDER RECIPE, TRY SOME OF OUR OTHER APPLE RECIPE FAVORITES:

Instant Pot Apple Butter

Apple Crumb Pie

Homemade Apple Jelly without Pectin

Easy No-Peel Instant Pot Applesauce

No-Peel Instant Pot Cinnamon Applesauce

50 Mouthwatering Apple Recipes

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE HOT APPLE CIDER:

Slow Cooker

Orange Peeler

Wooden Spoon

Festive Mugs – I love Peanuts mugs, this Mr. Tea mug, and I also love enamel mugs. So fun! Because why shouldn’t you have something fun to drink from? Right?! Right!

MULLED CIDER RECIPE

If you love this mulled cider recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

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Slow Cooker Mulled Cider

How to make slow cooker mulled cider. Warm apple cider filled with cinnamon, spices, and a smidge of brown sugar, perfect for the holidays!
2 quarts apple cider (or apple juice)
1 whole orange
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 whole cinnamon sticks
Pour the apple cider or apple juice into the slow cooker.
You can wash and slice the orange, add the cloves to the orange slices, and then add the slices to the slow cooker. Or you can wash and peel the orange and stick the cloves all over in the orange, then add the slices to the slow cooker.
Add the brown sugar, allspice, and cinnamon sticks to the cider in the slow cooker, and give it all a good stir.
Put the lid on the slow cooker, and cook everything on low for about 4 hours.
Strain out the oranges, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
Serve it in your favorite mugs, and maybe add a cinnamon stick for garnish.
*You can use apple cider or homemade apple juice for this recipe.

*Leaving the peeling on the orange may add some bitterness to your apple cider.

Drinks
American
apple cider, apple cider recipe, crockpot apple cider, hot apple cider, hot cider, how to make apple cider, mulled cider, slow cooker apple cider, slow cooker mulled cider
October 12, 2018
Easy Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls are quick, easy to make, and no rise too! Deliciously sweet and irresistible, ooey gooey, homemade breakfast treats.

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls are a quick and easy version of cinnamon rolls, especially given the fact that they require no yeast and no rise time. In some ways, I like these yummy treats even more than traditional cinnamon rolls made with yeast.

While you still have to roll them out, it doesn’t seem like quite as much work. And they’re still fluffy. They’re so fluffy and so ooey gooey. They’re perfect for when you’re craving traditional cinnamon rolls but don’t feel like going to all the work and dealing with all the wait time.

While I didn’t add raisins to this batch, you can totally add raisins to yours. When they’re warm right out of the oven is when you’ll want to spoon on the powdered sugar icing, which gives them even more of a gooey texture.

These cinnamon rolls make a perfect holiday breakfast treat… In fact, I’ve already planned to make these again Christmas morning. And I’m definitely adding this recipe to my list of The Best Christmas Recipes for Your Holiday Celebrations.

Tips for how to make Easy Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
- First, you’ll need to gather your ingredients… You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, milk, sugar, ground cinnamon, salted butter, and possibly raisins. For the icing, you’ll need salted butter, vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, and powdered sugar.
- Pre-heat the oven to 425°.
- Mix up the dough for my Easy Homemade Biscuits, or you can mix up the dough from our Campfire Cinnamon Rolls.
- Once you have your dough mixed up, sprinkle a handful of flour on a clean surface. Take your dough and knead a bit of flour into it, shaping it with your hands.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about a 1-inch thickness.
- In a cereal-sized bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
- Melt the salted butter.
- Brush the butter onto your rolled out dough.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the dough, giving the dough an even covering.
- If you want raisins, sprinkle them all over the dough, as well.
- Somewhat tightly, roll the dough into a long, thick roll. Slice into approximately 1-inch wide pieces.
- Place the cinnamon rolls, face up, into a greased pan.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls at 425° for about 20 minutes or until the tops begin to turn a warm golden hue.
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, mix up a simple powdered sugar icing. You can use my Easy Sugar Cookie Icing, but I do recommend cutting the ingredients down because you don’t need near as much icing as the recipe will make… I’d suggest cutting it down to 1/4 of what it calls for and leave out the almond extract. Note: You want the icing to be thin enough to brush onto the cinnamon rolls, so alternate powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Once the cinnamon rolls are baked, remove them from the oven, and let them cool for about 5 minutes.
- Brush or spoon the icing onto the tops of the cinnamon rolls. Serve and enjoy!
Alternative options for Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
- Raisins are optional, so add them if you want; or leave them out if you don’t.
- You could add crumbled pecans or walnuts to the dough when you sprinkle on the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- You can substitute a little bit of brown sugar for some of the regular sugar in the cinnamon/sugar mixture you sprinkle onto the dough.
- Use fruit jam or even something like Nutella in place of the butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture. I haven’t tried this, but I kinda bet it would be good.
- Mix up more of a cream cheese frosting, like this Caramel Cream Cheese Glaze, instead of a powdered sugar icing.
If you try any of these alternative options, let me know how they turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Looking for more sweet breakfast treats?
Kitchen tools you may need to make Easy Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

Mixing Bowl – My handled bowl is probably my favorite bowl to use; I use it all the time, especially when mixing up biscuits or pie crust.
Pastry Blender – This helps to really cut in the butter with the dry ingredients when you’re mixing up the biscuit dough.
Rolling Pin – I use my rolling pin anytime I make dinner rolls, biscuits, pie crust, etc.
Cereal-Sized Bowl – A cereal-sized bowl is the perfect size for mixing up a small batch of icing.
Pastry Brush – You can either brush the icing on or spoon it on. A brush helps you to spread the icing over the cinnamon roll.
Plastic Spatula – Works so well for slicing the dough into cinnamon rolls, and then separating the cinnamon rolls when serving.
Round Cake Pan – I used a 9-inch round cake pan for this batch, and it’s the perfect size.

Want to see how to make Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls? Watch our video!

Print the recipe for Easy Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls are quick, easy to make, and no rise too! Deliciously sweet and irresistible, ooey gooey, homemade breakfast treats.
Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls:
1 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup cane sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
Icing:
2 tablespoons salted butter (softened)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 425° F, and grease a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Using a pastry blender, cut the unsalted butter into the flour mixture, 'til it makes fine crumbles.
Make a well in the center of the mixture, and add the milk. Mix together well.
Sprinkle a handful of all-purpose flour on a clean surface. Knead the biscuit dough into the flour, shaping it with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about a 1-inch thickness.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Brush the melted butter all over the rolled out dough.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the dough, giving the dough an even covering.
If you want raisins, sprinkle them all over the dough, as well.
Somewhat tightly, roll the dough into a long, thick roll.
Then slice it into approximately 1-inch wide pieces.
Place the cinnamon rolls, face up, into the prepared pan.
Bake the cinnamon rolls at 425° F for about 20 minutes, or 'til the tops begin to turn a warm golden hue.
To make the icing, mix together the softened butter and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.
Add the milk to the mixture.
Then slowly mix in the powdered sugar. You want the icing to be thin enough to brush onto the cinnamon rolls.
Once the cinnamon rolls are baked, remove them from the oven, and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Keep the rolls in the pan.
Brush the icing onto the tops of the cinnamon rolls, and serve them immediately.
Breads & Muffins, Breakfast & Brunch
American
biscuit cinnamon rolls, easy biscuit cinnamon rolls
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December 21, 2017
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Make creamy mashed potatoes with yellow potatoes, cream, and butter. Delicious side dish recipe perfect for weeknight meals and holiday dinners.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes with gravy is the quintessential side for every holiday dinner and even some weeknight meals, like my family favorite easy meatloaf recipe with oats, slow cooker whole chicken and Crock Pot pork roast. We used to eat potatoes a lot more than we do now; but we still have our favorite mashed potatoes recipe that’s pretty basic but oh so creamy delicious.

Only 5 ingredients… That’s all it takes to make these simple potatoes. You know how we like to keep it simple. And if you know how to make gravy with cornstarch, you can have any flavor gravy you want!

Now I do suggest being picky about which potatoes you use. And maybe this topic is for another post at another time.

But our favorite type of potato for the most flavorful mashed potatoes is the yellow potato or Yukon Gold. We like red potatoes too, but I find myself going for the gold whenever we buy potatoes.

Whether you’re cooking an Instant Pot whole chicken, Instant Pot salmon, oven-baked chicken legs, meat loaf muffins, or putting together a holiday meal, Creamy Mashed Potatoes are the one side dish you’ll definitely want to make sure is on the table. You can even set up a fun mashed potato bar to go with your celebration!

If you enjoy potatoes, you may also enjoy our Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, our copycat version of the KFC mashed potato bowl, and scalloped potatoes with cheese recipes!

Tips for how to make Creamy Mashed Potatoes
1. Gather your ingredients… You’ll need yellow potatoes, salted butter, heavy whipping cream, salt, and pepper.
2. Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes.
3. Cook the potatoes until they’re soft enough to easily jab with a fork. We usually cook ours by boiling them on the stove in a medium to large saucepan for about 30 minutes, but sometimes we use our Instant Pot.
4. Drain the water off your boiled potatoes, leaving your potatoes in the saucepan.
5. Add the butter and heavy whipping cream to the potatoes.
6. Use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes, adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also use a potato masher if you don’t have a hand mixer; your potatoes may just be a little bit chunky.
7. Once they’re all whipped up, they’re ready to serve. They taste so good with a spoonful of homemade chicken gravy, this ham gravy recipe, or turkey gravy. And they make the best sloppy joe casserole with mashed potatoes too.
Looking for more potato recipes?

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

The Ultimate Mashed Potato Bar

The Ultimate Baked Potato Bar

Hashbrown Casserole Recipe

Slow Cooker Green Beans, Potatoes, and Sausages

Steak Cut Fries

Looking for more delicious side dish recipes?

Instant Pot Southern Green Beans

Easy Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Instant Pot Corn on the Cob

Creamy Bacon Corn Casserole

Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing

Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange

Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary

You may also want to check out my list of The Best Thanksgiving Recipes for Your Holiday Menu and The Best Christmas Recipes for Your Holiday Celebrations for plenty more inspiration. If you’re planning for Easter, here are over 50 Easter dinner menu ideas.

Kitchen Tools you may need to make Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Vegetable Peeler or Paring Knife – I prefer to use a knife, but my guys prefer a veggie peeler for peeling potatoes.

Vegetable Knife – to chop the potatoes.

Saucepan with Lid – for boiling the potatoes.

Strainer – You’ll need this to drain the potatoes.

Hand Mixer or Potato Masher – A hand mixer will enable you to get smooth, creamy mashed potatoes; a potato masher will allow you to mash the potatoes, but they’ll have a chunkier texture.

Print the recipe for Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Mashed Potatoes made with yellow potatoes, cream, and butter. Delicious side dish recipe perfect for weeknight meals and holiday dinners.
8 potatoes (medium size)
6 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes.
Boil the potatoes in a large saucepan on the stove, until they're soft enough to easily jab with a fork, about 20-30 minutes.
Drain the water off the boiled potatoes, and leave them in the saucepan.
Add the butter and heavy whipping cream to the potatoes.
Use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes, adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also use a potato masher if you don’t have a hand mixer; your potatoes may just be a little bit chunky.
Once they're whipped, they're ready to serve.
Side Dish
American
creamy mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes
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December 19, 2017
Peppermint Whipped Cream
Peppermint Whipped Cream you can make in 5 minutes. Creamy delicious dessert topping or add a dollop to your hot chocolate for a minty treat!

Peppermint Whipped Cream is probably one of my favorite ways to top off a nice warm mug of creamy hot chocolate. It adds a minty flavor, as well as an even creamier texture; and it’s so delicious!

This recipe is super easy to make and only calls for 5 ingredients. You can pretty much throw everything into the mixing bowl, add a whisk to your mixer, and mix away.

Before you know it, you’ll have a minty, creamy whipped topping you can enjoy with pies, cakes, hot chocolate, and all your favorite desserts. Just add a dollop and you’re set for a really yummy sweet treat.

Tips for how to make Peppermint Whipped Cream
- Gather your ingredients… You’ll need cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and powdered sugar.
- Add all of your ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Use a whisk or mixer with a whisk to mix all of the ingredients together, and keep mixing until the mixture thickens to the desired consistency for whipped cream.
- Note: It will thicken up really fast before you realize it. So if you’re wanting it to have a more silky appearance, just stop the whipping process sooner.
- Enjoy on your favorite dessert or warm drink.
Looking for a few lovely desserts or warm drinks to enjoy with a dollop of peppermint whipped cream?
You may also enjoy my Quick and Easy Homemade Whipped Cream (original flavor) or Meringue Pie Topping.

I’m definitely adding this easy peppermint whipped cream recipe to my list of The Best Christmas Recipes for Your Holiday Celebrations.

Tools you may need to make Peppermint Whipped Cream

Mixing Bowl – for mixing up all of your ingredients.
Whisk or Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer – A hand mixer works great for mixing up homemade whipped cream.
Spatula – Can’t live without my spatulas (as in plural).

Print the recipe for Peppermint Whipped Cream
Peppermint Whipped Cream

Peppermint Whipped Cream you can make in 5 minutes. Creamy delicious dessert topping or add a dollop to your hot chocolate for a minty treat!
2 ounces cream cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese.
Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and powdered sugar to the cream cheese.
Use a mixer to whip together the ingredients until the mixture begins to thicken to the consistency of whipped cream. It will thicken up rather quickly, so if you're wanting it to have a thinner texture/more silky appearance, just stop the whipping process sooner.
Refrigerate until serving, and serve with your favorite desserts and drinks.
Desserts
American
peppermint whipped cream, peppermint whipped topping
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December 12, 2017
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
This easy sugar cookie icing is made with powdered sugar and a flavorful secret ingredient. So creamy delicious, my favorite recipe for cookie decorating.

This easy sugar cookie icing is a cookie icing recipe that’s been with me since I was a little girl. While the main ingredients are butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and heavy whipping cream, it also uses a secret ingredient.

That secret ingredient is almond extract. I can’t imagine making this icing without it.

In fact, I also use almond extract in my favorite buttercream frosting recipe and my chocolate buttercream frosting. Just the right amount gives icing a scrumptious flavor kick.

I can usually mix this cookie icing up in minutes; and when I’m using it with my mom’s cut out sugar cookie recipe that we make every single Christmas, I’ll sometimes add a little food color for cookie decorating purposes.

Though I have been known to skip the food coloring and go with sprinkles on white icing instead… Those tiny rainbow sprinkle dots that crunch in your teeth when you bite into the cookie? I love those!

I usually make these sugar cookies the way my mom taught me when I was younger. I’ve never been that patient with a decorating bag.

So I take the easy way out and use a butter knife to spread the cookie frosting on… Then spread sprinkles all over the cookie.

Just writing up this recipe is making me wish we still had a few of those soft sugar cookies left in the cookie jar. It’s one of my favorite Christmas recipes!

I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR EASY SUGAR COOKIE ICING!

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious sugar cookie icing recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIE ICING
- First, soften the butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Add the heavy whipping cream to the mixture.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar to the mixture, mixing it in as you go.
- Once everything is mixed together, the icing should be smooth and creamy, free of any lumps. It’s important to get the right consistency. You don’t want the icing to be too thick (it won’t spread well) or too thin (it’ll run right off your cookies).
- At this point, you can add food color, if desired.
- Have fun decorating cookies together!
CAN I FREEZE COOKIE ICING?

Yes, you can. In fact, I usually do have leftover icing, and I’ll stick it in the freezer for next time we need it.

It freezes just fine, as long as you cover it well so it doesn’t get freezer burn.

HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES THAT USE THIS COOKIE FROSTING:
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIE FROSTING

Large Mixing Bowl – You’ll need a large bowl to mix up your icing, and you’ll use it for so much more.

Hand Mixer – A hand mixer comes in so handy for so many things, especially mixing up cookie icing.

Spatula – Because I’m never without my spatula.

Food Color – Allows you to make a few different colors, especially for Christmas cookies.

8 ounce Bowls – These would be perfect for separating your icing to make different colors.

Cookie Decorating Kit – Just in case you want to add more detail to your cookies.

EASY SUGAR COOKIE ICING RECIPE

If you love this cookie icing recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

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Easy Sugar Cookie Icing

Easy Sugar Cookie Icing, made with powdered sugar and a flavorful secret ingredient. So creamy delicious, my favorite recipe for cookie decorating.
4 tablespoons salted butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 cups powdered sugar
Soften the butter.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Add the heavy whipping cream to the mixture.
Slowly add the powdered sugar to the mixture, mixing it in as you go.
Once everything is mixed together, the icing should be smooth and creamy, free of any lumps.*
At this point, you can add food coloring, if desired.
Have fun decorating cookies together!
*It’s important to get the right consistency. You don’t want the icing to be too thick (it won’t spread well) or too thin (it’ll run right off your cookies).

Cookies & Bars
American
Christmas cookie icing, cookie decorating, cookie icing, cookie icing recipe, sugar cookie frosting, sugar cookie icing, sugar cookie icing recipe
December 2, 2017
Easy Ham Gravy Recipe {How to Make with Drippings}
How to make an easy homemade ham gravy recipe, made last minute with leftover ham drippings. This gravy makes a delicious side dish with ham, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings at your holiday or family dinner!

Homemade ham gravy (like its counterpart turkey gravy) is a staple side dish whenever we cook a ham in the oven, which is mostly on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. Family dinner and holiday dinners just wouldn’t be the same without gravy to smother over our sliced ham and mashed potatoes.

Now it’s important to remember… The main flavoring for ham gravy comes directly from the ham itself. So if you glaze your ham, like with a brown sugar glaze or something like this sweet pineapple honey baked ham, the sweet flavoring from the glazed ham will go into your gravy for ham, and the end result will be a sweet gravy.

It’s so easy to make homemade gravy, and it’s super quick too. It’s delicious and definitely worth the minimal effort.

Why You’ll Love Knowing How to Make Ham Gravy

There are a lot of reasons to love this delicious gravy recipe…
- It’s an easy condiment to make, takes less than 30 minutes to make, and it’s something you can make last minute just before serving the main meal.
- It takes a very minimal amount of ingredients to make gammon gravy. In fact, they’re all pretty simple, and you likely already have them on hand.
- It’s a delicious ham gravy!
- Ham gravy is so versatile and can be used in so many delicious ways. Not only does it complement a ham dinner, but it makes a very tasty addition to your next baked potato bar or mashed potato bar, as well as a tasty dip for leftover ham crescent rolls. And you can use it in place of brown gravy or chicken gravy in a mashed potato bowl.
- It’s a fantastic addition to your holiday dinner spread. I’ve added this ham gravy recipe with drippings to my collections of favorite Thanksgiving recipes, Christmas recipes, and Easter dinner recipes, where you’ll find all the holiday inspiration you need in one place.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes

You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make gravy for gammon (or ham). While you should have most of the ingredients on hand, you’ll likely need to purchase a ham at the grocery store, in order to have leftover ham drippings.
- All-Purpose Flour – I prefer to use an unbleached all-purpose flour; you can also use a good gluten-free flour, although it’s important to note that gravy made with gluten-free flour doesn’t stay thick as long as with regular flour… In other words, it won’t store well. If you need a good gluten-free ham gravy alternative, ham gravy with cornstarch is just the thing.
- Heavy Cream – You can skim heavy cream off of raw milk, or you can use store bought heavy whipping cream.
- Ham Drippings – You can scoop the ham juices and pan drippings from the roasting pan after baking a spiral ham, bone-in whole ham, or boneless ham. You should have enough drippings to at least make a small batch of homemade gravy. These leftover ham drippings will likely give you all the delicious flavor you need without any extra seasoning, salt, or black pepper. If you don’t have any ham drippings, you can always use ham broth made from bouillon to make ham gravy.
- Water
How to Make This Old-Fashioned Ham Gravy Recipe

Making this easy gravy for ham is actually really simple, but there are a few tips and tricks that will ensure you make a really good gravy from ham drippings.

How to Avoid Lumpy Gravy

Before we get started, here are 3 tips for preventing lumpy gravy…
- It’s important to start with a roux, and you do this by mixing together the flour and heavy whipping cream in a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisking this together in the beginning will help prevent lumps in your gravy.
- Use a whisk to stir your gravy while it’s cooking. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.
- Take your time to avoid any lumps in your gravy. To me, this right here is the secret to good gravy… Patience and being willing to take your time. Work on medium-low heat, and don’t get in a hurry, and you’ll make a good gravy.
Now Let’s Make Ham Gravy
1. Mix together the flour and heavy whipping cream in a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup.
1. Gradually whisk together the flour/cream mixture with the pan drippings in a large saucepan or skillet on medium heat.
1. Add in the water.
1. Continue whisking and stirring the gravy until it begins to thicken and is ready to serve.
Then just pour the gravy into a gravy boat, and serve it with ham, mashed potatoes, and all the fixin’s! It will add such a rich flavor to your mashed potatoes, you’ll wish you had that ham flavor the next time you eat potatoes.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s

How much gravy should you make per person?
The answer to this will really depend on the consistency of your gravy. When we make this recipe, we usually have a lot of leftover gravy. You want to plan on about 1/3 to 1/2 cup per person, again depending on how thick your gravy is.

How do you store and reheat ham gravy?
Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the fridge; it should keep for about 3-4 days. You can re-heat gravy by placing it in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish for a few minutes, stirring between every 30-second increments of time, ’til heated through; or put the gravy in a saucepan, and heat it up over low to medium heat on the stove, constantly stirring so it doesn’t scorch.

Can you freeze gravy?
Yes, you can. Just be sure to put it in an airtight freezer-friendly container, so it doesn’t get freezer burn. It should keep for about 4 to 6 months.

More Side Dish Recipes to Serve with Ham Dinner

Whenever we make a ham dinner or turkey dinner, we usually serve it with sides like Instant Pot southern green beans, honey glazed carrots, or Jiffy corn casserole. Of course, homemade cranberry sauce is a must at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If it’s more gravy recipes you’re looking for, Moscato Mom has a delicious recipe for slow cooker short ribs with gravy (also a keto recipe). And 918 Plate has a very yummy recipe for jumbo drop biscuits with brown butter gravy.

If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Ham Gravy Recipe

How to make an easy homemade ham gravy recipe with leftover ham drippings. Delicious side dish with ham, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings!
Mixing Bowl
Large Skillet
Whisk
Wooden Spoon
Heat-Resistant Spatula
Gravy Boat
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups ham drippings
1 cup water
Mix together the flour and heavy cream in a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup.
Gradually whisk together the flour/cream mixture with the pan drippings in a large saucepan or skillet on medium heat.
Add in the water.
Continue whisking and stirring the gravy until it begins to thicken and is ready to serve.
Serve with ham, mashed potatoes, and all the fixin's!
*Take your time whisking in the flour mixture to avoid any lumps in your gravy. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by starting with the roux and taking your time, whisking the gravy.

Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the fridge; it should keep for about 3-4 days. You can re-heat gravy by placing it in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish for a few minutes, stirring between every 30-second increments of time, ’til heated through; or put the gravy in a saucepan, and heat it up over low to medium heat on the stove, constantly stirring so it doesn’t scorch.

Condiments, Sauces & Dressings, Side Dish
American
gammon gravy, gravy for gammon, gravy for ham, gravy from ham drippings, gravy recipes, ham gravy, ham gravy recipe, ham gravy recipe with drippings, homemade ham gravy, how to avoid lumpy gravy, how to make gravy, how to make ham gravy, making ham gravy
December 1, 2017
Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
How to make a perfectly cooked, moist, delicious pineapple honey glazed ham for dinner and holiday celebrations.

Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham is a blend of sweet and salty deliciousness. Whether you’re looking for a family dinner idea or rather a main dish to add to your holiday menu, this ham is the perfect addition.

Years ago in a past life, we had a grocery store where we loved to occasionally shop. One of the treats we enjoyed from that store was shaved pineapple ham fresh from the deli.

That’s what this recipe reminds me of. The fresh pineapple purée and sliced pineapple, along with honey, give the roasted ham a slightly sweet flavor, but not too sweet.

And it’s pretty simple and easy to make… Just be sure to have plenty of toothpicks on hand. I’m definitely adding this recipe to my lists of traditional Easter dinner recipes and favorite Christmas recipes.

Don’t forget to make this ham gravy recipe to pour over your baked ham and mashed potatoes. If you need a gluten-free option, this gluten-free ham gravy is pretty delicious.

You can make all sorts of delicious recipes with leftover ham, including these delicious leftover ham crescent rolls, scalloped potatoes and ham casserole, and ham and cheese egg muffins.

Tips for how to make a Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
- Pre-heat the oven to 325°.
- Place a large ham in a roasting pan.
- Add water to the roasting pan.
- Purée a slice or two of pineapple in a blender, just enough to make 2 tablespoons of purée.
- Mix the pineapple purée with the honey, and brush it all over the ham, letting the excess glaze run off the ham and into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Using toothpicks, attach pineapple slices to the outside of the ham, at least 6 to 8 slices.
- Bake the ham at 325°. Bake time will be per the weight of your ham and will differ per ham.
- Once the ham has cooked through and is ready, you’ll need to slice it up before serving.
Looking for delicious side dish recipes to go with your ham?

Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary

Instant Pot Southern Green Beans

Jiffy Corn Pudding

Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing

Cranberry and Orange Sauce

Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cauliflower

Homemade Bread Rolls

Easy Homemade Biscuits from Scratch

Maybe you’d rather have turkey or pork for dinner? You’ll love our Maple Bourbon Brined Roasted Turkey, roasted pork tenderloin, oven roasted pork roast, and our Maple Pork Chops with Apples and Onions.

Tools you may need to roast a Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham

Roasting Pan – for roasting the ham.

Blender – for making pineapple purée.

Basting Brush – to glaze the ham.

Toothpicks – to help you attach the pineapple slices to the ham.

Meat Thermometer – This will help you know what the internal temperature of the ham is. We use ours all the time.

Grill Armor Oven Gloves – We’ve mentioned these in a few of our live videos; I love using these.

Carving Set – to carve the turkey before serving.

Serving Platter – for serving.

Print the recipe for Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham

Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham recipe. How to make a perfectly cooked, moist, delicious ham for dinner and holiday celebrations.
1 large ham
1 cup water
2 tablespoons pineapple purée
1/2 cup honey
6 to 8 pineapple slices
12 to 18 to othpicks
Pre-heat the oven to 325°.
Place a large ham in a roasting pan.
Add water to the roasting pan.
Purée a slice or two of pineapple in a blender, just enough to make 2 tablespoons of purée.
Mix the pineapple purée with the honey, and brush it all over the ham, letting the excess glaze run off the ham and into the bottom of the roasting pan.
Using toothpicks, attach pineapple slices to the outside of the ham, at least 6 to 8 slices.
Bake the ham at 325°. Bake time will be per the weight of your ham and will differ per ham.
Once the ham has cooked through and is ready, you’ll need to slice it up before serving.
Pork Recipes
American
honey glazed ham, pineapple ham, pineapple honey glazed ham
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November 29, 2017
Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary
Honey Glazed Carrots, made with simple ingredients like butter, honey, and rosemary. Delicious side dish recipe, perfect for holidays or weeknight meals.

Honey Glazed Carrots are one of the easiest side dish recipes you’ll ever make for a slow cooker pot roast, CrockPot whole chicken or baked chicken legs. I love when a dish has great flavor, and I also love when a dish is beautiful. Carrots are pretty all by themselves, but when you dress them up with a little rosemary, they’re even prettier.

And my favorite thing about this recipe is it only takes 4 ingredients, one of which really could be optional. I say that because rosemary may not be to everyone’s taste, and you could certainly make this recipe without the rosemary.

Whether you’re creating an Easter menu or just making dinner for the family, Honey Glazed Carrots are a great addition to your meal… Not to mention a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. They pair really well with Roast Beef or Pork Chops.

Tips for how to make Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary
- Wash, peel, and slice the carrots.
- Steam or boil the carrots ’til they soften.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet.
- Add the honey and carrots to the skillet, and toss together with the melted butter.
- If desired, add fresh rosemary to the mixture.
- Toss together on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Serve while warm.
It really is such a simple and easy recipe.

Looking for more side dish recipes to go with your meal?
You may also want to check out my list of The Best Thanksgiving Recipes for Your Holiday Menu and The Best Christmas Recipes for Your Holiday Celebrations for plenty more inspiration.

Kitchen Tools you may need to make Honey Glazed Carrots

Saucepot and Steamer – Handy whether you want to steam or boil the carrots.
Large Skillet – You’ll need this to toss everything together on the stove.
Wooden Spoon – to toss the mixture together.
Serving Bowl – to serve your beautifully delicious carrots.

Print the recipe for Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary
Honey Glazed Carrots

Honey Glazed Carrots, made with simple ingredients like butter, honey, and rosemary. Delicious side dish recipe, perfect for holidays or weeknight meals.
2 pounds carrots
3 tablespoons salted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
1 stalk rosemary leaves ((optional))
Wash, peel, and slice the carrots.
Steam or boil the carrots ’til softened.
Melt the butter in a large skillet.
Add the honey and carrots to the skillet, and toss together with the melted butter.
If desired, add fresh rosemary to the mixture.
Toss everything together on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve while warm.
Side Dish
American
honey glazed carrots, rosemary carrots
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November 28, 2017
Grandma’s Homemade Yeast Rolls
How to make Grandma’s homemade yeast rolls. Soft and buttery, these are easy yeast rolls for beginners, and a family favorite holiday dinner recipe. Enjoy fluffy dinner rolls at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter!

Homemade dinner rolls are a staple for special occasions and holiday dinners in my family. My grandma made these old fashioned yeast rolls every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Sometimes we just make them for our weekly slow cooker pork roast!

Just baking up a batch of these golden beauties brings back so many memories. I learned to make this dinner rolls recipe from my mom, just like she learned from her mom.

Why I Love Making My Grandma’s Yeast Rolls

There are loads of reasons to love Grandma’s yeast rolls…
- I’m not going to say this is a quick recipe because it’s definitely not, but I will say it’s easy. While the recipe is a bit time-consuming, and you do have the added time of waiting for the dough to rise, these are easy yeast rolls for beginners to make and a great recipe to use for learning purposes.
- It’s definitely a recipe I cherish and one I’m passing down to my own boys, so that Grandma’s legacy lives on. My oldest makes these rolls even better than I do; when he bakes them, they always turn out so light and fluffy.
- We make this recipe for dinner rolls with all our favorite Easter recipes, Thanksgiving recipes, and Christmas recipes, and sometimes in between. We have to pace ourselves, because some of us will eat rolls with every meal when we have them around.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes

Gather your ingredients before you get started.
- Active Dry Yeast – While you can use instant yeast, I recommend using active dry yeast, which will ensure a longer rise time, and in turn, a batch of very soft, pillowy rolls. Whether you buy jars or packets of yeast, just know that 1 packet of yeast equals about 1 tablespoon.
- Cane Sugar – You can also use granulated sugar
- Warm Water – Not too hot, because you don’t want to kill the yeast. You want it slightly warm, so almost lukewarm.
- Unsalted Butter – You can also sub shortening if you don’t have unsalted butter. My grandma actually used shortening; in fact, sometimes we would use regular shortening, and sometimes butter shortening (example: butter Crisco).
- Large Eggs
- All-Purpose Flour – I recommend using a really good unbleached all-purpose flour to make these rolls. You can also use a good bread flour. We’ll talk more about the differences below.
- Sea Salt – I prefer using Redmond Fine Sea Salt.
How to Make Grandma’s Homemade Yeast Rolls

While there are a few steps to making dinner rolls from scratch, you’ll find the process is really pretty easy.

Activate the Yeast
1. Stir the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a glass measuring cup or small bowl.
2. Set aside in a warm place to rise. It will bubble and rise up.
Mix the Dough
1. While waiting for the yeast mixture to rise, cream (or mix together) the sugar and unsalted butter in a large mixing bowl.
2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
3. Add the bubbly yeast mixture to the butter mixture, along with an additional 1 1/2 cups warm water.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt.
5. Gradually add the flour in, and mix well. For this step, I like to use the dough hook on my stand mixer.
6. Turn the dough into a large greased bowl or stockpot, and let it rise to the top or almost to the top (it can take 2 to 3 hours to double in size). Keep the bowl or pan covered with a lightweight kitchen towel.
How to Shape the Dinner Rolls
1. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface. Coat generously with flour by turning and shaping. No kneading is necessary, though I still like to knead it a bit just for fun.
2. Roll out the dough to about a 1 to 2 inch thickness.
3. Then cut round rolls with a cup, glass, or biscuit cutter.
Bake the Rolls
1. Place the rolls, side by side against each other, in greased baking pans, and let them rise (this will probably take another 1 to 2 hours).
2. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes (maybe a little longer) at 350°F. Halfway through baking, you may need to cover the rolls with foil, so they don’t brown too much before they bake through.
3. When they’re done baking, remove the rolls from the oven and allow them to cool.
What to Serve with Yeast Rolls

Of course, I usually can’t resist enjoying a hot roll with warm melty butter. They’re so delicious, especially since I learned how to make salted butter; homemade butter is the best!

Serve your delicious bread rolls with strawberry jam, apple butter, blackberry jam, or just plain butter. Better yet, dip your rolls in a bowl of delicious Instant Pot potato soup. Grandma’s rolls also make delicious steak and cheese sliders.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s

Which is better for dinner rolls, all-purpose flour or bread flour?
We’ve used both kinds of flour, and while I’ve always used all-purpose flour, my son always uses bread flour. It’s a personal preference we both have. However, here’s the truth, so you can decide which is best for you. Bread flour contains more protein, which equals more gluten, which equals more elasticity and stretchability. It’s especially good for making actual loaves of bread, baguettes, etc. All-purpose flour will create a tighter crumb; it’s also a great choice in roll recipes that require more butter and sugar, which both make a difference in the final texture of the bread when baked. King Arthur actually has a really great article about whether bread flour really does make a difference when baking bread. I encourage you to read it if you’d like to learn more.

Why aren’t my yeast rolls light and fluffy?
Dry, dense rolls can happen when we 1) add too much flour; or 2) don’t allow enough rise time. My grandma always wanted us to sift the flour at least 7 times while baking cakes and bread. While I’ve never done that, sifting does make a difference. And allowing that rise time so your rolls get big and puffy and pillowy soft makes a huge difference in the final baked bread roll.

Why did my homemade rolls get hard?
Probably over kneading. This recipe doesn’t require any kneading at all, so there’s no need to even worry about this.

Should you brush yeast rolls before baking?
Totally up to you, but I never have with this recipe. My oldest does. He likes a shiny golden top to his bread rolls. An egg yolk will help the rolls to brown, but you really don’t need any help with these rolls browning, as the oven temp will do just fine on its own; in fact, you may have to cover with foil to avoid too much browning. Egg white will give the shine. You can even brush with melted butter after baking for added flavor and a bit of shine.

Can you freeze homemade rolls?
Yes, you can. You can either freeze the shaped unbaked rolls, covered in an airtight baking pan; then thaw before baking as usual. Or you can freeze the baked rolls in an airtight container; then thaw and warm before serving.

More Bread Recipes:
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Grandma’s Homemade Yeast Rolls

How to make Grandma's homemade yeast rolls. Soft and buttery, easy yeast rolls for beginners, a family favorite holiday dinner recipe.
Glass Measuring Cup
Mixer
Large Mixing Bowl
Sifter
Rolling Pin
Stockpot
Biscuit Cutter
Baking Pans
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon cane sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2/3 cup cane sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups warm water
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sea salt
Whisk together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Set aside in a warm place to rise. It will bubble and rise up.
While waiting for the yeast mixture to rise, cream (or mix together) the sugar and unsalted butter in a large mixing bowl.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the bubbly yeast mixture to the butter mixture, along with an additional 1 1/2 cups warm water.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and salt together.
Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and mix well. For this step, I like to use the dough hook on my stand mixer.
Turn the dough into a large greased bowl or stockpot, and let it rise to the top or almost to the top (it can take 2 to 3 hours to double in size). Keep the bowl or pan covered with a lightweight kitchen towel.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface. Coat generously with flour by turning and shaping. No kneading is necessary, though I still like to knead it a bit just for fun.
Roll out the dough to about a 1 to 2 inch thickness.
Then cut round rolls with a cup, glass, or biscuit cutter.
Place the rolls, side by side against each other, in greased baking pans, and let them rise (this will probably take another 1 to 2 hours).
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes (maybe a little longer) at 350°F. Halfway through baking, you may need to cover the rolls with foil, so they don't brown too much before they bake through.
When they're done baking, remove the rolls from the oven and allow them to cool. Of course, I usually can't resist enjoying a hot roll with warm melty butter. They're so delicious!
*Grandma used shortening in her rolls; I prefer to use butter instead.

Breads & Muffins
American
bread roll recipe, bread rolls, dinner roll recipe, dinner rolls, dinner rolls from scratch, dinner rolls recipe, easy yeast rolls for beginners, grandma’s homemade yeast rolls, grandma’s yeast rolls, homemade rolls, old fashioned yeast rolls, recipe for dinner rolls, yeast roll recipe, yeast rolls
November 6, 2017
How to Make Homemade Turkey Gravy
Made with leftover turkey drippings and neck broth, homemade turkey gravy is a delicious side dish with turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings!

Homemade Turkey Gravy, like ham gravy at Christmas, is a staple side dish with Thanksgiving dinner. It just wouldn’t be the same without gravy to smother over our sliced turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.

The main flavoring for the gravy comes directly from the turkey itself. So you’ll definitely want to keep in mind that if you brine your turkey or add a glaze of any kind, that flavoring will go into your gravy. For example, if you’re using a sweet brine, your gravy will be a little sweeter.

It really only takes a few minutes to make homemade gravy, so it’s usually the last dish we make before we all sit down to eat. But it’s delicious and definitely worth the minimal effort.

I’m definitely adding this to my favorite Thanksgiving Recipes and Christmas Recipes, where you’ll find all the Thanksgiving inspiration you need in one place.

Tips for how to make Homemade Turkey Gravy
- Mix together the flour and water in a small mixing bowl.
- Gradually whisk together the flour/water mixture with the neck broth and turkey drippings in a large saucepan on medium heat. Take your time to avoid any lumps in your gravy. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Continue whisking and stirring the gravy until it begins to thicken and is ready to serve.
- Serve with turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing… The works!
Turkey gravy, like chicken gravy from bouillon and this ham gravy recipe, is great for dipping too, especially for dipping Leftover Turkey Stuffing Crescent Rolls. And you can use it in place of brown gravy in a mashed potato bowl.

Looking for more Thanksgiving sides to add to your dinner menu?

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Instant Pot Southern Green Beans

Creamy Bacon Corn Casserole

Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing

Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cauliflower

And just in case you’re still looking for a turkey recipe, Maple Bourbon Brined Roasted Turkey is so good!

Turkey Gravy also makes a very tasty addition to your next Baked Potato Bar.

Tools you may need to make Homemade Turkey Gravy

Mixing Bowl – for mixing together the flour and water.

Large Saucepan – You’ll make the gravy in a saucepan on the stove. This recipe feeds a crowd, so you’ll need a larger pan.

Whisk – Helps to minimize lumps in your gravy.

Wooden Spoon – There’s nothing quite like a wooden spoon for stirring.

Heat Resistant Spatula – Works well for stirring and scraping the sides of the pan.

Gravy Boat – for serving.

Print the recipe for Homemade Turkey Gravy
Homemade Turkey Gravy

Homemade Turkey Gravy, made with leftover turkey drippings and neck broth. Delicious side dish with turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings!
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 cup neck broth
1 cup turkey drippings
Salt (to taste)
Ground black pepper (to taste)
Whisk together the flour and water in a small mixing bowl.
Gradually whisk together the flour/water mixture with the neck broth and turkey drippings in a large saucepan on medium heat.
Continue whisking and stirring the gravy until it begins to thicken and is ready to serve.
Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.
*Take your time whisking in the flour/water mixture to avoid any lumps in your gravy. It’s a given that you’ll have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.

Side Dish
American
homemade turkey gravy, turkey gravy
Pin this recipe for later!
November 1, 2017
Simple and Easy Classic Pecan Pie Recipe
How to make the best classic pecan pie recipe. Easy, old-fashioned, southern dessert with a gooey filling and homemade crust. Perfect for Thanksgiving!

Southern pecan pie has become one of my favorite desserts this time of year. Like our favorite apple crumb pie, it’s always on the dessert table at Thanksgiving; and it’s usually a safe bet that my mom will have one sitting on her kitchen counter at different times throughout the year.

It’s funny, ’cause when I was younger, I didn’t like your typical, classic pecan pie at all (or maybe I just thought I didn’t). But I’ve really grown to love it over the last few years.

I don’t know which is my favorite, the crunchy pecans that float to the top or the delicious sweet, somewhat salty pie filling that gives pecan pie its unique flavor. Mmmm, it’s just so good!

Also, pecan pie is so easy to make; it’s not one bit complicated. Make a crust, mix up the filling, pour it into the crust, and presto… It’s ready to bake.

If you’re looking for more holiday recipes, you’ll find a whole slew of them on my lists of Thanksgiving Recipes and Christmas Recipes.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?

If you’d rather skip all of my baking tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

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INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
- Pie crust
- Salted butter
- Sugar
- Large eggs
- Dark corn syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans
Keep in mind, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.

KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED:

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with Mixing Bowl

Glass Measuring Cup – for measuring out liquids.

Pie Plate

Pie Shield or Aluminum Foil – to keep the edges of your crust from burning.

Baking Tester – Check whether your pie (or cake) is done.

Wire Rack – for cooling the pie.

Pie Server

Coffee Maker with Coffee – Some of my favorite memories are dessert with my grandmother. She always loved a hot cup of coffee with her pie.

HOW TO MAKE PECAN PIE

First things first, mix up a pie crust…

MAKING THE PIE CRUST:

You can make a more traditional roll-out pie crust or an easier shortcut no-roll pie crust. Chill the pie crust ’til you’re ready to pour in the filling.

MAKING PECAN PIE FILLING:
1. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. And by cream, I mean mix together really well until it becomes a creamy mixture.
2. Lightly beat the eggs together. Then mix them into the butter/sugar mixture.
3. Add dark corn syrup and vanilla to the mixture, mixing well.
4. Then stir in the pecans by hand.
Then just pour the pie filling into your unbaked pie crust. Bake the pie according to the instructions in the recipe card below. Learn how to prevent pie crust from burning.

Serve with a creamy delicious dollop of whipped cream!

BAKING TIPS FOR SOUTHERN PECAN PIE
- You may want to use a pie shield or a strip of aluminum foil to keep the edges of your pie crust from getting too dark or burning.
- When your pie is fully cooked through, remove it from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
HOW TO TELL WHEN PECAN PIE IS DONE

You can use a toothpick, table knife, or cake tester to see if your pie is done, but being that this is more of a custard pie, you may still see a slight bit of residue on your tester.

You can also check the internal temperature with a cooking thermometer. It should be at least 200° F.

When you go to take it out of the oven, your pie should be fairly firm. If it’s more than slightly jiggly, it needs more time in the oven.

It’s a delicate balance between under-baking and over-baking when it comes to pecan pie. On the other hand, you don’t want it to be uncooked in the middle; on the other hand, you don’t want it to crack and be too dry.

MORE PIE RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
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Classic Pecan Pie

How to make the best classic pecan pie recipe. Easy, old-fashioned, southern dessert with a gooey filling and homemade crust. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
1 pie crust
3 tablespoons salted butter (softened)
1 cup cane sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans (halved or sliced)
Chill the pie crust, rolled out and prepared in a 9-inch pie plate, 'til you're ready to add the filling.
Pre-heat the oven to 450° F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream (or mix) together the butter and sugar.
In a separate smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs together.
Then mix the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture.
Add the dark corn syrup and vanilla to the mixture, mixing well.
Stir in the pecans by hand.
Pour the pie filling into the unbaked pie crust.
Bake the pie at 450° F for about 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350° F, and bake an additional 30 minutes.
When the pie is fully cooked through, remove it from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Serve each slice with a creamy delicious dollop of whipped cream.
*You can make a more traditional roll-out pie crust (link in the ingredients above) or an easier shortcut no-roll pie crust.

9. You may want to use a pie shield or a strip of aluminum foil to keep the edges of your pie crust from getting too dark or burning.

10. You can use a toothpick, table knife, or cake tester to see if your pie is done, but being that this is more of a custard pie, you may still see a slight bit of residue on your tester. You can also check the internal temperature with a cooking thermometer. It should be at least 200° F. When you go to take it out of the oven, your pie should be fairly firm. If it’s more than slightly jiggly, it needs more time in the oven. It’s a delicate balance between under-baking and over-baking when it comes to pecan pie. On one hand, you don’t want it to be uncooked in the middle; on the other hand, you don’t want it to crack and be too dry.

Desserts, Pies & Pastries
American
classic pecan pie, classic pecan pie recipe, how to make pecan pie, pecan pie, pecan pie recipe, southern pecan pie
October 30, 2017
Instant Pot Southern Green Beans
Southern Green Beans, made with bacon, onion, and ground beef in the Instant Pot. Delicious side dish recipe, perfect for holidays or weeknight meals.

Southern Green Beans are the most flavorful green beans you’ll ever enjoy. With bacon, onion, and ground beef, the flavors are incredible. Pressure cooked in the Instant Pot, they’re so tender and delicious, not to mention easy to make. And they pair really well with a Crock Pot pork roast or even baked chicken drums!

They’re reminiscent of the green beans my grandma used to make for every single holiday get together. Also, the fact that I live in Arkansas… That warrants a Southern recipe or two, right? I think so.

This recipe really only uses 6 ingredients, so it’s a pretty simple recipe. The most work is cooking up the bacon and ground beef beforehand. Otherwise, just throw all the ingredients in the Instant Pot, give them a stir, pop the lid on, and cook.

Meaning you can throw it all together and walk away and focus on doing something else (like play a quick game with the kids or keep the laundry going).

Tips for how to make Instant Pot Southern Green Beans
- Chop a medium sized onion.
- Cook ground beef and onion together in a large skillet.
- Meanwhile, also cook bacon in another large skillet.
- When ground beef/onion mixture is done, drain well.
- Crumble bacon.
- Add frozen green beans, ground beef/onion mixture, crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and water to the Instant Pot.
- Give it all a good stir.
- Place lid on the Instant Pot.
- Cook on Manual for 25 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release.
- Serve while warm. We’ve eaten this as both a side dish and a main dish. So good!
More side dish recipes you may enjoy…
You may also want to check out my list of The Best Thanksgiving Recipes for Your Holiday Menu and The Best Christmas Recipes for Your Holiday Celebrations for plenty more inspiration. And if you’re wondering what to make for Easter dinner, I’ve gotcha covered.

Tools you may need to make Instant Pot Southern Green Beans

Cutting Board and Knife – for chopping the onions and crumbling the bacon.
Large Skillet – You’ll need to cook both the ground beef and the bacon.
Wood Spatula – Use for cooking the ground beef.
Instant Pot – We have the 6-Quart Instant Pot, without the yogurt function. We love it.
Serving Bowl – This will allow for easier (and prettier) serving than just from the Instant Pot.

Print the recipe for Instant Pot Southern Green Beans
Instant Pot Southern Green Beans

Southern Green Beans, made with bacon, onion, and ground beef in the Instant Pot. Delicious side dish recipe, perfect for holidays or weeknight meals.
Large Skillet
Instant Pot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (minced)
1 pound ground beef
36 ounces frozen green beans
6 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Stir the minced onion into the olive oil and sauté 'til the onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Mix the ground beef together with the onion in the skillet and cook.
When the ground beef mixture is done, drain well.
Add the ground beef mixture, frozen green beans, crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and water to the Instant Pot.
Give it all a good stir.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the vent to "Sealed," and cook on Manual (or Pressure Cook) for 15 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release.
Serve while warm and enjoy!
Side Dish
American
green beans, Instant Pot green beans, southern green beans
Wanna save this recipe for later? Go ahead and Pin it!
October 28, 2017
Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing
Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing – An easy, traditional, old-fashioned, homemade stuffing recipe. Simple ingredients in a delicious Thanksgiving side everyone will love!

Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing will most definitely be on our Thanksgiving (and maybe even Christmas) table this year. This is the first stuffing I’ve ever made, and it came together in a most delicious way! And you don’t have to make it for the holidays; It also pairs really well with our weekly slow cooker pork roast!

While I grew up on both bread “dressing” (as my grandma called it… It was “dressing”) and my mom’s cornbread stuffing, Dan grew up eating bread stuffing. It’s his favorite kind of stuffing. So, I really wanted to try and create something similar to what he was used to.

The ingredients for this are really simple, but it really is so flavorful… The most expensive ingredient will likely be the walnuts. Thankfully, you don’t need a lot of them.

And stuffing is really not that hard to make. I don’t know why I thought it was going to be a long, drawn-out, complicated process. Because it’s totally not.

And if you have leftover stuffing, you can totally make these delicious leftover turkey stuffing crescent roll appetizers and leftover ham and stuffing crescent rolls for your holiday party!

Tips for how to make Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
2. Cube 1 whole loaf of bread and set aside.
3. Wash the celery and apples.
4. Chop the celery, onion, and apples.
5. Melt the butter in a skillet.
6. Sauté the celery, onion, and apples in the butter for about 5 minutes.
7. Mix the sautéed mixture with the cubed bread in a large bowl, making sure all of the bread is moistened.
8. Add sage, parsley, salt, and pepper to the mixture. Stir well.
9. Finally, add the walnuts to the mixture and mix well.
10. Spray a large casserole dish, preferably a 13″x9″ dish with cooking spray.
11. Add the stuffing mixture to the dish.
12. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes.
13. Cover with foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
14. Remove from the oven, and serve while warm.
It pairs deliciously well with Maple Bourbon Brined Roasted Turkey or a Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham.

Looking for more Thanksgiving side dish recipes?

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Green Beans Casserole

Creamy Bacon Corn Casserole

Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cauliflower

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Homemade Ham Gravy

Homemade Turkey Gravy

Instant Pot Southern Green Beans

Grandma’s Homemade Dinner Rolls

Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary

You’ll find plenty more inspiration on my lists of favorite Thanksgiving Recipes and Christmas Recipes, as well as our favorite apple recipes!

Tools you may need to make Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing

Cutting Board – for cubing the bread.

Bread Knife – for cubing the bread.

Iron Skillet – for sautéing the vegetables.

Wood Spatula – for sautéing the vegetables.

Large Mixing Bowl – for mixing up the stuffing.

Herbs – You’ll need sage and parsley.

Walnuts – to add into the stuffing mixture.

Casserole Dish – for baking the stuffing.

Aluminum Foil – for covering while baking.

Print the recipe for Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing
Apple Walnut Stuffing

Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing, an easy, traditional, old-fashioned, homemade recipe. Simple ingredients in a delicious Thanksgiving side everyone will love!
1 loaf bread
3 stalks celery (chopped)
1/2 large onion (minced)
1 cup apples (chopped)
8 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chopped walnuts
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
Cube 1 whole loaf of bread and set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet.
Sauté the celery, onion, and apples in the butter for about 5 minutes.
Mix the sautéed mixture with the cubed bread in a large bowl, making sure all of the bread is moistened.
Add sage, parsley, salt, and pepper to the mixture. Stir well.
Finally, add the walnuts to the mixture and mix well.
Spray a large 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
Add the stuffing mixture to the dish.
Bake uncovered at 350° F for about 20 minutes.
Cover with foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and serve while warm.
Side Dish
American
apple walnut bread stuffing, bread stuffing, dressing, Thanksgiving dressing, Thanksgiving stuffing
Planning your Thanksgiving menu? Pin this recipe to save it!
October 26, 2017