Christmas Cake Balls (Rudolph and Candy Cane)

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer Cake Balls

Candy Cane Cake Balls

These cute and festive cake balls would be perfect to serve at a holiday party or give as a gift! They are surprisingly easy to make and will definitely impress all your guests!

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix, or you can make homemade chocolate cake with my recipe here.

1 16 oz. can vanilla or cream cheese frosting

2-4 cups milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate melting wafers

For the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cake Balls:

Small pretzel twists

Round red candy

White sprinkles

Black food marker (or non-toxic marker)

For the Candy Cane Cake Balls:

2-3 large candy canes or 5-6 mini candy canes

Directions:

Prepare the cake as directed on the package for a 13" x 9" cake, or follow my chocolate cake recipe. After the cake is cooked and cooled completely, tear and crumble into a large bowl. Mix the torn up cake with the can of frosting using either your hands or a wooden spoon.

Roll the cake and frosting mixture into quarter size balls and place on a baking sheet. You can make the balls bigger or smaller depending on your preference. Chill the balls in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. You can speed up the chilling process by putting them in the freezer for an hour or so.

Once the balls are done chilling, melt the chocolate in the microwave per directions on the package, or if you’re using melting wafers put half of them in the microwave for about 30 seconds at a time until melted. Be careful not to burn your chocolate! Only melt a little bit of chocolate at a time because it starts to cool and thicken pretty quickly. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot - so if it starts getting too thick then just microwave it for 10 seconds at a time until it’s a more liquid consistency.

Cover 2-3 baking sheets with wax paper. Roll the balls in the melted chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. It helps to use a spoon to dip and roll the balls in chocolate and then tap off extra. It may take a  little practice to get the right technique for coating the balls in chocolate, but it doesn't have to be perfect! You can always touch it up in spots by spreading more chocolate onto the balls once they are on the wax paper.

You want to decorate the cake balls quickly, before the chocolate hardens, so you will have to decorate each individual cake ball immediately after coating it in chocolate.

Decorating the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cake Balls:

 For the Rudolph cake balls, I gently pressed small white sprinkles into the chocolate for the eyes. Then I dabbed a small bit of melted chocolate onto a small, round, red candy and "glued" it onto the cake ball underneath the eyes. I used two small pretzel twists for antlers and to attach them I again dabbed melted chocolate onto the bottom half of the each pretzel and glued it to the bottom back of the cake ball. You want the pretzels to be connected to as much of the cake ball as possible so that they do not break off. You might have to gently press the red nose and antlers onto the cake ball for a few seconds so that they don't fall off before the chocolate has a chance to harden. Once all my decorations were attached, I used a black food marker (you can find these at craft or party supply stores) to make the pupils in Rudolph's eyes. If you don't have a food marker then you could dab a toothpick in the melted chocolate and make small dots, or just use any non-toxic black marker.

Decorating the Candy Cane Cake Balls:

Prior to coating the cake ball in chocolate, crush your candy canes by sealing them in a plastic bag and pounding with a heavy object. You want there to be a good mix between larger chunks of candy cane and more finely crushed candy cane. Place the crushed candy canes in a small bowl for easy access. Once you have coated a cake ball in chocolate, quickly sprinkle some crushed candy canes on the top before the chocolate hardens. You may have to gently press the candy canes into the chocolate to make sure they stick on. If you want, you could also try rolling the entire cake ball through the crushed candy canes so it is completely coated all over, but this may get a little messy.

Once all of the balls have been coated in chocolate and decorated, chill in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate has hardened. For transporting the cake balls, package them snugly in wax paper-lined tupperware containers, with a layer of wax paper in between each layer of cake balls. Store in sealed containers in the refrigerator so they do melt at all.

*Cake ball recipe adapted from Bakerella
*Decorated cake balls by Brooke McMillan

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 and 3/4 cups white sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half and flatten each into a round disc shape. Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for approx. 1 hour, or until the dough is firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in centre of oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Place the sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator to chill for about 10-15 minutes before baking. This prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.

Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes (depending on size) or until they are just firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cookies are completely cooled, frost and decorate as desired.

Royal Icing Recipe

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites Ingredients:

2 large pasteurized egg whites

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. flavoured extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)

3 cups icing sugar, sifted

Directions: With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice and extract until combined. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Add food coloring if using. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Royal Icing Using Meringue Powder Ingredients:

4 cups icing sugar

3 Tbsp. meringue powder

1 tsp. flavoured extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)

1/2 - 3/4 cup warm water

Directions: With a hand mixer, beat the icing sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7 minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered sugar or water. Add food coloring if using. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

*Recipe from Joy of Baking

Gingerbread Men

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup unsulphured molasses

Directions:

In a large bowl,  whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. 

In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.  With an offset spatula or butter knife, lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch apart. 

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just slightly beginning to brown. 

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If desired, you can press raisins or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, royal icing can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles. Check out the sugar cookie recipe for my royal icing recipe.

*Recipe from Joy of Baking

Christmas Sugar Cookies

My neighbour would always make a big batch of theses cookies for me and my siblings every Christmas when we were younger. It was always a fight between us to get the most cookies - and they definitely never lasted for long! They are one of the easiest and best sugar cookie recipes I have ever tried.. perfect to leave out for Santa ;)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1 and 1/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. orange or lemon juice

2 Tbsp. milk

Directions:

In a bowl, cream butter the sugar together with a mixer. Add in the eggs and beat to combine. 

Whisk together flour and baking powder. Add the flour,  juice, and milk to the creamed mixture and mix well. 

If the dough is too crumbly then add a small bit of milk until it sticks together. Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place the rack in the centre of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Cut into shapes using lightly floured cookie cutters and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on wire racks before icing.

Royal Icing Ingredients:

2 large pasteurized egg whites

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. flavoured extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)

3 cups icing sugar, sifted

Directions: 

With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice and extract until combined. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Add food coloring if using. Spread or pipe onto cooled sugar cookies.

The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use. Allow the icing to harden completely before storing or packaging the cookies.

Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup powdered (icing) sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract
Sprinkles or coloured sugar to decorate

Directions:

In a bowl whisk the flour with the salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.  If the dough is too crumbly then add in a few tsp. of milk at a time until the dough just comes together.

Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the middle of the oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle with a floured rolling pin. If the dough is too crumbly to roll out then place it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes. The firmer the dough is the easier it will be to roll out and cut.  Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Decorate with sprinkles or coloured sugar.

Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

*Recipe from Joy of Baking

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

These are one of my dad's favourite treats! There is always a big batch of them my Grandma's house at Christmas. The best part is that they are so easy to whip up and require no baking at all! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

1 pkg. butterscotch chips

1 250g pkg. or approx. 4 cups miniature colored marshmallows

3/4 – 1 cup shredded coconut (optional as I know not everyone likes coconut)

Directions:

Grease a 9"x9" or 8"x8" baking pan with butter or margarine.

Place butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips in a double boiler until just melted, then remove from heat. If you don't have a double boiler, then place the ingredients in a medium heatproof metal or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl isn't actually touching the water, and stir until melted. Allow the melted mixture to sit for a few minutes so that it can come down slightly in temperature and won't melt the marshmallows.

In a large bowl, combine the marshmallow and coconut (if using). Pour the melted peanut butter mixture over the marshmallows and mix with a large spoon until the marshmallows are well coated. Evenly spread into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle a little bit of coconut on top.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until firm. Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator to prevent melting - or in the freezer for longer storage.

*Recipe by Brooke McMillan

Bonnie and Clyde Bars

 

I'm not sure why these are called Bonnie and Clyde bars, but I do know why they are a holiday favourite in the McMillan household! Who can resist thick, fudgey, nutty chocolate sandwiched between a buttery, crumbly oatmeal crust? Make these immediately.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

2 and ½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 cups quick cooking rolled oats

Filling Ingredients:

1 pkg. chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

½ tsp. salt

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tsp. vanilla nut extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray.

With a mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, and vanilla and almond extracts.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the rolled oats. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and set aside.

To make the chocolate filling, mix the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan and melt over low heat. Add the pecans and the vanilla nut extract.

Spread half of the oatmeal mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with the chocolate mixture and crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then cut into squares.

*Recipe from Rob and Karen McMillan