By Tower Pulse Staff Writers

Whether you’re leaving a plate of cookies and milk for Santa to enjoy or bringing desserts to a holiday potluck, with their festive decoration, these six treats are sure to please any Grinch.

Puppy Chow Muddy Buddies 

Ingredients:

9 c.       Rice Chex cereal

1 ½ c.   Milk chocolate morsels

1 c.       Peanut Butter

⅓ c.      Butter

4 c.       Powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Put nine cups of Rice Chex cereal in a large bowl.
2. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate morsels in a microwave safe medium sized bowl.
3. Microwave the peanut butter, butter and chocolate morsels for one minute.
4. Stir the mixture repeatedly until combined thoroughly.
5. Pour the peanut butter- chocolate mixture over the cereal and mix evenly, make sure that all of the cereal is covered completely.
6. Place the powdered sugar in a large zip lock, plastic, or brown bag.
7. Add the peanut butter- chocolate mixture to the bag and shake until the powdered sugar has coated the mixture.
8. Once the mixture is complete, place in a large serving bowl and enjoy.

Reindeer Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ¾ c.          All- Purpose flour

1 tsp.           Baking soda

½ tsp.          Baking powder

1 c.              Softened butter

1 ½ c.         White sugar

1                  Egg

1 tsp.          Vanilla extract

3 tbsp.       Buttermilk

1 c.            Chocolate covered pretzels (for antlers)

1c.             Mini M&M candies (for eyes)

½ c.          Regular sized M&M candies ( for noses)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Add enough of the buttermilk to moisten the dough and make it soft, not wet.
4. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. With a brush or fingers, moisten the top of each cookie with the remaining buttermilk and slightly flatten the top of each cookie. Sprinkle with raw sugar or colored sprinkles.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.
6. Add decorations while cookies are still warm.

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Pretzel Rods 

Ingredients:

1 bag         Pretzel rods

3               Hershey chocolate bars

1 doz.        Candy canes

Preparation:

1. Use a small pot and fill with approximately 1 inch of water to boil. Take a larger glass or metal bowl which can fit on top of the small pot and place the chocolate in the bowl.
2. Stir the chocolate in the bowl until completely melted.
3. Take candy canes, unwrap and crush inside a sealed plastic bag using the back of a metal spoon.
4. Dip the pretzels in the chocolate and roll in candy cane pieces.

Holiday Hot Chocolate Pie 

Ingredients:

1 ¼ c.      Sugar

3               Tbsp. Cocoa

2               Eggs

½ stick      Melted margarine

1 tsp.        Vanilla extract

2/3 c.        Canned milk

1               Unbaked 9 inch pie shell

1 c.           Marshmallows (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix sugar, cocoa and eggs.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Add marshmallows on top to preference.
6. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 Betty Crocker Supermoist white cake mix (plus necessary ingredients listed on package)

1 doz. Sugar ice cream cones

2 Containers Betty Crocker vanilla frosting

1 tsp. Green food coloring

1 c. Sprinkles or other desired decorations

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in cupcake pan.
2. Mix cupcake batter with required ingredients, following directions on the package. Bake cupcakes for listed amount of time. Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes.
3. Mix powdered sugar and frosting in medium sized bowl. Frost cupcakes with white frosting and place an upside down sugar cone on top.
4. Add green food coloring to remaining frosting.
5. Using a decorating bag, pipe green frosting onto the sugar cone, creating a Christmas tree.
6. Add sprinkles and other desired decorations as ornaments.

 Chocolate Peppermint Bark

 Ingredients:

1 bag    White chocolate chips

1 bag    Semi-sweet chocolate chips

8-12     Candy Canes

Wax Paper

Preparation

1. Place unwrapped candy canes in a plastic bag and crush to fine pieces.

2. Melt white chocolate in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring in between.

3. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring in between.

4. Place wax paper on cookie tray and spread semi-sweet chocolate evenly on the tray.

5. Pour white chocolate on top and drag a fork through it to mix the two chocolates.

6. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top.

7. Place in freezer until solid (about an hour).

8. Break into pieces and enjoy.

Reindeer Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 bag     Marshmallows

1 bag     Pretzels

1 c.       Round white sprinkles

1 c.      Red and green sprinkles

1 c.      Milk chocolate chips

1 c.      Milk chocolate frosting

1 box    Chocolate cupcake mix

Toothpicks

Preparation:

1.Bake and frost cupcakes

2. Melt chocolate and dip marshmallows into the melted chocolate using toothpicks. Freeze for 30 minutes.

3. Stick marshmallows onto cupcakes using toothpicks

4. Use frosting to attach sprinkles for face.

5. Stick broken pretzels into top of marshmallows for antlers.

 Oreo Snowman Cookie Pops

Ingredients:

1 bag of white chocolate candy melts

1 bag of Double Stuffed Oreos

1 bag of cookie sticks

1 c.   Dark Frosting

1 c.   Orange sprinkles

Preparation:

1. Melt the white chocolate candy melts following the directions that are on the bag.
2.  Carefully split the Oreos apart (without breaking the cookie) and insert one cookie stick inside the cream filling of the Oreo.
3. Use a little white chocolate melt to glue the other half of the cookie.
4. When the cookie is firmly place on the stick, dip the cookie into the white chocolate melt or use a spoon to cover the Oreo fully.
5. Freeze for 10 minutes and then make face with the dark frosting and make a nose with an orange sprinkle.