No Bake Christmas Treats
Sometimes it is nice to be free of the stovetop and the oven, especially after the marathon Thanksgiving feast that takes hours upon hours to cook. But how can one achieve Holiday Treat Greatness without the stovetop or oven? There are quite a few ways to achieve this and still reach treat nirvana. No bake Christmas treats are certainly the way to go this holiday season! Butter and sugar don’t always need heat to bring them together. As in life, alcohol is a great social lubricant and it works the same magic with butter and sugar. The recipes for Jingle Balls are rather adult oriented due to the alcohol, but a little flavored water will have the same affect and make these no bake Christmas treats more kid friendly.
No Bake Christmas Treats Go Savory
When I think about no bake Christmas treats I like to think bit broader, beyond sweets. There are easy ways to put together tasty, savory morsels. For me, cheese comes to mind. In fact, I like to think of Cheese Sandwiches. Not cheese sandwiches in the traditional sense, but delicious fillings sandwiched in wheels of cheese. With a few crackers and beverages, these no bake Christmas treats are a perfect party food or something to have on hand for when those holiday guests pop in for a quick visit or arrive for a long stay. If I want an even simpler no bake Christmas treat that is savoury, I take my favorite bite size crackers, drizzle them with a little olive oil and season how I like. After a good toss, I have a nice no bake Christmas treat without hassle.
With the exception of one recipe, the Choco-Nut Clusters, no stove or oven is needed. The Jingle Balls whip up quickly and the Cheese Sandwiches are simple cut and spread operations. The Choco-Nut Clusters are really involve stirring only and won’t take up too much of your time.
It is nice to have a few no bake Christmas treats in our repertoires that look like lots of hard work, but were really simple to do. You save some time and energy and still get to impress your family and friends. Plus, it helps keep holiday stress levels down, which is something we all could use.
No Bake Christmas Treat Recipes
Jingle Balls
- 1/2 lb of powdered sugar
- 1/4 stick of butter
- 2 tbsp of amaretto (like Disaronno)
- Colored Sprinkles
- 1/2 lb of powdered sugar
- 1/4 stick of butter
- 2 tbsp of Chocolate Mint Creme Liquor (like Baileys)
- Colored Sprinkles
- 1/2 lb of powdered sugar
- 1/4 stick of butter
- 2 tbsp of Gingerbread Liquor (if you can not find this use creme de menthe or raspberry liquor like Chambord)
- Colored Sprinkles
- In separate bowls, mix the ingredients for each type of Jingle Ball with fork until it comes together as a paste and all the sugar is incorporated into the butter.
- Using your hands, roll 1 inch balls.
- Pour the sprinkles into a bowl or container and roll the formed balls in the sprinkles. Fully coat them with sprinkles.
- Place the balls on a tray or in a container and refrigerate until firm
- The Jingle Balls can be placed in small muffin cups and served at room temperature.
- If you prefer a vegan/vegetarian option substitute the butter with margarine.
- For alcohol free versions, replace with water adding flavor extract to taste. Juice can also be used.
- When finished, place the Jingle Balls in small paper muffin cups. Wrap up a few and they will make nice gifts.
- These can be rolled in coconut, mini chocolate chips, toffee bits, etc.
- If you want to take these no bake Christmas treats one step further, omit the sprinkles and dip them in melted dark or white chocolate.
- These can be made and held for a few days in refrigerator if you want to have them on hand for when guests come to visit.
Cheese Sandwiches
Brie with Honey Goat Cheese
- Yield – Makes 2 Cheese Sandwiches.
- There are so many options with these! The rule of thumb for me is – if a cheese comes in a wheel or wedge that can be sliced open easily then it can be stuffed.
- Cream cheese and goat cheese make a great base for other flavours because they are mild and creamy in taste. Don’t forget already flavored cheeses like port wine, etc. A good port wine cheese would be fantastic sandwiched in a wheel of stilton or Danish blue cheese.
- The flavor options for the stuffing-spread go on an on, too. Sweet, spicy, truffle, nuts, curry, fruit (use good jam or marmalade), etc. Mix it up and make many!
- If you choose to use cream cheese as the base for your filling, it may get very soft and not get firm when you chill it. It is best to use full fat cream cheese for this, not the whipped variety. No worries regarding the ooziness, it is not a cause for concern. It will be every bit as delicious even if it is a little messy. It is fun to see your guests link their fingers due to a good no bake Christmas treat! If you are concerned, a firmer goat cheese may be the better choice.
- 1 – 4 oz wheel of brie
- 4 oz of a creamy goat cheese
- honey
- In a small bowl mash up the goat cheese and slowly start drizzling in the honey. Drizzle enough of the honey in to the cheese to meet to your taste. Mix well.
- Using a cookie cutter that is the same size as the when of brie, shape the honeyed goat cheese into a round.
- Slice the wheel of brie equatorially creating 2 brie rounds.
- Sandwich the goat cheese between the wheels of brie. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minute.
- Serve with water crackers.
- Yield – Makes 2 Cheese Sandwiches.
- There are so many options with these! The rule of thumb for me is – if a cheese comes in a wheel or wedge that can be sliced open easily then it can be stuffed.
- Cream cheese and goat cheese make a great base for other flavours because they are mild and creamy in taste. Don’t forget already flavored cheeses like port wine, etc. A good port wine cheese would be fantastic sandwiched in a wheel of stilton or Danish blue cheese.
- The flavor options for the stuffing-spread go on an on, too. Sweet, spicy, truffle, nuts, curry, fruit (use good jam or marmalade), etc. Mix it up and make many!
- If you choose to use cream cheese as the base for your filling, it may get very soft and not get firm when you chill it. It is best to use full fat cream cheese for this, not the whipped variety. No worries regarding the ooziness, it is not a cause for concern. It will be every bit as delicious even if it is a little messy. It is fun to see your guests link their fingers due to a good no bake Christmas treat! If you are concerned, a firmer goat cheese may be the better choice.
Camembert with Sriracha Cream Cheese
- 1 – 8 oz wheel of camembert
- 3 oz of full fat cream cheese
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- salt and pepper
- In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and sriracha. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Slice the camembert equatorially creating 2 camembert rounds.
- Spread and sandwich the cream cheese mixture on and between the camembert wheels.
- Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Serve with water crackers.
- There are so many options with these! The rule of thumb for me is – if a cheese comes in a wheel or wedge that can be sliced open easily then it can be stuffed.
- Cream cheese and goat cheese make a great base for other flavours because they are mild and creamy in taste. Don’t forget already flavored cheeses like port wine, etc. A good port wine cheese would be fantastic sandwiched in a wheel of stilton or Danish blue cheese.
- The flavor options for the stuffing-spread go on an on, too. Sweet, spicy, truffle, nuts, curry, fruit (use good jam or marmalade), etc. Mix it up and make many!
- If you choose to use cream cheese as the base for your filling, it may get very soft and not get firm when you chill it. It is best to use full fat cream cheese for this, not the whipped variety. No worries regarding the ooziness, it is not a cause for concern. It will be every bit as delicious even if it is a little messy. It is fun to see your guests link their fingers due to a good no bake Christmas treat! If you are concerned, a firmer goat cheese may be the better choice.
Choco-Nut Clusters
Notes
Yield – About 18 but it depends on how big you make the clusters.
These make great gifts! Put them in festive muffin cups and wrap in nice boxes.
If you are concerned with nut allergy, use more dried fruit and replace the nuts with granola, muesli or your favorite cereal. The chocolate is optional.
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of raisins
- 3 cups of mixed nuts (pistachios and cashews are lovely in this)
- 4 oz dark chocolate (72% cacao)
Directions
- Break up the chocolate using a meat mallet. The pieces should be small and some should be pulverised.
- Spray a baking tray with non-stick spray.
- In a medium pan, mix the butter, egg and sugar. Stir this well until the egg and sugar are fully incorporated with the butter and the mixture is pale.
- Add the raisins and turn on the heat to medium-hi. Stir the mixture constantly. Bring the mixture up to a simmer. Keep stirring. The mixture will thicken and get sticky. Add the nuts and mix well.
- When the mixture is gooey and the nuts start to stick turn off the heat and keep stirring. Add the chocolate and keep stirring until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
- Spoon out dollops of the mixture onto the baking tray.
- Let them cool then refrigerate. The clusters will set up and be firm. Place them in small muffin cups to serve.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NO BAKING!
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