Christmas

The holidays often conjure up memories of our mothers or grandmothers making delicious homemade treats.  They spent hours making batches of goodies for the family to enjoy and everyone appreciated the scrumptious fruits of their labor.  Many of us would like to continue that tradition of holiday baking, but the hustle and bustle of the season can sometimes get in the way.  From wrapping gifts and writing Christmas cards to trimming the tree and attending neighborhood parties, it can be tough to find the time to even get dinner on the table, much less try to make time-consuming, difficult desserts.  Fortunately, there are simple shortcuts you can use to make the holiday sweets your family and friends love without all the usual time and hassle.  Here are some creative holiday dessert recipes with just two ingredients each:

1. Fudge

Fudge is the treat everyone wants, but no one wants to take the time to make it.  The traditional recipe can require nearly a dozen ingredients as well as multiple pots and candy thermometers.  It takes hours to prepare and if you don’t have much candy-making experience, the end result can be a sticky, clumpy disaster.  Instead, skip the intensive process of old-fashioned fudge and opt for this quick and easy stand-in.  For classic chocolate flavor, all you’ll need is a can of chocolate frosting and a bag of chocolate chips.  Melt the chips in the microwave and stir in the can of frosting until well-blended.  Spread the mixture into a lined pan and chill until set.  Now it’s ready to be cut into bars to give in your holiday treat bags.  This recipe can also be used to make other fudge flavors.  Vanilla frosting and white chocolate chips will make decadent vanilla fudge.  Strawberry frosting with white chocolate chips makes sweet and fruity strawberry fudge.  You can even make peanut butter fudge by swapping out the chips for a jar of peanut butter and stirring in a can of melted vanilla frosting.  No matter what flavor you choose, you’ll have creamy and delicious fudge in minutes rather than hours.

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2.  Holiday bark

This is another perennial favorite at many holiday family gatherings and parties.  Simply melt a bag of chocolate chips (or your choice of flavor) and combine with your favorite mix-ins.  Spread the mixture into a lined, shallow pan and allow it to chill in the fridge.  Once it’s set, lift it out of the pan and break into jagged pieces.  Having a variety of sizes will allow each guest to choose how much of this holiday treat he or she wants to indulge in.  Chocolate almond bark is a classic and vanilla bark with crushed candy canes or holiday sprinkles is always a hit with the kids.  However, why not try something new this year?  Pair white chocolate chips with chocolate sandwich cookies for the delicious flavor of cookies and cream.  Combine peanut butter chips and peanut butter sandwich cookies or chopped peanut butter cups to please all the peanut butter lovers in your life.  You could even use butterscotch chips with pretzel stick chunks for a sweet and salty experience that’s sure to be the hit of any holiday get-together.  With such quick preparation and only two ingredients, you can whip up holiday bark all winter long.

3. Cake

You might be wondering how you could possibly bake a cake with just two ingredients, but it’s easy if you take a couple of shortcuts.  Melt a pint of your preferred flavor of ice cream, add it to your choice of boxed cake mix and you’ve got instant cake batter.  Just pour the batter into a cake pan or some cupcake holders and bake according to the package instructions.  Soon, you’ll have a delectable dessert to cap off any holiday party.  Mix and match different flavors to come up with your favorite holiday combination.  Try white cake mix with peppermint ice cream for candy cane cake.  Pumpkin or spice cake paired with butter pecan ice cream is a great alternative to the typical pumpkin pie.  Red velvet with rocky road is the perfect way to get your chocolate fix as well as give your dessert table a pop of holiday color.  Your holiday cakes will impress all your guests and only you will know just how simple they were to prepare.

This may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be the busiest.  If you find yourself with no time to make goodies amidst the Christmas chaos, give one of these quick and easy ideas a try.  With only two ingredients per recipe, you can create fun and tasty holiday treats that your family and friends will love. To read more about the latest in the food service industry check out the Instawares Food and Restaurant Blog.