8 Tasty Winter Treats ...

Photo Credit: ~ Sandy ~

A take on a classic, there are dozens of different ways you can make or get your hands on a cup of white hot chocolate. Festive as well as delicious, this is a great treat to serve at parties or to just make for your family. It has its own distinctive flavor, but is still full of chocolate goodness.

Photo Credit: Broken Road Farm

Sugar cookies are so popular during winter and the holidays, because you can decorate them in so many ways. You can make them into trees or mittens or ice skates, or into your favorite holiday characters. At my house, we can’t let the winter go by without making at least half a dozen batches over a three month period!

Photo Credit: Coconut Recipes

Macaroons make a great holiday treat. All you have to do is get a little inventive with the chocolate dipping, as you see here. Can’t get any better than that, right? Wrong! Follow up this step by covering the still warm chocolate with shaved coconut and you’ll have a fleet of snowballs!

Photo Credit: averagebetty

Coconut is actually a common ingredient – or trick, if you like – when making winter treats. Making your own snowball cakes is easy this way, because all you really need to do is make cupcakes and go crazy with the coconut. Of course, there are lots more technical recipes out there as well; let me know if you try some good ones!

Photo Credit: arden1911

Cranberries are another staple in many winter treats, because their color is so festive and the fruit itself is so evocative of the holidays. Speaking from experience, the first time you make mousse, it is a somewhat harrowing experience. However, there are plenty of easy recipes for cranberry mousse, and it makes a great dessert!

Photo Credit: Mike & Corinne

Can you even get through the little without a little bit of apple cider? Is that even allowed? There are plenty opportunities to buy apple cider at the store now, but some people go all out with a homemade batch. Do any of you make your own cider?

Photo Credit: Made In PHL

The colors, the pineapples slices, the bright maraschino cherries: pineapple upside-down cake – or cupcakes! – is a great holiday treat. It just looks so festive, and it is beyond delicious. This is a fun recipe to make anyway. It’s sort of like putting together a puzzle, when you arrange the fruit at the bottom of the pan.

Photo Credit: snowdeal

Now here is what you do with that leftover eggnog. I am dying to try this. I mean, I love pudding, I love eggnog, I don’t see what can go wrong here. Again, this makes a great dessert for family dinners or a great treat during holiday parties.

There are so many winter- and holiday-themed foods and drinks, I almost want to plan parties from now to New Years. Are any of you throwing a party this year? What theme are you going with and what do you plan to serve?

Top Photo Credit: jpellgen