Holidays are stressful enough, between gifts and parties and a million other responsibilities you somehow you forgot you signed up for-so why not destress, out on some comfy clothes and make some delicious holiday desserts that take minimal effort?
Truffles
I don't know why but whenever I would see truffles at a party I would think that they were this extravagant dessert that took precision, time, and above all-effort. I think it's the name, "truffles" sounds pretentious. But, that was before I learned how easy these delectable bites are! Truffles are simply a cooled ganache, rolled up into balls. A ganache may sound scary, but all it is is heat cream that is poured over chopped chocolate. And that's literally it! Truffles can be made so quick, you'll wonder why you weren't busting these out of your kitchen before now. They're a great party dessert, plus you can dress them up by rolling them in chopped nuts, cocoa powder, or even candy canes-the possibilities are endless!
Here's a recipe for some fool proof truffles.
Peppermint Bark
I'm sure everyone can agree candy canes alone taste like hardened toothpaste, but when sprinkled over two kinds of chocolate, they transform something ordinary into an extraordinary dessert that you can't stop eating. For this recipe all you need is chocolate and peppermint, so I'm going to assume you already have these ingredients lying around your house this time of year. You can also add some peppermint extract to further enhance the peppermint and add another layer of flavor to the milk chocolate, but feel free to leave it out if you think the crushed candy canes on top suffice. To make peppermint bark, simply melt two kinds of chocolate(either in the microwave or on the stove), pour onto a sheet tray with parchment paper, let the first layer cool, and then repeat. Finally, add the crushed candy canes to place this ordinary bark into the holiday spirit!
Some delectable peppermint bark waiting for you to devour it.
Coconut Macaroons
If you really want to impress your guests with a dessert that looks fancy but is minimal effort-look no further! These coconut macaroons are chewy, tasty, and a light holiday dessert that could be needed after filling up on other rich foods throughout the season. French macaroons are always discussed as a complicated dessert, mainly because you need the perfect consistency of batter in order to get the desired result. But these coconut macaroons are more of a cookie, and not much precision is needed at all! Simply combine all ingredients besides coconut and mix with a hand/stand mixer until a frothy batter forms. Then, add the coconut and bake! Viola! A dessert that is simple, easy, and somewhat healthy during the holidays!
PS if you really wanted to spruce these little guys up, after they bake dip the bottoms into some melted chocolate-you'll thank me later
Delicious and (somewhat) healthy coconut macaroons!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Finally, what are the holidays without these guys? I think we've all been guilty of devouring a whole plate of these tasty cookies at least once (okay maybe twice). Even though this requires you to make a dough and not just melt some chocolate, I think the gains outweigh the losses in this equation. Not only are you making delicious peanut butter cookies, but then to top it all off with a Hershey Kiss is as close to perfection I think a cookie can get. These cookies can also be a fun way to spend time with your family or friends in a non stressful manner, because who is stressed around peanut butter and chocolate?
Make this wonderful OG recipe here.
Happy Eating!
