For any and all of the culinarily challenged, Pinterest and Facebook posts of perfect holiday confections are enough to suck the joy out of actually eating the perfect holiday confections. It's the time of the year when it seems like everyone and their mother, and also their cat and dog, knows how to bake. Except you. That perfect golden-brown always looks more like a deep charcoal and your homemade truffles never quite taste like truffles. Don't worry, I won't talk about that one time you tried to bake cookies and set the oven on fire. 

Never fear! Here are 5 easy things you can make that won't endanger you or the appliances around you, and will make you look like the most creative cook in the neighborhood. 

Cake Balls

These are my favorite. Don't let "cake ball makers" fool you. This is how to make a REAL cake ball (the easy way). 

You will need:

1 box of cake mix (and whatever that particular mix calls for)

1 can frosting of your choice

2 bags chocolate melting wafers (my favorite is Wilton, so far it's been the most forgiving brand).

4 tsp vegetable oil

1) Make the cake by following the directions on the back of the box. Have a friend help if the oven is daunting and set an alarm for when the cake is done. Don't forget to poke it with a toothpick to check if it really is done, too! When the toothpick comes out clean, it't time to take out the cake. 

2) Crumble the cake into a large bowl, and dump the entire can of frosting into the crumbly cake. 

3) Roll up your sleeves and smush the cake and frosting together. Try to make it a relatively even mix, but it's okay if there are some clumps.

4) Roll the mush into 1 inch-ish balls. You will need to run our hands under cold water every five or so balls to make sure that the mixture doesn't stick to your hands. 

5) Melt half of one bag of the chocolate wafers with 1 tsp of vegetable oil in the microwave in 30-40 second increments. Stir and re-microwave as many times as needed.

6) Using either a toothpick or a fork, dip the balls into the chocolate. Put in the refrigerator for 30 mins, and your cake balls will be ready to serve. 

Wreath Cookies

This festive holiday treat only needs four ingredients. Yay simplicity! 

1-2 bags green chocolate wafers (Again, I like Wilton.)

1 box of your favorite flake-like cereal (like frosted flakes or raisin bran without the raisins)

1 can red frosting in a squirt can

2-4 tsp vegetable oil

1) Melt 1/2 a bag of the chocolate with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

2) Mix melted chocolate with about 1 cup (depending on the flake size) of your cereal. 

3) Drop spoonfuls of this mixture onto a cookie sheet, and use your thumb to make a hole in the middle so they look like mini-wreaths. 

4) Refrigerate until the chocolate is hard.

5) Squirt small dots of red frosting on the wreaths to look like berries/ornaments. Serve and enjoy! 

Reese's Tree-cees

Depending on how many trees you want to make and how many Reese's you find per package, you will have to adjust these numbers accordingly. These instructions are for a single tree.

1 regular size/king size Reese's

2 Reese's minis

1 Hershey kiss

1 squirtable can of white frosting

1) Unwrap all of the candies. 

2) Place one Reese's mini upside down in front of you, and put a small dot of frosting on top.

3) Place the large Reese's upside down on top of the mini. The frosting dot will hold it in place. Put a small dot in the middle of the large Reese's. 

4) Stack another mini on top of the large Reese's and put a frosting dot on top of that. Place the Hershey kiss on top.

5) Use the frosting to squirt a garland-like pattern around the tree. Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Balls

These are ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser. 

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 bag chocolate wafers

2 tsp vegetable oil 

1) Mix a cup of peanut butter with 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar. 

2) Roll into small, 1 inch balls. 

3) Melt the chocolate using the methods described above, a half bag at a time with one tsp of vegetable oil. 

4) Dip the balls into the melted chocolate, and set on a cookie sheet to be refrigerated. Make sure you share some with family and friends! 

Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

No baking, cooking, heating or microwaving necessary! And, you get to use a hammer. 

1 handful of candy canes

1 can vanilla frosting

1 box chocolate wafer cookies

1 bottle of peppermint extract

1) In a small bowl, mix the frosting with the peppermint extract. Do this gradually and taste it as you go, because peppermint extract is strong. You definitely want to avoid putting too much in. 

2) Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a plastic bag on top of a sturdy cooking board on a sturdy surface. Grab a hammer and make candy cane powder! Your end product should be chunky and grainy. Not the consistency of sugar, and nothing you couldn't chew normally. Aim for something in between. 

3) Spread a little bit of your frosting mixture in between two wafer cookies so that there is a tiny little bit of frosting on the outside. You can do this by putting a spoonful of frosting on top of one cookie, and pushing down gently with another cookie. 

4) Roll the edges in your candy cane powder, and enjoy! 

Good luck and happy holidays!