Easy 3-ingredient Christmas candies — perfect for giving to neighbors, bringing into work, taking to a party, or enjoying with your family! Homemade white chocolate peppermint hearts, pretzel hug/kiss bites, thin mint oreo cups, and easy turtles.
White Chocolate Peppermint Hearts
A few quick tips:
- I recommend a high quality white chocolate for flavor purposes, and for the best possible melt. My favorite white chocolate to use is Guittard or Ghirardelli. (You can use chocolate chips or the baking bars for peppermint hearts.)
- Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal of these peppermint hearts
- Add some string into the chocolate before it sets and make these into ornaments! 🙂
Product Links:
White Chocolate Peppermint Hearts
White chocolates and sprinkles fill the center of two candy canes to look like a heart!
Ingredients
- 20 miniature candy canes unwrapped
- 6 ounces white chocolate high quality chips work/taste best!
- Holiday sprinkles
- Optional: 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prepare a tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Set the candy canes on the tray -- two together to form hearts all over the tray.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring in between each burst for 10-15 seconds. Patiently melting the chocolate will make sure it doesn't burn!
- If needed add the oil to slightly thin the chocolate. Add very slowly and just if the chocolate is too thick.
- Pour the chocolate into a plastic bag and snip off the tip with scissors.
- Pipe the melted chocolate into the centers of the candy cane treats.
- Gently wiggle the candy canes to get the chocolate smooth.
- Sprinkle immediately with sprinkles.
- Let set.
Video
Recipe Notes
Cook time refers to setting time.
Rudolph Noses
A few quick tips:
- I like the square pretzels best for these Christmas candies, but regular twist pretzels work as well.
- I recommend getting plain flavored pretzels, as opposed to butter flavored.
- Use these cute Rudolph Noses as a fun edible table centerpiece. Alternate using kisses and hugs for more color and visual interest.
Product Links:
Rudolph Noses
Ingredients
- 25 pretzels -- square or twists
- 25 hugs or kisses * whichever you prefer
- 25 holiday M&M candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Do not preheat using convection settings.**
- Line a tray with parchment paper and place the pretzels on the tray.
- Unwrap the hugs/kisses/rolos and place on top of the pretzels.
- Bake for 3-4 minutes or until the hugs/kisses/rolos are soft but not melted.
- Press an M&M candy into the center of the hugs/kisses/rolos right out of the oven.
- Allow the chocolate to harden.
Recipe Notes
*I tried out caramel kisses for these and they didn't work -- caramel oozed out everywhere. Stick to solid chocolate kisses. **I've had a few people report issues with the kisses crumbling; this means the oven was too hot or the chocolate was baked too long. I would recommend trying 1 rudolph nose at first to test. If it crumbles, reduce the baking time for the rest. Do not use convection oven settings.
Thin Mint Cups
A few quick tips:
- You can find the Andes Mint baking chips next to all the other chocolate chips in the baking aisle of the store. (They are in a green bag!)
Product Links:
Thin Mint Cups
Ingredients
- 16 regular Oreo or chocolate sandwich cookies
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1-2 bags Andes Mint baking chips*
- Optional: sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare a miniature muffin tin by lining with mini muffin papers.
- Pulse the sandwich cookies in a blender or food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. You do not need to separate the cookie from the creme.
- Beat the crumbs with 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese until a thick mixture forms.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Starting with 1 bag, melt all of the baking chips in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring in between each burst for 10-15 seconds.
- Spoon melted chocolate into the bottom of the prepared muffin tins -- not a lot here.
- Allow to set completely. (If you don't work fast, the Andes mints harden quickly -- that's okay, just pop them in the microwave for another 15 seconds or so)
- Remove the dough from the fridge and form into small balls. Flatten those balls to thin and completely FLAT disks and place on top of the set chocolate.
- Spoon more melted chocolate to cover the disk of chocolate.
- Add sprinkles to the top if desired.
- Allow to set at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
*If you want a lot of chocolate you'll go through 1 and 1/2 to 2 bags. It's hard to give an exact measurement because it all depends on the size of your oreo filling and how large your final cups are.
Turtles
Products Links:
Turtles
Ingredients
- 25 twist or square pretzels
- 25 rolos
- 25 pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.**
- Line a tray with parchment paper and place the pretzels on the tray.
- Unwrap the rolos and place on top of the pretzels.
- Bake for 3-4 minutes or until the rolos are soft but not melted.
- Press a pecan into the center of the hugs and kisses right out of the oven.
- Allow the chocolate to harden.
Recipe Notes
**I've had a few people report issues with the chocolate "crumbling"; this means the oven was too hot or the chocolate was baked too long. I would recommend trying 1 turtle at first to test. If it crumbles, reduce the baking time for the rest. Do NOT use convection oven settings.
More Fun Christmas Treats
- Christmas Snack Mix
- Peppermint Bark Pretzels (3 Ingredients)
- Turtle Bark
- Christmas Mason Jar Gift Ideas Free Printables
- Hot Chocolate Snack Mix
You must try these!
Thank you Audrey 🙂
So, not making anything, but rather combining commercial items. I suppose it lets the toddlers do something while one boils sugar or tempers chocolate couverture. I wouldn’t use the word ‘ingredient’, which implies items like cocoa mass, yeast, flour, sugar. I would recommend, rather, admitting that this is combining snack and candy items to make decorative objects.
Ingredient is a much shorter term though. I don’t think all of that would fit in my title! 😉
I like “ingredients” better. Everyone knows what you mean.
Wow so negative…
Yep, my thoughts exactly.
These look like a lot of fun for my grandkids thanks
I had so much fun with my toddler making these 🙂 Hope you enjoy Dee!!
Oh my gosh, my 6 year old is extremely excited about making those candy cane hearts for her friends. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
That is so fun to hear!! You are welcome 🙂 Enjoy!
Every year my 2 daughters and I make a homemade gift for our large extended family. These candy cane hearts are perfect for my 7 and 4 year old to do mostly unassisted and it’s not just another ornament or decoration the family feels obligated to keep. I’m so excited!!
What a fun tradition! 🙂 I hope your daughters love making these and the family loves eating them 🙂
WHY AM I ADDICTED TO YOUR COOKING VIDEOS!?
legit can’t stop watching, they look amazing Chelsea! xo
Omg you make my day!! 🙂 Thank you! XO
Will definitely be making some of these treats
Awesome! Hope you love them 🙂
I copy these recipes into my word processor. If I decide to make one, I just print it out and head for the kitchen. If the recipe gets ingredients all over it, I just trash it. I can always run off another!
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing your tips Jayne! 🙂
I buy sheet protectors and put all my printed recipes in them then I put them in a binder. That way you don’t waste paper and they are right at your finger tips when you need them. I just take out the recipe I want to use and put it in my book holder while making it. If you splash anythinh on it you just wipe it off. Works great!
Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing Sherry 🙂
That’s what I do, too. A quick wipe and any messy residue is gone.
These are so cute! What a fun Christmas treat!
Thank you Lindsay! 🙂
hey girl these look amazing! Yummy!
Thank you Shawnna! 🙂