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! 🙂
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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.
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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!)
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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
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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
How do you unwrap the mini candy canes without breaking them?
I just cut off the top with scissors 🙂
Does it matter what kind of mini muffin papers you use for the thin mint treats. Worried about the paper peeling from the chocolate????
Nope it shouldn’t matter. I didn’t use anything special (just liners from WalMart) and had no problem taking them off. Enjoy!
Making these with my son’s 5th grade class. They are “too old” for a traditional class party, so I thought we’d have a giving party–exchange small gifts and make these candies as gifts for them to give to family. Do you think the Rudolph noses and Turtles can be done in the microwave?
That sounds like so much fun! 🙂 I’m sure they could be done in the microwave, but I’m not sure how long to recommend/how many you should put in at once. I think as far as bulk and ensuring they work out, the oven is your best bet!
Can you freeze any of these?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not. Just make sure to pack them air tight and thaw in the fridge first 🙂
I made the hearts and thin mint cups tonight. Turned out great and my family loved both treats! Thanks for the awesome recipes!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Julie 🙂
Do Rolos work just as well for the Rudolph noses?
Yes those will work great 🙂
These are great for making with my grandkids and add the perfect touch to cookie plates I’m making up for Christmas.
I’m so happy to hear that! Merry Christmas, and thanks so much Mary 🙂
Although I haven’t made these yet…they will be! My granddaughter, Amelia is all on board with this!!! I cannot wait to have the grands help….looks like a good project for the day after Thanksgiving!!!! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for your comment Cindy! 🙂 I hope you and your grandkids have so much fun making these 🙂
Can you freeze the thin mint cups?
Apparently Alecta doesn’t have any little ones to have fun making these with. That must be why she is so cranky about the “ingredients”. Or maybe it’s that pastry degree that did it to her. Whatever – I think it’s a great idea for a snack the little ones can make themselves to take to their holiday parties.
Haha! You’re so sweet, thank you Lesa, enjoy making these for the little ones!!