Holiday Favorite Recipes: M&M's® Hot Chocolate Christmas Cake Recipe #repost #throwback #recipe

***This is a REPOST from November 2015 #throwback 
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is here and I'm very excited that I've already started my holiday baking. It's my favorite time of the year to share desserts and treats with family and friends. I have the most wonderful memories of my mother being busy in the kitchen, baking delicious pies, cakes, and cookies.

My mom would save her change in a jar all year round so that she would be sure to have enough money when Christmas came so that she could buy the ingredients she needed for her baking and candy making.

I like to think about her when I'm baking for my children and grandchildren, and they seem to love my baking, just like I loved hers.

I've mentioned before how much I enjoy the seasonal M&M's® I always find at Walmart, and sure enough, the other day I found M&M's® Hot Chocolate flavor. So, so good!! And I also bought the Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Cake Mix and Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Vanilla Flavored Frosting to make a yummy cake for my family.

It's so easy to whip up a cake with this cake mix and frosting, and I simply added hot chocolate mix and chopped M&M's® Hot Chocolate candies to the cake batter for a great hot chocolate flavor.

I also bought some M&M's® Holiday Peanut because peanut is my absolute favorite kind of M&M's®, though I have to say that all the other flavors are a close second.

When my four year old granddaughter saw this cake she said it was beautiful, and that is one of the reasons I bake, for love, for family.

I want her to remember her and I baking together, which we frequently do, and remember how much fun we had in the kitchen.

Simply add chopped candies and hot chocolate mix to the batter to give it that great hot chocolate flavor. I always make sure to use parchment paper and vegetable oil so that my cake doesn't stick to the pan, it works every time.

Put together and frost both layers of the cake, then the real fun begins! Decorate your cake with the sprinkles that come with the Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Vanilla Flavored Frosting, and the M&M's® Hot Chocolate flavored candies.

This is really such an easy way to make a fun and festive cake that you can enjoy at home, or bring to a holiday gathering.

Recipe For M&M's® Hot Chocolate Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 cup hot chocolate powder
3/4 cup M&M's® Hot Chocolate flavored candies, roughly chopped

For frosting cake:

1 container Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Vanilla Flavored Frosting
additional M&M's®

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and place parchment papers (if using) into 2 8-inch round cake pans.
Combine cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add in chopped candies and hot chocolate mix, stirring well.
Divide evenly into the prepared pans. Bake 20-24 minutes until done, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans, put on a wire rack and let cool completely before assembling and frosting.
Decorate with sprinkles and candies.

My family and I drink a lot of milk, we can go through quite a few gallons in a week. I always appreciate the low prices on Great Value Milk at Walmart.

Having a glass of milk with dinner and dessert is something that many people take for granted. But many families with children aren't that lucky, and go without milk and it's essential nutrients because it's not typically donated to food banks, even though it is in high demand.

More than 46.5 million Americans – including one in every six children – rely on Feeding America food banks each year. And one of the most requested food items is milk. But sadly, food banks are only able to provide the equivalent of less than one gallon of milk per person per year.

But we can help out by making a small donation at pourmilklove.com. The Great American Milk Drive will deliver a gallon of milk – and all of the essential nutrients, including protein, that it provides – to a family in need in YOUR local community.

When you purchase two bags of M&M's® at Walmart ( 9.4 oz. bags or larger) up to a gallon of milk will be donated to the drive. What a great way to help get milk to children who need it. And you can also make a donation to the Great American Milk Drive here.

You can find all these products, and additional flavors of M&M's®, at your local Walmart. Check out the baking aisle for all kinds of great dessert and baking ideas.

Use this coupon to save $1.00 on any two (2) bags of M&M's® Chocolate Candies 8 oz. or larger.

Be sure to check out more delicious holiday baking recipes here. And tell me what your favorite holiday recipe, I'd really love to know.

Holiday Breakfast Pancakes with Nordic Ware Baking Pan #MadeinUSA #Holidaybakeware

* I received Nordic Ware products to review and share a recipe. All opinions shared are my own.

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals during the holidays. We make pancakes, french toast, eggs, bacon and all the tradition breakfast fixings. Waking up to a warm meal and a good cup of coffee is a great way to start the day when it is cold outside. This year I have step things up a notch by making pancakes in a Nordic Ware Mini Bundt Tea Cakes and Candies pan. I mixed up a basic recipe for pancakes and poured the mixture into the cake pan. The pan can be used for candies and cakes but I thought it would make perfect pancakes. They turned out delicious and golden. Be sure to put oil and a dash of flour on the pan before pouring in mixture to ensure them coming out easily. Pop them in the oven at 350 for 15-20 min and top with any syrup you enjoy.

Since I was making several servings of pancakes I allowed them to cool on a cookie sheet while the others baked. Next time I make these I plan to put precooked bacon inside and sprinkle cheese on top after baked for a more savory version of holiday pancakes. I attempted to make pumpkin fudge in the pan to have cute candies but I overcooked my fudge and ruined it. I will definitely try fudge or another candy in them to take to work for the holidays. I can think of so many recipes I already have that would be 10 times more fun in the Nordic Ware pan.

Product info for the Bundt Tea Cakes and Candies Pan

• Part of Cast Aluminum Bakeware series
• Provides superior baking performance and beautiful detailed results
• Non stick coating results in easy release and cleanup
• Heirloom quality, durability, and lifetime warranty
•  Unique miniature  versions of our Bundt shapes perfect for chocolate candies or mini tea cakes

Pancakes with Pumpkin Spice Syrup

You can follow Nordic Ware for great recipes and more on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Recipe for Cranberry Muffins

Cranberries always remind me of Christmas, so I make sure to include a few baked goods with them as an ingredient. I love the tartness of them balanced with sweetness. Muffins are quick and easy to make, and you can even make these ahead and pop them in the microwave to heat up.

 

Recipe for Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in cranberries; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, rind, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Jam Thumbprint Christmas Cookie Recipe

Jam Thumbprint cookies bring back happy memories of my mom baking in the kitchen at Christmas time. She made these several times during the season because they were eaten almost as soon as they came out of the oven.

I wish I had her recipe, but I never asked her for it. So, decades later, this is the first time I've tried making these cookies. They honestly aren't as pretty as my mom's were, but they do taste great.

My grandchildren ate these right up too, and it was bittersweet for me to realize how time passes, and the generations carry on.

You can use different flavors of jam for the cookies. I used strawberry jam for these, but I'm making a few more batches where I'm going to try raspberry and apricot.

Recipe for Jam Thumbprints

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts.
Beat at medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour. Continue beating until well mixed.
Take a scoop of dough the size of a walnut and roll it into a smooth ball. Place the balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets liked with parchment paper. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center and fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Stir together powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over cookies.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Christmas Butter Cookies

Last week I started getting into the Christmas spirit, and decided to make some Christmas cookies. We always had butter cookies during the holidays when I was a kid. I wish that I had my mom's recipe for them, they were always so rich and delicious, and decorated with sprinkles just like these.

This recipe is actually fairly easy, and I think the cookies turn out best when the dough is refrigerated over night. You can add whatever kind of sprinkles you like of course, but the red and green are very festive.

These cookies hold up well if you'd like to give them as a gift, too. That is if you have any left over, which I didn't because my grandchildren thought they were perfect with a glass of milk on a cold afternoon.

I ate my fair share too, because they just tasted so good. For me, Christmas is about food, and treats and sharing them with friends and family. And cookies are so easy to make and give, and who doesn't love receive homemade goodies?

Recipe for Christmas Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

8 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sprinkles for decorating

Directions:

Beat the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until smooth and creamy.
Mix in the egg yolk until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once,
Add the flour and mix just until incorporated.
Scrape onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times.
Turn onto a sheet of waxed paper and roll into a log, wrap and refrigerate, or over night.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Before baking, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the dough into slices about 1/8-inch thick and place them on the baking sheet. Shake on sprinkles.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden brown around the edges.

Makes approximately 32 cookies.
 

Snowball Cookie Recipe

As the children get older and start attending school (elementary or preschool) holiday teachers gifts are something we love to make and buy. Teachers are a very important part of our lives, they help mold our children into the adults they will someday be. I want them to know how important they are to not only my children, but to our family as a whole. Homemade gifts, along with a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or café are a pretty standard gift for our family to give. This year we made Snowball Cookies for the teachers and they were a huge hit! The boys helped out by rolling the dough in the "snow", it ended up everywhere but at least they had fun!

 

Gingerbread Cupcakes With Gingerbread M&Ms

Baking gingerbread is one of the easiest ways to get me into the Christmas spirit. I just love the way it smells, and the delicious taste, too.

I usually bake it in a pan and slice it up, but cupcakes are more fun for my grandchildren to eat, especially when they are topped with yummy buttercream frosting and Gingerbread M&Ms. This is a fun recipe to let the kids help with on those long days of winter vacation.

Recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes with M&Ms and Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup Gingerbread M&Ms, chopped

Mini Blueberry Muffins

I don't know about you but I love anything that comes in a mini form and mini muffins are no exception. They are perfect for a quick little snack for you or your little ones. Put them in a Christmas cupcake liner and you can call it a holiday treat!

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, at room temp

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or 2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Christmas Cranberry Walnut Bread

I'm always looking for easy recipes for quick breads, especially this time of year. A loaf of a yummy quick bread makes a wonderful homemade gift, or as a treat for yourself at home with a cup of tea or coffee.

This recipe for Cranberry Walnut Bread is a favorite of mine. The cranberries have a delicious tarty taste, and the orange zest in it gives it a hint of citrus.