Written by Piera Jolly of Jolly Mom for Personal Creations Blog.
Every year on Christmas Eve, we leave Santa and his reindeer a few delicious treats to enjoy during their stop at our home. A few little sweet treats and milk for Santa…
And, some carrots for the reindeer.
It’s the least we can do for all of the hard work they do. Going around the world and delivering presents in one night is tough work! It’s important to show our appreciation!
Did you know? There are several theories to the origin of why we leave cookies for Santa.
- During the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6, children would leave food and drink for the saint and his attendants. These offerings would be exchanged for gifts overnight.
- During the Great Depression, it is believed that parents wanted to inspire their children to share with others. To help them do this, they would leave snacks out for Santa Claus and his reindeer.
So today I want to share with you a couple of yummy treats that Santa will love to eat on Christmas Eve this year! Plus, these are simple for kids to make which is so important because they should be involved in the entire process. It’s fun for them and a wonderful way to create memories together!
Reindeer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 roll refrigerated cookie dough (any flavor you like; we like to use either gingerbread or peanut butter because it’s brown like a reindeer)
- Small pretzel twists (for the antlers)
- Milk chocolate chips
- Red M&Ms
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350°F. With hands, shape the cookie dough roll into a triangle-shaped log. Make sure that cookie dough is well-chilled before handling.
With thin sharp knife, cut dough into ¼ inch triangular slices and place on silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Place 2 pretzel twists on each triangle near corners for antlers.
Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until set. While warm, lightly press 2 chocolate chips into each cookie for eyes and 1 red M&M for nose. If necessary, use a little icing to “glue” red M&M as the nose.
Peppermint Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- Brownie Mix
- Hershey’s Peppermint Kisses
- Mini muffin wrapper
Directions: Prepare brownie mix according to package instructions. Pour batter into mini muffin pan lined with mini-wrappers. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. While brownie bites are still warm (can’t be too hot or peppermint kiss will completely melt), gently push in one Peppermint Kiss into the top of each.
Sous Chef Apron by Personal Creations. Adult and child sizes available.
Piera Jolly is the founder and editor-in-chief of JollyMom.com, a savvy and popular blog that provides moms with helpful parenting information, fun child-friendly activities, craft ideas, recipes, and the latest trends for moms, kids, and families. JollyMom.com is also proud to have been named a Top 10 Inspiring Blogger by Mashable, a Power Mom by Nielsen and one of Access Communication’s Top 50 Mommy Blogs!