No Bake Holiday Treats: Stuffed Dates and Truffles

When you are in the mood for treats but not in the mood for baking, you need to have a few recipes for no bake treats. 

Dates are the perfect treat to serve at the holidays. They are naturally sweet and once the pit has been removed they can be stuffed with a variety of foods both savory and sweet. One easy way to serve dates is to stuff them with cream cheese and pecans.

Stuffed dates

12 pitted dates

2 ounces softened cream cheese

2 tablespoon of chopped pecans

1 tablespoon honey

Split the dates along one side to make a pocket for the filling. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon the cheese mixture into the dates and place on a tray to serve.

Truffles

Truffles are a favorite treat that is enjoyed year round but there are a variety of ways to make them special for the holidays.

Basic truffle recipe

½ cup of heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Place the heavy cream and the butter in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. At this point you can add a flavoring. Two tablespoons of espresso for coffee or orange liqueur or one tablespoon of almond or mint flavoring are all great choices.

The balls can also be rolled in things such as crushed cookies or coconut. Crushed candy cane would be a nice choice with mint for the holidays. These are just a few of the possible combinations. Form into one inch balls and chill.

When you need some quick no bake treats for the holidays, these are just a few of the options that are available to you. For more recipes, check out the Food Network website.

No Bake Treats for Christmas: Rum Balls

During the holidays, baking is often part of the preparation for the many parties and gatherings that we all attend. Sometimes, we are just so busy that actually baking is more than we can manage. 

Not to worry, there are quite a few no bake treats that are impressive enough to serve and bring to any event you want. 

My mother used to make rum balls. Now my daughter Kasey does thanks to her friend Deb Brown and her delicious and easy recipe. 

3¼ cups of ground vanilla wafers (a 12 ounce box)

1½  cup of ground walnuts (some recipes use pecans)

¾  cup powdered sugar

¼ cup Hershey cocoa powder

3 tablespoons corn syrup

½ cup good quality light rum or up to a cup if you like your booze

If you want a non-alcoholic version, substitute ½ cup of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest for the rum and use rum flavoring.  

Mix all the ingredients in large bowl then add corn syrup and rum, blend well. Shape into one inch ball. Roll the ball in powdered sugar or colored sugar. Store in an air tight container for at least a few days but up to a few weeks before serving. 

Re-roll in powdered sugar before serving.