Inspire Festive Recipes for the 2020 Holiday Season

The holiday season is sometimes the busiest time of the year. We decorate the house, sing carols, attend tree lighting ceremonies, decorate gingerbread houses, bake Christmas cookies, and more. While this year's holiday season is a little different than normal, there are still ways to hold on to a sense of normalcy. 

That includes making festive treats and recipes. There are so many fun recipes to try during this time of the year. It can be difficult to decide what to bake. What will everyone in your family enjoy? Luckily, I have five suggestions for easy, creative recipes to prepare this holiday season. 

Be inspired to try these delicious, sweet, and festive recipes. They will certainly impress your family this season.  

1. Ranch Dip Bread Bowl 

Let's begin with a simple, classic dip recipe. I experimented with a traditional ranch dip recipe while preparing for this blog post. It tastes delicious, I promise! 

I decided to be festive and fun by placing the dip in a toasted bread bowl. Additional toppings are placed on top to turn this seemingly ordinary dip into a crowd-pleasing party snack. You will love this dip, and it's guaranteed to be a hit. 

To make this dip, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 1 round bread bowl (Bread of your choice.) 
• 16-oz. carton sour cream 
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature 
• 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix
• 1/2 c. bacon bits
• Colored tortilla strips 
• Parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Slice off the top of the bread and scoop out the pieces to form a bread bowl. Stir the sour cream into the softened cream cheese. Stir in the crispy bacon bits. 

Bake the bread bowl until slightly golden brown on top (approximately 8-10 minutes). Let the bread cool completely before spooning the ranch dip into the bread bowl. Sprinkle the top with additional bacon bits and the colored tortilla strips. Top with chopped parsley. Serve the dip with tortilla chips, croutons, crackers, and any other snack food you prefer. Enjoy! 

2. Christmas White Chocolate-Dipped Sugar Wafers 

Every holiday celebration needs fun, creative treats. Christmas is my favorite time of the year for many reasons, and one of them is because of the delicious treats. They're fun to make and many of them are incredibly easy. 

If you're looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing festive treat that you can make at the last minute, try these white chocolate-dipped sugar wafers, inspired by The Kitchen is My Playground. The sprinkle-adorned treats are simple to make because they only require three ingredients: white chocolate chips, sprinkles, and vanilla wafer cookies. 

For this treat, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 2 (8 oz.) pkg. sugar wafer cookies
• 1 pkg. white chocolate chips 
• Assorted red and green sprinkles 

In a small mixing bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave. I recommend melting them in 30-second intervals until the chocolate chips are completely melted. 

Dip the sugar wafer cookies in the melted white chocolate, coating 3/4 of the cookie, letting the excess drip off. Immediately add the sprinkles before the chocolate hardens on the wafers. 

Place the cookies on parchment paper and let them sit until the chocolate slightly cools. Enjoy! You can store the treats in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

3. Christmas Chicken Crescent Wreath 

It can sometimes be difficult to think of a new recipe for a Christmas dinner. If you're hosting a Christmas dinner party (which isn't happening much this year), you need a festive main course meal that everyone will love. 

Look no further than this Christmas chicken crescent wreath. It's an impressive-looking dish that's easy to prepare. The dish features chicken, melted Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, and delicious red bell peppers and broccoli that add a festive touch to the meal. Everyone will love this meal. Trust me on this! It's the perfect meal for a Christmas feast. 

To make this dish, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 c. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh broccoli
• 1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
• 3/4 c. cubed cooked chicken

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Saute the broccoli and red bell pepper until they're cooked and firm. Arrange the crescent rolls on a 12-inch pizza pan, forming a ring with the pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan. The wide ends can overlap each other. 

Combine the cheese, broccoli, red bell pepper, and chicken. Spoon over the wide ends of the crescent rolls. Fold the points over the filling and tuck under the wide ends. 

Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown and the cheese has melted. Enjoy! 

4. Chocolate Biscotti 

The winter season is officially here, and it's time to enjoy food that pairs well with coffee or hot chocolate. For me, chocolate biscotti is one of my favorite snacks to eat with hot chocolate. It's rich, chocolatey, and it has a satisfying crunch that only biscotti can deliver. 

You might not think this, but biscotti is really easy to make. This recipe (inspired by Kristi Carlson's Eat Like a Gilmore cookbook) creates a dough that is very similar to cookie dough. Basically, two large cookie logs are formed instead of small cookie dough balls. Then, it is baked and sliced. It's that easy, and it's delicious! Dip the biscotti in hot coffee or hot chocolate, and you'll have a satisfying treat for a chilly night during the holidays. 

To make chocolate biscotti, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. mini chocolate chips 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix the ingredients together and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Use an electric hand mixer on medium speed to beat the two together until you have a creamy mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating to combine after each addition. Use a wooden spoon to fold in the mini chocolate chips. 

Turn the dough onto the baking sheet. Divide the dough into two equal halves. Form each half into a 10-inch-long, 4-inch-wide mound. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 270 degrees. 

Use a knife to slice each mount into 1-inch strips. Place each strip on its side on the baking sheet. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Enjoy! 

5. Peanut Butter Hershey's Kiss Cookies 

Is it really Christmas without eating cookies? One of my favorite Christmas traditions is baking Christmas sugar cookies with my family, decorating them, and then (of course) eating them. 

Well, this year, I tried baking peanut butter Hershey's kiss cookies for the first time. I have always wanted to make these cookies, and I'm so glad I finally made them this year. These are tender peanut butter cookies and incredibly moist. Once they're out of the oven, you press Hershey's kisses in the center to have the perfect combination of silky chocolate and tender, sweet-salty peanut butter cookies. No one will be able to resist these this holiday season. Yum! 

To bake these cookies, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar 
• 1 egg
• 48 Hershey's kisses

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to mix the butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and egg. Add the flour mixture and beat until a sticky dough forms. 

Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop out dough and roll it into a ball. Place on the cookie sheet and space the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. 

While the cookies are baking, unwrap the Hershey's kisses. Remove the cookies from the oven. While they're still warm, press a Hershey kiss into the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool completely. Enjoy! 

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There are plenty of fun options for festive recipes to prepare during the holiday season. These five are different, but there's something for everyone: festive ranch dip, sweet white chocolate wafer cookies, a chicken crescent wreath, chocolate biscotti, and delicious peanut butter Hershey's kiss cookies. 

These recipes offer the classic Christmas and holiday flavors we love. It's simply fun to make these treats and dishes. I hope you feel inspired to try something new this holiday season. Share these treats with your loved ones. They'll love them! 

Happy holidays! 

-KJL-