Serve them over this Chinese Chicken Salad for a premium salad upgrade!

Wonton Strips or Cinnamon Sugar Chips!

If you want a highly satisfying pop-able snack that actually has so many other uses I highly recommend you enter the world of homemade wonton strips!

They are the ultimate salad topping, an excellent appetizer to Chinese food, and they even double as a dessert when tossed into cinnamon sugar after frying.

This is a semi-homemade recipe because they begin with the shortcut of store-bought wonton wrappers (and you can even use egg roll wrappers just as well). The process is super simple, you just cut them into strips and deep fry in pre-heated oil until golden brown. Then you drain them on paper towels and season them with salt or cinnamon sugar.

It's also a great know how recipe for when you make wontons or egg rolls and have extra wrappers to use up so they don't go wasted. And you don't have to cut into strips, you can cut squares or rectangles as well and just use them like you would tortilla chips for dipping (in salsa, hummus, beans, guacamole, etc.).

The cinnamon sugar version would make a highlighting finish to the meal paired with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for a real splurge, it's too good!

Cannoli Dip

If you ask me I'd vote cannoli, tiramisu, and gelato are top ranking for best Italian desserts.  But each can be time consuming to make. So what to do in a hurry? Make a super simple and fast cannoli dip instead and pair it with a variety of sweet crackers.

Or if you want to go all out pair it with the homemade cannoli chips like I've done here. They are from my cannoli shell recipe but you don't need any special forms. Instead the dough is just cut into bite size triangles and deep fried for that perfectly crisp finish.

It's an exciting and unique variation on traditional cannoli and equally just as delicious. Light and fluffy cannoli dip paired with crisp and flakey cannoli chips are a dream come true! It's a party fav an loved by people of all ages.

Easy Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie board has never been so fun to make! Everything you get in a traditional charcuterie board shaped into a festive Christmas tree!

It's simple to assemble, it just takes a little bit of chopping and some basic artistic planning.

This is a family friendly charcuterie board and it's adaptable to swapping out some of the things I've shown here for things you may already have. The idea is just to stick to that simple red, green, and white/yellow theme for those classic Christmas colors. Then of course just keep the "Christmas tree" shape as you go.

A delicious holiday project that may just become a new family tradition at each yearly holiday gathering!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels

These are a family favorite treat and they are so fun and easy to make! Plus they only require a handful of ingredients.

They are perfect for celebrations and holiday parties (just switch out the color of sprinkles to match the event). And they also make a great on the go-snack or pack along lunch treat.

And their flavor is 100% irresistible! That nutty peanut butter, salty pretzel, rich and sweet chocolate combo was meant to be together.

Plus the blend of textures is completely satisfying too. Crisp pretzel, creamy peanut butter filling, soft smooth chocolate and a lightly crunchy sprinkle finish.

Some much to love about such a tiny tempting little bite size treat! You'll be making these over and over again!

Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows

Making marshmallows from scratch is actually much easier than you may think, with a rather simple and straightforward method. It just requires a few handy kitchen tools to make them right (such as a candy thermometer and a high speed stand mixer).

They truly are the best marshmallows you’ll ever eat (we've already made 5 batches for the holidays)! And they don’t require any fancy ingredients just some candy staples.

For a streamlined process just be sure to have everything measured and tools ready before you begin to make things easier (such as lining and greasing the pan because this sticky mixture likes to begin to set quickly). Also read over the entire recipe before you start (as should be done with any recipe).

These also make for a delicious Christmas gift, paired with a jar of this homemade hot chocolate mix of course! The two combined makes the tastiest cup of hot cocoa ever!

Of course a coconut macaroon is good on it's own. It's such a satisfying little treat. But when you finish them with a fair dose of chocolate it makes them completely irresistible!

When testing recipes I tried macaroons many different ways but I found that my favorite wasn't actually the popular sweetened condensed milk version. It's just a traditional version with some flour added to it.

The flour gives it a little more substance and makes it seem more like a cookie rather than candy. It's not a whole lot of flour added, just enough to make them soft and chewy.

Then another upgrade here is the addition of coconut extract. It boosts their overall natural coconut flavor for an extra coconut-y treat.

It's an easy to make unique cookie that coconut lovers will crave!

Easy DIY Baked Apple Chips

These baked apple chips are a nutritious treat you can feel good about eating, and they can even curb that dessert craving with their natural fruit sugars.

They're a fun little kitchen project, and after you've made them a time or two it will be a total breeze from there on out. You can prep them in minutes.

The trick is just to use a mandoline slicer. Not only does it give you perfectly even slices that bake evenly but it cuts the prep into a tiny fraction of what it would be without one.

Just plan some time because they do need a few hours to completely dry at a lower oven temperature.

These are one of those things you'll want to make time and time again once you see how simple and tasty they are, plus everyone loves them!

A Quick and Easy Granola Recipe!

Sometimes I just don't have the patience for how long a lengthy-cook time granola traditionally takes in the oven. And so I set out to test granola over the stovetop to see if I could get a similar result in a fraction of the time.

And believe it or not it works! It's sweet, nutty, crisp, toasty, made with nutritious ingredients, and deliciously fresh. In other words much better than what you buy in a box or bag.

Plus it makes a smaller batch because you may not always need a big batch of granola.

There are endless ways to use it, or you can simply snack on it plain because it's completely irresistible!

Ways to Use This Homemade Granola

• Add to yogurt or finish it over berry parfaits.
• Toss into a berry salad instead of croutons (love this one!).
• Bake some diced, lightly sweetened fruit and use this for a finish.
• Add to grilled fruit, such as peaches with mascarpone.
• Sprinkle over ice cream, a banana split, or pudding.
• Dip fruit into a fruit dip or caramel dip then dunk in the granola.

Looking for more tempting treats? Also try these ever so popular Oreo Truffles (AKA Oreo Balls)! Only 3 ingredients and unbelievably tasty!

Easy Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Sure, high quality store-bought chocolate truffles are always temptingly delicious, but have you tried them homemade yet? Believe it or not they are even better!

Plus they are so fun to make and perfectly customizable. You can add different extracts and roll (or dip) in so many different toppings to finish.

They are great for gifting and always sure to satisfy those chocolate cravings!

Helpful Tips

• You can use anywhere from about 35% to 75% intensity of chocolate. If using milk chocolate it's important to follow specific ratios and direction for that as it has added milk in the chocolate and requires less cream.
• Just be sure to use a good quality chocolate bars (something such as Callebaut, Ghirardelli, Valhrona, Lindt, Scharffen Berger etc), they'll only taste as good as the chocolate you use.
• Don't use chocolate chips the won't have the same final consistency and quality.
• Plan ahead and be sure to allow enough time for refrigeration. The chocolate will be super runny and needs to set in the fridge before attempting to roll.
• If possible wear food safe gloves when rolling, chocolate will stick less to gloves than bare hands.

Homemade Peanut Brittle

While it's true that peanut brittle can be very temperamental it's also true that by following a straightforward method and helpful tips along the way you'll realize it's easier to make than you've likely heard.

I made six batches today (12 cups of sugar and 6 sticks of butter later) taking notes and learning things along the way until I got it to taste just like I remember.

It starts out with the most basic ingredients and finishes with a classic nostalgic treat that's sure to tempt and satisfy those sweet tooth cravings.

Just don't overdue it (eating too much) like I always did as a kid. Sugar rush. But oh such a memorable, classic holiday treat I always looked forward to every Christmas!

Whenever you make it of course just be careful, this is boiling hot sugar syrup. And do work quickly! Peanut brittle is known for how fast it likes to set (I've included tips below).