Easy Christmas Party Desserts

Let it be your turn to hold the neighborhood Christmas party this year. Send out invitations well ahead of time so that folks have time to R.S.V.P. We want the party to be a winner. The more people you ask over, the more you will have to stay in the kitchen and cook until party time. For a large holiday party you may wish to ask guests to bring something too and make it more of a pot-luck.

Parties are by and large delicious finger foods surrounded by people standing around. Food should complement the party - not be the primary attraction. I’m not saying to skimp on the goodies, merely let the food, especially the desserts be the ultimate end to a perfect day.

Prior to coming up with a dessert menu (yep, we will have that many desserts!), know who will be in attendance at your Christmas party. People with diverse food allergies will have to be heedful when consuming your scrumptious sweets. For instance, someone who is allergic to peanuts or nuts in general will have to be careful. A lot of desserts will have a nut ingredient or have been made in the presence of nuts so they're all around.

For allergic people, leave out the nuts and try adding some dried or fresh fruits to your desserts. Seldom have I heard of anybody being allergic to chocolate, but it could happen. This might necessitate coming up with a completely new menu. So, hopefully no one will be allergic to anything except having a lousy time.

The typical Christmas party desserts consist of: brownies, cupcakes, muffins, hard candy, chocolate candy, and cookie bars. Cookie bars are awesome since they can be converted into a lower fat confection if the situation calls for it. Lemon bars do not have a lot of fat and are lighter. Pumpkin bars are equally at home at a Christmas party as at a Thanksgiving dinner.

Eggnog is a traditional holiday drink. It is a dairy beverage that can also be added to Christmas desserts as an ingredient. For eggnog fans add a cup to your cheesecake recipe to create an eggnog cheesecake. Regular eggnog has eggs in it but it may be purchased in the grocery store with some of the ingredients excluded for people with food allergies or alternative diets.

Eggnog Recipe In Video

6 eggs
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups milk
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream (very cold)
salt, to taste
ground nutmeg, for sprinkling the top of the punch bowl or the top of individual servings
light rum, to taste (if desired)

In a large mixing bowl, beat 6 eggs. Mix in 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 cups milk, and salt, to taste. Beat ½ pint heavy whipping cream, until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg and milk mixture. Pour into a punch bowl. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. You may add light rum, if you want an alcoholic version of eggnog. You may also sprinkle the tops of the individual servings with additional nutmeg. This is a beautiful and tasty drink that you can have all year around, but it is very special during the holiday season.

When it's time for the yearly Christmas party at work, at church, or with the kinfolk, think of what types of desserts you are able to contribute to the shindig. There is plenty of room for cakes, cookies, pies, puddings, and sweet breads to be served and relished. Use this joyous celebration as a means of enticing people to sample new confections or put a twist on the old favorites.

This is an old cookie recipe taken from Fabulous-Old Time Cookies. This is an easy bar cookie recipe that will be well-received at any holiday party.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup light molasses
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs well beaten

Sift together the flour, soda, cinnamon and ginger. Heat the molasses, sugar and butter together until the butter is melted. Gradually add the eggs and mix well. Blend in the flour. Turn into a well greased baking pan to one-half inch thickness and bake at 350° F. for thirty minutes. Cut into small squares when cold.