Holly Candy: Christmas Baking Made Easy

It’s tradition in my family to bake for Christmas and all the recipes are handed down. My usual is to make Almond Roca, fudge, Russian Tea Cakes, several kinds of cookies and Holly Candy.

The Holly Candy is the easiest and thank the Lord, because it’s one of the items that you keep making all through the baking season. It’s a makes a lovely (and yummy) garnish on plates, don’t you think?

Finished Holly Candy

Holly Candy is basically a Rice Krispy Treat made with corn flakes, red hots and green food coloring.

The actual recipe is simple:

1 stick butter or margarine
30 marshmallows
6 cups Corn Flakes

My recipe doesn’t say this, but you also need green food coloring and Red Hots candy (also called Cinnamon Decors in the baking aisle).

Note: You can use any Corn Flakes as long as they’re crispy.

What the recipe doesn’t tell you:

1. It works better with a few extra marshmallows. (I use 32-33 when I make it.)
2. The color is a personal preference. (I like mine very green to look more like holly.)
3. Keep the heat on simmer the entire time you’re dropping your bits of Holly Candy onto waxed paper so it doesn’t all freeze up. Your Red Hots won’t adhere if the mix isn’t warm.
4. All that green food coloring can turn your hands and the pan green, though a thorough washing will remove it.

To make the recipe, you:

1. Melt the marshmallows and butter. (They’ll look like the photos below.) Then add your green food coloring.

2. Have a lasagna or pyrex type dish ready that will hold several layers. When I was a kid, my mom used the cardboard that cases of soda came in. Be sure to use wax paper!

3. Add the 6 cups of cornflakes and be prepared to stir for a while to coat ALL the Corn Flakes in the green mixture. You can cover small missed spots with Red Hots, but you want to really coat all of the cereal.

This is blurry but you get the idea…

4. The last step is to drop bits of the above mixture onto waxed paper. Add 2-3 Red Hots to each piece of Holly Candy.

5. Cover entire container with foil when you’re done to keep Holly Candy fresh.

Like I said, I usually make several batches of Holly Candy throughout the baking season. It tends to get eaten pretty quickly. 🙂

Have you been following the Holiday Yum Series? These recipes ROCK!!

On Monday, Natalie Hartford wowed us with a funny story about her scrumptious cheesecake. [Note: she’ll also be here tomorrow for Thoughty Thursday. Squeeee!]

The entire list of YUM is below, in case you missed a few:

Last week’s highlights:

• December 10: Kathy Owen’s Butter Spritz Cookies (chocolate-filled goodness)
• December 14: Ellen M. Gregg’s Old-fashioned Buttermilk Sugar Cookies (with Christmas punch)

Already Posted:

• November 17: MyGluten-Free Thanksgiving Meal
• November 19: Kathy Owen’s Spiced Pecans (want ‘em, want ‘em, want ‘em!!)
• November 26: Ellen M. Gregg’s Chocolatiest Chocolate Cake Evah
• November 28: My Almond Roca
• December 2: Estee Lavitt’s Latke L’Latke L’Hop in the Pan – Chanukah Baked Latke Recipe!
• December 5: Natalie Hartford’s French Lace Cookies
• December 17: Natalie Hartford’s recipe for Cheesecake
• December 19: My Holly Candy (WOOT!!)

Stay tuned for:

• December 23: Jess Witkins will entice us with either some comfort food or appetizer
• December 26: Kathy Owen’s beef rib-eye roast with currant jelly brown gravy
• December 28:  Natalie is back withsome fab New Year’s Mocktails

Be sure to check out Kathy Owen’s Holiday Yum page and leave her some blog love!

Do you do any Christmas baking? What is your easiest recipe? How do you feel about receiving the baked treats? Enquiring minds LOVE to know these things here at More Cowbell!

Jenny