Whether you go big or you prefer a smaller affair, there's no doubt that Christmas wouldn't be the same without Christmas food. From the Christmas dinner to the day-after snacks, everyone has their own foodie traditions. But if you're looking to try something new or you just want to get your creative juices flowing, there's no doubt about the fact that these crafty and creative festive food items will go down a treat. In fact, we bet your in-laws will be asking for the recipes when you make them some of the delicious treats on this list!
Make Your Own Snowman Pizzas
The holidays are filled with sweet treats and cookies, but what if you're more of a savory lover? Don't worry, there are more than enough Christmas food ideas for you, too. We especially love this snowman pizza, which doesn't require any specialist tools or ingredients. All you need is some dough, cookie cutters, and the toppings of your choosing! Of course, toppings that can be turned into snowman features are beneficial.
These pizzas are fun for the whole family, and a great way to keep the kids engaged and entertained while school is out. The bonus is that you also get something delicious to eat when you're done!
Pre-Freeze Whipped Cream for Hot Cocoa
Unless you live in Australia or another tropical country, you'll probably associate Christmas with cold weather. Normally, you have to wrap up warm to visit friends and family, and you head out in the yard to have snowball fights with your siblings. But no wintry Christmas would be complete without a mug of hot cocoa, right? You can elevate this drink even further by pre-freezing your whipped cream dollops, too.
All you need to do is dollop some onto some parchment paper and place in the freezer for half an hour. Then, you can transfer them to a container and keep them in the freezer until you're ready to make the best hot cocoa you've ever made.
Make Some Edible String Lights
How cool do these look? They're edible, too! You could use these string lights to decorate your Christmas cake or just hang around the house - reminding your guests to take a bite every time they walk past. And while they look as though they'd be complicated to make, they're actually incredibly easy as long as you have some candies (such as M&Ms and hard gums), some frosting, and some string at your disposal.
Then, all you need to do is attach some hard gummies to the top of M&Ms with some frosting and let it harden. Finish by tying them all together and hanging them where you wish.
Bake Your Eggs in Bulk
If you're the hostess with the mostest and love to entertain during the holiday period, you'll know that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. But cooking individual plates of eggs and bacon could leave you sweating over the stove for hours. So, to make things easier, why don't you bake your eggs in bulk by cooking them in the oven? If you put them in a muffin tray and cook at 350°F, you should be golden.
After 30 minutes, take them out of the oven and into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process, and then peel to have a whole bunch of boiled eggs ready at the same time!
Pulverize Candy Canes to Make Minty Dust
When Christmas comes around, do you ever wish that you had more festive flavours to garnish your food? Well, the answer could be sitting in a bowl on your kitchen counter! You can actually pulverize candy canes into a dust that you can then sprinkle over the food of your choosing, and it can add a festive minty flavour to your holiday feasts. Plus, it's incredibly easy to do and will take you seconds.
You can sprinkle this stuff on everything from your Christmas cookies to your candied yams, and the opportunities really are endless when it comes to this pulverized candy cane dust.
Top Your Mulled Cider With a Pie Lattice
Hot drinks are a must during the cold Christmas period, and if you're looking for something a little stronger than hot cocoa then a mulled cider will certainly warm your insides. But if you want to wow your guests and give them something to soak up the liquor at the same time, why not try this lattice pie topper hack? To do this, you'll need some pie crust and some frosting.
Of course, the frosting isn't essential - but it's considered a good idea to stick the pie crust onto the mug with the frosting to ensure it doesn't get thrown all over the place during Monopoly fights.
Whip up Some Snow Cone Ice Cream
It's not uncommon to have snow cones during the summer, but have you ever heard of snow cone ice cream in the winter? Well, this could be a fun new Christmas tradition to add to your family's festivities - and the bonus is that it's super delicious! To make your own snow cone ice cream, grab some snow from outside (just make sure it's not the yellow snow!) and then mix it with some condensed milk and vanilla essence.
Everyone will have their own desired consistency, so just keep adding the milk until you get it to the consistency you want. Then, finish by adding food colouring, sprinkles, candy canes, and more festive toppings.
Craft Your Own Santa Strawberries
If you're looking for a fun but edible game to play with your kids this holiday period, you can't get much better than these Santa strawberries. Although this crafty project is super easy, we have no doubts that your kids will love turning an ordinary strawberry into a cute little Santa. And to do this, you'll need some strawberries, some cream or frosting, and then some black and white sprinkles.
The bonus is that this sweet treat is still fairly healthy, so you can trick your kids into eating fruit while also having fun and being festive at the same time!
Make Your Own Chocolate Christmas Trees
If you turn your Christmas dinner into a Christmas feast, then we're going to assume that you have at least one cake on the table when you invite your guests over. You know, just in case they get peckish in between the seven courses of meat, vegetables, gravy, dessert, and more! But if you want to take your Christmas decorating skills up a notch this year, these chocolate trees could help you do just that.
Although these chocolate trees look super effective, they're incredibly simple to make. All you need to do is melt chocolate in the microwave, pop it into a piping bag, and then draw your trees as artistically as you can.
Grab Some Dental Floss to Make a Garland
Whether you use them to festoon your Christmas tree or hang them above the fireplace, there's no doubt that edible decorations are the way forward. They're minimal fuss, and you don't need to find space to store them. They're super delicious, too! And if you have some spare dental floss lying around, you can make the whole thing even tastier. After all, a minty hint at Christmas is always well received.
By skewering everything from cherries to popcorn on this dental floss, you can then tie off the end and use them however you please. They'll be a real crowd pleaser.
Make Cinnamon Roll Waffles
Holiday breakfasts hit differently. You can't just have a bowl of cereal or a slice of toast on Christmas morning, as the festive season is the time to indulge and eat like a king or queen. But if you're not sure what to make your family this Christmas, why not try out these cinnamon roll waffles? This still using pre-made cinnamon roll mix, but instead of baking them into rolls you shove them in the waffle maker instead.
This makes them all golden and crispy, while still so fluffy inside. And you can still top with icing or whipped cream once they're out of the waffle maker if you want.
Make Crock-Pot Hot Chocolate for Everyone
Let's be honest; hot chocolate is addictive. In fact, it's so addictive that when one person sees that you have a hot cocoa, they decide they want one too! This can be a nightmare when you have a house full of people, which is why it might be an idea to bring this Crock-Pot hack to life this Christmas. By making a whole batch of hot cocoa in your pot, your guests can fill their cups whenever they want.
Of course, it'll stay warm in the Crock-Pot for as long as you keep it on. But if you need this appliance for another aspect of your Christmas dinner, just transfer it to a thermos.
Add Some Hot Cocoa to Your Rice Krispie Squares
Rice Krispie squares are the ultimate party food. They're so easy to make but always go down a treat with friends, families, and loved ones. But if you're looking to add some festive flair to your sweet treat this year, let us introduce you to the hot cocoa Rice Krispie squares! These squares will certainly deck the halls, and the best part is that you can tailor the exact recipe to your own hot cocoa requirements.
Whether you're a hot cocoa and marshmallows kind of guy or you want to add a boozy kick or add a splash of mint, the choice is yours as long as there's some chocolate in there!
Use a Peeler to Make Easy Chocolate Curls
Christmas is the time to go all out with your food, and what better way to impress your guests than with some fancy garnishes? Sure, you could use nuts or fruit, but why would you do that when you could make some delicious chocolate curls? You don't need any special tools to do this, though. All you need to do is head into your cutlery drawer and dig out your potato peeler.
By peeling the side of a bar of chocolate, you can have chocolate curls in seconds. However, this does work better with good quality chocolate, rather than cheaper stuff you find in the grocery store.
Use a Candle to Make S'mores
From the gooeyness of the marshmallow to the sweetness of the chocolate and the crunch of the graham crackers, you probably don't need us to tell you that s'mores are absolutely delicious. And while these things are normally made over an oven fire during the holidays, what do you do when you don't have a fire? Well, you'll be happy to know that you don't have to go outside into the freezing cold.
It's super easy to make your own candle s'mores station, and the best thing is that you can give all of your guests their own plate filled with everything they need to toast this sweet goodness up a treat.
Make Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Stirrers
If you're looking to wow your guests with a post-Christmas dinner sweet treat or you're stuck on what to buy the kids in your family, let us introduce you to the candy cane hot cocoa stirrers! These things look as Christmassy as can be, and they have the added bonus of being super practical and delicious. To make these, all you'll need is some candy canes, marshmallows, and hot chocolate.
By attaching them all together, you'll be able to make a festive hot cocoa stirrer that can be dipped into a mug of hot milk. Then, everything (bar the candy cane) should melt into the cup.
Use Cookie Cutters to Make Festive Brownies
Brownies are traditionally square in shape - but who wants square brownies at Christmas? If you want to add some festive flair to this sweet treat, it's best to treat these brownies as you would your Christmas cookies. However, it's always a good idea to bake a rectangular tray of brownies before then using your cookie cutters to cut them into shape, to ensure that they're cooked all the way through.
You can finish off this Christmas food hack by topping your brownies with the decorations of your choosing, from festive frosting to sprinkles, candy, candy canes, or anything else you desire.
Bake a No-Bake Cake
Cooking Christmas dinner is like a military mission - especially when you have a small kitchen. It can often seem impossible to fit everything into the oven, and understanding how long certain foods cook and at what temperature seems like a juggling act. But you shouldn't have to miss out on dessert just because you don't have space in the oven to bake a cake! Make this no-bake cake instead.
To do this, mix graham crackers, condensed milk, dry fruits, candy cherries, and any other ingredients of your choosing and then pop them into a loaf pan that's been pre-greased. Freeze it overnight, and voila!
Craft Some Cookie Holders From Pringles Tubes
If you're stuck on what to buy the people you love, why not make them something delicious? After all, nothing says 'I love you' quite like a whole tube of freshly-baked Christmas cookies. But the last thing you want to do is gift these cookies in a Tupperware container, and that's where these DIY cookie holders come into the mix. But first you'll need to clean and dry an empty tube of Pringles.
When you've done that, wrap the tube in gift wrap, fill up the tube with your cookies, and then finish off with a bow. Of course, you can make this as extravagant or as simple as you'd like.
Jazz up Your Christmas Cookies With a Glass
Although Christmas is a time for love and laughter, there's no doubt about the fact that the holidays can also be a time for family drama. Jealousy can be rife, and arguments are aplenty. But if you want to prove to your mother-in-law that, actually, you're the best at baking cookies in your family, you might want to take note of this Christmas food hack. It's a good one, after all!
You can jazz up your Christmas cookies by grabbing a glass (or something else that offers a fancy design) and then using it as a stamp. The cookies should retain this design as they bake.
Bake Some Crock-Pot French Toast
Cooking for a family can be hard during the festive period. This is especially true when you have excitable young kids who want to get up at the crack of drawn, but you also have moody teenagers who want their sleep! To ensure everyone gets fed, it might be a good idea to bring this Crock-Pot French toast hack to life. By doing this, you can keep it warm in the pot for a long as needs be.
All you need to do is prepare French toast as you normally would and then cook it on low for around three hours. Then, it should be ready for the whole family.
Make a Candy Cane Centerpiece
If you love making your dinner table look as festive as can be during the holidays, you probably add non-edible decorations to the table. But isn't it about time you added some edible options into the mix? If you're looking for a way to brighten up your Christmas table, a candy cane centerpiece could definitely do the trick. It's super easy too, as all you have to do is fill a bowl with candy canes.
Then, your guests have something to snack on if you're running a bit late with the Christmas dinner! Plus, they just look very fun and festive when placed on a table.
Make Some Christmas Trees Out of Waffles
You've seen waffles before, but have you ever seen waffles made into Christmas trees? No, we thought not! If you want to add a festive flair to your dessert table, you'll need some waffle mix and a waffle maker. And the first step is to make waffles and then roll them into cones before turning them upside down so they can stand up like trees. Then, it's time to decorate!
You can decorate these trees however you please, but we'd suggest dipping them in white icing or white chocolate before covering them with candy, coconut, or green sprinkles. The choice is yours!
Use Cookie Cutters to Make Festive Pancakes
Everyone loves pancakes, right? There's nothing better than waking up on Christmas morning to a stack of pancakes in front of you. But circles are a bit boring, so if you want to jazz up your pancakes for Christmas, head into your baking cupboard and dig out your cookie cutters. Then, grease the cookie cutters to ensure they don't get stuck place hem into a frying pan and fill with pancake mix!
Within minutes you'll have some festive pancakes that will put a smile on anyone's face. You can then lay out a load of festive toppings to get your family in the Christmas spirit.
Bake Some Snowman Donuts
Christmas cookies are all the rage, but we have to feel sorry for donuts around the holidays. After all, they seem to be left out! But if you want to include some donuts into your family traditions, these snowman donuts should definitely fit the bill. Not only will they be delicious, but they'll also stand out on the dessert table and become a real talking point at the family function.
You can achieve the white color by sprinkling your donuts with icing powder, and then you can use chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth, and some orang icing for its nose!
Make Some Reindeer Popsicles
Is there anything cooler than a reindeer popsicle? No, we thought not! And while you can buy treats like this from the grocery store, they're super easy to make at home - and it'll keep your kids busy and entertained while they're off school, too. In fact, you probably already have the ingredients for this Christmas food idea in your kitchen, as you only need some marshmallows, pretzels, chocolate, and candy to bring these reindeer to life.
First, you'll need to dip some marshmallows in chocolate and skewer them on a stick. While the chocolate is still hot, top with pretzel antlers and candy facial features. It really is that easy.
Make a Festive Seven-Layer Dip
Although it's incredibly easy to fill your Christmas snack table with sweet snacks and desserts, some people need some savory items in their lives - and that's where the seven-layer dip comes into play. Sure, you can buy a pot of this stuff from the store, but if you want to bring a festive flair to the table you can make this yourself at home. All you need is a Christmas-shaped container to put it in.
You can layer up your dips to fill the mold, and if you're feeling really fancy you could even make your own star-shaped tortilla chips from scratch. If you do, you'll no doubt impress your guests.
Add a Festive Flair to Your Jell-O
Jell-O might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas food, but why can't you add some Jell-O to the festive mix? Whether you want to serve it on its own or you want to make some Jell-O shots, there's definitely room for some of this stuff on the table. Plus, you can make it extra festive by trying out this gingerbread flavour Jell-O.
The best way to do this is to add some gingerbread frosting mix to your Jell-O, and this will provide a subtle but punchy flavor that will take your Jell-O to the next level.
Store Ice Cream in a Bag for Soft Scoops
We all scream for ice cream, right? It's always a good idea to have at least one pot of ice cream in the freezer at all times so it's available when you need it, but anyone who has ever had the displeasure of dealing with rock-hard ice cream will know how annoying it is. As you wait for the ice cream to soften, you feel like your life is wasting away!
But if you store your pot of ice cream in a zip-lock bag, you'll prevent this from happening. Instead, your ice cream should be soft and ready to scoop as soon as you take it out.
Make Some Tiny Cookies for the Elves
If you have kids, you'll know that there's nothing better than preparing for the festive season with your little one. But while it's always a good idea to leave a carrot out for the reindeer and milk and cookies for Santa's night shift, what about the hard-working elves? If you don't want to leave them out, you can make these adorable tiny cookies for the elves using some Cheerios, peanut butter, and some sprinkles.
All you have to do is dip the Cheerios in peanut butter and then top with the sprinkles and decorations of your choice. Of course, they're primarily for the elves, but we're sure they wouldn't mind if you ate one (or six!)
Make a Graham Cracker House
Gingerbread houses are a staple decoration and sweet treat during the holidays, but it's fair to say that some people don't like this Christmas food. For many, the making of these festive houses is a Christmas tradition - but they don't actually like the taste of the gingerbread! If that's you, you might be interested to know that you can actually create the same aesthetic but with graham crackers instead.
You can cut your graham crackers to size and stick them together using icing as you normally would, and then decorate the house as you please. And this might suit your taste buds better!
Decorate Your Cookies With Ease
Every family has their own traditions during the holidays. Some like to give back to those less fortunate, others like to host the whole family, and then there are those who keep things low-key. But whatever you choose to do on Christmas, decorating festive cookies should definitely be added to your to-do list. This is great for the whole family, but can certainly be messy with little ones involved. So, make it easier!
From piping bags to condiment bottles, all of these receptacles will make decorating your cookies easier than ever. It should also ensure the little ones don't ruin their outfits, too.
Always Flour Your Cookie Cutters
Hands up if you love cookies? We're going to assume that you're all waving your hands in the air like you just don't care right now, as cookies are always delicious - but they're especially tasty during the holidays. But if you've ever tried to make your own Christmas cookies, you may have struggled to use cookie cutters. Sometimes, the shape of the cookies just doesn't look as sharp as you want it to.
To combat this issue, it's imperative that you flour the inside of the cookie cutter before you touch the cookie dough. This will ensure a clean and precise cut, making your Christmas cookies better than ever.
Bake Bulk French Toast in the Oven
When you have so many mouths to feed, it can often be hard to feed everyone at once. Instead, you have to stagger the cooking process because your pans are too small or you can't cook so many things at once. But what if we told you that there were so many things you could cook in bulk in the oven? Yes, you can even cook a whole batch of French toast in the oven!
Before a busy day of festivities, simply prepare French toast as you normally would, and then bake the whole lot in a tray covered in parchment paper. It should be ready in around 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the edges!
Make Some Candy Cane Card Holders
Okay, this hack isn't exactly edible when you've finished it - but it's incredibly impressive and made using edible candy canes, so we had to include it! Yes, these are candy cane card holders, which you can use to direct your guests to their assigned seats or let them know what the delicious foods are that you've made. To bring this hack to life, simply grab some candy canes, a hot glue gun, and some ribbon.
Simply glue the candy canes together in an 'X' shape, and tie a ribbon between them. Then, you turn the candy canes upside down and sit the cards on top of the hooks.
Batch-Make Cookie Dough to Have It on Tap
Although it's easy to make festive plans, it's harder to stick to them. Plans change all the time, and while you may have only expected ten people at your house for Christmas day, you might end up with 20 before too long. Because of this, it's always a good idea to be prepared - especially when it comes to cookies! In order to prepare for any eventuality, why don't you batch make a whole load of cookie dough?
By doing this, you can split the whole thing into smaller batches and keep the rest in the freezer for when you need it. Then, you'll never be caught short without cookies.
Make a Gift Box Out of a Cereal Box
This isn't a food-based hack, but we loved it so much we had to share it. After all, everyone knows the hassle of trying to wrap Christmas presents - especially when you're trying to wrap something that's an odd shape. But this hack makes that a breeze, as you can make a safe gift box for these items using an old cereal box! It's a great way to recycle, too.
This will take some origami work, but when you've nailed it you can wrap anything in it. Just make sure that you cover up the cereal box with some festive gift wrap!
Drizzle Strawberries With Chocolate
Chocolate-dipped strawberries might remind you of date nights and Valentine's Day dinners, but who says that you can't have these strawberries over the festive period, too? After the richness of Christmas dinner, some people need something to bring them back down to earth - and the lightness of strawberries can help them do that. But, of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of chocolate drizzle here and there.
The trick with drizzling chocolate over strawberries is to do it while the chocolate is still hot and melted. If you try to do it when it's cold, it just won't work as well.
Make Your Own Christmas Crunch
Although there's no doubt about the fact that a hearty Christmas dinner will fill you up, you always have room for more during the holidays. And sometimes you just need to snack on something small and tasty. That's why we have a feeling that your guests will love this Christmas crunch bowl. Fille with everything from gingerbread men to marshmallows and Cheerios, the best thing about a Christmas crunch bowl is that you can fill it with anything you want!
The idea is that your guests can have something to nibble on in between courses, and it makes a great centerpiece for the dinner table as it's so colorful, too.
Bake Some Holly Cookie Cups
You can never have too many different types of cookies at Christmas. But if you want to make something a bit fancier for when you host this Christmas, why not make some holly cookie cups? These may be super easy to make, but they look extremely cool - and they taste even better! To bring this recipe to life, you'll need cookie dough, chocolate, candy, and some green icing for the holly leaves.
You can then load up your cookies with the decoration, and pop them out on a plate for all of your guests to enjoy. You'll want to eat one quick, though, as we have a feeling these will be gone in minutes.