It’s a nice gesture to hand out homemade treats to friends, neighbors, and coworkers during the holidays. There are lots of easy recipes that you can whip up in no time — two of my family’s favorites are Haystacks and Buffalo Chex Mix.
Haystacks were introduced to me by my friend Patricia. I remember her bringing them over one Christmas many moons ago, and I also remember how we wanted to go knock on her door, empty plate in hand, and say “more please.” The recipe consists of butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and potato sticks, which combine for an addictive salty sweet crunchy confection. Her sister came up with the genius idea of decorating them with a few Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperials, which combine in the strangest way to create a really fun holiday treat. Trust me on this one.
- 11-ounce package (1-2/3 cups) butterscotch chips
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 9-ounce can shoestring potato sticks
- Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperials, for optional garnish
- Place butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in peanut butter until completely blended and smooth. Add potato sticks and stir until coated. Drop mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Garnish with Red Hots as desired. Refrigerate until firm. Makes approximately 2 dozen.
Ready to go in the refrigerator to set up
Your friends will be asking for “more please”
Buffalo Chex Mix is one of our favorite savory snacks. I used to make regular Chex Mix to send to my kids at school, and would frequently share it with my boss. One day I found him shaking hot sauce all over his Chex Mix, which seemed like a great idea, except that it really needs to be baked so that it doesn’t get soggy. And thus, Buffalo Chex Mix came to be our favorite savory snack. Packaged up in mason jars, this makes a great gift.
- 7 cups Rice Chex
- 1 cup Wheat Chex
- 2 cups mini pretzels, sesame sticks, bagel chips, or rye chips, or any combination
- 2 cups Cheez It crackers (Cheez Its Duoz Sharp Cheddar and Parmesan are really good in this)
- 1 stick butter
- ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Place Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, pretzels, and Cheez Its in a large baking dish and mix together.
- Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until butter is melted. Whisk in hot sauce, ranch dressing mix, and celery seed. Pour over cereal mixture, and stir to combine. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before packaging.
