21 Holiday Hacks That Will Make Christmas Entertaining Easier Than Ever
Reduce holiday stress while pleasing your Christmas party guests with our best baking tips and tricks.
Reduce holiday stress while pleasing your Christmas party guests with our best baking tips and tricks.
Imprint Stamp Designs On Cookies
This one quick and easy extra step will add a sophisticated design to your Christmas sugar cookies. Choose brand-new stamps in mistletoe or snowflake prints.
Bake Fun Shaped Fudge Inside Cookie Cutters
Use cookie cutters to mold fudge into festive shapes like snowmen or Christmas trees. To really nail the wintery look, decorate with colored sprinkles.
Get the recipe at Betty Crocker.
MORE: 11 Things You Never Thought to Do With Christmas Cookie Cutters
Make Big Batch Hot Chocolate in a Slow Cooker
Because relying on your stove will just take too long.
Get the recipe at Kara's Party Ideas.
Create Chocolate Curls Using a Potato Peeler
You likely already have everything you need in your kitchen to make this pretty garnish for cakes and cupcakes.
Get the how-to at Winner Dinners.
Help Cookies Retain Their Shape
Before using cookie cutters, dip them in flour to make it easier for the dough to slide out. This trick is especially helpful for thin shapes (we're looking at you, snowflakes).
Get the how-to at Sweetopia.
Use a Slow Cooker to Make a Dipping Station
Set up a pretzel dipping station for your guests by placing jars of different-flavored chips in a slow cooker. Melted chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter will stay warm and fresh all night long.
Get the recipe at The Yummy Life.
Freeze Cranberries Into Ice
Frozen cranberries will add flavor to your drinks while adding a pop of festive color to your table decor.
Get the how-to at Two Twenty One.
Add Heart-Shaped Marshmallows to Hot Cocoa
Every white Christmas needs a big cup of hot chocolate. Give your trusty recipe a lovely update by making heart-shaped marshmallows, seen here in an engagement shoot photographed by Emily Steffen Photography.
Get the recipe at
Use Ketchup Bottles to Decorate Cookies
If you've ever hosted a cookie decorating party for the kids, you know things can get real messy really fast. Keep your kitchen tidy by putting icing in easy-to-sqeeze ketchup bottles.
See more at Bake at 350.
Use a Patterned Rolling Pin
Make your cookies look extra fancy without any extra work by using a rolling pin imprinted with a fun pattern while rolling dough.
See more at Etsy.
Ice Cookies Without a Piping Bag
You don't need fancy kitchen gadgets to make professional looking cookies. Just dip cookies into a bowl of glaze. Then, remove excess icing using a lollypop stick.
Get the how-to at Created by Diane.
Make Peppermint Candy Shot Glasses
Serve adult guests drinks in edible peppermint shot glasses. For a kid-friendly take on this recipe, substitute alcohol for hot chocolate.
Get the how-to at The Watering Mouth.
Serve Candy in Edible Santa Cups
Mold chocolate into the shape of a cup that can be filled to the max with candy.
Get the how-to at Hungry Happenings.
Turn Strawberries Into Christmas Trees
Decorating Christmas desserts just got a whole lot easier: Turned upside down and covered in chocolate, strawberries look just like little trees.
Get the recipe at Lovely Little Kitchen.
Perfectly Drizzle Chocolate
Instead of using plastic bags, melt chocolate in a squeeze bottle. This trusty tool will allow you to decorate everything from pretzels to cakes in a snap.
Get the how-to at My Kitchen Addiction.
Make Candy Cane Syrup
If you find that you're left with extra candy canes once your Christmas party is over, turn them into syrup that will test delicious drizzled over ice cream all winter.
Get the recipe at Chica and Jo.
Top Sweets With Lace
Place lace on a cupcake or cookie and pour powdered sugar over the top. When you remove the lace, it will leave a lovely pattern behind on the surface of your treat.
Get the how-to at Sweet Verbena.
Freeze Whipped Cream
Upgrade your hot chocolate by freezing dollops of whipped cream to easily serve to friends and family when they come around.
Get the recipe at The Creative Mama.
Easily Swirl Frosting Together
Top cupcakes with a frosting swirl by attaching two piping bags with one tip. For a holiday take on this idea, we suggest using food coloring to dye frosting in red and green.
Get the how-to at Our Best Bites.
Turn Candy Into Ornaments
Use M&M's and Mike and Ikes to make kid-friendly Christmas lights. Displayed in a dish, they're both a cute table decorations and a tasty treat.
Get the how-to at Hungry Happenings.
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