How to make homemade treats without baking

I don’t bake.

I like baked goods, trust me. But I don’t like baking. When I do bake, I choose Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownies from a box or Rice Krispy Treats, which don’t actually involve any baking. I do know how to make a tasty chocolate chip banana bread, so much so I think my family asks me to buy bananas at the store and then lets them go back so I will make them bread.

Even so, I have a couple holiday treats that I spent some time making recently. Please notice I said “making” and not “baking.” Because I don’t think melting chocolate is actually baking, and I’m okay with that.

Each year, I make up tins of goodies for my attorney husband to take to different offices he works with regularly. This year I’m including our pediatrician’s office because they’ve loved on my boy so well this year as he’s endured allergy shots – one shot in each arm twice a week.

Here are the two homemade treats – neither of which have an actual name – that don’t involve baking that I included ::

Peanut butter chocolate cookies that taste like Tagalongs

What you need :: Peanut butter, Ritz Crackers, chocolate candy coating, and wax paper

What you do :: Put peanut butter between two crackers (you know, make peanut butter and Ritz sandwiches!) and then dip cracker sandwiches into the melted candy coating. Just lay them on wax paper and the chocolate will harden in a few minutes.

Pretzels with Hershey’s Hugs and M&Ms

What you need :: Small pretzels, Hershey’s Hugs, mini M&Ms, baking sheet

What you do :: Spread out pretzels on baking sheet and put unwrapped Hershey’s Hugs on each pretzel. Bake 3-4 minutes on 250 degrees until Hershey’s Hugs are melty. (Yes, this involves the oven, but it’s not baking – just melting chocolate!) When they’re out of the oven, put three mini M&Ms on each kiss, which will flatten the kiss to the pretzel and add extra deliciousness.

Variations :: Other Hersheys’ Kisses work, but none seem to melt as well at the Hugs. My friend Sarah recently used Rollos instead of Hershey’s Hugs and those were yummy. You can use regular plain M&Ms if you prefer, but we like the crunch of the multiple mini M&Ms. One holiday I even sorted all the red and green M&Ms out so I could use only those, but this year I used the whole rainbow!

So I added those two treats with some candy in cute tins from Big Lots. And … voila … Greg has lovely tins to hand out to his people. And I didn’t have to bake.

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If you’re still looking for gift ideas for the women and kids in your life, come check out my list. I’m linking up this post with Kayse Pratt, who is sharing some easy party dishes. 

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