12 Adorable Holiday Treats to Make With Kids

Festive and fun treat ideas for the holiday season

‘Tis the season for delicious indulgences that are both fun to eat and fun to share. Teach the gift of giving while spending quality time in the kitchen with your little ones by making these simple and sweet treats. Scroll through to see all the tasty treats, or jump to the one that looks the best:

• Banana snowmen
• Cheese dreidel
• Cream cheese candies
• Peppermint bark candy cane hearts
• Milano reindeer cookies
• Christmas fudge
• Elf shoes
• Santa graham crackers
• Melted snowman cookies
• “Frozen” popcorn snowballs
• Grinch popcorn
• Milky Way teddy sleds

Up first: Banana snowmen

Editor’s note: This article was originally published several years ago, and updated most recently on Nov. 5, 2025, by ParentMap’s associate editor, Kari Hanson, with a new treat and a thorough fact-check.   

Banana snowmen

Turn healthy fruits into a special holiday treat with these festive banana snowmen. You’ll need a few slices of banana, strawberries, grapes and a few mini chocolate chips to make these cute snacks. For extra fun, build your banana snowman on a stick and pass them out at your next gathering. Head to Haute and Healthy Living for all the details, and more fun ideas. 

Up next: Cheese dreidel 

Cheese dreidel

You only need two things to make this fun and festive snack: cheese and pretzels. Simply cut a cheese cube into the shape of a dreidel and stick a pretzel stick in the top. Done! Head to Di Lusso for details. 

Up next: Cream cheese candies

Cream cheese candies

This recipe only has three ingredients and is about as easy as it gets. And best of all, it results in yummy Christmas candies that are sure to be gobbled up! You’ll find the details at the Taste of Home website. These would make a great gift for neighbors or the perfect thing to take to a holiday party. 

Up next: Peppermint bark candy cane hearts

Peppermint bark candy cane hearts

These candy hearts are easy to make and look impressive. They combine two classic holiday flavors — candy canes and peppermint bark — into one delicious treat. You’ll start by heating up the candy canes enough to shape them into perfect hearts, then fill in the middle with melted white chocolate sprinkled with smashed-up candy canes and sprinkles. Head to the Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream blog for the details.

Up next: Milano reindeer cookies

Milano reindeer cookies

Let Rudolph light the way to the snack table where these adorable reindeer cookies from Everyday Shortcuts await. All you need are four ingredients and a little imagination to make these cute and tasty treats. If you don’t have candy eyes, cut up small pieces of marshmallow and “glue” them on the cookies with the chocolate.

Up next: Christmas fudge

Christmas fudge

The holidays wouldn’t be complete without fudge, but the real deal takes a lot of time and patience (not to mention special equipment). Cupcakes & Kale Chips has found the perfect shortcut with this recipe for a five-ingredient fudge that tastes just as good as the more complicated versions. Kids can help mix the ingredients and add plenty of decorations.

Up next: Elf shoes

Elf shoes

That pesky elf who is supposed to be sitting on the shelf can sure get into a lot of mischief! He’s left evidence all over the kitchen, thanks to Life With the Crust Cut Off’s ingenious recipe. Crunchy Bugles are filled with creamy peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter, if you have an allergy) and then dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles for an irresistible sweet and salty munch.

Up next: Santa graham crackers

Santa graham crackers

The First Year blog takes pantry staples such as graham crackers, coconut flakes and icing, to create a jovial and super-yummy Christmas cookie. Whether you hang them on your tree for decoration, put them on a plate for ol’ Saint Nick himself, or just eat them as soon as they’re made, you and the kids will love making these fun and easy cookies.

Up next: Melted snowman cookies

 

Melted snowman cookies

Did it get too warm in the kitchen while you were making cookies this year? It will certainly look like it with these cute melted snowmen! Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons suggests making sugar cookies from a mix to make things super-quick and easy. Then decorate your completely cooled cookies with melted snow (icing) and snowmen (marshmallows).

Up next: “Frozen” popcorn snowballs

“Frozen” popcorn snowballs

Whether it’s chilly outside or you’re just cuddled up in front of the TV watching your favorite snow-themed movie for the zillionth time, kids will love making and snacking on Life Made Simple’s popcorn snowballs. You can make your own popcorn or cheat a little and microwave a bag of plain popcorn. Then mix in blue and white sprinkles and any other candies you have on hand to create a sticky, colorful and crunchy delight.

Up next: Grinch popcorn

Grinch popcorn

Make your family’s annual viewing of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” even more special by making this colorful, salty-sweet Grinch popcorn, recipe courtesy of the Two Sisters blog. Freshly popped popcorn is coated with a glorious grinchy-green marshmallow mixture — imparting a flavor similar to kettle corn — and then topped with red M&M’s to represent how the Grinch’s miserly heart grew three sizes that day!

Up next: Milky Way Teddy Sleds

Milky Way teddy sleds

These fun, no-bake holiday treats double as a festive craft project. Kids can help assemble these adorable “sleds” by using a Milky Way bar as the base, candy canes for runners and a tiny teddy graham as the driver. They’re cute enough to use as dessert table décor or party favors — and sweet enough to disappear fast! Head to the Gluesticks blog for all the details.