Wondering what to get friends for the holidays? Here are some ideas of treats that can be given to teachers, friends, and family.  Each year, Sophomore Haley Difruscio makes a special little treat to give to teachers and friends. It is called Christmas Snap, which consists of pretzels, melted chocolates, and M&M’s. She says, “The best part is when I come back from Winter Break, and my teachers will tell me how good they were and how they have already eaten the whole bag.” Making these treats puts a smile on people’s faces and brings joy to the holiday season. Find out how to make them below! 

Ingredients: 

• Hershey kisses 
• Square pretzels 
• M&Ms 

Steps: 

1: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and prepare a cookie tray with wax paper. 

2: Line the tray with pretzel snaps. Put them directly next to each other until the entire tray is full.

3: Place a chocolate melt (Hershey kisses) on each of the pretzels. 

4: Place the tray in the oven for 2-4 minutes or until the chocolates are shiny and soft. Do not overcook,or else the chocolate will be too liquidy.

5: Place an M&M on each melted chocolate. Place it with the letter side down, and push gently to secure it. 

6: Leave the tray in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes. Do not remove the snaps from the tray unless they are completely cool. 

7: Remove the tray from the fridge. Take the snaps gently off of the wax paper and (optional) add drizzle, sprinkles, or other decorations once cool. Store them in Tupperware to prevent them from getting stale. 

  A popular tasty aesthetic during the holidays is peppermint. Candy canes are a very well-known candy around this time of year. With these Candy canes, a treat can be made: peppermint bark! This treat has been known for many years and is associated with the holidays. This can make a tasty treat to give to friends. 

Ingredients:

• 30 crushed peppermint candies, divided
• 1 ½ pounds milk chocolate candy, coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ pounds white chocolate, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon oil-based peppermint flavoring, or to taste 

Steps: 

1: Spread ⅓ of the peppermint candy over a 9×13-inch baking pan lined with wax paper.

2: Melt the milk chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, just until melted. Pour the melted chocolate over peppermint candy in the prepared pan. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the candy on top of the milk chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes.

3: Melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Stir in the oil-based peppermint flavoring. Pour the white chocolate over the milk chocolate, then spread the remaining 1/3 peppermint candy on top.

4: Refrigerate until the white chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Cut or break into pieces to serve.

Try one of these recipes to make the best gifts for friends during the holiday season!