I was so excited when I was asked to participate in the Community’s #SAPCommunity24 event. Growing up my family had quite a few traditions when it came to the holidays, like buying a new ornament each year for each person, or my aunt’s famous stuffing. Those are great, but my absolute favorite was when we would spend the entire day making holiday treats to share with family and friends. We would make sugar cookies, gingerbread men, buckeyes, pralines, peanut butter blossoms, and my absolute favorite, holiday cornflake wreaths. I have kept this tradition alive with my children, but we change up the selections each year, except one treat never changes the cornflake wreaths.
I save the wreaths as the last batch of the day because they are the messiest and the most fun to make. Throwing the ingredients together is simple enough but stirring the sticky mixture together can be a challenge, so we all take turns mixing it up by hand with a wooden spoon. Once all the cornflakes are coated with the green marshmallow mixture it is time to create the wreaths. These will stick to your fingers, so I find it’s easiest to form the wreath holes if your fingers are damp or coated in cooking spray. Once we have all designed our wreaths, we vote on who made the best wreath of the year.
This year will be the twentieth year I have made cornflake wreaths with my kids. They are both in college and we have already scheduled our baking day. As always, these are on top of the list. Do you have any special treat recipes you make with your family that are a must-have for the holidays? If so, I would love to hear about it and add it to our list to make this year. The first two I will start with on the list will be Constance's cake and Craig's fudge.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
- 30 large marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon drops of green liquid food color, or as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 cups cornflakes
- 1 bottle of red-hot candies
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Place the marshmallows and butter in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted.
- Add the green food coloring, vanilla, and almond extract; stir until the marshmallow mixture is smooth.
- Add the cornflakes to the bowl and gently stir to coat the cereal evenly with the marshmallow mixture.
- Pack the mixture into a greased 1/4 cup measuring cup and turn it out onto the sheet pan. Use your fingers to make a hole in the middle to form a wreath shape and decorate it with red candies.
- Cool completely until firm and serve.
