JULIE WELLS: Assemble these quick, easy treats to help celebrate the season with your family

Christmastime is here and that is a good enough reason for me get in the kitchen and whip up a bunch of sweet treats.

I’ve scoured my cookbooks and the Internet, and although it was a hard decision, I narrowed down a list of hundreds of recipes to my top five favorite Christmas delights to share with you.

So here is my list of Christmas treat ideas that I tried and found to be easy to make. Some can just be for decoration and some for eating. And while you’re making them, don’t forget to take a few photos to preserve those memories. Some of my most cherished childhood memories occurred in the kitchen, and I wish the same for you.

Merry Christmas.

Julie Wells writes The Recipe Box food column for the Rockdale Citizen.

REESE’S CHRISTMAS TREES

What you need …

(Makes one tree)

Two miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

One regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

One Hershey Kiss

Melted chocolate

Green cookie icing

Sprinkles

What you do …

Unwrap the candy. Melt the chocolate according the package. Place a miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter cup upside down, attach it to an upside down regular size peanut butter cup with the melted chocolate. On top of that, stack another upside down mini peanut butter cup and top with a Hershey’s Kiss. Allow the melting chocolate to set, then decorate with icing and sprinkles.

SALTED CARAMEL

PECAN PRETZELS

What you need…

Bag of mini waffle pretzels

Bag of caramel candies

Pecan halves

Baker’s semi-sweet melting chocolate

What you do …

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange pretzels in rows on the pan. Place unwrapped caramel on top of each waffle pretzel and bake for five to six minutes, or until the caramels are softened.

Gently press pecan half onto each caramel. Allow the caramels to cool completely and drizzle melted chocolate on top of pecans. Allow the chocolate to cool before serving.

PEPPERMINT

BLOSSOMS

What you need ..

Sugar cookies, pre-cut

Red sugar sprinkles

Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses

What you do …

Bake sugar cookies according the direction on the package. One minute before the cookies are done baking, place unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses in the freezer. (This helps the Kisses not to lose their shape and completely melt once they’ve been placed on the cookies.)

Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the red sugar on the cookies. Place Candy Cane Kisses on cookie.

TOFFEE CRACKERS

What you need …

40 Saltine crackers

1