15 Dec Peppermint Cake Balls

For three generations my family has made the same Christmas cookies: Spritz, oatmeal candy canes, creme de Minth bars, and almond crescents.  Big plates of these have been left out for the Big Guy with a tall glass of milk… and been passed around our table after great holiday meals.

To me, these cookies are as much a part of “Christmas” as the tree and stockings. And, while I love all of these traditional cookies, I also love to shake things up and add my own flare to the cookie platter.

Adam is pretty simple and isn’t much for cookies… or dessert at all for that matter. (I, on the other hand… have a wicked sweet tooth.)  So one year I made zucchini chocolate chip cookies. But, these are cookies I make throughout the year so I needed to find something with a little more Christmas Spirit.

And, last year, I think I found it: Peppermint Cake Balls.

These decadent little bites are super rich, but at the same time have the fresh breath of peppermint.

And, they are a great baking hack because they are only semi-homemade! To make the filling I use cake mix and packaged icing.

I once read that when manufacturers started developing cake mixes after World War Two they received feedback that yes, American housewives want baking to be easier… but, they also want to feel like they are doing something, so they left the step of adding two eggs to the baker.

Ta-da! Easy, but not totally hands off.

Kind of like these cake balls.  The good news is, the hands could easily be little hands as they are fun to decorate.  And even tossing them in the candy coating isn’t too advanced of a cooking skill.  You just might want to watch really little hands because it could be hot… and get messy really fast.

I still have a few Christmases before I start making the “these are our tradition” impact on my children and who knows what other cookie I might find next year or the year after that.  But, maybe even that will become our tradition: We have our longtime, traditional favorites and we also try something new.

If you are baking this year, pick up a dozen Bent Arrow Acres eggs at Waddell’s IGA in Russiaville or on marketwagon.com and give them a try!