Holiday Sweets and Treats, Organically! New Annie’s Homegrown Baking Mixes

by Leigha Staffenhagen

When you think of Annie’s Homegrown, you probably picture a warm bowl of mac and cheese on a cold winter’s day or the cutest little hoppityboppity cheddar bunny snacks. But, after this article, you very well might start imagining ooey-gooey sweet baked goods instead.

We’re excited to add 3 of Annie’s organic baking mixes to our DIY bakery goods lineup: confetti cake, chocolate chip cookies, and double chocolate brownies. Not only are the mixes a sweet and delicious solution for any celebration, they’re USDA Certified Organic and free of artificial flavors, synthetic preservatives, and hydrogenated oils, too.

October is Non-GMO Month, so it’s also worth noting that Annie’s uses only non-GMO ingredients. And when it comes to dairy, Annie’s has verified that all of their milk ingredients are only sourced from cows not treated with synthetic growth hormones.

All of these baking mixes are easy to whip up as-is when your sweet tooth comes knocking, but if you feel like doing something a little extra, you can use them as an easy starting point for other fun and festive desserts for the upcoming holiday season. So, bust out those baking supplies, stock up on some Annie’s Homegrown baking mixes, round up the kiddos, and get ready for a whole season of festive baking!

Easy-Peasy Holiday Sweets

From now until the end of the year, the kitchen is the place to be. It’s where generational gaps are filled with time-honored Thanksgiving recipes and giggling flour-dusted faces. It’s where you learned to crimp pie dough and baste a turkey, all while hearing family stories about the holiday seasons of yesteryear. And maybe, it’s where you’ll share some quality baking time with your own family! Here are some clever recipe ideas that take the guess work out of scratch-baking with a little head-start from Annie’s baking mixes.

Mummy & Spider Cookies

Keep it simple, and festive by simply baking your Annie’s chocolate chip cookies, and drizzling on some sweet glaze to make them look like mummies and spiders for a creepy Halloween treat!

Prepare your chocolate chip cookies according to the package directions, and let them cool. Prepare your cookie glaze by mixing together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until well combined. For a mummy design, using a spoon, lightly drizzle your glaze in a crisscross pattern until you achieve the look you’re going for. Finish them off with googly candy eyes (recipes are online, just google it!) and you’ve got a spooktacular cookie! Or, if spiders are more your speed, drizzle on some melted chocolate for legs, stick on a peanut butter cup or ball for the body, and attach some googly eyes!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

If you’re the type that loves ice cream no matter what the season, try making an ice cream sandwich!

Simply prepare you chocolate chip cookies according to the box, and let them cool. Next, scoop up your favorite ice cream onto one cookie, and sandwich it together with another. If you want to get extra fancy and festive, roll the side of your ice cream sandwich in sprinkles, chocolate chips, or small candy pieces. Crushed candy cane, anyone? Choose a classic ice cream flavor like Co-op vanilla or chocolate for your sandwich, or keep your eyes peeled for a seasonal flavor of our handmade ice cream like pumpkin, white chocolate peppermint, or eggnog!

Chocolate Brownie Halloween Dirt Cups

Dirt has never tasted so good! With “soil” made of brownies and “topsoil” made of crumbled chocolate cookies, these Halloween dirt cups are a simple dessert that kids will love to help make!

For these dirt cups, you’ll need… • A tray of Annie’s Homegrown brownies, prepared according to the directions, cooled • Chocolate sandwich cookies – we recommend Newman’s Own! • Chocolate frosting – either store-bought or homemade • Creepy crawly candy toppings – think gummy worms, candy eyeballs, hard-coated candy bones • Clear small cups or containers – small upcycled glass jars, plastic cups, etc. To make your dirt cups, start by cutting up your brownies into 1-inch pieces and crumbling them into large chunks. Next, place your chocolate cookies in a gallon storage bag, and crush them with a rolling pin or large spoon. Once your ingredients are prepped, create your layers! Grab your small containers and add in your brownie chunks followed by a generous layer of frosting. Repeat these layers till you have about ½ inch of space at the top. Fill in that gap with your crushed cookies, top it all off with your edible creepy crawlies, then dig in!

Pumpkin Pie Brownies

Chocolate brownies, but make them fall-out delicious! Annie’s Homegrown brownies are paired with a layer of creamy, sweet, luxurious pumpkin filling that’s bound to rival your favorite Thanksgiving treat. For this recipe, you’ll need…

• A box of Annie’s Homegrown Chocolate brownie mix, including the eggs, oil, and water • 1/2 a can of pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling • 6 oz cream cheese – softened

• 3 Tablespoons sugar • 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice – you can find it in our Bulk Herbs! • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips To make your pumpkin brownies, start by preheating the oven to the heat specified on the brownie box. Next, prepare your brownie mix according to the package and toss in the chocolate chips. In a separate bowl, beat together pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. In a prepared baking dish, pour in half the brownie batter, followed by the pumpkin filling, and then the other half of the brownie batter. Bake your brownies for the recommended time, with an extra 10-15 minutes to make up for the extra thickness from the pumpkin layer. YUM!

(Recipe adapted from The Cookie Rookie)

Holiday Cake Pops

Sure, you can bake an entire sheet cake for a holiday get-together, but you know what’s more fun, impressive, and basically fool proof? Cake pops! While they may look elegant and unachievable displayed in a case, cake pops are actually really easy to make at home, especially when you have Annie’s Confetti Cake Mix to get you started!

To make your cake pops, all you’ll need is a box of Annie’s cake mix, frosting, candy melts, and whichever sprinkles or other decorations you fancy. Start by baking your cake according to the directions on the package. Then, crumble up the cake and combine it with about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of frosting. Once well combined, roll your cake/ frosting combo into ping pong-sized balls and pop them onto some lollipop sticks. Prepare your candy melts by microwaving them and once melted, pour them over your cake pops till they’re melted. Before they cool, top your cake pops with sprinkles, small candy bits, or fondant shapes. For Halloween, you can make your cake pops look like eyeballs, pumpkins, mummies, or Frankenstein. Thanksgiving turkeys are doable with candy corn, or to give them a Christmas-y feel, consider red and green sprinkles and add fondant reindeer ears. If you check out #cakepops on Instagram, you’ll find all the inspiration you could ever need to make party-worthy cake pops!