These treats were one of my favorite to make around Christmastime. I used to make these with my mother when I was growing up. They would be the special treat I got to give to my friends a Christmas. They are simple and fun to make, and very festive. These sweet bread trees, wreaths, and candy canes will be a hit with neighbors this year.

Now, my mom would make the yummy bread dough from scratch, along with the sweet frosting. But my time seems to be limited this Christmas season, so I have made mine a little easier. You can do it two ways, with frozen bread dough or bread in a can.

I bought frozen bread dough. I thawed out 12-15, do as many as you think you want to make. Next, you divide the dough up and roll them into tiny balls. I split one of the dough balls into 4ths and 8ths. You can really make these any size you want, but remember that they do get much bigger when they raise and are cooked.

We made large and small Christmas trees, candy canes, wreaths. I even did an S for Santa so he could eat something yummy when he comes down the chimney.

Then the hard part – waiting for them to rise so that you can put them into the oven. Depending on your kitchen and how warm it is, you will need to let these rise for at least a hour or so. Once they are double in size, bake them using the directions of your bread dough recipe.

If you’re using bread from a can, you won’t need to let the dough rise, you can simply pop them in the oven and bake according to your packages directions.

After they are cooked, let them cool and get your frosting ready. Homemade frosting is easy and always tastier, but I am using the store kind this time. I like it a little bit melted, so I put it into the microwave for a few seconds. Make sure to get the frosting into the nooks and crannies of the bread.

Now you are ready for the best part, M&M’s. Place each m&m into the nooks and dips of the bread. For the tree, they will help make it look like ornaments. For the wreath they are the berries.

Have fun and be creative. Enjoy!

Tagged as: Christmas food, holiday treat

Written by Marie LeBaron

Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie