Frugal holiday sweets

Lots of people make sweet treats for the holidays, but have you considered the expense (especially if you are buying pre-made dough, frosting, etc.)? There are certainly some goodies that are more frugal than others, and here is a list of my favorite "budget friendly" holiday treats! Better yet, they are pretty easy and won't take up too much time.

Photo from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/920495

• Slice & Bake Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies I haven't made these but they sound DELICIOUS and look really easy! 

• Chocolate Butter Cookies  I like these with buttercream-frosting accents, and they are really adaptable.

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Very similar to my grandma's recipe.

• Sugar Cookies This is the same recipe I use. I cut out shapes and decorate with buttercream frosting and/or sprinkles.

• Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies I omit the nuts and add a few drops of green food coloring to make them "mint green". 

• Quick and Easy Gingerbread Classic!

• Betty Crocker's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Easy to make and tastes so much better than store bought!

• Easy Microwave Fudge

• DIY Vanilla Extract!

And remember, homemade treats are a great gift!

My Frugal Holiday Baking shopping list

Hi all! I've researched the best deals on baking supplies in Lawrence (prices good through 12/3 unless otherwise noted.) I have not gotten to Checkers to get their baking goods prices yet- please let me know if you go before I do and see some deals that beat these. Their ad did show a lot of good deals on fresh produce this week. Also, I did check Target, but they did not make the list on any item. Happy shopping!

My Holiday Baking List:

• Butter Quarter- Aldi 16oz $1.99
• Candy Canes - Walgreens 32 pk Mini $0.99 (with in-ad coupon)
• Chocolate Chips-  HyVee 10oz. $1.38 // Aldi 12 oz. $1.69
• Corn Bread Mix- Walgreens $0.34 (with in-ad coupon)
• Eggs dzn - Aldi $1.59
• Flour 5lbs- Hy-Vee $0.88 (12/1 &12/2 only, limit 2) // Aldi $0.94
• Icing, Betty Crocker cookie squeeze icing, 7oz.- Aldi $1.99 // Walmart $2.98
• Icing, Spreadable- Aldi 16 oz. $1.29
• Oil, Cooking Spray 5 oz- Aldi. $1.29
• Oil, Vegetable - Aldi 48oz $2.49
• Oil, Olive - Aldi 16oz $3.49 // Walgreens 17oz $3.49 ($2.99 w/coupon)
• Pie Crust (2pk) - Walmart $2.46 Pilsbury ($2.21 w/coupon) // Aldi $1.89
• Pumpkin, canned- Aldi 15oz $0.99
• Sandwich or Storage bags - Walgreens $1.19 (with in-ad coupon)
• Sugar, Granulated- HyVee 4lb $1.49 (limit 1) // Aldi 5lbs $2.49
• Sugar, Brown- WalMart (Dixie Crystals brand) 1lb/ $1.18 ($0.63 w/coupon) // Aldi 2lb/ $1.49
• Sugar, Powdered- WalMart (Dixie Crystals brand) 1lb/ $1.18 ($0.63 w/coupon) // Aldi 2lb/ $1.49
• Whipped Topping- Aldi (regular or lite) $0.89
• Vanilla Extract- Didn't spot any deals, but you can make your own!

See this weeks ads here: Aldi Weekly Ad, Dillons Weekly Ad, HyVee Weekly Ad, Target Weekly Ad, Walgreens Weekly Ad, Walmart Weekly Ad. As always, Couponmom.com was a great help in my research!

Photo from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/591704