More Winning Recipes You Need to Try!

We've already shared with you two winning recipes from our Holiday Bites recipe contest but now we're bringing you the sweet stuff! We've got our two dessert winners who came in at a close tie for this one. You'll want to try these at your holiday parties this year!

Dessert Winner (tie) —  Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe by: Suzanne Busse

Suzanne Busse uses a family oatmeal cookie recipe, which she altered by adding the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips (some of her favorite things).

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Makes approximately 2½ dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 1½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 5-ounce package dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well.
• Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl.
• Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks until just blended.
• Using a tablespoon, drop into rounds onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Dessert Winner (tie) —  Rum Cake

Recipe by: Debra Nelson

This cake is delicious and easy to make! Debra Nelson makes many of these during the holiday season for parties and as gifts. This cake tastes even better over time. A great touch of rum, but not overpowering. It is moist and full of flavor. If it lasts, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  

Rum Cake

Makes One Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box of your favorite yellow cake mix (do not use cake mix with pudding in it)
• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup oil
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup spiced rum
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325ºF.
• In a mixer add the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix water and two eggs. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just blended. Add the remaining eggs and the spiced rum and mix until everything is smooth. Do not over mix.
• Grease a Bundt pan with oil. Place chopped pecans in the bottom of the Bundt pan. Pour the cake mixture over the nuts and bake on the middle rack in the oven for 1 hour. Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes while cooking glaze.

Glaze ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup rum

Directions:

• In a medium sauce pan on the stove, bring the sugar, butter, and water to a boil and boil stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add the rum.
• With the cake still in the Bundt pan, poke holes in the cake including the sides. Pour the glaze over the cake, with the cake still in the Bundt pan.
• Once the glaze has been poured, let it sit for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a decorative plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.