Being in a Chanukah frame of mind, I'm thinking jelly donuts, sfingi (sweet, fried ricotta balls), sweet potato pancakes, etc... Anything you can fry. Buñuelos, churros.

Or steam: Sweet tamales, buns, dumplings stuffed with fruits, nuts and spices. Steamed gingerbread.

Toasted spiced nuts.

Peanut brittle.

Chocolate cups filled with any kind of paste--jam, dried fruit and ganache, strawberry fool, lemon curd, nut paste, etc.

Pre-cooked filo cups filled with chopped nuts and honey for a deconstructed baklava.

Crêpes.

Pan cooked Tuiles (essentially fried cookies).

Think of it as an adventure of what you can make in a frying pan, rather than what doesn't need an oven. :)

It's fun when they're an age that anything going on in the kitchen is fascinating.

Date Balls

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
Dash of salt
1 c. chopped dates (8 oz.)
1 egg, beaten
(opt.) 1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans
2 c. Rice Krispies cereal
Coconut for rolling

Heat first three ingredients over low heat until butter is melted.
Add dates and beaten egg and bring to boil. Boil 5 minutes; stirring constantly.
Cool. Stir in pecans and cereal.
Form balls 1 inches in diameter or spread into a 9x9 pan.
Roll balls in coconut or sprinkle coconut on top of pan.
Or form log; roll in pd sugar; wrap in saran and chill.
Makes 3 dozen.
===========
Oatmeal-Chocolate Clusters (Betty Crocker)

1 pkg. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter or margarine
16 large marshmallows
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flaked coconut

Heat choc. chips, butter, and marshmallows in 3-quart saucepan over low heat,
stirring constantly, until smooth; remove from heat.
Mix in vanilla, oats and coconut. Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper
and shape into clusters with hands.
Refrigerate until firm, about 30 min. About 3½ dozen candies.
============
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/candytruffle/caramel-balls.html

Caramel Balls

36 caramels (14 oz. bag = 51 caramels)
2 T. milk
1 cup coconut
1 cup Rice Krispies
1 cup cornflakes, crushed
1 cup chopped pecans

Melt caramels in with milk in a double boiler.
Add coconut, Rice Krispies, cornflakes and chopped pecans.
Roll into balls, then roll in coconut.
==============
Date & Nut Roll

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1 cup heaping chopped dates
1/2 cup heaping chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine crumbs, dates & nuts.
Blend lemon juice with milk & add to above.
Knead well.
Form 3 inch diameter roll; wrap with saran.
Chill 12 hours or longer.
Cut in slices with very sharp knife, dipping in hot water if needed.
Serve with dollop of whipped cream or hard sauce.
OR
form 1 1/2 inch log for bite size pieces - makes ~ 30.

*** Marzipan Candies

8 oz. pure almond paste
2 oz. light corn syrup
6 oz. pd. sugar
2/3 c. marshmallow creme
dates for stuffing

Blend top 4 ingred. til smooth.

-You could also include some Gifts-In-A-Jar type treats and let them do the mixing/baking.

-Crock Pot Applesauce

-MUNCHY CRUNCHIES
(my daughter's favorite to this day)

1 6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 6-oz. pkg. butterscotch chips
6-oz. chow mein noodles
1 c. peanuts

Spread candy evenly in a large skillet. Set control at 200-degrees F. Cover, cook 5-minutes. Stir to combine softened candy mixture. Heat until completely melted. [I do this in a large bowl in the microwave.] Add chow mein noodles and nuts; stir until coated with candy mixture. Remove from heat. Drop by teaspoonful onto waxed paper.

SKINNY MINT COOKIES
http://busycooks.about.com/od/nobakecookies/r/Skinny-Mint-Cookies.htm
[similar to Girl Scout Thin Mints]

-Grainlady

I don't have a recipe for you right at this moment, But I dare say, the sweetest treat in your kitchen is grandson Joey.

Sol

You are all so great!!!! I really do appreciate all the help. A few of these I have, but most are brand new to me.

I started out a bit depressed about being without my ovens for the Holidays, but now I'm excited. Thank you!!

Peanut brittle, a hundred times over :)

Gifts in jars- there's a lot of recipes out there, and you could do up a bunch of different ones and let other folks get a chance to bake them up. You can prep up baked goods, granolas, yummy drink mixes.

Fridge cookies, or easy bake cookie doughs you could freeze up and give as frozen "bake off as you want them" doughs. Heaven's knows folks pay through the nose for supermarket tubes of cookie dough, and a lot of the homemade ones freeze up just as well.

Though if baking is really, really important.. Why not visit another family member and use their oven for the day?

The browned butter rice krispie treats on the browned butter thread sounded really good and interesting.

Update: I tried these myself, and have to say, I must have done them wrong or else it's not a great recipe as I found them pretty well tasteless. They weren't horrible or nasty, they just didn't really taste of much of anything.

I just tried the Peppermint Patties recipe from Epicurious and they're excellent!

Bourbon or Rum Balls

INGREDIENTS

1 cup finely crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar plus 1/2 cup for coating
2 Tblsp unsweetened cocoa
2 ounces bourbon (or rum)
1 1/2 Tblsp light corn syrup (Karo)

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix dry ingredients except 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Mix wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, Refrigerate covered for an hour or more.

When dough is well-chilled, sift reserved 1/2 cup powdered sugar onto a jelly roll pan. Form dough into small balls. Roll in powdered sugar to coat. Keeps in air-tight container. Refrigerate or freeze.

I can no longer make this. I make an absolute pig of myself eating it!

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

INGREDIENTS

16 C popped popcorn* (fresh, or about 2 bags microwave popcorn)
1 lb almond bark or white chocolate chips
1 6 ounce box candy canes, crushed (about 1 generous cups, Bobâs brand are best!)
1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil or 2 teaspoons peppermint extract**
3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.
Melt almond bark according to package instructions. When completely melted, add extract or peppermint oil. If using extract, itâs normal for the almond bark to seize (get lumpy) which is okay, just stir very quickly, the more you wait the more it will seize.

Pour melted almond bark mixture over popcorn and pour crushed candy canes on top. Stir to evenly coat. Pour popcorn out onto waxed paper, parchment, or foil and spread out. (I tape a large large sheet of heavy duty foil to the countertop; hit is with a light mist of Pam, and spread the popcorn mixture out to dry.)

"OPTIONAL]
Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over popcorn mixture. Let mixture dry completely until chocolate and almond bark are hardened. You may place in the fridge to speed process along.

When chocolate is hardened, use your hands to break up popcorn into chunks. Toss in a bowl, a jar, a cute package, or in your mouth :)

Notes:
*if youâre using microwave popcorn, try to find an unbuttered or ânaturalâ kind because this looks much prettier if the popcorn isnât bright yellow! Lightly salted is fine, I actually like a little salt in there, but avoid heavy buttered.

**If you can find flavored oils, like you would use for candy making, use them as they will best combine with the almond bark. If using extract, itâs not unusual for it to cause the almond bark to seize, but just stir quickly and pour immediately on popcorn. Once distributed it will be just fine.

***don't crush peppermint candy in the food processor. It is too fine! A zip lock bag and a meat mallet work best.

Well, if LindaC were still here, she'd tell you to make those caramel covered Cheetos.

I'd probably make some no-bake cookies, maybe some of Ann T's brandied cherry balls, the peanut butter rice krispie treats that my daughters love so much, Chex mix and/or Puppy Chow (which is now called Muddy Buddies, I guess), and those ranch oyster crackers. Add some Divinity or pralines to the candy mix, or make Oreo Truffles.

Caramel Cheetos - Linda C

2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup margarine - yes, for this one you must use margarine
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 - 21 oz. pkg. Cheetos - crunchy kind

Mix sugar, margarine and corn syrup in pan. Bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and add soda. Stir until light in color and foamy. Spray a roasting pan (deep 10 x 14) with Pam. Put Cheetos� in pan. Pour the mixture over Cheetos� and stir, coating each piece. Place in oven at 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. Immediately, pour onto wax paper, or cookie sheets, sprayed with Pam. (This is the hard part.) VERY QUICKLY spread out as thin as possible. If not quick and spread out as thin as possible, you will get a big hard glob. After about 5 minutes, pull/break these apart even more and loosen them from the wax paper. If you don't, you'll have wax paper stuck to them when you go to eat them.
You will regret it if you don't double the batch as guests are going to demand MORE! You can bake batches together and add an extra 20 minutes to bake time. I do them separately because of having to work so quickly to keep them apart at the end. The one batch can almost get too hard while working with the other batch.

Chocolate Scotcheroos

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Kellogg's® Cocoa Krispies® cereal
OR
or 6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Cream Cheese Brandy Cherry Balls (Ann_T)

Source: 1983 Oct/Nov. Entertainment and Recipe Booklet

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, quartered
2 tablespoons Brandy
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups flaked coconut

Marinate cherries at least 4 hours or overnite in brandy Melt Chocolate chips and butterscotch chips and add cream cheese. Stir in cherries, marshmallows and walnuts and refrigerate until cold enough to roll into balls. Roll in coconut. Refrigerate. The longer the better. The flavours intensify. (I do use my own home canned brandied sweet cherries in these, and I cut the miniature marshmallows into quarters so I get smaller pieces. Sometimes I don't have butterscotch chips and use all chocolate, it's all good)

Happy Holidays.

Annie

Homemade marshmallows? I can't find the recipe I used last year, but the ones I found were all quite similar. they were quite good, relatively easy but messy.

Holly Berry Cookies!

1 stick butter
48 large marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla
Green food coloring
7 - 8 cups corn flakes
Cinnamon Red-Hots

Melt butter and marshmallows over low heat stirring constantly. As soon as the marshmallows are melted, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and green food coloring to your preference (the darker it is, the prettier the plate presentation, but it does make teeth/tongue green!) Stir in cornflakes until all are more-or-less coated. Working quickly, put by spoonfuls out on waxed paper lightly misted with Pam, then put 3 - 4 Red-Hots on each cookie (this is where having an extra pair of small hands really helps!) Let sit overnight to dry.

Just wanted to update! I got a late start, but I've been in the kitchen all day. Coconut, red hots, candy canes, powdered sugar EVERYWHERE! I'll post pics when I finish up tomorrow :)

Sounds like you are set. So many holiday treats do not need an oven.
Last year i made pocky. Using skinny breadsticks and thin salted pretzels and rolled in anything i could think of...

(just a link i found that has pics)

Haystacks

6 oz butterscotch chipits
1/2 cup peanut butter
package of dried chow mein noodles, about 2 cups

Melt peanut butter and chipits slowly and stir in the chow mein noodles.
Pick up a little clump with tongs and put on parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.

Not cookies, but just needs a microwave.

15 Minute Microwave Caramels

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Large microwave safe glass bowl (at least 10 cup capacity)
Wax paper

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a large glass bowl.
Stir in all ingredients except milk
Add milk and stir.
Microwave on high for 13 minutes. This is the hardest part, waiting. You might want to put a plate under the bowl in case of boil overs.
Remove from microwave and stir again.
Pour hot caramel into a buttered 9Ã13 pan (I used a disposable pan, it is easier to remove), allow to cool. Be careful, the bowl will be very hot.
Cut into 1â³x1â³ squares and wrap in wax paper.

I did not have time to make as many of your recipes as I would have like, but here's what I did accomplish:

Cream Cheese Brandy Cherry Balls (Ann_T)
Rum Balls (bbstx)
Haystacks (like grainlady's Munchie Crunchies, but all butterscotch chips)
Peanut Butter Buckeye Bars
Peppermint Bark
Cranberry Cashew Bark
Coffee Bean Bark
Holly Berry Cookies (ediej1209)
Church Windows
CHOCOLATE-DIPPED COCONUT BALLS (grainlady)
Date Balls (iris gal)
Pecan Pralines

I have to say, iris gal's Date Balls are my new favorite. I could have eaten the whole bowl while they were still warm!

Thank you all so much! I truly appreciate you sharing these recipes with me :)

Gosh, patty, I remember the Nanaimo Bars from when we'd visit my Dad's family up on "The Range". Don't remember them being referred to as anything but "bars"... as was any confection that was flat and in layers. Maybe that was particular to Dad's family - just like a bunch of canned ingredients, leftovers etc. baked as a casserole was a hot dish.