Christmas Wreath Cookies Recipe

Melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and melt them over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth (about 6 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the food coloring and vanilla until the mixture is well blended. Stir in the cornflakes until well coated. Keep the mixture warm by placing the saucepan in a large pot or skillet filled with 1 inch of very hot tap water. Replace the water as it cools.

Working quickly to keep the mixture from hardening before it is shaped, use two spoons (coated with nonstick vegetable spray) or lightly greased fingers, to drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds of the cornflake mixture onto waxed paper sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Immediately, while the wreaths are still sticky, decorate them with the cinnamon red-hot candies. (Five candies, equally spaced around the wreaths like star points, give the best look.) When the wreaths dry, you may string them with nylon string or gold ribbons and use them as tree ornaments.

For eating, these cookies stay fresh about a month, stored in an airtight container. (Be sure not to store them until they are completely cool.) They'll last indefinitely as tree ornaments.