Family, friendships and food. Lights, love and laughter --it must be the holidays. And, no holiday is complete without dessert! It's time to put your diets on ice. Icing, that is.

Family, friendships and food. Lights, love and laughter --it must be the holidays. And, no holiday is complete without dessert! It's time to put your diets on ice. Icing, that is.
If you've got frozen dough on hand, you've got the main ingredient for all four of these tasty holiday treats. Top with icing and turn them into beautiful creations both children and adults will be dreaming about.
CINNAMON ROLL CHRISTMAS TREE
12 cinnamon rolls
Toffee bits
Maraschino cherries
Center one roll near the top of a large sprayed baking sheet. Arrange rolls in three more rows 1-inch apart, adding one roll to each row, forming a tree. Add two rolls to the bottom to form the trunk. If using Any Time! rolls, bake according to package instructions. For traditional rolls, cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes. When cool, decorate with icing, toffee bits and cherries as desired.
CRANBERRY ORANGE WREATH
18 dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
2 orange rinds, grated
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Cut rolls in half horizontally. Combine orange rind and sugar in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another small bowl. Dip each roll half in butter and then in rind/sugar mixture. Place on a large sprayed pizza pan to form a 10 to 12-inch wreath. (Place 24 halves in a thick circle, for the base of the wreath and 12 halves on top.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove wrap and sprinkle any remaining rind/sugar mixture over wreath. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and let cool. Combine icing ingredients and mix well.
Drizzle over cooled wreath.
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD PUDDING
1 loaf bread dough, baked and cooled
4 eggs
11/2 cups half and half
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Whipped cream, for garnish
Remove crusts from baked bread and cut into 1-inch cubes. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, salt and spices. Mix well. Add the bread cubes and chocolate chips and toss gently. Pour into a sprayed 8-inch square baking pan. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle top with brown sugar and bake at 350 degrees 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream.
ORANGE & amp; COCONUT RING
14 dinner rolls
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated
Orange rind
Glaze:
6 tablespoons sugar
11/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted*
Combine rolls together and roll into a 10x18-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Combine coconut, sugar and orange rind. Spread evenly over dough. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Pinch seam to seal. Place seam side near the top and facing the center in a sprayed 10-inch tube pan. Pinch ends together. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. For glaze, combine everything but the coconut in a saucepan. Mix well. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes. Spoon or brush over warm ring and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
*Place coconut on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven, stirring every 30 seconds until light golden brown. About 3-5 minutes.
BOURBON BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE
15 ounces (about 3 cups) unbleached flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
6 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two (9-inch) loaf cake pans. Set aside.
Whisk or sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking powder. With a wooden spoon or a mixer fitted with a paddle or rotary beaters, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy, then gradually beat in both sugars; cream mixture until very light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, alternating with the flour-and-spice blend, a little at a time, until both are incorporated. Don't overbeat. Stir in the bourbon and vanilla, and spoon batter into prepared pans. Slip a table knife blade into the batter and run it through in a back-and-forth S motion to take out any large air pockets. Give the pan a couple of firm taps on the counter enough to bring any air pockets to the surface.
Bake for about 11/2 hours, until risen, golden brown and a straw inserted into the center comes out clean. Don't open the oven door for the first 11/4 hours. Make sure the cake is completely done, but don't overbake it or it will be dry and heavy. Turn off the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes, then crack the door and let the cake cool completely before taking it out of the pan. Makes 2 loaves, 12 to 16 servings.
Per serving: Calories 456 (39 percent fat); fat 20 g (12 g sat); cholesterol 128 mg; sodium 136 mg; fiber 1 g; carbohydrates 60 g
CHOCOLATE PECAN TASSIES
Cream Cheese Pastry for Tassies (recipe follows)
1 large egg
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans (see note)
1/4 cup roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate chips
Divide the pastry into 24 equal balls, about 1 inch in diameter. If the pastry begins to soften too much, lay the balls on a sheet of wax paper on a baking sheet and chill for a few minutes. Put a ball of pastry into each well of an ungreased mini (13/4-inch diameter) muffin tin. With flour-dusted fingers, press the pastry to the bottom and sides of each well until it is level with the top. Refrigerate the shells while you make the filling.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Lightly beat the egg and then beat in the brown sugar, bourbon, a small pinch of salt, and butter, beating until smooth.
Divide the pecans and chocolate chips among the shells, and spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling into each. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Makes 24 tassies.
Note: To toast pecans, position rack in the center to upper third of oven; preheat to 375 F. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet in 1 layer. Toast, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Don't overcook.
Cream Cheese Pastry for Tassies: With a mixer, cream 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened, and 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) until light and fluffy. Whisk together 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; work it into the cheese and butter until the pastry is smooth. Scoop the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, form the dough into a ball, fold the wrap over it, and press into a flat, 1-inch-thick disk. Chill until the dough is firm, at least 2 hours. Can be made several hours or a day ahead.
Per serving: Calories 129 (56 percent fat); fat 8 g (4 g sat); cholesterol 25 mg; sodium 116 mg; carbohydrates 13 g.
XSources: Rhodes Baking Co. and "New Southern Baking"