Sweet treats have been a staple during quarantine. With more people baking as a form of stress relief, the result has been more homemade goodies to enjoy and to share with friends.
While we’ve binge-watched the Great British Baking Show, it’s been difficult not to make a dozen (or 10) homemade chocolate chip cookies or decadent pecan pie brownies. You may even be a little tired of your go-to recipes and ready to try something new. If so, you’re in luck, because we’ve rounded up our favorite holiday desserts for you to obsessively watch in your oven until they are done…or just set a timer and wait it out. The way you bake is up to you!
Old-Fashioned English Toffee
This rich, brittle, buttery candy is a holiday treat that you can enjoy in about 30 minutes. With your choice of walnuts, pecans, or almonds; brown sugar, and semisweet chocolate chips this recipe has the potential to become a beloved holiday tradition for your family. Store it in an airtight container for up to two weeks!
Oreo Truffles
Truffles are an easy and excellent choice for any holiday. Our Oreo Truffles have a soft, creamy filling and an equally delicious outer shell. If you don’t have a food processor you can put the cookies in a ziplock bag and get out some aggression using a rolling pin, large spoon, or bowl to crush the cookies into small pieces. Melt Ghirardelli melting wafers for a smooth, chocolaty coating.
Peppermint Bark
Mmmm… this Christmas-y delight has white chocolate overlaid on dark chocolate with bits and pieces of candy canes. You can modify our (delicious) basic recipe by using mint Oreos for the base, or pretzels for a salty-sweet topping.
Classic Christmas Cookies
Decorating sugar cookies is a favorite Christmas pastime, and by using a tried and true recipe by Nana, your cookies are sure to be perfect. You can decorate these cookies with the little ones with royal icing or keep it simple with sanding sugar. Either way, they are bound to become a holiday tradition.
Pumpkin Roll
Cream cheese filling is spiraled perfectly in our sweet pumpkin spiced roll. Once the cake is cooled and frosted, roll tightly, and carefully, so it doesn’t crack. Once you get the roll perfected, you’ll be excited to share this dessert beginning when the first leaf drops in the fall and throughout the holiday season.
Magic Cookie Bars
Made of only six ingredients, these magical bars can be easily dressed up for the holidays. Add green and red M&Ms or sprinkles to add a little holiday magic to this gooey chocolate-coconut treat!
Red Velvet Peanut Butter Blossoms
This take on the traditional peanut butter blossom looks festive with a beautiful coat of red sanding sugar. These soft, peanut butter and cocoa-flavored cookies are the perfect holiday treat!
French Silk Pie
Smooth and creamy, French Silk Pie won’t fulfill your francophile fantasies, but it will indulge your sweet tooth. An American recipe, invented in the ‘50s, French silk pie has a gorgeous layer of chocolate mousse, on top of a homemade crust. Garnish this sweet treat with homemade whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
There’s nothing more Kentucky than bourbon, except when you add that sweet nectar of the gods to a pecan pie. We use Medjool dates, coconut sugar, and organic maple syrup for a healthier spin on this classic pie, but don’t let that put you off. Our decadent pecan pie is as rich and sweet as the kind Mamaw used to make.
Christmas Fudge
A happy accident, fudge was reportedly a mistake of a baker who took the ingredients for caramel and handled them like a fondant. Whatever happened, we can be glad that we get to live in a world where there’s fudge. To Christmasify our fudge, you can switch out the semisweet chocolate chips for vanilla and add a dash or two of peppermint extract.
Thumbprint Cookies
Our gluten-free thumbprint cookies are raspberry jam-filled shortbread drizzled with vanilla glaze, which is sure to make your holidays a little brighter.
Classic Apple Strudel
This strudel can be enjoyed any time of day, even Christmas breakfast! If you’re not well versed in the making of puff pastry, fear not, because we are using a premade puff pastry. Pick your favorite baking apples (we prefer Honeycrisps) and mix them with butter, sugar, cornstarch, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon for the sweet and spicy filling. Using a crisscross pattern you’ll wrap up the apple filling, and then cover the pastry with an egg wash. After baking, top it all off with a sweet vanilla glaze, slice, serve, and savor!
Gingerbread Men
And finally, no holiday cookie plate would be complete without the classic Gingerbread Men Cookie!