Stock up on the all-purpose flour and soften the butter, it’s baking season! I love to bake year-round, but when Christmas comes my oven gets a workout. This week, I’m sharing easy holiday baking recipes to enjoy the entire holiday season.
“Okay, it’s a no-rum rum cake with great coconut flavor,” thinks Sherry Symmonds (Hamilton, MS) of her Caribbean Christmas Cake. “This reminds me of visiting the rum factory in Grand Cayman and sampling all the delicious cakes.”
In this Bundt cake, you get all the tropical and rum flavors without the harsh flavor of straight rum in the glaze.
The cake is very tender and is filled with coconut and rum flavor. A buttery coconut glaze seeps in from the top and the bottom permeating through the entire cake. There’s a slight crunch from pecans. This is so good!
Perfect for a Christmas dessert, Vanessa Thompson’s (Blaine, KY) Old-Fashioned Molasses Cake is a terrific mix of sweet and robust flavors.
“This was a personal favorite of my dads,” shares Vanessa. “He loved this cake.”
Molasses add a depth of flavor and a mild sweetness. Serve with whipped cream, a dusting of powdered sugar, or even a warm apple compote. An old-fashioned recipe that will be a hit during the holiday season.
Renee Klevenhagen’s (Charlotte, NC) Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Pie marries pecan pie with cheesecake. Wow!
“This is one of the most decadent desserts I make for my husband,” reveals Renee. “His three favorite desserts are pecan pie, cheesecake, and most anything with dark chocolate. This dessert has all three.”
Now, this is a very decadent and special dessert for the holidays. A layer of dark chocolate on top of the crust makes the pie very rich. When cut into, I love the layering look on each slice. This looks hard to make, but it’s a relatively easy cheesecake.
There aren’t many Christmas cookies that I don’t enjoy. While I bake an assortment each season, there are classics I absolutely love.
Maureen Haddock’s Marion’s Spritz Cookies are so pretty on a cookie plate.
“Spritz cookies have a colourful history, come in all shapes, and all of my grandchildren have taken their turns making them, while still in their preschool years,” explains Maureen. “My favourite recipe comes to my family from Marion, my friend of 47 years.”
I love making spritz cookies during the holidays because the cookie press does the work and you can make different shapes. They’re fun to decorate too. This recipe makes buttery and sweet spritz cookies.
“This is a very old recipe from Germany,” says Beth Carlton (Sand Rock, AL). “These cookies are usually served with coffee or tea and enjoyed mainly at Christmastime.”
From gingerbread to Linzer, German cookies are world-famous and really special. These Beth’s Mommy Sugar’s Pepper Nuts (Pfeffernusse-Pebernodder) are no different.
They’re filled with spices (like cloves, cinnamon, and allspice), chopped pecans, and a bit of citrus flavor from the orange zest and citron. Molasses gives the pepper nut cookie a wonderfully chewy texture. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.
Any of these easy holiday baking recipes will be fantastic for Christmas dessert. If you want more ideas, check out our Holiday Baking recipe collection. Is there something you love to bake every year? Share a link to the recipe below and Happy Pinching!