December 6, 2020

Favorite Holiday Baking Ideas

Once Thanksgiving arrives, I gear up for lots of holiday baking. Cookies, breads, cakes, and special desserts–many of which turn into food gifts for loved ones. I love the warm spices that scent the air–cinnamon, peppermint, nutmeg, and cloves. Can a person have too many Favorite Holiday Baking Ideas?

(Post modified with new photos on 11/9/22.)

I think not! Some of my yearly traditions include Christmas Stollen, Yule Log, Gingerbread Houses, and yes, Fruitcake. I love fruitcake and have been making my special mini cakes for several years now. Dried figs, dates, raisins, and cranberries soaked in a spiced rum. So delicious.

And then there are the Gingerbread Houses! As a mom of three daughters, and now three grandchildren, I have made my share of homemade gingerbread houses and gingerbread men!

My Favorite Holiday Baking Ideas

Let’s Begin with Gingerbread

I love starting the holiday season by decorating a gingerbread house and/or giant gingerbread men with our daughters and grandchildren. And of course, they love it, too! See my favorite homemade recipe for gingerbread and royal icing below.

Gingerbread House with Royal Icing

I love making homemade gingerbread. It smells so wonderful with all it’s spices, sugars, and molasses. And of course, children love to help put them together and decorate them with all the colorful candies. This Gingerbread House with Royal Icing goes together easily and will make enough for the house as well as a handful of Gingerbread Men.

Check out this recipe

Favorite Holiday Cake Recipes

I enjoy making Irish Cream Cake at Christmas, which uses a cake mix as its base and is flavored with miniature chocolate chips and Irish Cream Liqueur. The Irish Cream icing seeps into the cake and creates a sweet and crusty film on the outside–like a cake donut! It’s so good. Perfect for any holiday celebration with family or friends.

Irish Cream Cake

I enjoy making Irish Cream Cake at Christmas, which uses a cake mix as its base and is flavored with miniature chocolate chips and Irish Cream Liqueur. It's so good. Perfect for any holiday celebration with family or friends.

Check out this recipe

I’ve been making this Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe for many years now. I usually make it during the Christmas holidays, but really, it’s delicious any time of year. It’s moist, packed with cinnamon and pecans.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Here's a delicious coffee cake for you to enjoy for a weekend brunch. This is my husband's favorite cake recipe.

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A few years ago I made my first Christmas Yule Log and it was so much fun and surprisingly easy that I decided to make it an annual tradition! Delicious chocolate sponge cake rolled up in a creamy filling and covered in a rich ganache icing. So yummy!

Christmas Yule Log

Christmas Yule Log is a delicious chocolate sponge cake rolled up in a creamy filling and covered in a rich ganache icing. So yummy!

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I enjoy making Orange-Glazed Cranberry Fruitcake during the Christmas season. Made with dried cranberries, raisins, dates, figs, and pecans, it’s not your average fruitcake. Plus, it makes 8 small loaves, so it’s perfect for gift-giving for those on your fruitcake-lovers list.

Orange-Glazed Cranberry Fruitcake

Here's a recipe I enjoy making at Christmas. It makes 8 small loaves, so works well for your fruitcake-loving friends. It seems, even those who don't care for fruitcake, enjoy this bread. Yay! Here's to Fruitcake!!

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Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds is a delicious recipe to make for your family during the holidays. It’s especially good when it has set for 1-2 days. It is amazingly flavorful and moist, and I love the added sweet bites of cranberries. So yummy!

Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds

Here's a delicious recipe to make during the holidays. Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds is amazingly flavorful and moist, and I love the added sweet bites of cranberries.

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Recipe for Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds

Now for Some of my Favorite Holiday Breads

Christmas Stollen with Marzipan – Here is a traditional German recipe for Christmas Stollen with Marzipan. I love this sweet bread as a snack in the morning or afternoon with tea or coffee. The surprise marzipan treat in the center is probably my favorite! I’m like a kid that way, I guess.

Christmas Stollen with Marzipan

Here is a traditional German recipe for Stollen, including the surprise marzipan treat in the center. I hope you'll enjoy it!

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Recipe for Christmas Stollen with Marzipan

Poppy Seed Bread is a recipe I received from my Aunt Ruth. It’s a super moist bread to share with your loved ones and friends at Christmas and one of our favorites. And while it’s perfect to give as a Christmas food gift, you’ll want to save back a few loaves for your own enjoyment.

Poppy Seed Bread

Poppy Seed Bread is a recipe I received from my Aunt Ruth. It's a super moist bread to share with your loved ones and friends at Christmas and one of our favorites.

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is moist and tender, flavored with pumpkin puree and yummy mini chocolate chips. It’s lovely with a cup of coffee or to serve at your next tea party!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Here is a favorite pumpkin bread recipe I like to make. Moist, tender bread flavored with pumpkin puree and yummy mini chocolate chips. It's lovely with a cup of coffee or to serve at your next tea party!

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I enjoy serving Cherry Danish Loaves on Christmas morning. I always make them the day before, and then give two of the loaves as gifts to both of our parents. Of course, I save two for ourselves, as our kids really love this Danish-style sweet bread.

Cherry Danish Loaves

This is a recipe we enjoy serving on Christmas morning. Since it makes four loaves, it also makes a wonderful treat for gift-giving.

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Featured Image - Recipe for Cherry Danish Loaves

Ending with Shortbread, Bars, and Tarts

Try this classic recipe for English Shortbread with Pecans this holiday season. Perfect for an shared afternoon tea with a friend or loved one. Not too sweet, with the perfect amount of nuttiness from the pecans, plus hints of vanilla and orange. So good.

English Shortbread with Pecans

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This recipe for Chocolate Caramel Nut Bars is one we make every year during the holidays–but you can make them any time! With only six ingredients, they are easy to make. Caramel candies, evaporated milk, butter, pecans, chocolate chips, and a German Chocolate Cake Mix. So delicious!

Chocolate Caramel Nut Bars

This recipe for Chocolate Caramel Nut Bars is one we make every year during the holidays--but you can make them any time! With only six ingredients, they are easy to make. Caramel candies, evaporated milk, butter, pecans, chocolate chips, and a German Chocolate Cake Mix.

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My mom makes these Buttery Pecan Tarts almost every Christmas. They are so yummy, with a buttery, cream cheese shell, and then more butter in the sweet pecan filling. They practically melt in your mouth! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

Buttery Pecan Tarts

This is a recipe my mom makes every Christmas. These tarts are so yummy, they practically melt in your mouth! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

Check out this recipe