Do you stress-bake? If not, are you considering it? The holiday season is the perfect time to take up that baking hobby you’ve been thinking about and engage both your creativity and your taste buds.
As a shameless stress-baker, I consider the holiday season the ideal time to try classic family recipes, like my grandma’s famous brownies and my mom’s (secret) Italian rainbow cookies, while also experimenting with new treats to bring a smile to my family and friends. In honor of the season, here are some creative treats I’ve brought to my family’s holiday table that you can try too! These recipes are sure to add a touch of sweetness and festivity to your celebrations this year.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
I first discovered sticky toffee pudding on a Disney cruise ship. What is sticky toffee pudding, you ask? It’s a unique cake made with dates and caramel sauce to hit the perfect balance of cake-like and sticky sweetness.
A few years ago, I decided to recreate this delicious dessert (you can find the recipe here) for my family’s Christmas Eve celebration. I started the night before by baking the cake in a nonstick, glass pan. Then, I simmered the toffee sauce on the stovetop and refrigerated both the sauce and cake overnight.
Take the cake out of the refrigerator the morning before serving, and warm it briefly in the oven before dessert — just be careful to not overcook it! Finally, poke holes in the cake with the back of a wooden spoon, and drench it in caramel before serving. This cake is always a crowd-pleaser!
(Veronica Tadross)
Reindeer Cupcakes
I know Reindeer Cupcakes seem like something you made in third grade (because you probably did), but who says we have to grow up? They’re a great addition to any holiday dessert platter.
You can use any chocolate cake recipe you like (I recommend the Hershey’s recipe for both the cake and frosting). After frosting them by hand, I decorate mine with red M&M’s, white chocolate chips and chocolate–covered pretzels to make them look like a reindeer.
When I made this recipe, I spiced it up by adding a marshmallow buttercream filling, so that it was like biting into a hot chocolate cupcake with marshmallows. If you have leftover cake like we did, you can mix it with frosting to make reindeer cake pops! Simply roll the cake and frosting mixture into a ball, put it on a stick and refrigerate it — chef’s kiss.
Holiday Charcuterie Board
While this isn’t a dessert, I thought I’d give your sweet tooth a break and share one of my favorite contributions to my family’s holiday feast. I usually make charcuterie boards for Christmas as an appetizer before dinner, but they’re perfect for any holiday. Here are some of my favorite tricks to spruce up your charcuterie board this season.
My first trick is the charcuterie meat “rose,” which is picturesque and surprisingly easy to execute.
If you haven’t seen it on Tiktok, this trick involves folding pieces of salami over the edges of a glass. Fold each piece firmly and overlap them to cover the edge. Continue layering until you can see your “rose” under the glass. All you have to do is flip the glass over and press to reveal your beautiful salami rose.
The real hack here is that salami isn’t the only meat you can turn into a “rose.” Feel free to experiment with other family favorites. One of my family’s favorites is prosciutto, shown above next to the charcuterie Christmas tree. Once you make your rose, surround it with swirls of crackers and cheese and garnish with fruit here and there. Some potential designs include a charcuterie “Santa” with a cheese beard and “rosy cheeks” made from larger crackers covered with jam.
Hot Chocolate Cake
My family and I made this cake for dessert on Thanksgiving two years ago, inspired by my love for marshmallows. My sister baked a chocolate fudge cake with a dark chocolate ganache frosting to start. You can use the Hershey’s recipe linked above, or switch it up by making a delicious and rich ganache frosting.
To top this cake, I made homemade marshmallows. While making homemade marshmallows may seem daunting, it’s surprisingly quite easy! The recipe requires gelatin, corn syrup, hot water, sugar and vanilla extract. Heat some of the ingredients on the stovetop and then combine them all in a mixer to create your sticky, marshmallow base. Next, let them “dry” in a baking pan coated in powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Afterward, let the marshmallows sit on the counter for a few hours or days before you cut them and add more powdered sugar! This cake was not only delicious but also a beautiful centerpiece with marshmallows piled on top!
Homemade Cosmic Brownies
While this might not be an exclusively holiday treat, it certainly can be! Remember those simple, fudgy Cosmic Brownies from your childhood? You can recreate them at home with a simple recipe — and trust me, they’ll taste even better than you remember.
The recipe is simple, but the game-changing ingredients are cornstarch and corn syrup. While the recipe above recommends making ganache as frosting, I prefer chocolate buttercream, which satisfies my childhood sweet tooth. If you want these to be extra fudgy, make sure not to overbake them. You can put sprinkles on top of these for your favorite holidays!
Once cooled, frost and cut these brownies for the perfect handheld treat or addition to the holiday dessert platter!
Hopefully, these recipes can make this holiday season your sweetest and most festive one yet.
