With cooler temperatures outside, time spent in a warm kitchen is more than welcome this time of year. If you can imagine moving around the kitchen with holiday tunes playing in the background, then I think you'll especially enjoy this list of recipes. (Bonus points if your spatula doubles as a microphone.)
In this collection, you'll find everything from sweet bread for a cold winter's night to dinner appetizers – plus breakfast treats, nostalgic recipes and more.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
1) Cornmeal scones with fig and rosemary layers
Layered with thick fig jam (or fruit preserve of your choice) for some texture and sweetness, these berries are great to make and freeze, so you're ready for any last-minute guests or a simple breakfast quiet. Spray them withcarbonated sugar before baking for added sweetness and crunch.
Get the recipe: Cornmeal Scones with Fig and Rosemary Layers
Buy the recipe: Carbonated sugar
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
2) Almond cloud cookies
If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting King Arthur Bakery & Café, you may have had the experience of tasting one of these beloved cookies. The exterior has a thin shell-like surface that cracks open to reveal a chewy, moist, almond-flavored center. If you like the smell of marzipan, you will love these cookies. (And even though you can't tell by the name, they're also gluten-free!)
Get the recipe: Almond cloud cookies
Buy the recipe: Almond flour AND Almond extract
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
3) Cranberry-Orange Grandma
I'm a huge fan of babka, and this festive cranberry-orange variation has my heart. Beautifully twisted and filled with sweet-as-sweet cranberry swirls, it's a must-bake for breakfast—and if you bake it in a Paper baking tray, it's great for a gift. Paint it with a simple glaze for an even more impressive appearance.
Get the recipe: Cranberry-Orange Grandma
Buy the recipe: Paper baking tray
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
4) Italian Rainbow Cookies
I firmly believe that the best cookies are actually cakes. In these “cookies,” ultra-thin layers of almond-flavored cake are held together by sweet apricot jam and finished with a chocolateglaze. And if you're looking for more holiday cookie inspiration, we've got it dozens more recipes to choose from .
Get the recipe: Italian Rainbow Cookies
Buy the recipe: Almond flour AND Semi-sweet chocolate wafers
5) Faux Laminated Maple Brioche Buns
Skip the awkward rolling of croissants and opt for these maple sugar -Titus filled with croissants for a quieter holiday morning. The shortcut rolling process, which involves folding the dough after applying melted butter, creates buns with an irresistibly appealing texture.
Get the recipe: Faux Laminated Maple Muffin Buns
Buy the recipe: Maple sugar AND Bread flour
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
6) Braided Christmas Bread (Hefekranz)
This wonderful bread is a Christmas classic that stretches across Europe. The sweet and sour dough is accented with tangy lemon zest and raisins, though it easily adapts to your favorite dried fruit.
Get the recipe: Braided Christmas Bread (Hefekranz)
Buy the recipe: Baker's Special Milk Powder
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
7) Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies
Reverse cream it's not just for sweets; The mixing technique also makes extremely soft cookies. This cookie dough rolls easily and holds its shape in the oven – perfect for a variety of cookie cutters and gorgeous frosting designs.
Get the recipe: Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Buy the recipe: Merry Christmas Cookie Cutters AND Plant-based food colors
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
8) Baked Brie bread flavored with rosemary
This bread will be (literally) the star of your appetizer table. If you're a fan of Brie wrapped in a pastry blanket, you'll love this upgrade: a rosemary-scented loaf that can be dipped right in. IN a puddle of melted cheese.
Get the recipe: Baked Brie bread flavored with rosemary
Buy the recipe: Bread flour
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
9) Focaccia Latches
This focaccia mashup is a fun and modern addition to your Hanukkah table, but don't let this be the only occasion you make this masterpiece. It's a carb-lover's dream: Crushed frozen hash browns are added to a skillet, then topped with plush focaccia dough and a final garnish. more potatoes, which form a brown and crispy crust on bread. Once baked, flip the bread out of the pan to reveal its cute giant latke-like appearance.
Get the recipe: Latke Focaccia
Buy the recipe: Bread flour
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
10) Rugelach
It's hard to pick a favorite rugelach topping—from chocolate to apricot to cinnamon—but luckily, our recipe includes all of those options. The flaky, buttery dough is enriched with cream cheese and sour cream, which are the perfect toppings for a variety of sweet fillings.
Get the recipe: Rugelach
Buy the recipe: Carbonated sugar
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
11) The Yule Log
Another mainstay of Christmas, this Yule Log is a fun baking project for quieter days at home. It's as good as it looks, too: fluffy chocolate cake wraps sweet mascarpone cream, and rich chocolate cream tops the lily. Don't worry about forming the perfect Swiss roll –any cracks can be covered !
Get the recipe: Yule Log (Classic Yule Log)
Buy the recipe: Dutch-Process Cocoa AND Vanilla extract
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
12) Peppermint Bark Cookies
Peppermint bark complements the cookies in these delightful cut-and-bake desserts. These cookies have all the candy elements you know and love: mint flavor, crunchy texture and lots of chocolate – both white and dark. If you don't have peppermint chips, you can simply crush some peppermint candies to use instead.
Get the recipe: Peppermint Cookies
Buy this recipe: Dough holder set for chopped and baked dough AND Peppermint oil
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
13) Olive Oil Sufganiyot (Jelly Hanukkah Donuts)
Is there anything better than a freshly fried doughnut? What if we told you that no stirrer or mixer is required? After being fried, these airy donuts are filled with raspberry jam, then dusted with a final layer of sugar and orange peel. If you've never made sufganiyot at home, this is the year to give it a try. And if you are looking for a reliable and convenient recipe, this is it.
Get the recipe: Olive Oil Sufganiyot (Jelly Hanukkah Donuts)
Buy the recipe: Vanilla bean paste AND SAF Red Instant Tip
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
14) Chocolate Gingerbread Cake with Glaze
This no-fuss holiday cake delivers on all fronts. The cake itself strikes the perfect balance between deep chocolate and warm spices, and, best of all, the dairy-free batter is hand-mixed and comes together in just 15 minutes.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Gingerbread Cake with Glaze
Buy the recipe: Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate Onyx Wafers AND Gingerbread Spice
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
15) Salty-sweet shortbread
Take a classic French butter cookie, but add parmesan and roll it in a crispy panko coating — that's the sweet and salty promise this recipe delivers These delicious cookies will fit right in on a shrimp board, but they can also be a nice change of pace to a holiday cookie exchange.
Get the recipe: Salty-sweet shortbread
Buy the recipe: Herbs of Provence AND Dough holder set for chopped and baked dough
Rick Holbrook
16) Chocolate-Hazelnut Stollen
If you're not a fan of traditional stollen, this modern version may convert you. Swapping out the classic dried fruit and spices with chocolate and hazelnut gives this stollen a deeper, richer flavor reminiscent of Nutella. Although stollen is designed to last for several months, it is so good that it may not last that long.
Get the recipe: Chocolate-Hazelnut Stollen
Buy the recipe: Dutch-Process Cocoa AND Snow White that doesn't melt
Looking for more recipes to bake in December? Check out our Holiday bread function and the collection of 40 classic holiday and Christmas cookie recipes.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
