There’s nothing I love more than holiday baking! The smells, the cozy kitchen, and eating all those tasty goodies!
You guys!! Thanksgiving is over and I’ve got my holiday baking list on the brain! Every year I make cookie plates for friends and family. I say “cookies plates” but what I really mean is “holiday treat plates.” I add peanut butter balls, homemade dessert bread, Christmas crack, and a number of other delicious goodies I know they’ll love.
This year, get inspired with these 40+ holiday baking reipces. Each one is sure to delight your tastebuds and become a family favorite!
40+ HOLIDAY BAKING RECIPES
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Do you love holiday baking season too? Then you are in luck! Starting December 1st I’ll be sharing 12 Days of Christmas cookies to kick start your baking season! Each day you’ll find a new recipe here on the site to enjoy. If you prefer, I can deliver them to your inbox so you don’t miss a single recipe! Just sign up just the form below.
Holiday Dessert Bars
I love dessert bars. They’re like a step up from bookies because you can make practically anything into bar form. I’m talking pie, cheesecake, turtles (the food not the animal)… anything!
Raspberry Pistachio Shortbread Bars
The light buttery flaky goodness of shortbread cookies mixed with nutty green pistachios and the sweet burst of raspberry jam is a yummy fresh take on a traditional shortbread cookie recipe!
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Caramelitas
The best cookie you will ever make. Each bite is a delicious balance of gooey caramel, chocolate chips, and crunchy and sweet cookie!
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Cranberry Bliss Bars
These Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars are a homemade version of the Starbucks holiday treat. With cranberries, white chocolate, and cream cheese frosting – this homemade version is even better than the original!
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
These bars are an easy to make treat that are always a hit around the holidays! One taste and everyone will want the recipe!
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Gingersnap Cheesecake Bars
These bars are an easy Christmas dessert made with a gingersnap crust and swirls of creamy cookie butter!
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Red Velvet Ooey Gooey Bars
These easy to make bars are easy but impressive. With a gorgeous red color, they're a perfect holiday treat!
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S'mores Brownies
These brownies are a classic combination of marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers made with your favorite box of brownie mix for an irresistible dessert! We love s'mores to matter the time of year!
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Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Made with crescent rolls, these bars are filled with a creamy and sweet filling and they only take 10 minutes to make!
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Caramel Pecan Blondie Recipe
When it comes to dessert, it’s hard to beat this homemade blondie recipe! Their crispy edges and chewy centers will keep you coming back for “just one more!”
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Holiday Cakes
A gorgeous holiday cake on the table after Christmas dinner is a thing of beauty! Cut it into slices and pass the plates around!
Snickerdoodle Cake
This cake is a semi-homemade cinnamon-spiced cake with a luscious cinnamon buttercream frosting. Addictively delicious!
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Rum-Soaked Honey Pound Cake
Forget your regular old rum cake! My Rum-Soaked Honey Pound Cake is where it’s at!! It makes the perfect complement to a yummy dinner any day of the week!
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Raspberry Cheesecake Bites
These little bites are the perfect bite-sized treat for the holidays! These little desserts are super simple and oh-so-scrumptious!
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Christmas Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream
Tender cake laced with warming spices of cinnamon, clove, and ginger, coated in fluffy eggnog buttercream and white chocolate ganache drip. This recipe is a delicious and beautiful cake to serve this holiday!
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Guinness Gingerbread
You'll go crazy for this easy gingerbread! This fool-proof dessert is great for the holidays or just because you want to treat yourself!
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Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix
Looking for the perfect foodie gift? This Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix can be made in minutes! Just add the wet ingredients for a from-scratch cake!
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Sugar Cookie Crumb Cake
This cake is made with sugar cookie milk and topped with a generous amount of sugar crumb topping all topped with a sugar cookie glaze!
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Mint Chocolate Oreo Mini Cheesecakes
These cheesecakes are so delicious with little chunks of mint Oreos, a chocolate crust and just the right amount of mint flavor!
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Holiday Candy Recipes
It’s time to bust out all your family’s favorite vintage candies!
Grandma's Peanut Brittle
Making my Grandma's Peanut Brittle is one of my favorite holiday traditions. This classic treat of salty-sweet perfection, is surprisingly easy to make!
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Christmas Crack (Saltine Cracker Toffee)
What better way to bring in the holidays than with this perfectly easy, fun and flavorful Christmas Crack. Five ingredients and less than 30 minutes!
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Old-Fashioned Date Balls
When I was a kid, there was always a Christmas-y tin of date balls sitting around on our kitchen counter during the holidays. They were one of my favorite treats and I looked forward to them every year!
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Butterscotch Squares (copycat recipe)
If you love those Butterscotch Squares from your favorite candy shop…this recipe will knock your socks off! They make a great stocking stuffer!
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Holiday Cookies
Christmas is made for cookies and these are some of my favorite recipes! There’s a flavor for everyone!
Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies
All the holiday eggnog flavor you love in a bite-sized cookie! These little guys fly off the plate!
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White Chocolate Cherry Pudding Cookies
Soft and tender pudding cookies filled with white chocolate and sweet, festive cherries!
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Christmas Sprinkle Cookie Cups
These cookie cups are an easy and delicious Christmas cookie recipe that is certain to add color and fun to your holiday cookie tray!
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Peppermint homemade Oreos
What could be better than homemade oreos? Not much, except peppermint homemade oreos!
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Christmas Swirl Sugar Cookies
These cookies are delicious and although they look rather impressive (insert pat on the back here), they are actually really simple!
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Chocolate Mountains
A soft chocolate cookie topped with a marshmallow and frosted with more chocolate to look like a mountain. You can't go wrong!
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Gingerbread Cookie Cake
All the flavors of Christmas you love in a giant cookie! Cut it into slices and drizzle with vanilla glaze for a holiday show stopper!
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Russian Tea Cakes
These are my Mom’s Famous Russian Tea Cakes! They’re the perfect classic Christmas cookie and we’ve been making them for my entire life. You can make these easy cookies in no time!
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Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies
These brownie-like cookies are thick and soft, flavored with just the right amount of mocha flavor, and loaded with milk chocolate chunks!
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Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Sticks
Life is better with cookies, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day than baking up a batch of these cookie sticks!
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Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
A peanut butter cookie married a snickerdoodle and had a Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle baby! EVERYONE who tries them loves them!
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Holiday Pie Recipes
Give me a slice of pie on a cold night with a cup of coffee or tea and I’m a happy happy girl!
Christmas Tree Mini Pecan Pies
It’s that time of year when we get to make delicious (and ridiculously cute) treats for the holidays! These holiday pecan hand pies are ADORABLE. And they’re surprisingly easy to make. Your secret weapon ingredient? Pre-made frozen pie crusts!
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Easy Apple Cranberry Crisp
Tender baked apples and dried cranberries covered in a sweet, cinnamon-y, crunchy topping...perfect with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt or some whipped topping!
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Homemade Apple Pie
I used to be a total Apple Pie hater. It’s always too mushy and bland. But no longer! I’ve found the perfect method to make the Best Homemade Apple Pie of your life!
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Walnut & Cranberry Pie
This pie is a beautiful dessert that’s crazy easy to make! The combination of tart cranberries and savory walnuts is perfect for the holidays!
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Other Holiday Treats to Try
Who says you can’t have some fun with your desserts?! These recipes are just too good not to share!
Slow Cooker Baked Apples
Tender Slow Cooker Baked Apples made easy with granola, melted butter, and maple syrup! Top with ice cream or whipped cream.
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Old-Fashioned Rugelach
Soft and fluffy mom’s old-fashioned rugelach are always a hit! These yeast leavened rugelach are light and tasty, and you can fill them with anything your heart desires!
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Brown Sugar Cinnamon Monkey Bread
Gooey Brown Sugar Cinnamon Monkey Bread is going to be your new family favorite treat! Great for dessert or serve it up for brunch!
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Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This bread is made with zucchini straight from the garden and it's hidden so your kids will love it! My mom makes this every year for Christmas and the whole family loves it!
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Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is a simple, easy dessert made with fluffy white bread and simple, everyday ingredients. Everyone loves this old-fashioned recipe!
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OUR FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS TO MAKE THESE DESSERTS
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Stand Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Cookie Scoop
- Square Baking Dish
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- Loaf Pan
- Muffin Tin
- Baking Sheet
- Silicone Mat
- Parchment Paper
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jean massey says
love to make unbaked fruit cake and oatmeaal cranberry walnut cookies
Keri Ann says
Any kind of COOKIE or pumpkin roll!
jasmine kastel says
Cheesecake. I especially like pumpkin this time of year 🙂
Tori says
I am all about pepparkakor cookies during the holidays!!
Liz Blake says
Frosted sugar cookies.
Lisa says
My favorite treat is my cheesecake with homemade salted caramel.
Laura says
My favorite treat is my mother’s chocolate marshmallow roll.
Angie says
My favorite holiday treat is decorated sugar cookies.
Emily @ It Bakes Me Happy says
chocolate fudge, I try to stay away from it the rest of the year and then end up eating way too much during Christmas!
Tammy Vest says
My holiday Day Treat is Homemade Coconut Crème Pie.
Tammy Vest says
Homemade Coconut Crème Pie !!!!
Sylma says
My favorite treat is from Puerto Rico “arroz con dulce” is similar to rice pudding but better. 😉
Aja says
Love cookie dough cheesecake bars!
Dawn Bell says
My favorite holiday treatbis making Snowball cookies (Mexican Wedding Cakes) with my kids like I used to with my Mom for a cookie exchange.
Markessa Graeber says
I would like to try so many of these!! Pretty much all of them. To pick just one though, I think the Christmas swirl ones look yummy and like the most fun to make, especially with my little ones!
Puspit Sari says
My favorite holiday treat is Bika Ambon (from my country Indonesia)
susan strohl says
Raisin pie, made just for my brother and I.
jen says
i love sugar cookies- just a little colorful sugar on top
Carla says
My favorite is homemade fudge.
Caroline Ness says
My favorite holiday treat is a tie between the Norwegian Butter Cookies my family always makes and Holly Cookies (rice krispie treats made with corn flakes instead of rice krispies, green food coloring and three “red hots” placed on top)