Hi, friends. I’m off to the hospital tomorrow, so today, I’m putting out this round up of favorite Christmas recipes in the hopes you will find something delicious to make for your holiday entertaining. Since I won’t be doing a lot of sharing over the next few weeks, I am hoping that you will share any of these recipes that sound wonderful to you.
Some of these recipes are recent and others are from the past couple of years. Some are sweet, and some are savory. All, I promise, are Very Tasty, will make great gifts or snacks to serve at your holiday parties. They really are my favorite Christmas recipes in the world. Enjoy!
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Favorite Christmas Recipes (The Sweet)
Favorite Christmas Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
- Two versions of Moravian Sugar Cake, one with a rich potato dough and less topping, and one with a leaner potato dough and more topping. Both are great.
- Overnight Fruitcake Baked Steel Cut Oats. This is one of those recipes I couldn’t stop eating. Great warm or at room temperature for breakfast and also for dessert. I ate it warm and just poured a bit of heavy cream on it. Perfect. My new favorite Christmas breakfast recipe.
- Christmas Stollen. Lord this is good. I filled mine with almond-flavored potato candy since I made it in partnership with the Idaho Potato Commission, but you can just as easily fill it with the traditional marzipan or maybe some sweet cream cheese filling.
- The Beloved makes this Fruitcake every year. It is based on Alton Brown’s Free Range Fruitcake, but Jeffrey has tweaked the recipe somewhat over the years. One of my favorite things about Christmas (and also I don’t have to make it myself. Plus he lets me lick the pot!
- If you have leftover Moravian Sugar Cake (it could happen), use it to make this amazing Moravian Sugar Cake Baked French Toast.
- Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls are always welcome at Christmas. Or pretty much anytime!
- Have your coffee and doughnuts at the same time with Chocolate Glazed Doughnut Bread Pudding with Coffee Custard.
Favorite Christmas Cookies and Bars
- Peppermint Bark Brownie Bark makes a ton, is easy to make, and is a great homemade gift. I was really pleased with how great these guys are!
- Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies (Gluten-Free). Simply the richest, most decadent, fudgy crinkle cookies in all the land. Seriously good.
- Caramel Walnut Shortbread Cookies. You can make these with plain granulated sugar, but they’re even better if you take the time to toast the sugar, a trick I learned from Stella Parks of BraveTart and Serious Eats. Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on the size. Delicate, delicious, dainty.
- The Best Black Bottom Triple Peanut Butter Cookies–stuffed with peanut powder, peanut butter, and peanut brittle, then slathered with chocolate on the bottoms. Add some flakes of sea salt to, if you’d like. Great gifts, but I won’t make you share!
- Christmas Sorghum Blondies with Pomegranate and Pecans. Crazy moist and tasty. Great with coffee, tea or for dessert. You’re going to like these!
- Maybe not a great photo, but these guys are Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies. Their goodness transcends the photo. I promise!
- No photo here. But these are my FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN ALL THE LAND. I need to remake and reshoot these, but sadly it won’t happen this year. They’re called Angel Slices, and they’re from older editions of The Joy of Cooking (they changed the recipe in the 80s and it is not as good). Shortbread crust, chopped pecan filling, tangy and crunchy lemon glaze. Nothing better, seriously.
Favorite Christmas Cakes
- Traditional Red Velvet Cake. I originally made this for Valentine’s Day, but who doesn’t want a spectacular red and white dessert for Christmas? Old school with ermine frosting. It doesn’t get any better.
- Fudgy Black Forest Cake. Unlike the lighter European versions of this cake, my version has fudgy layers with sour cherry syrup baked right in. Super decadent. It’s also non-alcoholic so everyone can enjoy it (but if you want to add some kirsch, I won’t stop you!)
- Chocolate Espresso Pound Cake. This is pretty perfect, you guys. Plus so very good–it gets better with time, too.
- Vegan Chocolate Christmas Cake. A cake everyone will enjoy. This is flavored with orange, but you could use mint or leave it plain.
- Chocolate Buche de Noel with Cran-Raspberry Mascarpone Cream. A real show stopper. A fork makes for super easy decorating, too.
- Orange Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake with Cranberry Puree. This guy is gluten-free too, with a lovely pistachio crust. If you love cheesecake, this one is a winner!
Favorite Christmas Candy
- Crunchy Butterfinger Candy Bars. Cut them in bite sized pieces and add them to a cookie tray for a delightful surprise. So tasty!
- Bourbon Honeycomb Candy. You can leave off the chocolate decoration, but it’s so pretty!
- Old-Fashioned Creamy Cocoa Fudge. Just like grandma used to make. This recipe is special to me. A family sent me the ingredient list. They didn’t know how to make it and their grandmother who used to make it had died. So I gave them back their family favorite by showing them how to make it. Such an honor.
- Orange Coffee Cocoa Pulled Taffy. Like sophisticated Tootsie Rolls. Chewy and wonderful.
- Cashew Toffee. If you are a fan of “regular” toffee, try this cashew version. Cashews have such a lovely creamy bite that contrast nicely with the crunchy toffee.
Favorite Christmas Recipes (The Savory)
Ugly Christmas Sweaters are all well and good, but nothing makes a Christmas party like the food. Beloved snacks from childhood. Retro snacks. Snacks that you could make all year but you save them for The Party. Those. They’re right here. My Favorite Christmas Recipes for party appetizers. Yum!
- I do love a good cheese ball. Port wine was always my favorite. So I figured out how to make it myself. Port Wine Cheese Ball will be the hit of your Christmas party buffet!
- These right here are The Best Poppy Seed Party Ham Biscuits. I know I say “best” a lot, and it really could just be that these are my favorites. Either way, these are fantastic, and they have graced our holiday spreads for decades and decades.
- Cream Cheese and Red Sauce. This recipe is straight out of some Family Circle (or similar) probably back in the late 60s or early 70s. And it is very hard to stop eating. Other pros: it’s easy to make and it makes a ton. One of the best things to pour over cream cheese ever. It’s sweet, sour, tangy, garlicky, peppery, neon red perfection.
- Pimento Cheese Stuffed Grits Arancini: a new favorite, but a favorite nonetheless. Dip these babies in pepper jelly, and you will be in heaven.
Please, enjoy these favorite Christmas recipes. Make them for your loved ones and start new traditions while celebrating the old.
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You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
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Thank you so much for taking the time!
Thank you all for spending time with me today. Please send some good thoughts for my surgery tomorrow.
Take care, have a beautiful Christmas, and have a lovely day.
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