I love spending time in the kitchen, especially if it involves baking desserts! One of the reasons I became a dietitian is because of how much I enjoy cooking. Many of my favourite recipes involve family traditions and foods I grew up making with my mom, but the list continues to grow as I try out new dishes. Here are the holiday recipes that made my top 5 list this year!
Ginger Cream Cookies
This is an old family recipe and one of my favourite holiday recipe cookies! They are soft, fluffy, & sweet with a little spice. Warning: this recipe makes a lot of cookies!
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup buttermilk
- (or sour milk*see note below)
- Dash of salt
- 2 tsp. ginger
- 1 heaping tsp. baking soda
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 4 – 4.5 cups flour
* To make sour milk or homemade buttermilk, add 1 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
Cookie Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Cream together butter and sugar in a stand mixer
- Mix in egg yolks and molasses
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl
- Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating until it is all mixed in and the dough is formed
- Roll out on a floured surface about ¼ – ½ an inch thick, cut out cookies.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes or until slightly brown on the bottom
- Decorate when cool
Icing Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 Tbsp cream
- Dash of vanilla
- Icing sugar, enough to thicken icing to desired consistency
Icing Directions
- Melt butter, cream, and icing sugar.
- Add icing sugar until icing reaches desired consistency.
Jalapeno Poppers
This is a new recipe that I had at a restaurant and recreated at home. They are SO good and are the perfect appetizer to add to your holiday spread. Best served with a cooling yogurt or sour cream dip as they can be spicy.
Ingredients:
- 6 jalapeños
- 1 cup grated cheese
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- Garlic seasoning
- 6 bacon strips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Slice jalapeños lengthwise and scrape out seeds
- Mix shredded cheese, cream cheese, and garlic seasoning
- Fill each jalapeño half with the cheese mixture
- Slice bacon in half and wrap each jalapeños half with a slice
- Bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is crispy
Baked Brie with Cranberries & Homemade Pita Chips
Because who doesn’t love a baked cheese dip! A fan favorite holiday recipe.
Baked Brie
Ingredients:
- 1 brie cheese wheel
- 1/3 cup cranberry sauce (canned or homemade)
- Nuts of choice (I like to use almonds or hazelnuts)
Baked Brie Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Trim off the top layer of rind on the cheese and place in an ovenproof dish (it is easiest to bake it in the dish it will be served in)
- Spread cranberry sauce over top of the cheese and sprinkle with nuts
- Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes or until the cheese and cranberry sauce look gooey and hot
- Serve with crackers or bread (goes great with pita chips
Homemade pita chips
Homemade Pita chips aren’t a family recipe per se, but my family makes them every year. I love that you can season them with different flavours every time and create different chip & dip combos. The seasonings listed are just a suggestion!
Tip: Make these ahead of time and store them in a cool dry place for up to a week.
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat pitas
- Olive oil
- Seasonings of your choice (I like to use garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, and seasoning salt)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Cut pitas into triangle-shaped chips
- Mix oil with seasonings in a large bowl
- Add pitas and mix thoroughly until all chips have some oil on them. Pitas should be covered in oil but not soggy
- Spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden brown, around 5 to 10 minutes
Yo Yo Cookies
This is an Australian cookie recipe that my grandma would make for every family get-together! These cookies are easy to make and melt in your mouth delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- 1 box vanilla pudding powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cup flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
- Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla pudding powder
- Add vanilla
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt
- Stir into butter mixture until combined
- Measure ½ Tbsp portions and roll into balls
- Place on baking sheets and flatten slightly with a fork
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until very lightly golden on the bottom
- Cool and combine with icing to make cookie sandwiches
Note: Use the same icing recipe from the ginger cream cookies and add food colouring to make them festive
That’s a wrap on my top 5 holiday recipes for the year! I hope you enjoy trying some of these and sharing them with friends and family this holiday season.
