30 Most Popular Holiday Baking Recipes
It’s been a weird year. And kind of a strange holiday season.
I’ve seen a lot of discussion on social media about whether homemade treats are appropriate to take to friends and neighbors this year.
What are your thoughts?
If you ARE planning on baking up a storm – for yourself or others – here are 30 of the most popular holiday recipes on my site.
Everything from homemade hot chocolate mix to the cutest Christmas cookies ever. So many personal favorites on this list!
And because I can’t leave well enough alone, I have several other new holiday baking recipes coming up in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
Technically, not all of these are “baking” recipes, but all of them ARE perfect for the holidays!
30 MOST POPULAR HOLIDAY BAKING RECIPES
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I have always had a thing about not being able to eat food from other people’s houses so I think it’s a waste because I’d very politely say thank you for homemade cookies, but I wouldn’t eat them so I wouldn’t expect someone to eat something I made. Anyway, I have been making your candied pecans every Christmas for years now. I love your cinnamon rolls aka scrolls, but any make ahead method has left the middle filling kind of runny and I really don’t feel like waiting three hours on Christmas morning making them from start to finish lol..I’m also making your pull apart bundt bread for dinner, or the macaroni grill bread, probably bundt. Your carrot cake is my birthday cake, I make it myself. Every holiday I use at least one of your recipes, not that my birthday is a holiday lol, but , you know what I mean.
I plan on taking my usual buckeyes to my usual list, however – I know some will be thrown away. I am fine with that – but at least they know I thought of them. Such a weird year – but a pretty tray of yummies will put a smile on friend’s and neighbor’s faces before they dispose of if they feel like they need to.
We make your gingerbread cookies every December. It is tradition! Also your chocolate peppermint crinkle blossoms and egg nog cookies are both on my menu for the month. I menu plan desserts and cookies along with my meals. So important to be balanced!
I had a friend ask on facebook whether people around us would be open to receiving homemade goodie plates this holiday season. Almost everyone who responded said they’d appreciate it, which made me glad to hear. 🙂 Thanks for this list of favorites. I’ve made lots of them in years past, and look forward to making them again this year!
My waistline is seeing the effects of not being able to give and share treats like we normally do. We’re quite isolated this year, and it doesn’t look like that will be changing anytime soon. I keep telling myself I need to start halving your recipes or at least freezing some, but somehow two seconds later I forget.
We live to give away lots of gifts to neighbors, but the year I let my husband talk me into giving homemade goodie plates nearly killed me with stress and work. This year I canned lots of plum jam in September and have been knitting dishcloths for a couple months. I love that I can take a walk with my son and deliver a couple every day and enjoy chatting with friends. I’m looking forward to a little holiday baking on a smaller scale just for our little family.
My therapist: How are you going to respond to the stress and anxiety of surviving in 2020?
Me: Make and eat all 30 of Mel’s Most Popular Holiday Baking Recipes?
My therapist: Sounds fair.
As far as homemade goodies go, I miss experimenting and sending the rest of it to work with the hubs. There’s one co-worker that loves my cupcakes cookies. They have a strict no homemade goodies policy now. The silver lining? I’ve lost so much weight. lol Yeah I had dental work in September. But even after I went solid food again I kept losing weight. I’ve baked with more intention? That just sounds too adult-ish for me. lol Is that a thing? lol I think there would only be a select few that I would bake fore and still except it. It’s changed my sweet tooth… dare I say tamed it? It’s crazy. Anyhow, I make sure any goodies I do make are worth the splurge. That cinnamon roll popcorn sounds tasty!
It seems I’ve been making baked goods for more people in this weird season – but I can see some people being uncomfortable with it. I figure a lot of people are going out to eat and getting takeout – so I just need to be taking proper precautions. And I think most people I’m aware of whether or not that would be open to baked goods. Every year I do tend to overcommit on making way too many kinds of cookies! But there are several on this list that I love!
I keep hearing the same thing about not giving out handmade treats! A few neighbors have brought by toilet paper or store bought candy so far, and while both were appreciated, it has made me wonder if that has to be the norm… I guess I’ll stick to handing out festive hand soap, which I sometimes do anyways. Still going to make caramel for my own family, though. Thank you for still posting – it’s one “normal” thing this year had going for it…
Trying to keep as much normalcy as possible in such a strange year, Tiffany! I do think we’ll be seeing more of the wrapping paper/soap/TP (if you can find it!) gifts, for sure.
I will be making several of these recipes for us and for a few of our friends who I know will appreciate them. Our favorites are chocolate peppermint crinkle blossom cookies, gingerbread people, cranberry bliss bares, and peanut blossoms. Yum! I’m excited!
Sounds like a yummy lineup, Stacie!
I think I will be making my usual Christmas cookie plates but won’t be giving out as many this year. Mostly because we aren’t seeing many people!
I have been baking a lot and keep thinking that maybe somebody will refuse homemade treats right now (I certainly wouldn’t blame them) but so far everybody has happily accepted! I’ve taken some to friends, relatives, library staff and even a brewery. I think most people will still like receiving but day by day we’re narrowing our circle more.
Thanks for chiming in on this, Lori! I think a lot of us have narrowed those social circles quite a bit over the last little while. Happy holidays!
I usually make 3-4 batches of your favorite sugar cookies for a cookie exchange — and that won’t be happening this year. I think we’ll keep all of our baked goods close to home this year. But the sugar cookies and oreo truffles are on my must-bake list either way. 🙂
I have a few things on my must-make list, too, even if they don’t go anywhere but in our mouths!
While my family and I are open to any holiday goodies dropped off to us, there are many people in our area are who are very strict. So, I think we may drop of a plate or two to some close friends, but other than that, we will have to eat all the cookies we make! (nobody is complaining around here though.)
Even though the 7-day give thanks challenge is over, I want to #givethanks for all of the work you put into this blog, as my family heavily relies on your recipes to get them through the day.
Thank you so much, Beth! I sure appreciate you. And I agree about the food thing – there are a lot of people around us who are strict and cautious and I want to respect that.
We are still occasionally dropping off little baked goods gifts at people’s houses. I had read on the CDC website that risk of getting sick from eating or handling food was considered very low. I figure if they aren’t comfortable with it though they won’t eat it, but still know we were thinking about them!
That toffee is on my list of things to make today!
Good thoughts, Alyssa! Hope you love that toffee!
I was planning on making granola for people and hadn’t even thought about that people may not want anything this year. Sad.
It’s hard to know what to do! I also think different areas are in different situations??