Short on Time? Turn to These Easy, Festive Holiday Baking Recipes All Season Long (2024)

FAQs

When did the tradition of baking cookies during the holiday begin? ›

By the 16th century Christmas biscuits had become popular across Europe, with Lebkuchen being favoured in Germany and pepparkakor in Sweden, while in Norway krumkake were popular. The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century.

It is a way to show love and appreciation, and it is a fun activity for the whole family – a great way to bond with loved ones. Baking also allows people to be creative and express their holiday spirit through decorated cookies, cakes, and other festive treats.

Motivated to Bake This Holiday Season

According to a 2019 survey by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, 87% of millennials and Gen Xers will likely bake during the holidays.

At a time when most families were not that well off, people started making cookies and sweets as a way to share gifts during the medieval Christmas season. Christmas in many cultures was a time of visiting friends and family.

Ancient Baking

The oldest known ovens were unearthed in Croatia in 2014. They are estimated to be 6,500 years old. The Egyptians were also pioneers in baking as the first recorded civilization to use yeast in their bread as long ago as 2600 BC. Then, there was the Roman Empire's Baker's Guild established around 168 BC.

1) The Festive Bake

Made from a delicious crumb topped pastry, filled with pieces of cooked chicken, sage & onion stuffing and cooked sweetcure bacon, covered in a creamy sage & cranberry sauce.

Connecting With Loved Ones

The holiday season is a great time to reconnect with family and gather. Celebrating the holidays with a big family reunion or simply with a small group of friends, you will feel special and wanted.

Many families have unique holiday traditions, such as baking cookies or making a special dish passed down from generation to generation. These traditions create a sense of continuity and connection with our heritage. Food is also a way to express gratitude and appreciation for the people in our lives.

According to the forecast, AAA expects nearly 104 million people will drive to their holiday destinations, an increase of 1.8% compared to 2022, and 7.5 million people will travel by air, surpassing 2019's record of 7.3 million passengers.

Is baking it a Christmas show? ›

What is Baking It? Baking It is a hilarious, holiday-themed food competition show that follows a group of talented bakers competing for the "Best in Dough" title and a cash prize.

This year, approximately 81 percent of U.S. adults intend to have a home-cooked holiday dinner. The younger generations do not only plan to participate but increasingly make dinner themselves. Among Millennials, 88.9 percent intend to cook a holiday dinner, and so does the majority of Generation Z.

Dip cookie dough rounds in sprinkles or sugar before baking. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Decorate After Baking

In order to add colored sugar to baked cookies, the sugar needs something to adhere to. Icing is the perfect choice. Bake and cool the cookies as directed by the recipe. Ice the very cool cookies with your favorite icing and top with your choice of colored sugar.

In 1987 Matt Nader of the San Francisco-based Blue Chip Cookie Company created National Cookie Day, saying: “It's just like having National Secretaries Day…

The Dutch Connection

In the past, the Netherlands would celebrate Christmas on Dec. 6, so on Dec. 5 the kids would leave out their shoes and wake up to their shoes being filled with treats. This would change over time and eventually lead to children leaving out cookies and milk for Santa instead.

They've been making cookies in Canada since 1905. The company began on Arago street in Quebec City with Francois Leclerc and his wife Zelia making fresh jelly cookies every morning for locals to enjoy. According to some sources, the Celebration cookie is the number one cookie in Canada.

Nicholas would fill them with treats, including cookies and other sweets. Over time, this tradition evolved, and instead of filling shoes with treats, people began leaving out treats for Santa Claus in the form of milk and cookies as a way of expressing their gratitude and appreciation for the gifts he would bring.