It's no secret that this holiday season has been a bit different from the rest. With many of us staying in and skipping the large family gatherings, the holidays may be starting to feel a bit less than jolly. If you need a boost of holiday spirit, try bringing the season to life with a few of its most popular flavors. Sometimes it just takes a bite or two of a winter dessert to turn a dreary day into a festive one.
Food has a way of transporting us to happier times. Cooking with nostalgic holiday flavors can bring back memories of incredible Christmas pasts. This year, to lighten up the mood, channel all of these great memories into a kitchen full of desserts. What's better? Get the family involved in the baking process while you're at it. Spending quality time in the kitchen with your loved ones is a great way to make new memories that will make this year feel lighter and happier.
If you're on the hunt for a great dessert recipe that embodies the best Christmas flavors, then we have the perfect list for you. Continue reading as we review the most popular holiday flavors and how you can bake them into delicious and festive treats.
Gingerbread
The holidays wouldn't be the same without the sweet smell of gingerbread seeping through the hallways. Gingerbread is a timeless Christmas flavor and can be baked into nearly everything. Cookies, muffins bread—you name it! So, how did the spice blend of gingerbread become such a holiday staple? Ginger has been a widely loved flavor in cooking for years. Not only does ginger keep well when dried, but it's also incredibly aromatic. Ginger is also known as a "stomach settler," and for many years, in port cities, gingerbread was baked and given to sailors before they headed out on long voyages. As years passed, popular recipes like gingerbread were passed down through generations and were commonly baked during the holidays, especially Christmas. This Christmas baking became an incredible way to preserve timeless recipes like gingerbread and is still a tradition that many continue today.
Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
Take your Christmas cookies up a notch this year and make these Healthy Gingerbread Cookies. In this recipe, a lightly sweet, rich cookie batter is flavored with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Unlike many gingerbread cookies recipes, this recipe is made without the use of refined sugar. It's also sugar free, gluten free, dairy-free and vegan. Make a batch of these cookies to share with friends and family, or bake them as an edible gift for loved ones this season. We're confident that they'll appreciate the thought behind it and love knowing that this is one dessert that can eat guilt-free.
Gingerbread Pancakes
With the holiday season comes chilly mornings. There's not much better than waking up on a winter morning to a warm plate full of pancakes. These Gingerbread Pancakes embodied all of the holiday season's delicious flavors and turned them into a sweet dish everyone in the family will enjoy. Whip up a plate of these pancakes as a seasonal breakfast recipe, or make them on Christmas morning for an extra special treat. In this recipe, our Paleo Baking Flour is used to create the perfect base for gingerbread's warm spices. Once cooked, top these pancakes with a drizzle of date or coconut syrup and a dollop of whipped coconut cream for the ultimate breakfast experience.
Peppermint
When you think of Christmas, a few flavors probably come to mind—peppermint being the most prominent. A holiday flavor that stands out above the rest, peppermint, is the Christmas season's unofficial flavor and is incorporated into countless winter desserts. According to an old wives tale, a German choirmaster was searching for a way to keep a young choir quiet after a performance at a Christmas concert. When he reached out to a local confectioner, he asked him to produce sugar sticks for them to consume. These sugar sticks were made with peppermint and shaped into the candy cane shape we know and love today. While this story may or may not be true, the fact is peppermint candies have been around for many years. So many years, in fact, that we're genuinely unsure of where they began. However, we know that this is one tradition we'd love to keep alive. This year, celebrate the holiday season with one of its most-loved flavors, peppermint! Bake it into cookies, brownies or make your own peppermint candy from scratch. Whatever yummy peppermint treats you end up creating, we know they will be delicious.
Peppermint Brownies
Looking for a holiday dessert recipe that doesn't involve making a large batch of cookies? You're in luck. These tasty Peppermint Brownies are the perfect, easy-to-make holiday treat. Full of refreshing peppermint flavor, only five ingredients are needed to make these holiday brownies. What's even better is that our Gluten Free Brownie Mix is used in this recipe, making it one that's safe for individuals with gluten allergies. A dessert that nearly everyone can enjoy, these brownies are taken to the next level when topped with homemade cream cheese frosting.
Peppermint Cupcakes
Whip up a batch of these Peppermint Cupcakes for a fun dessert that will look great as the dessert table's centerpiece. Bright and cheerful, a blend of red and white seasonal colors make this dessert one that genuinely stands out. The sweet aroma of peppermint can be smelt from the oven making these cupcakes nearly irresistible. Top them off with crushed peppermint, and you have a winning holiday dessert.
Hazelnut
It's hardly the Christmas season without nuts present. Whether you have a large bowl of nuts placed out on the table or the nutcracker playing on repeat, the Christmas tradition of nuts and nutcrackers is one that's here to stay. While there are many different stories telling of when nuts became a Christmas tradition, nearly all of them have one thing in common—it all started with ol' Saint Nick. In some versions, Saint Nicholas brought nuts and oranges to the Christmas feast; in others, he left them in the well-behaved children's shoes during the night. No matter which of these versions rings true, the practice of eating nuts and baking them into holiday goods is a widely loved tradition.
Hazelnut Mousse Yule Log
Made to represent the Yule log that families would burn on Christmas Eve, the yule log cake is a dessert rooted in Christmas tradition. While some versions of this dessert may be complicated to make, we've simplified the process so that you can bake something just as impressive without spending all day in the kitchen. Gluten free and oh-so-tasty, this Hazelnut Mousse Yule Log is the perfect way to incorporate holiday flavors into your seasonal baking.
Cocoa
With Christmas comes the winter season, and in many regions, this means colder weather. While heaters, blankets and onesie pajamas may work to keep us warm, nothing works better than a large cup of warm hot cocoa. Cocoa is a popular holiday flavor that can be found in everything from drink recipes to decadent desserts. While cocoa doesn't have a rich Christmas story like many other flavors on this list, there's no doubting its popularity during the holiday season. Children and adults love treats and beverages made with hot cocoa. The rich flavor of cocoa is commonly combined with creamy marshmallows and milk to create a sweet and satisfying dessert. Are you looking to make a hot cocoa recipe to impress family and friends with this year? Here is one of our favorites.
Peppermint Cocoa Slice and Bake Shortbread Cookies
These Peppermint Cocoa Slice and Bake Shortbread Cookies are everything we love about cocoa and so much more. Their chocolate and peppermint flavor makes for the perfect addition to your holiday cookie platter. To make these cookies, dough logs must first be chilled before they're sliced and baked. Fun to decorate and incredibly delicious this recipe can easily be made gluten free and vegan when made with our Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and Non-Dairy butter.
When it comes to seasonal baking, incorporating holiday flavors into your sweet treats is a must. From creamy cocoa to spiced gingerbread, these desserts will have everyone heading back to the table for seconds. Bake them as a surprise for your loved ones, or use these holiday treats as an excuse to get everyone baking together. There's no telling what family fun can be had in the kitchen this year. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, happy holidays!
Know of a popular holiday flavor that we didn't mention? We're always looking for new ways to celebrate the season. Let us know your favorite Christmas flavors to bake within the comments below.
