Food & DrinkFoodChristmasRecipes

Stunningly Beautiful Holiday Baking Recipes To Make This Christmas

Bundt cakes, gingerbread houses, layer cakes, yule logs and a whole lot of cinnamon buns to keep you feeling cozy.
HuffPost Staff
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Christmas cookies are great and all, but sometimes you feel like taking on a baking project that’s a little more special. Once the stockings are hung by the chimney with care and the holiday madness settles down a little bit, we highly recommend setting aside a couple of hours to bake something that requires a little TLC.

Choose a recipe that calls for you to knead some dough, decorate a gingerbread house or frost a bûche de Nöel so meticulously that it actually looks like it’s growing moss and mushrooms. When you’re not in a rush, baking can foster the practice of mindfulness, allowing you to feel creative, be present in the moment and distract you from the stressors that weigh on you all day. 

Plus, you get to eat the finished product.

Check out our favorite recipes below, from sticky buns to sticky toffee pudding and other joyously sticky desserts.

1
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Half Baked Harvest
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls from Half Baked Harvest
2
Gingerbread House
Sally's Baking Addiction
Gingerbread House from Sally's Baking Addiction
3
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Brown Eyed Baker
Sticky Toffee Pudding from Brown Eyed Baker
4
Bûche De Noël (Yule Log)
Sally's Baking Addiction
Bûche De Noël (Yule Log) from Sally's Baking Addiction
5
White Christmas Cranberry Layer Cake
Half Baked Harvest
White Christmas Cranberry Layer Cake from Half Baked Harvest
6
Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake
Half Baked Harvest
Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake from Half Baked Harvest
7
Pecan Sticky Buns
I Am Baker
Pecan Sticky Buns from I Am Baker
8
Cinnamon Chocolate Hazelnut Puff Pastry
I Am Baker
Cinnamon Chocolate Hazelnut Puff Pastry from I Am Baker
9
Homemade Butter Rum Cake
Sally's Baking Addiction
Homemade Butter Rum Cake from Sally's Baking Addiction
10
Gingerbread Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream
Completely Delicious
Gingerbread Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream from Completely Delicious
11
Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
Completely Delicious
Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree from Completely Delicious
12
Pomegranate Vanilla Skillet Cobbler
How Sweet Eats
Pomegranate Vanilla Skillet Cobbler from How Sweet Eats
13
Quick and Easy Gingerbread Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
Half Baked Harvest
Quick and Easy Gingerbread Brioche Cinnamon Rolls from Half Baked Harvest
14
Holiday Sweater Cake
Hummingbird High
Holiday Sweater Cake from Hummingbird High
15
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
Sally's Baking Addiction
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake from Sally's Baking Addiction
16
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Hummingbird High
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce from Hummingbird High
17
Overnight Cinnamon Roll Bread with Chai Frosting
Half Baked Harvest
Overnight Cinnamon Roll Bread with Chai Frosting from Half Baked Harvest
18
Star Bread
Sally's Baking Addiction
Star Bread from Sally's Baking Addiction
19
Snickerdoodle Caramelitas
How Sweet Eats
Snickerdoodle Caramelitas from How Sweet Eats
20
Hot Cocoa Cake with Whipped Marshmallow
How Sweet Eats
Hot Cocoa Cake with Whipped Marshmallow from How Sweet Eats

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Before You Go

Cheryl Day's Favorite Holiday Baking Tools
A Great Jones loaf pan(01 of10)
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Did you know you can bake muffin batter in a loaf pan? Day likes to do this when gifting people treats during the holidays. “You can’t give somebody one muffin, but you could give them one loaf,” she laughed. Great Jones’ loaf pans are made of aluminized steel and a nontoxic ceramic coating. They also come in eye-catching colors like blueberry and broccoli.

Get it from Great Jones for $28. (credit:Great Jones)
A large cookie scoop(02 of10)
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“I love cookie scoops for portioning out cookies and I just think it makes it so easy,” Day said. Cookie scoops help keep muffins and cupcakes consistent, too. She also keeps a small cookie scoop on hand.

Get the large Nordic Ware cookie scoop from Amazon for $15.51. (credit:Amazon)
Joyce Chen kitchen shears(03 of10)
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Kitchen shears are great for snipping herbs, but Day also likes them for cutting vents into her pie crust and to cut pastry bags. “I think that would be a great gift for somebody. I have a bright red, and they come in fun colors,” she said.

Get them from Amazon for $18.99. (credit:Amazon)
Guittard chocolate wafers(04 of10)
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When it comes to a pantry staple that Day likes to have on hand, Guittard’s chocolate wafers stand out. They’re fantastic for anything that you would usually use in chocolate shops, she said. Wafers melt more easily than chocolate chips so the result is a gooier treat.

Get a 12-ounce bag from Amazon for $14.51. (credit:Amazon)
A bench scraper(05 of10)
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A bench scraper is a must-have baking tool according to Day. In fact, it’s probably her No. 1 tool because you can use it to cut dough (the one from Williams Sonoma has measurement markings to make it easy) and you can use it to clean. Bonus points for a pretty olive-wood handle.

Get it from Williams Sonoma for $19.95. (credit:Williams Sonoma)
A big sheet pan and oven-safe nesting grid(06 of10)
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This is a two-for-one suggestion from Day. First, she loves to use a big baking sheet even when baking at home. The bigger the sheet, the bigger the batch of cookies. This set comes with a cooling rack, which is also a must, according to Day. To prevent overbaking your treats, especially cookies and muffins, you’ll want to take them out of the oven as quickly as possible and place them on a cooling rack which allows the air to circulate and cool the treats quicker.

Get the Nordic Ware set from Amazon for $33.91. (credit:Amazon)
A large whisk(07 of10)
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Think a whisk is just for beating eggs? Think again: A whisk can also replace a sieve or sifter, Day said. Sure, sometimes you need to use one of those specialized tools, but, “This is just real life for me. Generally, I’m taking a large whisk and aerating all of my ingredients and making sure they’re incorporated that way,” she said. A whisk might seem like an obvious tool, and you probably already have one, but it’s worth investing in a large whisk that will really get the job done. This is also a great gift for someone building their baking collection.

Get the 11-inch Nordic Ware whisk from Amazon for $12.50. (credit:Amazon)
A pastry brush(08 of10)
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You might not think you need a pastry brush — until you realize it’s hard to get those egg whites on those biscuits. This is a holiday baking must.

Get an OXO Good Grips pastry brush from Amazon for $7.99. (credit:Amazon)
Mrs Anderson's rolling pin(09 of10)
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Day has a collection of rolling pins and loves this old-fashioned one from Fante’s. It’s what she calls “grandma style” and has handles and ball bearings for easy rolling. It’s ideal for biscuits. If you want something fancier, perhaps as a gift for someone else, Day likes this oak fine pin from Herriot Grace.

Get it from Fante's for $26.99. (credit:Fante's)
A Whitebark Workwear apron(10 of10)
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Whitebark Workware is a sustainably minded company based in Los Angeles that designs aprons made with hemp. “They’re the most durable aprons and they feel really good,” said Day. “You feel like you’re ready when you tie it on.” They come in a variety of colors ranging from bright aquamarine to a neutral sand.

See Whitebark's selection of aprons for around $102 each. (credit:Whitebark)
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