‘Tis the season of sugar, spice, and everything nice. To me, this means plates of cinnamon rolls and tins of cookies, swoops of frosting and trays of candies. It’s the most wonderful time of the year—holiday baking season, that is— and here are a few of my very favorite festive recipes.
You can go directly to each of these recipes by clicking on the corresponding photo.
There’s no better gift than homemade bread. Focaccia is one of the lower-maintance breads, doesn’t need a sourdough starter, and most of its rising is done while you sleep. Mix up a batch for Christmas dinners or take to a holiday party to share with friends.
Christmas morning breakfast is one of the most important meals of the holiday season. If you’re looking for a little something savory to balance out your traditional cinnamon roll sugar rush, make a batch of popovers. The batter is mixed together ahead of time so that all that’s left to do on Christmas morning is pour it into a muffin tin, bake them off, and open gifts.
What is a holiday season without a batch of cinnamon rolls? These are a citrusy dough, filled with tahini and orange cinnamon filled and topped with a browned butter cream cheese frosting you will want to eat straight from the spoon.
My rendition of the classic gingerbread cake. This cake is super moist and dense, filled with spicy fresh ginger and dark, chocolatey carob molasses. The bright yellow frosting has a little spice thanks to the addition of turmeric and everything is topped with candied ginger and toasted pecans.
If you’ve never had coquito before, today is the day. Coquito is a traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink made with thick coconut cream, a little bit of cinnamon, and of course, rum. This dessert is a classic tiramisu with a tropical twist—lady fingers soaked in coquito, a sweetened condensed milk zabaglione, and lots of toasted coconut.
What’s a holiday table without cranberries? These festive little fruits shine in this cranberry orange clafoutis. A traditional, but very simple French custard filled with orange zest is poured over sugared cranberries and baked just until set. Serve your clafoutis hot, cold, or at room temperature with a big dollop of whipped cream.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating chocolate truffles at home along with three different flavor ideas. There are recipes for chocolate pomegranate truffles, chocolate tahini truffles, and chocolate truffles with sage caramel along with a primer on homemade ganache.
This is one of my very favorite desserts—holiday or not. A creamy cheesecake, lightened up with whipped egg whites, and marbled with an espresso and kahlua layer. It’s topped with a tangy whipped sour cream that you won’t want to miss.
Fall is the best time of year for baking! Here is a collection of my favorite cozy baking recipes for the season.
You can go directly to each of these recipes by clicking the corresponding photo.
If someone asked my to choose my favorite blog recipe, this just might be it. This cake is soft and moist, a buttermilk cake batter filled with sweet potatoes and warming spices. The cake bakes up into giant, thick squares, topped with a crunchy ginger oat topping and browned butter glaze. If you only make one recipe this season—this should be it.
Simple banana muffins are a quick and easy way to use up leftover bananas in a way that isn’t banana bread. They are topped with a spiced, cinnamon oat crumble and are best served warm with lots of salted butter.
This is a throwback recipe from the early days of the blog. It is a very classic sour cream coffee cake, with a crumb topping almost as thick as the cake itself. Half of the batter is swirled with strong coffee and cocoa powder and layered in for a pretty two-toned vibe. It’s great to have as breakfast dessert for the week or for sharing with friends.
A simple, savory biscuit recipe worthy of your Thanksgiving dinner table. It’s a base biscuit recipe that can be fancied up with the addition of herbs or cheeses, but does just as well with a slather of butter or a spoonful of jam. The addition of spelt flour gives a nutty flavor and keeps things interesting. Plus, this recipe includes lots of tips for making great biscuits.
My fancy take on my mom’s sticky buns. There is nothing more comforting than a pan of warm sticky buns, straight out of the oven, dripping with gooey caramel. This recipe features a sweet dough made with einkorn flour, a simple cinnamon sugar filling, and a brown sugar caramel glaze studded with pecans.
One of my very favorite project bakes! If you are looking for a more in-depth activity for a cold, gloomy weekend at home, this is it. Rich, buttery brioche dough is swirled and shaped with a chocolate tahini filling and you’re left with the prettiest, tastiest, dessert you’ve ever made.
A fun spin on my mother-in-law’s famous flan. Creamy ricotta cheese and grapefruit (or any citrus zest) create a rich, smooth custard that gets baked with a caramel topping. This is a great make-ahead recipe that is perfect for showing off at dinner parties and potlucks.
This cake was inspired by a breakfast cake I had at a coffee shop in Bordeaux so you know it is good. And it is so simple. A yogurt and olive oil cake batter that can be mixed together in one bowl is poured over a caramelized almond topping before baking. Once baked, the whole cake is inverted to reveal a very photogenic, crunchy almond sugar topping.
Another one of my mom’s recipes that I adapted and tweaked to fit my vibe. This is a THICK cake, filled with so many apples is basically apples bound together with a little bit of cake. It’s frosted with a classic cream cheese frosting and swirled and drizzled with homemade salted caramel to finish.
Another apple cake with a very different feel. This is cake is super light, thanks to whipped egg whites, and fresh apple slices are tucked into the batter just before baking. It’s served with a simple, maple tahini cream and the whole thing just embodies fall.
I’m Anna Ramiz. I’m a pastry chef, recipe developer, and culinary educator. Welcome to my table!
