Some of my favorite holiday memories are of baking cookies, breads and other treats, and making candies. Growing up we always had cut out sugar cookies and ginger cookies, as well as fudge, english toffee, chocolate steamed pudding, and Norwegian favorites, rosettes and fatiman.
As an adult I have added new favorites including King Arthur Flour’s Cinnamon Star Bread, a showstopper for your holiday mornings. This bread is really easy to make and can also be made into a savory treat!
I love making mini egg muffins and everything bagels for quick breakfasts on lazy holiday mornings. And I enjoy baking all kinds of breads and pastries as well.
Every year I make caramels in a few flavors. This year I made David Lebovitz’ Salted Caramels, a standby recipe for me, and I also made licorice caramels and coffee caramels. The coffee caramels bring back memories of a coffee toffee that Granny always had in her candy jar. For some reason I loved the flavor even as a child, long before I learned to enjoy coffee.
This year I also made some King Arthur Gluten-Free Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies, which are heavenly, and you would never know they are gluten free. These are super easy to make, and only take a few minutes to pull together and pop in the oven. In a short half hour you can have these delicate treats ready for your afternoon tea!
I’d love to hear about your favorite holiday baking traditions. Whatever your fancy, and whichever holidays you celebrate, I wish you happy memories for your holiday celebrations!
