To get ready for Christmas, baking festive treats will surely get you in the spirit. It’s the best time of the year when you get to cozy up with your loved ones to watch Christmas movies while eating some tasty Christmas goodies. Whether you’re making them just for your friends and family or sharing them with people in your neighborhood, these baking ideas will be the perfect sweet, homemade gifts that everyone will adore!
There is a wide variety of Christmas desserts that you can make, but you can never truly have too many. Baking is a great way to bring the whole family together to celebrate the holiday season and start a new tradition. Here is a list of all sorts of easy Christmas treats that will bring joy to all who indulge in them:
1. Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins
The gingerbread flavor is most known to be in the form of a cookie, but it also tastes great as a muffin. These make a delicious addition to Christmas breakfast, or even a sweet treat after dinner. No matter when you make them, everyone will be lining up in the kitchen to try these moist and fluffy treats.
Ingredients (for 12 muffins):
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Mix wet ingredients
- Add flour and baking soda
- Fold in chocolate chips
- Pour batter into muffin pan lined with muffin liners
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (use toothpick to insert in center until comes out clean)
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes
- Enjoy!
2. Hot Cocoa Banana Bread
If you have some bananas going bad, this festive treat is perfect for you. Not only is hot cocoa a warm and cozy drink, but it also makes a great baked good. This holiday recipe truly is Christmas in banana bread form!
Ingredients (for 9×5 loaf pan):
- ½ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 2 mashed bananas
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup hot cocoa mix
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Mash bananas
- Mix yogurt, butter, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients
- Bake for 50-60 minutes
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes
- Optional: spread marshmallow fluff on top with chocolate syrup drizzle and extra mini marshmallows!
3. Sugar Cookie Cinnamon Rolls
Although this recipe comes from the can, the added elements make it taste homemade. If you can make normal cinnamon rolls, then you can make this Christmas version of them. They’re so easy, and they make already delicious cinnamon rolls even better. The holiday sprinkles are optional, but are they really?
Ingredients (for 9×9 pan):
Cinnamon rolls:
- 1 can Pillsbury large cinnamon rolls (5 count)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Filling:
- 1 package Pillsbury sugar cookie dough
Icing:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
- Preheat oven as stated on package
- Unravel cinnamon rolls on baking sheet
- Spread sugar cookie dough over rolls
- Roll them back and place in baking dish
- Mix butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon
- Pour mixture and heavy whipping cream over rolls
- Bake as stated on package
- Mix powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream
- Once rolls cool after 5-10 minutes, spread Pillsbury icing and own icing over rolls
- Top with red and green sprinkles for extra Christmas joy!
4. Reese’s Christmas Tree Peanut Butter Cookies
I’m sure everyone is familiar with the classic peanut butter blossom cookies; well, these are a more festive twist on them. Instead of using the standard milk chocolate Hershey kiss, these use Reese’s Christmas tree cups for a better peanut butter to chocolate ratio and extra Christmas spirit! If you’ve made the original before, then you must bring these to share at your next Christmas party because everyone will fall in love with them and be asking for more.
Ingredients (for 36 cookies):
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Extra granulated sugar
- 36 Reese’s Christmas tree peanut butter cups (unwrapped)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Beat sugars, peanut butter, and egg
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in extra granulated sugar
- Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart
- Bake for 8-10 minutes
- Immediately press 1 Reese’s Christmas tree peanut butter cup into each cookie
- Cool until peanut butter cups are all set (about 1 hour)
5. Christmas Pretzel M&M Hugs
Personally, these are by far my favorite treats out there, and my whole family would agree. I make these for every holiday by switching the M&M colors accordingly. They’re also extremely easy, as they’re only three ingredients, but you can surely spice them up with different flavors of Hershey kisses and M&Ms, or by adding other candies! The sweet and salty combination, along with the crunch of the M&Ms, creates the perfect treat that just dances on your taste buds.
Ingredients:
- Hershey’s Hugs kisses
- Waffle pretzels
- Christmas M&Ms
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place pretzels on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Place kisses on top of each pretzel
- Bake for 5 minutes
- Immediately put M&Ms on each kiss
- Let cool in fridge for 10-15 minutes (until chocolate is all set)
After seeing all these simple, festive recipes, I hope you’ve been inspired to share some at your next holiday event. No matter how skillful you may or may not be in the kitchen, these treats will surprise you at how easy they are to make. Everyone will be coming back for more after they’ve tried these decadent Christmas delights! So, which one will you try to bake this holiday season?