Holiday Baking

by Emily K.

Baking is one of the most exciting parts of the holiday season! Many cultures come together to create their traditional treats at this time of year. There are so many festivities that happen during the holiday season and with that comes so much food! Here are some holiday recipes that will inspire your inner chef this season...

NEXT MONTH: After enjoying all of these delicious baked goods over the holidays, you might be looking for some healthier options in the New Year. We would love to publish your recipes for delicious salads. Please share your recipe using the form below.

Ingredients: flour, sugar, oil, milk, eggs, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla essence, whipped cream, chocolate, optional sprinkles

Equipment: bowl, blender or spatula, spoons, cup for measuring, cupcake tray

Ingredients: 3 lbs of potatoes -2 onions -3 large eggs -1 tsp salt -¼ tsp pepper -¼-¾ cup of flour (adjust as needed) -1 cup of neutral oil (canola, vegetable, etc.) -Optional: Applesauce or sour cream to garnish

Equipment: frying pan, food processor

How to Make Them:

Step 1: Peel your potatoes and place them in a bowl with cold water until ready to use;

Step 2: Drain the potatoes and place your onions and potatoes into a food processor;

Step 3: Pour the mixture into a bowl with the eggs, salt and pepper;

Step 4: Add enough flour so that the latke mixture stocks together (between ¼ and ¾ cup);

Step 5: Add your oil to a frying pan and let it heat up;

Step 6: Shape your latkes into little disks resembling pancakes;

Step 7: Carefully drop your latkes into the oil and fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through;

Step 8: Place latkes on a plate with paper towels to drain the excess oil and enjoy!

Ingredients: 1 cup of butter, 3/4 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cups of light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 2/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1/2 tablespoons of salt, 2 cups of hershey milk chocolate chips, (optional) 1 cup of chopped nuts.

This recipe should make about 60 cookies. This is kind of special to me because it was my favorite chocolate when I was younger and I thought I would share it with you because many people like making cookies around Christmas.

Ingredients: (for 60 cookies) 3 1⁄4 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 cup of sugar, 21 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons) of salted butter (if you use unsalted butter, just add 1 tablespoon of salt), 2 large eggs, 3⁄4 cups of jam (any jam will work)

How to Make Them:

Step 1: Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees

Step 2: Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Step 3: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and butter in a mixing bowl (also add the salt if you need it)

Step 4: Pour the eggs in the mixture and work them until their smooth

Step 5: Scoop and roll half the dough into 30 balls. Divide them between the baking sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Step 6: Make an indentation with your thumb in the middle of the dough

Step 7: Fill each indentation with about 1⁄2 tablespoons of jam

Step 8: Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and firm to touch, rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through.

Step 9: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool down, and enjoy.

Before the pandemic, we got invited to someone's house to celebrate Christmas with her and while we were there we made these cookies and they turned out really good. I wanted to give you this recipe because it was really fun and it does not take long and it's kind of healthy, and who does not want to watch a movie while eating these good cookies! :)