My 2019 Christmas Baking List

I love Christmas and I love Christmas baking. I love how productive I feel after a long day in the kitchen making cookies and desserts for my family. (And I love how I can reward myself after a long day of baking with a Christmas movie and a glass of wine.)

This year I’ve got more bakes on my plate than ever. Here’s what I’ve baked (and will be baking in the next few days).

Cookies

My whole family bakes Christmas cookies, and we all have our specialties (shout out to my Aunt Mary who makes candy cane cookies for me every year!). This year I made a few old favorites and some new-to-me recipes.

Cream cheese pillows: These are a favorite of mine, my Aunt Debby and the crowd at the Cookie Takedown. Michael loves to think of new names for these, like cookie calzones and cookie pierogi. They’re apt for sure.
Pioneer molasses cookies: These are an old, old favorite with my family. I’m so happy that Michael loves them as much as I do!
Italian rainbow cookies: I sampled these at Taste of Home‘s cookie give away and loved them. I decided to make them myself. I’ll say that these were a major hassle, but I’m glad I gave them a go!
Cornflake wreaths: These cookies are so easy to make and always a hit (with me at least). I like to add a little almond extract to the mix for more flavor.
Mandelbrot: I am in love with Midwest Made by Shauna Sever. I made her mandelbrot recipe (they’re similar to biscotti, but not quite as hard) and they’ve gotten rave reviews so far!
Apricot kolaczky: I make kolaczky most Christmases. This year I used a recipe out of Midwest Made. It’s a good one!

Christmas Desserts and Breads

Chocolate babka: I obviously had to make my superstar recipe for the holidays.
French silk pie: This is one of my favorite desserts. I figure it’s time I learn how to make it from scratch and then share it with the fam for Christmas dessert (and I’m aiming to try the recipe in Midwest Made).
White fruitcake: Yes, another Midwest Made recipe! I’ve made this white fruitcake recipe in the past but I wanted to switch it up this year. And yes, my family like fruitcake. Weirdos, I know!
Cranberry tart: I made this tart last year and it deserves a repeat performance. It’s so simple to make, but I think it looks pretty fancy—especially dusted with a little powdered sugar.