As the holiday season comes around the corner, you might be looking for inspiration for your next family meal, a tasty gift, or just something mouth-watering for yourself! The holiday season is a fantastic time to experiment with different types of delicious recipes, or elevate your bakes with these tips for your family and friends. Keep reading to get some ideas for your next holiday creation!
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Get notified of top trending articles like this one every week! (we won't spam you)1. Gingerbread: But Make it Creative!
Gingerbread is a classic bake for the holiday season and is commonly eaten in a gingerbread man shape. While these cute cookies are a classic, you can elevate your bake using different shapes of molds, ranging from animals to ornaments. A creative idea would be making a gingerbread man cup companion with your hot chocolate, tea, or coffee.
Another would be making gingerbread pieces to make homemade gingerbread houses. Not only is this a fun idea, but it would also be a great bonding experience for the holidays. Taking it a step further, you can use creative colors of icing that are not limited to the typical colors of the holiday season such as green and red. You could also decorate your cakes with miniature gingerbread decorations. A basic recipe of gingerbread can easily be elevated with innovative methods like these!
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2. Use Strawberries for Decoration
Strawberries are naturally strongly pigmented and can easily add a splash of color into your holiday bakes. Not only are they delicious on their own, but strawberries are compatible with many holiday flavors like chocolate, gingerbread, or just a simple angel cake. A simple strawberries and cream can go well with almost any cake flavor, from cookies and cream to yogurt.
You can incorporate your strawberries into your icing for a delightful pale pink color, or use the shape of strawberries as a Santa hat. Making jam out of strawberries can add a zing to your bakes or even with your savory meals. Strawberries are the perfect medium to channel your creativity into your creations!
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3. Experiment With Your Cookies
Cookies are one of the easiest recipes to experiment with due to their flexibility and variety of ways to adjust a basic cookie recipe. Want to get a head start on your New Year's resolution with a healthier diet? Try cranberry oatmeal cookies with nutritious almond butter as a plus!
Want to try new flavors and elevate your “basic” cookie? Add some paprika spices or matcha for something different! It is also very easy to make gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, or any other dietary restrictive modifications to your cookies. There are hundreds of cookie flavor and type combinations that you can try this holiday season.
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4. Incorporate Pre-Made Puff Pastry
Puff pastry may seem like a daunting hassle to make, especially when you are making it from scratch. But do not worry— you can buy pre-made frozen puff pastry at your local grocery store. For example, stores like Costco, Safeway, and Trader Joe's are just a few stores that sell easy-to-use puff pastry.
Just follow the instructions on the package box, and you can make a variety of bakes for your holiday feast. From puff pastry, you can make things like puff pastry sticks dipped in chocolate or frosting, puff pastry with homemade jam, and much more. Savory options like tarte tatin, puff pastry with soup, or tarts are three of many items that you can make with puff pastry.
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5. Incorporate Different Forms of Chocolate
There are so many holiday flavors that go with chocolate, and a great array of ways to utilize chocolate in your bakes. From pairing a cookie with a hot cup of chocolate, to creating the viral frozen yogurt clusters with fruit, the possibilities of your bakes are endless. You can also decorate your bakes with chocolate ganache, which is melted chocolate mixed with a bit of milk.
Or you can take it easy and make a simple chocolate mousse by mixing melted chocolate in whipped cream. The compatibility of chocolate means you can incorporate it in so many of your holiday bakes.
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6. And Finally, Whipped Cream on Top!
Whipped cream is a fantastic addition to your holiday bakes with a variety of ways to decorate and incorporate in sweets like cakes, cupcakes, and much more. You can either use the natural white color or add jam, chocolate, or any other flavored syrup to create flavored whipped cream, also known as mousse. It is also a good alternative to icing because it is less sweet and typically uses less sugar to whip.
A tip to make your whipped cream peak on the first try is to add your sugar in small increments as you are whipping the cream. This way you will not end up with a bowl of flat cream, and remember to not over-whip your cream. You can use whipped cream to pipe decorations on your creations, or a hot cup of chocolate!
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Altogether, it is simple to use these and other tips to elevate your next holiday bake. From combining two of the tips from above, or discovering your own hacks from experimenting, you can always find a way to spice up your creations and make them more fun! Not only will you be able to share and taste new flavors, but you can also share this with your friends and family. Your next wonderful bake awaits!