Winter Baking 101: Easy must try recipes to warm up the cold months

Bread Ahead Bakery Cinnamon Buns from June 6, 2018.

No matter where you are from or where you live, there is something about fall and winter that makes everyone crave some sweet treats. Whether it be the holiday season or not, some fall treats are too good not to be made year round. 

Here are some projects to try out with your friends and family during a winter break or if you are just in the mood for some seasonal favorites. 

Whether you’ve been baking with your family since you were a toddler, or have only watched the Great British Baking Show, each one of these is sure to be a showstopper for any holiday event. 

Xmas Cookies

A holiday staple, these soft and buttery sugar cookies are one of the oldest Christmas time traditions. The use of cookie cutters to make fun festive shapes makes them a creative and engaging bake. 

The icing for these cookies is also simple to make, and can be dyed with food dye to make whatever colors you wish to decorate with. 

Find the recipe here: Christmas Cookies – Sally’s 

Pumpkin Pie

There’s no  better Thanksgiving staple dessert than pumpkin pie. The recipe here calls for making the pie dough by scratch, however, don’t be afraid to use a store bought crust. Pilsbury makes the best for this type of pie. 

Great Pumpkin Pie – Sally’s 

Cinnamon Rolls

Nothing gets me out of bed quicker than knowing that there’s a soft cinnamon-spiced sugary roll waiting for me. Why stop at normal sized cinnamon rolls, when you can make mega cinnamon rolls like the ones from Cinnabon. 

A tip I have to add to how yummy these are is to add in just a touch of pumpkin pie spice to the cream cheese frosting. Orange extract makes a lighter flavor for those wanting a touch of citrus. 

Giant Cinnamon Rolls – Sally’s 

Apple Bread

A buttery and moist cake-like loaf with cinnamon apple chunks spread out, apple bread is a heavily underrated treat to bake. 

A tip:instead of using granny smith apples or red delicious like many recipes will call for, use honeycrisps. They are much sweeter which makes them pair well with cinnamon flavor. They also don’t have the same kind of tart aftertaste that grannys do, and reds will end up making your batter overly moist. Make sure to refrigerate them before prepping as well. 

Apple Cinnamon Bread – Sally’s

Tiramisu

If you’ve gone down this list and haven’t found anything that seems to grab your attention, consider this one a showstopper. A classic Italian sweet treat, this recipe actually calls for no actual baking. 

This combination of espresso, ladyfingers and mascarpone is a rich dish too good to wait until after dinner. Adding rum into the mascarpone makes for a delicious combination of spice and sweet. 

While there is no baking involved with this dish it will have to chill in the fridge for several hours, so plan ahead.

Tiramisu – Sally’s

Check out the Sally’s Baking Addiction website for more delicious recipes.Other classic holiday treats that are a step above the beginner level that are good to mention are peanut brittle, macarons and buckeyes. 

Baking, like any type of cooking, is a trial and error process. Don’t get discouraged if something goes wrong or your bake doesn’t turn out the final product you were imagining. 

Take a breath, try again, and laugh it off. For my bakers that tend to be a bit messy with decorating, you are not alone. 

Just know that no matter what it looks like, following these recipes will ensure a tasty treat nonetheless. Happy Holidays, happy baking and may your pie dough never crack.