Written by Piera Jolly of Jolly Mom for Personal Creations Blog.
To me, the holidays are all about spending time with loved ones and creating memories. We love to spend the holiday season doing activities that bring us together. One sure fire way to bring people together? Food. So today I want to share with you a few recipes that I feel every holiday cook should have!
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are a classic and create an opportunity for you to gather in the kitchen with your children to decorate them. This is a super fun holiday activity that we love to do every year! Click HERE for the recipe.
Breakfast is our favorite meal of the day and we really try to amp it up during the holidays by involving our families as much as possible. We host a holiday brunch every year that is always a huge hit! Our Overnight Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are perfect for brunch or Christmas morning because you put everything together the night before and just pop them in the oven in the morning. Easy peasy! Check out the recipe HERE.
Whether you’re hosting or attending a holiday party, every holiday table should include a nice dessert. Two of our favorites are Pecan Pie and Tres Leches Cake. This Pecan Pie is special because it does not contain corn syrup. It is sweetened with sugar and pure maple syrup. It is not too sweet like traditional pecan pies and most of all – it is to.die.for. We serve it every year at Thanksgiving. Click HERE for the recipe.
Tres Leches Cake is an authentic Mexican dessert that starts with a sponge cake that is soaked overnight with three milks (condensed milk, half and half, and evaporated milk) and then topped with homemade whipped cream. The only downside to this dessert? You can pretty much guarantee that you’ll forever be asked to make it again and again for every holiday and special event. It is really that good. Tres Leches Cake is always at our Christmas dinner table and it also makes an appearance for Father’s Day (my dad, father-in-law, and my husband ALL request it so I have to make THREE. Yes. THREE cakes.), my husband’s birthday, and more. You can find the recipe HERE.
And now that you have all these treats to munch on, what’s the best way to warm up during the holidays? A cup of hot cocoa. If you’ve been drinking the store-bought stuff from the little packets, you are truly missing out on one of life’s simple luxuries. Hot cocoa is super simple to make and tastes so much better when it’s homemade. Both kids and adults love it!
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 cups milk
- 1tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Directions: Whisk cocoa, sugar and water in a medium saucepan and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla and continue cooking until heated through.
Eat, drink and be MERRY! Happy Holidays!
Piera Jolly is the founder and editor-in-chief of JollyMom.com, a savvy and popular blog that provides moms with helpful parenting information, fun child-friendly activities, craft ideas, recipes, and the latest trends for moms, kids, and families. JollyMom.com is also proud to have been named a Top 10 Inspiring Blogger by Mashable, a Power Mom by Nielsen and one of Access Communication’s Top 50 Mommy Blogs!