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These cinnamon rolls are a family favorite in our house and they’re actually way easier to make than I ever expected. Honestly, this was one of those recipes that I always used to think was so complicated but it’s surprisingly one of the easiest desserts to make from scratch and they’re beyond delicious!!

INGREDIENTS

Dough ingredients:

• 2 cups warmed milk (I use soy milk and microwave it for 1 minute)
• 1/2 cup melted butter (I use sunflower oil)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 pack) active dry yeast
• 5 cups all-purpose flour in total (4 cups first, then 3/4 cups later, then 1/4 cup separately)
• 1-2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt

Filling ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter (I use vegan butter, don’t use oil)
• 1/2 cup sugar (I’ve used white, light brown, and brown successfully)
• 2-3 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze ingredients:

• 1 cup icing/powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk (I use soy milk)
• dash of vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: DOUGH PREP

1. Mix warmed milk, melted butter/oil, and sugar together. (Liquid should be warm, but shouldn’t hurt your finger if you touch it.)
2. Mix yeast into liquid mixture and let it sit for 1-2 mins.
3. Add 4 cups flour to the bowl and mix until combined (dough will be quite sticky).
4. Cover bowl with towel and let it sit on the counter for an hour (it should rise to about double its size in this time).

STEP 2: MAKING ROLLS

1. Add 3/4 cup flour, plus the baking powder and salt to your dough and mix. I like to use my hand to just fold these ingredients into the dough and just keep folding it in on itself until it’s all combined. Final dough should be a little stretchy, but not sticky at all.
2. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of flour on counter and place the dough onto the counter.
3. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 18×24″ and 1/2″ thick and try to keep it as even as possible. Note that it might seem like it won’t roll out at first, but just keep at it. The dough is very stretchy and while it takes a bit of coaxing, it does roll out to the full size every time.
4. Brush the melted butter over the dough & sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
5. Roll up the dough like a log + cut it into even 1 inch pieces. (I always start with a cut in the center and work my way out.)
6. Grease up a baking dish (I use a rectangular glass dish like this: Amazon, but I’ve seen it done with circular pans as well. Honestly it doesn’t matter, use whatever you like best) and place the roll pieces evenly with their edges just touching. You need to give them a bit of room to rise some more and then also expand while baking so don’t squish them together.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise on the counter for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 350.

STEP 3: BAKING + GLAZING

1. After 30 mins, bake the rolls at 350 for 30 mins until they just start to brown.
2. While they’re baking, mix up your glaze. Start with the powdered sugar and slowly whisk in small amounts of milk until you get a nice thick glaze. Add in a dash of vanilla to taste. Set aside until rolls are done baking.
3. After 20-30 mins, remove rolls from oven and immediately coat with the glaze while they’re still hot.
4. And that’s it!!! Now enjoy your delicious from-scratch homemade treats!

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We made this cinnamon star for Christmas Eve and it’s quite easy to make despite looking pretty intricate so I thought I’d share the technique and process here. You can absolutely make your own dough from scratch (I think the easy dough recipe from my Cinnamon Roll Recipe would work perfectly) but I actually just used pre-made puff pastry dough for this one because it was just faster and more convenient since I didn’t have to wait for the dough to rise. But either way works. And you can also totally do a chocolate filling if you prefer, or even nutella or jam… really anything spreadable would work great!

Ingredients:

• 3 sheets of puff pastry dough OR from scratch dough (Recipee)
• 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar (just white sugar mixed with cinnamon) OR any other spreadable filling
• 1/8 cup melted butter (I use vegan butter)
• 1 egg white OR soy milk
• 1-2 tbsp white sugar to sprinkle on top before baking
• 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar to sprinkle on top before serving

Sources from the header pics above:

• Slate serving board: Crate & Barrel
• Christmas village/tree set: Bed Bath & Beyond
• Garland: Wayfair

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface. (Important note if you use puff pastry: keep it frozen until the night before you’re ready to use it, then transfer it to your fridge. When you’re ready to start baking, keep it in the fridge until the last minute and only take what you’re immediately about to use out at a time. Puff pastry is easiest to work with when cold.)
3. Choose a round plate of the size your want your star to be and use it as a template to cut your first layer of dough into a circle. I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough.
4. Place your first round dough circle onto parchment paper, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

5. Repeat process to make a second dough circle that you’ll place over the first one and also brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
6. Then make one last (third) dough circle to go on top.
7. Lightly make cut lines using the back of a knife or something not sharpe enough to cut the dough. Start by making lines at 12-3-6-9 o’clock, then do a line down the middle of each quarter, then another line down the middle of each eighth. You should end up with each quarter divided into 4 sections, so 16 sections in total on the whole star. Leave about 1-2 inches in the center that you will not cut.
8. Use a pizza cutter to carefully cut the lines through all 3 pieces of dough. I found it easier to start and the center and cut outward.
9. To make the twists, grab to adjacent pieces and twist them outward (away from each other) once, then let go. Then grab the same pieces and twist one more time (same direction) and pinch the ends together.
10. Repeat all around the star.

11. Brush lightly with egg white or milk.
12. Sprinkle with white sugar.
13. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes, or until it turns golden brown all over the top. I like to set my timer for 30 minutes then watch it every few minutes from that point on until it’s golden enough.
14. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
15. Gently transfer to a serving dish (using two large spatulas helps).
16. Once it’s cooled, you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar for a pretty finishing touch.

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These are our favorite Christmas cookies! We make a fresh batch every day over the holidays! They’re quite easy to make. The dough has to chill in the fridge overnight though so I just make it the night before we’re ready to bake (and I usually double the recipe), then every day leading up to Christmas I just throw a fresh batch of cookies in the oven. And as an added bonus, they make the house smell AMAZING!

I use this mixer: Amazon, with this attachment: Amazon, to make the dough.

Wet ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup melted butter or sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup molasses

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt

Dough instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients together in the mixer bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix on medium-high until fully combined. The dough should stick together perfectly. It should be neither sticky nor dry, and very easy to handle.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill in fridge for 2 hours min (or overnight).

Cookie making instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Remove dough from fridge and allow to warm up for 10 minutes.
• Grab little chunks of the dough to make little balls about an inch in diameter (roll them around between your palms to make them round). Then roll them in white sugar and place them on a lined baking tray. Do *not* squish them down, they’ll flatten and crinkle as they bake.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes.

ENJOY 😀

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Christmas Crack is a 3-layer treat that’s sinfully addictive. It’s basically saltines (or graham crackers) topped with a layer of caramel, then melted chocolate, with topping of your choice for extra yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (I use vegan butter)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Saltines (or any dry cracker)
• Chocolate chips
• Topping options: crushed nuts, crushed candy canes, coconut flakes, sprinkles, toffee bits, mini marshmallows etc

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, crinkle up the edges to make a lip, and spray it down with oil.
3. Line the baking sheet with saltines and set aside.
4. To make the caramel layer, add your butter and brown sugar to a saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil, while stirring. Reduce temp to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes, while stirring. Do not cook it any longer or it will burn. It might take a few tries to learn to get the exact right caramel mix. I feel like most recipes make this part seem easier than it is. The first time I made it, mine was a little too overcooked. It takes a bit of practice to get the right amount of cooking without any burning so if you don’t get it on your first try, don’t be disheartened. Just try again!
5. Pour the caramel mixture over the saltines and spread it out evenly.
6. Bake for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips liberally over all the caramel. You want to do this very quickly while it’s still piping hot.
8. Wait about 5 minutes (at this point the chocolate should either already be melting or have turned shiny) then use a flat knife to gently spread the chocolate evenly over all the caramel. Don’t put too much pressure on the knife because you don’t want to lift the caramel layer.
9. Sprinkle any topping you love over top.
10. Cool in fridge for about 2 hours (or speed it up by putting it in the freezer for 30 minutes first).
11. When it’s completely cool (like 10000% cold), break it into pieces.
12. Store it in the fridge so that it doesn’t melt.

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These no-bake Rocky Road bars are SO easy to make and if you love chocolate and peanut butter – you have to try this recipe! It’s just melted choc and PB with tasty nibblets that’s frozen overnight. That’s it!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips + 1 small spoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
• Handful of mini marshmallows
• Handful of roasted peanuts
• Handful of popcorn (or cereal of choice)
• Handful of shredded coconut

*Note that all “extras” that you mix in are totally up to you. I’ve listed what I put in my bars but you can literally put in anything you want!

Instructions:

1. Melt chocolate chips & coconut oil in microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between each time, until fully melted
2. Melt peanut butter in microwave until it’s kinda runny.
3. Mix the melted chocolate and peanut butter, but reserve a few spoonfuls of the peanut butter to drizzle over at the end.
4. Mix in all your nibblets until fully coated.
5. Line a rectangular dish (any kind is fine, but I used a loaf pan) with parchment paper.
6. Pour in your mixture and pat it down so that it’s mostly flat.
7. Drizzle the remaining melted peanut butter over the top.
8. Freeze for at least 3 hours (I just did mine overnight).
9. When you’re ready to eat it, you can either slice it into bars or break it up into chunks.
10. If you have any left over, I recommend storing it in the fridge so that it doesn’t melt.

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These chocolate crinkle cookies are so pretty and also delicious – one of our holiday favorites!

Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter at room temp (I use vegan butter)

Optional additions:

• Small handful crushed nuts (pecans, walnuts, peanuts)
• Small handful shredded coconut
• Anything else you can think of

Other ingredients:

• Small bowl of powdered sugar (to coat the cookies)

Dough instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients together. You can do this by hand but I just used my mixer.
3. Combine wet + dry ingredients until it forms a slightly sticky dough. (Note: if you plan to add in extra crushed nuts etc, now’s the time.)
4. Wrap dough and refrigerate for a couple hours (I did mine overnight).

Baking instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Take dough out of fridge and allow to warm up on the counter for 30 mins.
4. Make little round dough balls about 1 inch in diameter by rolling it between your palms. Make all your cookie balls first and place them on the baking sheet.
5. When all your cookie balls are made, roll each one in powdered sugar until fully coated. (You can roll them in sugar as you make each ball but I find it’s less messy to do all the coating at the end.)
6. Bake for 12 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before eating (they taste better that way).

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I made biscotti for the first time and it turned out really well so I’ll share the recipe here! Since I’m in the middle of my Christmas bake-a-thon, I went for a gingerbread biscotti dipped in chocolate for extra yum!

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Wet ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil or melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Extra ingredients:

• Large spoonful icing sugar
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or melted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together, then all wet ingredients, then combine the two. I just mixed them in a bowl with a fork – no fancy equipment needed.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the dough onto it (just in a heap).
4. Wet your hands with water (they really have to be fully wet), then gently press the dough into a rectangular shape that’s about 3/4 inch high. My final dough form was about 10 inches x 5 inches.
5. Sift some icing sugar on top of your dough (enough to cover it).
6. Baking for 25 minutes at 350*.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Also reduce oven to 300*.
8. Gently use a bread knife to cut your dough into 3/4″ slices. Make sure your pieces are even sizes.
9. Place the slices on their side on a baking sheet and bake for 10 more minutes.
10. Flip the pieces over to the other side and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and let cool completely. As soon as you can handle them, I recommend transferring them to a wire rack and standing them up so they can cool on all sides.
12. Once the biscotti are fully cool, you can either eat them as they are or take it to the next level and dip them in melted chocolate. To do this, just melt up some chocolate chips with a spoonful of coconut oil in the microwave. I did 30 second increments, stirring in between (about 3 times).
13. Dip one end of each biscotti in the melted chocolate (or drizzle on top if you prefer).
14. Allow the chocolate coating to fully cool before serving. (I put my chocolate covered biscotti into the freezer on a flat tray for 5 minutes to make the chocolate set faster.)

And that’s it! It’s really quite easy and they taste delicious! ENJOY 🙂

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