The 16 best recipes to bake in December
Get excited! It’s time for holiday cookies, festive breads, and more.
It’s officially one of the best baking months of the year. Full of cookies, cakes, and lots of bread, December promises nostalgic classics and creative new spins. In this collection, you’ll find everything from cheesy bread for a cold winter night to dinner party appetizers — plus breakfast treats, Hanukkah mashups, and much more.
1) Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Reverse creaming isn’t just for cakes; the mixing technique also makes exceptionally tender cookies. This cookie dough rolls out easily and holds its shape in the oven — perfect for an array of holiday cookie cutters and gorgeous frosted designs.
Get the recipe: Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Shop the recipe: Christmas Cheer Cookie Cutters and Plant-Based Food Colors
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Roll-Out Sugar Cookies, Holiday Butter Cookies
2) Latke Focaccia
This mashup focaccia is a fun, modern addition to your Hanukkah table, but don’t let that be the only occasion for which you make this masterpiece. It’s a carb lover’s dream: Frozen shredded hashbrowns are added to a pan, then topped with plush focaccia dough and a final garnish of more potatoes, which form a brown, crispy crust on the bread. Once it’s baked, turn the bread out of the pan to reveal its delightful giant latke-like appearance.
Get the recipe: Latke Focaccia
Shop the recipe: Unbleached Bread Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Easy-Does-It Latkes, Golden Potato Focaccia
3) Glazed Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
This no-fuss holiday cake delivers on all fronts. The cake itself strikes the perfect balance between deeply chocolatey and warmly spiced, and, best of all, the dairy-free batter is mixed by hand and comes together in a mere 15 minutes. (For more festive yet fuss-free recipes, see our collection of 12 easy holiday recipes for every baking occasion.)
Get the recipe: Glazed Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
Shop the recipe: Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate Onyx Wafers and Gingerbread Spice
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Gingerbread Bundt Cake, Triple Ginger Gingerbread
4) Sour Cream Fruitcake
This recipe puts the “cake” in fruitcake. It’s made with a sour cream pound cake base, kitted out for the holidays with rum-soaked fruit. You have the choice to bake as mini loaves, a Bundt cake, or bars, depending on the occasion.
Get the recipe: Sour Cream Fruitcake
Shop the recipe: Fruitcake Fruit Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Everyone’s Favorite Fruitcake, Quick Fruitcake
5) Two-Tone Festive Sugar Cookies
For picture-perfect holiday cookies, try the smart swapping technique in this recipe. After rolling and stamping out a chocolate and vanilla dough, you just switch the cut-out dough from the center of each cookie for a striking two-tone effect. (For more simple-yet-spectacular bakes, see our collection of 12 easy holiday recipes for every baking occasion.)
Get the recipe: Two-Tone Festive Sugar Cookies
Shop the recipe: Black Cocoa
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Holiday Butter Cookies, Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies
6) Toasted Flour Shortbread
While many sablés and shortbreads are all about the flavor of the butter, these cookies are all about the flavor of the flour. After a stint in a hot oven, all-purpose flour is like a new version of itself, with a golden hue, malty aroma, and much deeper, nuttier flavor that infuses every bite of these sandy cookies.
Get the recipe: Toasted Flour Shortbread
Shop the recipe: Sparkling Sugar
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Thrice-Baked Rye Cookies, Salty-Sweet Sablés
7) Loaded Baked Potato Dinner Rolls
This recipe takes dinner rolls from supporting player to center stage with the help of cheddar, chives, and plenty of bacon. Evoking a fully loaded baked potato, each fluffy pull-apart roll delivers maximum flavor (and is guaranteed to stay soft for days, thanks to the potato in the dough).
Get the recipe: Loaded Baked Potato Dinner Rolls
Shop the recipe: Unbleached Bread Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Big Batch Quick Dinner Rolls, Amish Dinner Rolls
8) Rugelach
It’s hard to choose a favorite rugelach filling — from chocolate to apricot to cinnamon — so our recipe includes all of those options. The flaky, buttery dough is enriched with both cream cheese and sour cream, making it the perfect foil to an array of sweet fillings.
Get the recipe: Rugelach (or Gluten-Free Rugelach)
Shop the recipe: Sparkling Sugar
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Savory Pumpkin Parmesan Rugelach, Guava Pinwheels
9) Light and Crisp Olive Oil Crackers
Sure, it’s easy to just pick up a box of crackers at the store. But making your own is super easy, and the results are much better. Simply stir together a handful of ingredients, then roll, cut, and bake. Salty, savory, and snappable, these crackers are a blank canvas for seasonings, yet the olive oil imparts enough flavor that no elaboration is necessary.
Get the recipe: Light and Crisp Olive Oil Crackers
Shop the recipe: Pizza Wheel
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Crunchy Crackers, Easiest Sourdough Discard Crackers
10) Small-Batch Biscuits
Biscuits are best the day they’re made. Ensure there are no leftovers with this small-batch recipe, which yields two perfect biscuits — and no more. Because they’re made with cream instead of butter, they’re even simpler to make than typical flaky biscuits. With just five ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time, you can have two golden, tender biscuits ready in time for breakfast.
Get the recipe: Small-Batch Biscuits
Shop the recipe: Bench Knife and King Arthur Quarter Sheet Pan
If you like this recipe, you make also like: Easy Self-Rising Biscuits, Small-Batch Parker House Rolls
11) Citrus Sparkle Slice and Bake Cookies
These glitzy cookies get their citrusy flavor three ways: orange oil, Fiori di Sicilia, and candied citrus peel, which creates extra pockets of flavor. Crisp and crunchy, with a glitter of sparkling sugar at their edges, these bright cookies will be the star of every festive cookie platter.
Get the recipe: Citrus Sparkle Slice and Bake Cookies
Shop the recipe: Fiori di Sicilia, Citrus Oil Set, and Sparkling Sugar
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Olive Oil-Orange Sugar Cookies, Cranberry-Studded Melted Butter Shortbread
12) Cinnamon Toast Cake
This cake recipe has an unusual ingredient: breadcrumbs. They’re mixed into the batter, where they add moisture that keeps the cake soft for several days, and are also used to line the pan, forming a crisp, buttery crust. Serve thick slices with a generous dollop of jam-swirled whipped cream to complete the toast-with-jam effect.
Get the recipe: Cinnamon Toast Cake
Shop the recipe: Vietnamese Cinnamon and King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Buttered Toast Press-In Pie Crust, Whole Grain Cinnamon Coffee Cake
13) Eggnog Cheesecake
If you took a glass of eggnog and turned it into a rich, creamy dessert, you’d have this party-worthy cheesecake. A combination of nutmeg, vanilla, and rum in the filling evoke the flavors of the classic holiday drink, and the nutty press-in crust couldn’t be simpler.
Get the recipe: Eggnog Cheesecake
Shop the recipe: Nutmeg and Springform Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust, Lazy Morning Eggnog Coffee Cake
14) Double Lemon Thumbprints
When lemon cookies just aren’t lemony enough, fill them with tart curd, which adds both zingy flavor and a pop of color. Major bonus points if you decorate them to look like little lemons, though a straightforward drizzle of punchy glaze does the job, too.
Get the recipe: Double Lemon Thumbprints
Shop the recipe: Lemon Oil
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Whipped Lemon Shortbread, Lemon Snowball Cookies
15) Cinnamon-Eggnog Scones
These soft, spiced scones get their flavor from eggnog, which is used in the dough in place of milk or cream. Cinnamon Sweet Bits studded throughout and a topping of eggnog and sparkling sugar add additional festive flair. (Busy holidays? You can prep these scones up to the point of baking several days ahead, then freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake fresh in the morning.)
Get the recipe: Cinnamon-Eggnog Scones
Shop the recipe: Cinnamon Sweet Bits
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Easy Holiday Eggnog Muffins, Eggnog Rum Balls
16) Herb-Scented Baked Brie Bread
The only thing cozier and more festive than warm, melty baked Brie? Warm baked Brie surrounded by herb-scented pull-apart bread that’s crusty on the outside and fluffy in the center. This bread is guaranteed to be a standout at any holiday party — it’s designed for friends to gather around.
Get the recipe: Herb-Scented Baked Brie Bread
Shop the recipe: Unbleached Bread Flour, Herbes de Provence
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Garlic and Herb Sun Bread (Tarte Soleil), Cacio e Pepe Clover Rolls
Got a lot of baking to do this month? For simple-yet-spectacular bakes, see our collection of 12 easy holiday recipes for every baking occasion.
Cover photo by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Yekaterina Boytsova.
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