‘Tis the season to fill your home with the cosy scents and festive flavours characteristic of Christmas! From the timeless pleasures of cinnamon- and sugar-rolled Snickerdoodles to Latin American-inspired desserts luxuriating in the caramelly magic of dulce de leche – gathered here, you’ll find a thrilling variety of the best festive treats to bring you holiday cheer!
The Best Festive Treats: Christmas Cookies
Snickerdoodles
When it comes to festive baking, there are few things more synonymous with Christmas than Snickerdoodles: thick yet oh-so-soft and pillowy cookies enveloped by a heartwarming hug of cinnamon and sugar!
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Emboldened by a distinctly crimson hue and generous dusting of powdered sugar, these red velvet crinkle cookies are characteristic of the colourful cheer of Christmas!
The Best Festive Treats: Cakes & Tea Cakes
Ginger glaze Cake
Move aside, gingerbread cookies. Crowned with a sticky treacle glaze, this ginger cake is brimming with a boost of festive flavours and sweetened with the subtle softness of jaggery!
Funfetti Vanilla Cake
The fluffiest vanilla cake by a long mile, speckled with sprinkles and layered with swirls of chocolate fudge frosting. Yes this funfetti cake is befitting of the most special of celebrations, chief among them Christmas. Baked with real vanilla beans, it’s as deliciously-moist as you’d hope for with a tender, buttery crumb.
Chocolate & Strawberry Cheesecake
Of course, here in India Christmas coincides with strawberry season calling for all manners of berry delicious spins on classic desserts! Shared by our regular contributor Bianca Manik – Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef and founder of Blanchette patisserie – this eggless cheesecake recipe celebrates the classic combination of chocolate, strawberries and cream. It all comes together in a dessert that’s as attractive as it is sumptuous!
Chocolate & Caramel Poke Cake
Bianca has also shared another incredibly Pinterest-friendly recipe for a poke cake! For the unfamiliar: a poke cake is essentially a cake in which you poke holes after baking, before proceeding to pour in a liquid or filling to elevate the cake with a colourful riot of flavours and textures! In this case, a classic chocolate cake (yes, it’s an eggless one) is the perfect canvas for propping up a luxurious layer of caramel!
The Best Festive Treats Infused With Christmas Flavours
Pumpkin-Spice Pots de Crème With Walnut Crumble
Translating to “pots of cream” or “pots of custard” in French, these little numbers are as decadent as their name would suggest! However, this eggless recipe from Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and founder of the dessert kitchen Crumbilicious, Sanah Ahuja, deftly balances the creamy intensity of the chocolate with the nutty crunch of walnut crumble and a cosy pinch of pumpkin-spice.
Dulce de Leche Lava Cake
Known as “petit gateau” in in Brazil and parts of South America, these molten lava cakes break apart to reveal an an unapologetically-indulgent stream of Dulce de Leche. Revelling in the richness of caramel, this sweet spread is a quintessentially Latin American treat, best reserved for the festive season!
Dulcey Truffles
Artisanal chocolatier Mihika Parikh of Mylk Chocolates shows us that all you need is one bowl and four ingredients to rustle up these sumptuous bite-sized treats. They make for wonderful gifts and stocking fillers too!
Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Caramel Squares
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s barely a recipe. All it really involves is stirring together a handful of ingredients (just five if you count sea salt) and waiting patiently for a requisite few hours. The reward is rich in intensity, combining the classic combination of dark chocolate, sea salt and caramel!
We’d love to hear from you! Do let us know if you try this recipe – you can leave a comment below and/ or tag us in your delicious creations on Instagram @the_foodiediaries.
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