We’re officially under the one week to Christmas mark and I’ve been trying to make the most of the season by baking my heart out. I’ve had so much fun making familiar favourites while also trying new-to-me recipes and every single one has been a hit. I thought maybe it would be fun to share some of what we have been baking in case you are on the lookout for some last minute holiday treat ideas. Some of these are great for parties and gatherings, some are great to give as gifts (neighbour gift ideas, anyone?), and some are even good enough just to indulge in while you wrap your gifts.

Let’s get into it. Here’s what we’ve been cooking up in the Little Reesor House kitchen:

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a festive twist!)

For the first festive treat of the season, I made a classic chocolate chip cookie using crushed red and green Smarties instead of chocolate morsels. The base recipe I used was this one from Handle the Heat - one of my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipes. I crushed up the Smarties (you could also use M&M’s) in a plastic baggy using the back of a knife and used an equal amount to what the recipe calls for in chocolate chips. They didn’t last long in our house and would make a great last-minute gift for a friend or neighbour, even for the most beginner bakers.

Classic Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are so nostalgic and hold a special place in my heart. Mabel is really into crafting and baking these days and even though I knew it would be a real test for my patience, I decided to involve her in baking a batch this year. I made the dough the night before our baking day and was sure to plan for ample time for us to work away at rolling, cutting, baking, cooling, and decorating. She helped me settle on a slightly more unconventional colour palette to keep it interesting and fun, but I did the icing mixing and prep while she waited patiently to get involved with decorating. It was messy and chaotic, but absolutely worth it.

I have a history with sugar cookies, so I used my favourite tried-and-true recipe filed away up in my own brain, but I shared the written recipe on this blog a couple of years ago. In fact, my first YouTube video ever outlined the process of how to bake, cut, and decorate your very own if you’re interested. If you are tight on time, you could always buy pre-made sugar cookie dough and get right to the fun part. Working on them can be a labour of love, but my favourite part is that regardless of how they are decorated, they always end up looking festive and cute.

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

These cookies don’t particularly scream Christmas, but they are a type of cookie that my Mom always made around the holiday season. The nostalgia factor combined with the fact that they are so darn easy to make made it impossible for me to resist making a batch this year. The cookie is essentially a peanut butter cookie rolled into a ball and baked in a mini-muffin tin rather than on baking sheets. Once you remove them from the oven, you immediately sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips into the middle of each cookie cup and allow them to cool. To give them an extra holiday spin, I opted to use an unwrapped Hershey Kiss chocolate in the middle of each cookie cup rather than the chocolate chips and once the heat of the freshly baked cookie had softened the chocolate, I pushed in a red or green M&M. They’re simple, addicting, and adorably festive.

I used my Mom’s old recipe from my recipe box, but this recipe from Show Me The Yummy looks pretty comparable and would likely taste just like my Mom’s version.

Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are undoubtably a Christmas cookie in my mind. I love that they aren’t overly sweet, but are incredibly rich thanks to a disproportionate amount of butter in the recipe (I’m sorry, but you can never overdo it on butter.) Since I had already made quite a few sweet and chocolatey recipes, I decided to make a batch of shortbread cookies with some different flavours. I settled on cranberries and pistachios for the hint of red and green to make them feel extra festive.

This recipe from Just So Tasty was really simple to make. I love that shortbread cookies require very few ingredients. I made my dough a few nights before I actually even baked them, but that allowed ample time for it to chill in the fridge before slicing and baking into perfect little cookies rounds. These are great cookies for gifting because they’re fairly small and will keep for quite some time.

Everything Ranch Chex Snack Mix

Let’s get into the snack category, shall we? Snack mixes are so versatile at the holidays - you can take it with you to a party, enjoy it while puttering around doing your errands, or you can even package it up into cute little boxes to give as gifts. I really wanted to make a few snack-like items this holiday season and couldn’t resist trying this savoury version of Chex Mix from Half Baked Harvest. Other than the Chex cereal itself, I pretty well had all the ingredients I needed on hand and made it in a matter of minutes. It’s a really flavourful recipe and could definitely be customized to your own preferences.

Homemade Caramel Popcorn Snack Mix

I saved the best for last. If I had to pick my absolute favourite snack anytime, it would hands-down be popcorn. This was my first year making homemade caramel popcorn and I was shocked at how easy it was to make. I liked this recipe I used from Cooking Classy because it turned the caramel corn into more of a snack mix by adding pretzels, Chex cereal (which I had extra of from my savoury snack mix), and pecans. I popped my kernels using my air-popper, but you could just as easily buy unflavoured kettle corn to make it extra easy on yourself.

I’m just going to say this closing thought: if there is one recipe on this list you should make, it’s this one. I’m about to make a second batch.

I’ve found so much joy in making these recipes over this past month. Do you find joy in Christmas baking too? There’s something about this time of year that lends itself so well to a busy kitchen filled with sweet smells and beautifully festive treats. But best of all is when you get to share them with the people you love.

Happy baking!

Holiday Baking Round-Up: All the Christmas Treats We’ve Made This Year