Pastries Like a Pro

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Helen
  • Mother's Day
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Helen
  • Mother's Day
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • About Helen
    • Mother's Day
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home > Roundups

    Updating Holiday Baking

    Modified: Apr 30, 2026 · Published: Nov 10, 2016 by Helen S Fletcher · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Orange Cranberry Cake for Holiday BakingHoliday baking is like no other time of the year.  With the holidays upon us, I thought it might be interesting to go back into my past blogs and pull up some of the best holiday baking.

    There is a cheesecake, pie, cakes, muffins and a lot of cookies that might be new to your Holiday cookie selection.  I've even included my favorite Cranberry Relish which is really easy, has nothing to do with baking but is one of my best holiday dishes.

    Holiday baking needn't be stressful.  Many of the recipes here can be made ahead in whole or in part.  Many can be frozen.  All will add to your holiday baking repertoire and I hope become traditions for you.

    Almond Macaroons - a really easily made recipe that ranks high on the list of almond paste lovers.  Almond MacaroonsApple Crisp Cheesecake - This unusual cheesecake features and apple filling on the bottom, cheesecake and is finished with a crunchy crisp topping

    Apple Crisp Cheesecake

    Buche de Noel - The height of a holiday dessert, this French Fantasy is always a delight to behold.Buche de Noel for Holiday Baking

    Chocolate Spice Olive Oil Biscotti - While this may not belong strictly to holiday baking, it's a very worthwhile addition to your holiday cookie recipes.  A hint of pepper gives this cookie a warm finish in your mouth.Chocolate Spice Olive Oil Biscotti for Holiday Baking

    Cranapple Pie - This pie features and easy to make pleated crust filled with apples, cranberries and highlighted with brandy.  Serve slightly warm with ice cream.

    Cranapple Pie for Holiday BakingCranberry Fresh Pineapple Relish - Really easy to make, this fresh take on cranberry relish may just end up your favorite.Cranberry Fresh Pineapple Relish for Holiday Baking

    Fall Muffins - Three muffins use the bounty of fall - apple, pumpkin and cranberry.Fall Muffins for Holiday Baking

    Holiday Cookies - Three unusual cookies, Sienna Lace, Chocolate Dipped Cappuccino Rounds and Anise Swirls.Holiday Cookies for Holiday Baking

    Murbteig Pastry - The Germans are known for their fine pastry skills and this pastry proves it.  This cookie was one my mother made and I have loved it ever since.  An easy sugar and nut topping turns this into a spectacular for your cookie collection.Murbteig Cookies for Holiday Baking

    Pfeffernusse Cookies - Another German speciality for the holidays.  These are the perfect cookie at this time of year as they need to be made ahead for the spices to meld.Pfeffernusse Cookies for Holiday Cookies

    Pumpkin Mousse Torte - This is the quintessential holiday dessert.  A gorgeous almost no bake dessert with pumpkin and cheesecake, we sold many of these from the bakery.Pumpkin Mousse Torte for Holiday BakingOrange Cranberry Cake - A combination of orange chiffon cake, cranberry filling  and a dark chocolate ganache says Holiday Baking.Orange Cranberry Cake for Holiday Baking.

    For more holiday baking inspiration, don't miss these: 7 Stunning Last-Minute Christmas Desserts That Taste Like You Planned for Weeks, Bake and Share Holiday Treats for Gifts, Jaw-Dropping Holiday Desserts Guaranteed to Impress Your Guests, Cookie Roundup of 45 Cookies & Bars

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email

    More Roundups

    • The (almost) No bake Strawberry Pie is seen in the pie plate with a wreath of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
      Fresh Strawberry Recipes That Work
    • Lemon Curd Tarts in rows.
      My All-Time Favorite Lemon Recipes — From My Bakery & Beyond
    • The Only Muffin Recipes You'll Ever Need — All From a Bowl and a Whisk!
    • The finished Coconut Cream Cake sits on a gray plate with a flower vase in the background ready to be cut.
      A Last Minute Easter Roundup

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Shradha says

      November 16, 2016 at 2:19 am

      Delicious. I like the combination of all the ingredients.

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        November 18, 2016 at 7:52 am

        Thanks Shradha. It's one of the easiest breads I have ever made.

        Reply
    2. Nikki says

      November 10, 2016 at 7:47 am

      I think you may have helped me out a bit. I was planning on making a baked Brie as an appetizer and wanted to use cranberries so I was going to search for a cranberry relish and here it is. I think the pineapple will go great with the baked brie. And be still my heart...an Apple Crisp Cheesecake! Now I have a problem...the White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake I was planning or the Apple Crisp one. (I would add cranberries to it since I add cranberries to my apple crisps anyway. Cranberries would tie the meal together!)
      Thank you for another delicious dilemma you have put before me.

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        November 10, 2016 at 9:38 am

        Hi Nikki - and thank you for letting me know. You are a person after my own heart. I love, love, love cranberries. When I had the bakery every year the staff would make me pare down the cranberry offerings. I had, or tried to have, so many cranberry offerings that you would have thought I owned a bog. Happy holidays to you, no matter what you decide - but the Apple Crisp Cheesecake was a huge seller!!!

        Reply

    Hi, I'm Helen! Being a self-taught baker and owning a bakery for over 25 years, I found many ways to make baking more successful and less intimidating. Even busy people can bake as in many cases, recipes can be done over days. The goal is to make your baking life easier, more enjoyable, with great outcomes on a consistent basis.

    More about me →

    Subscribe to receive our free ebook

    SUBSCRIBE

    Spring Baking

    • Slices of the Strawberry Cake sit on a marble plate with fresh strawberries.
      Strawberry Cake - A Little Slice of Heaven
    • Irish Apple Cake dusted with powdered sugar on a white and green tray
      Irish Apple Cake
    • Blueberry poke cake is a 9x13" cake that has holes poked in it and filled with a blueberry compote. It is finished with whipped cream and blueberry filling
      Blueberry Lemon Poke Cake
    • An Individual Italian Tiramisu sits on a cream colored plate and dark beige and silver trim with a cup of tea and a plater of tiramisu in the background,
      Individual Italian Tiramisu
    • A whole coffee cake muffin sits on a wite plate with a colored mug on the plate and more muffins in the background.
      Coffee Cake Muffins (Bakery-Style & Moist)
    • Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Torte on a golden plate.
      Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Torte

    Popular Recipes

    • This Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake features a pineapple slice with a cherry in the middle on top of a yellow cake sitting on a blue and white plate.
      Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
    • A plate of Cuccidati, fig and nut filled Italian Cookies sprinkled with multi-colored nonpariels.
      Cuccidati - Italy's Finest Cookie
    • This picture shows a slice of the coffee cake on a white, lace edged plate on a marble counter.
      Apricot Crumb Coffee Cake
    • Langue de Chat cookies in a bowl.
      Langue de Chat
    • Angel food Cake
      Perfectly Easy Angel Food Cake
    • Large nut pieces for Chopping Nuts
      Chopping Nuts - A Quicker Way

    Available Now

    Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, as well as other sites and in book stores.
    AUTOGRAPHED COPIES ARE AVAILABLE
    Click here to purchase an autographed copy.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Helen
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Press
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Threads
    • Bluesky

    COPYRIGHT © 2026 PASTRIES LIKE A PRO