With the holidays right around the corner, here are some holiday recipes that are perfect to bring to a christmas dinner. With these dishes, families will have no choice but to save room for dessert.

Cinnamon Rolls:

These homemade cinnamon rolls are the perfect treat to either wake up with in the morning, or have as a late night snack when your Christmas day comes to an end. To start you’ll need:

• For the dough

• 1 cup warm milk ~115 F°
• 2 ½ tsp instant yeast
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup of melted or very soft butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 ½ flour

• For the filling

• ½ cup soft butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream (for later)

• For the frosting
• 6oz softened cream cheese
• ⅓ cup softened butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ½ tbsp maple or vanilla extract

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Pour warm milk and then yeast into a large bowl and allow yeast to activate for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add two eggs, melted butter, and sugar to the bowl. Mix until combined. 
4. Add in the salt and 4 cups of flour (set some aside and only use later if needed). Mix with a silicone spatula slowly until the ingredients are barely combined. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5-7 minutes until it becomes smooth. It should be a little tacky, but add extra flour if it is too sticky.
6. Place the dough into the bowl and cover with a towel, then place in a warm environment to rise for at least 30 minutes or until doubled. 
7. While the dough is rising, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl for the filling
8. After the dough has risen, place it onto a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a roughly 24×15 rectangle (size doesn’t have to be exact), and spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough with a rubber spatula.
9. Cut the dough into 12 slices, roll up and arrange in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Cover the rolls and let rise again for ~20 minutes.
10. Pour slightly warmed heavy whipping cream over the risen rolls and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
11. While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, combine the softened cream cheese and softened butter and mix well. Add the extract of your choosing and 2 cups of powdered sugar, mix well.
12. Spread the icing over the cooled cinnamon rolls and enjoy.

Gingerbread Cookies:

These gingerbread cookies are not only an appealing addition to the Christmas dinner spread, but they’re also the perfect cookie to decorate with family or loved ones. For these cookies you’ll need:

• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼  tsp fine sea salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup dark molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature

• For Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Sift dry ingredients (flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt) into a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes on high speed), then add egg and mix until incorporated.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients then once dough has formed transfer it to a well-floured surface.
5. Separate the dough into 3 disc-like shapes, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
6. Once chilled, transfer dough to a well floured surface again and roll to about ¼ inch in thickness. Use any cookie cutter and cut as many cookies as you can.
7. Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes. 
8. Once cooled, use store bought icing or the recipe above to decorate your cookies. 

Thumbprint Cookies:

Everyone in the house will love these simple cookies, the buttery shortbread cookie serves as a perfect base for the jam of your choice. For these cookies you’ll need:

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar (plus 3 tablespoons for rolling the cookies)
• 2 large egg yolks room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
• ½ cup strawberry or apricot jam

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until well combined. Then mix in the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt until fully combined. Once all the wet ingredients are combined, mix in the flour fully. 
3. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place them onto the parchment lined baking sheets.
4. Using your thumbs, press indentations into each ball of cookie dough, and spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into each pit.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. 

S’mores dip:

This baked treat is perfect to make with family. Although it’s simple, it is guaranteed to have everyone gathered around for a bite. For this you’ll only need 3 simple ingredients:

• 1 bag milk chocolate chips
• 1 bag large marshmallows
• Graham crackers

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cover the bottom of an 8-9 inch skillet with chocolate chips, bake for 4-5 minutes or until the chocolate is melted.
3. Arrange the marshmallows over the chocolate then bake for 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve with graham crackers.

Sugar Cookie Bars:

These dessert bars have a sweet sugar cookie base and topped with a delicious, fluffy frosting. Perfect for anybody who gets a sweet tooth after dinner. For this dessert you’ll need:

For the sugar cookie bars:

• 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, softened well (not melted)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup festive sprinkles

For the frosting:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, softened
• 3 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• more sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line a 9″x 9″ baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat together salted butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla. Finally, beat in all-purpose flour and baking powder, a little at a time, until you have a thick dough. Gently stir in 1/4 cup festive sprinkles.
3. Spread batter into prepared baking pan. This will take a few minutes because it is thick. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Once it’s finished baking, take the cookie bar out of the oven and let it cool fully. Once it is cooled, carefully lift the sides of the parchment paper to pull the whole cookie bar out of the baking pan
5. To make the frosting, blend together powdered sugar, salted butter (softened), cream cheese (softened), vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of milk. Spread frosting generously over the cookie bar, and top with additional sprinkles.
6. Cut into squares and serve immediately or let frosting set for a firmer feel.