As the holiday season approaches, people become more and more stressed. One way to lessen this stress is by baking sweet treats! According to Northern Healthcare, baking can reduce stress hormones such as cortisol. Emily Papoyan ‘25 agrees, “For me, baking reduces my stress because as a perfectionist, I love being able to measure the exact amounts, have everything be perfect, and in baking, you don’t have to use your brain. That makes it easier to relax, just listen to music, and enjoy baking with my family.”
If you’re interesting in reducing stress, or just want something fun to do during the holiday season, here are some easy and delicious baked goods you can make!
White chocolate peppermint blondies are a delicious twist on a regular brownie. This brownie contains the flavor of white chocolate and a refreshing addition of mint. Recipe can be found here: White Chocolate Peppermint Blondies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips for drizzling
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips for drizzling
- 1/3 cup candy cane (crushed)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and then spray with baking spray.
- Combine butter and sugars. Beat until fluffy.
- Add in eggs and extracts.
- Gradually add in flour and salt until blended.
- Mix in 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips.
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Spread batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out only slightly gooey.
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Cool and remove from pan by lifting up the foil.
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Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and drizzle over blondies
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Melt Semi Sweet chocolate chips and drizzle over blondies.
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Sprinkle with crushed up candy cane while chocolate is still wet.
One of the most popular Christmas flavors is peppermint. Whether it’s candy canes, peppermint bark, or peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint is a fan-favorite flavor for the Christmas season. Razelee Zapanta ‘25 adds on to this list, “I like the peppermint mochas at Starbucks!”
The next sweet might be the easiest and most delicious: peppermint ice cream. While this treat isn’t a baked good, it is a refreshing festive dessert and you can pair it with warm dessert. Recipe can be found here: Peppermint Ice Cream
Please note, you need an ice cream maker for this dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cup half & half
- 2 cup whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup crushed candy cane
Instructions:
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Mix together milks and sugar. Mix well.
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Add in salt and extracts.
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Add in crushed candy cane, reserving some to sprinkle on top. The candy will dissolve into the ice cream making it pink and pepperminty. If you want chunks of peppermint in your ice cream, add the crushed candy in the last 5 minutes of churning.
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Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to ice cream maker directions.
Another popular Christmas flavor is gingerbread. Ginger is famous for adding a touch of spice to your Christmas treats! Because of this, the last two recipes are all ginger related.
Gingerbread Bundt Cake: Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Ingredients (Cake):
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F
- 1 1/2 cups (319g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (170g) molasses
- 1 cup (227g) water
Ingredients (Glaze):
- 1/3 cup (74g) rum or water
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10- to 12-cup bundt-style pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, gingerbread spice, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the molasses.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the water, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the glaze by stirring together the water spice and sugar. Set aside.
- Remove the cake from the oven, cool it in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack.
- Brush the cake with the glaze, and allow it to cool completely before serving.
Gingerbread Waffles: Gingerbread Waffles
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (120g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (113g) golden wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 4 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (227g) milk
- 1/2 cup (113g) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons (64g) molasses
Instructions:
- Preheat your waffle maker while you prepare the waffle batter.
- Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, milk, sour cream, and molasses.
- Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until they’re just combined. The batter will be slightly lumpy; that’s OK.
- Pour the batter into your greased, preheated waffle maker and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
These baked goods will certainly bring more comfort to the holiday season. Have a happy holidays, and enjoy baking!
