5 Easy Christmas Baking Recipes

These 5 easy Christmas baking recipes are a sampling of what's available. However, when you're pressed for time, any of these recipes will be a lifesaver. Christmas time is known as a time to indulge in delicious baked goods. After all, what would Christmas be without the variety of treats available? Baked goods that would be appropriate for Christmas usually have spices such as ginger and nutmeg included in them. It's these spices that give those baked treats that delightful Christmas taste.

 Gingerbread Boys

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tbsp. orange zest
• 2 tbsp. dark corn syrup
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease cookie sheets.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar and add the egg and mix well.
3. Mix in orange zest and dark corn syrup.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and salt and mix until well combined.
5. Chill dough for at least two hours.
6. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
7. Arrange cookies at least one inch apart on greased cookie sheets.
8. Bake for ten to twelve minutes.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

• 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Cream together butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla and milk.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix well.
6. Form 40 dough balls and arrange in ungreased mini muffin pans.
7. Bake for eight minutes. Immediately after removal from the oven, place a peanut butter cup into each cookie.

Almond Tea Cakes

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 tsp. almond extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• Milk
• Sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and extract and mix well and add flour and baking powder, mix well.
4. Chill dough in refrigerator.
5. Stir together egg white, sugar, almonds and lemon juice in a small bowl.
6. Place one-inch balls of dough into miniature muffin pans, indenting each dough ball.
7. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of filling into each and cover with quarter sized circles of dough.
8. Brush each cookie with milk and place an almond on each.
9. Bake for twenty to 25 minutes.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 container sour cream, 16 ounces
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease four 7 x 3 loaf pans.
2. Stir 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and lightly dust greased pans with mixture.
3. Cream together remaining sugar and butter. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and flour.
4. Divide into prepared pans.
5. Bake for one hour.

Holiday Fruit Bread

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups applesauce
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup black raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8 x 4 loaf pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl. Stir in oats.
3. Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla in another bowl until fluffy and stir in eggs until well blended.
4. Mix in applesauce, walnuts and raisins. Add lour mixture until just moistened and pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake for about 55 minutes.