Heather Baird's Blog, page 33

Easy Holiday Fruitcake

Homemade fruitcake is infinitely better than anything you can buy at the grocery store, and this one is truly easy to make. If you're looking to share, this recipe can also be baked as two loaves.


Fruitcake is often met with reluctance and perhaps a judgmental eye roll, but I LOVE IT. Like most baked things, homemade is best, and this recipe is one of the easiest I've found. It's yet another retro gem from my thrifted recipe treasure box and although it's decades old, it still holds up in the modern kitchen!
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Coconut Cherry Amaretto Cupcakes

Amaretto cupcakes are frosted with a tall mound of coconut whipped cream and covered with a flurry of shaved coconut. Each cupcake has a hidden cherry inside!


We may not have a white Christmas this year, but there still could be a wintry scene at your table! These snowy-looking cupcakes are pretty and simple. They're even lovelier dressed in foil cupcake liners and decorated with retro silver pine picks.
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Hot Cocoa Cookies

Hot Cocoa Cookies are reminiscent of a cup of hot cocoa loaded with mini marshmallows. One batch makes four dozen, so they're great for cookie swaps and care packages!

If you love hot cocoa as much as I do (and that's a lot!) then you will LOVE these cookies. They are chocolatey with a slightly chewy bite, and have just the right amount of tiny marshmallows to make them adorably tasty.
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Gingersnap Cider Cheesecake

Cranberry, apple cider and ginger are all beloved flavors of the season, and they are celebrated in this cheesecake! Use your favorite brand of gingersnaps in this recipe.


December is flying by, and I'm in total denial that Christmas is just 8 days away! I'm trying to soak up all the deliciousness that the season has to offer, and this cheesecake is a good way to do that!
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Ruby Chocolate Truffle Tower

A scarlett-hued edible centerpiece will help set the scene at your next holiday party! Delicious ruby chocolate truffles create a towering confection that will dazzle (and satisfy) your guests.


It's easy to make an edible centerpiece using chocolate truffles, a craft cone, and toothpicks! The most work involved is making the homemade ganache truffles. You'll need a bunch, but they come together quickly with just three ingredients.

I used ruby chocolate to make this centerpiece, but you could use dark, semisweet, bittersweet - whatever flavor you fancy!
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Swirled Swedish Saffron Bread for St. Lucia Day

Sweet, golden saffron bread is filled with cinnamon-sugar and studded with tart red currants. Serve slices with hot tea or coffee to warm a cold winter's night.


Today is St. Lucia's day! It's the day that our Swedish friends celebrate Saint Lucy, a symbol of hope and light in dark times. The festival begins the Christmas season in Swedish custom, and she comes as a young girl crowned with fresh greens and lit candles carrying a tray of baked goods.

Saffron buns are the traditional pastry served on this day (and you can find my recipe for them here ) but this year I wanted to make something a little different. This time the saffron dough was given a sweeter treatment of cinnamon-sugar and and red currants.
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Millionaire Candy with Sea Salt

Pecans, caramel and chocolate all come together to make this craveable, chewy candy. The recipe can easily be doubled to give to friends and family during the holidays.


This candy is so tasty to have so few ingredients. It's like the best version of chocolate turtle candies, especially if you sprinkle them with coarse sel gris . This minerally salt really makes the flavors zing!
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3 Ingredient Cream Cheese Fudge

This fudge recipe only uses three ingredients, so it's great when you need a sweet treat fast! Cream cheese gives this candy tangy flavor and luscious texture.


This might just be my favorite advent recipe so far. It's so quick to make and the end result tastes like you've toiled over a hot pot of boiling candy. I will be making many batches in the next couple of weeks, because I want to share this revelation with everyone!
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Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

Soft-baked dark chocolate cookies are studded with a dynamic duo of dark chocolate and mint chips.  Enjoy this seasonal favorite year-round!


We all know that mint and chocolate together are a match made in heaven, but mint and dark chocolate together? Well. That's even better! These taste much like Andes Mints, but ever so slightly darker.
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Candy Apple Snowmen

Candy Apple Snowmen will seriously up the cute factor at your next holiday party! Package them in clear cellophane bags for take-home favors.



A big hello from Frosty The Snowman's   well-dressed cousins! I can't help but giggle at these guys and their blingy dragee-sprinkled hats. I think it's obvious that I had a lot of fun making them. There's no baking involved, just some microwaving and assembling. So they're not awfully hard to manage!
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