By: Avalynne Russell  

     As holiday cheer and the smell of fresh-baked cookies fill the air, you might be wondering what to bake this holiday season. Well, luckily, The Squire has you covered. With all the different options of things to make, we have narrowed it down to a few delicious options, and some tips about how to make a fun new memory with family and friends at the same time. 

      When it comes to baking around the holidays, many people gather together to make their family traditions of baked goods, or a true classic, sugar cookies. While they are a staple in most homes around the holidays, they are surprisingly easy to make. You can even buy a bag mix of them! One thing that you could do is make the cookies with your family and create new memories together.  We suggest that you bake the cookies ahead of time, then have a Christmas cookie decorating party with your family and friends, or if you want to do something a little different, you can make it into a competition. This way, you can have a super fun night with everyone, and bond over your silly creations. As for what to decorate them with, you could make buttercream or royal icing, depending on the look and complexity of design that you are going for, along with adding sprinkles and whatever else you can think of. 

     Another idea that we have is to make gingerbread houses together with your friends. You could even make a whole night out of it! By putting up Christmas lights, watching a Christmas movie, and drinking hot cocoa while your cookies bake, you can create a beautiful Christmas ambiance and make so many memories with your friends. And after they are done baking, you can make and decorate gingerbread houses together while listening to your favorite Christmas songs. When you finish your houses, you can either eat them, or leave them up for the rest of the holiday season. You could even make a little village out of all the houses you and your friends or family make. If you plan on doing this, just know that the key to making a good gingerbread house is to chill your dough for at least three hours before baking, in order for the dough to maintain a perfect shape as it bakes.  

     The last idea that we have for you is a little less traditional, but super delicious, and that is to make white chocolate peppermint cheesecake cups. According to www.afamilyfeast.com, all you need to make this amazing dessert is cream cheese, chocolate mints, butter, instant white chocolate pudding mix, whole milk, instant vanilla pudding mix, whipped topping, and candy canes. The nice thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t take very long to make, and the outcome is amazing. These cheesecake cups will certainly go over well at any holiday gathering, and you will probably get a lot of compliments on your baking skills. You could also get together with some friends and watch a Christmas movie or two while you make them, and then sit down and eat them together as you go over all of your Christmas plans. 

     Now that you have a better idea of what to bake this holiday season, we hope that your Christmas is very sweet and full of new memories. Be sure to check out the other articles in this edition of The Squire to read about all things holiday related!