Kick Christmas Up a Notch: Holiday Baking With Food Network Stars

White Chocolate Holiday Bark

Stained Glass Wreath Cookies

If you know me, you know I cannot stand Sandra Lee. There’s really not much about her to like. Unless you like annoying blondes getting drunk and creating ugly tablescapes while kind of sort of half making meals. Oh, you do? Well then you’re going to fall in love with Sandra Lee.

I don’t like her. However, these cookies are pretty sweet. I mean, you can eat them. Or hang them in your windows. Or even hang them on your tree. And the thing is, you can take a Sandra Lee recipe and actually make it more gourmet. Yeah, usually you’d take a recipe and make it easier, but you really need to do the opposite with Sandra Lee. So, for this recipe you could actually, gasp, make your own sugar cookies! Yes, Sandra suggests using a tube of dough.

So, take the credit away from Sandra, make them your own, and hang these cookies in your windows. Then eat them!

Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are pretty much a holiday staple. But you can’t just make any old sugar cookies for Christmas. They need to be extra special good. Who do I trust for the best of the best when it comes to any and all recipes? Alton Brown! He is the man. And usually he does kind of “manly-ish” recipes, so I was quite pleased to find his absolutely adorable sugar cookies.

Alton’s all about science, so he’s got the perfect sugar cookies recipe down pat. But then he decorates them in such a beautiful way. So make sure you pick up a cute snowflake cookie cutter and try to emulate his super decorating skill. Your friends and family will go crazy for these. And will think you’re a professional baker or something!

English Toffee

I’m no huge Paula Deen fan either. In fact, she kind of annoys me to no end. The only reason I would ever watch her is for pure entertainment purposes. Sometimes she’s fun to laugh at if you’re with a few of your closest friends. But, this toffee? Looks fabulous.

English toffee is one of those treats perfect for the holidays, either just to eat it, or to package it up and give it as a gift. This particular recipe is labeled as “easy” and only takes 10 minutes to make! TEN minutes!

Also, it only has a little over a stick of butter and NO mayonnaise. Get that, a Paula Deen recipe with no mayonnaise involved!

Pumpkin Mousse

Allegedly pumpkin season goes right through Christmas. And yes, I’m more than OK with that. But in order to make pumpkin a little more holiday-ish, why not make a mousse? And one of my favorite Food Network people ever, Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa, has the perfect pumpkin mousse recipe.

This mousse would be great if you’re planning on having a little dinner party. Your guests will be so impressed. The recipe sounds quite interesting and involves a banana, but looks fairly simple. If you love whipped cream, you can heap all you want on top. I, on the other hand, can’t stand it, and would rather just stick to the full pumpkin flavor!

Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Crisps

These cookies are a bit different than what everyone else is making for the holidays. But think about how wonderfully the flavors will all go together? I love a good oatmeal cookie, and I love how this one looks thick and crumbly, rather than thin and crispy.

I also love the way the good people at the Food Network Kitchens tied these cookies up with ribbons. I would be so psyched to receive a little package of these cookies for the holidays. And your friends will be too!

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles

Everyone likes chocolate truffles. How can you not? (Unless you’re one of those freak-ish people who doesn’t like chocolate. Weirdo). So of course it’s fine if you make some chocolate truffles to give as holiday gifts. BUT why not do something a little more original? Like make those chocolate truffles with balsamic vinegar?

Don’t say, ew. It’s Giada’s idea, so you know it must be fabulous. The balsamic is only going to round out the taste of the chocolate and make the truffles taste even richer. Trust me. Or Giada. or all the people who left comments on the recipe raving about how good it is.

Christmas Citrus Squares

Um just look at the photo! Talk about classing up your holiday party. These Christmas citrus squares look so glamorous, but don’t seem to be too difficult to make. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients- msot of them you probably already have in your kitchen.

These would look beautiful either way, but I think the blood orance on top of each squares seriously makes this dessert look 10 times classier. And this one recipe makes 50 squares. Perfect for a party!

Mulled Red Wine Sangria

Because, not only do you need a beverage to serve your guests, but you may need something to sip on while you’re baking up all these desserts. When you think of sangria, what do you think of? Probably the summer time…not the holidays. Well, all this is about to change once you have Bobby Flay’s mulled red wine sangria. It’s basically a cross between sangria and hot apple cider.

You make a simple sangria with red wine, orange juice, brandy, and sugar. Heat it up, add some lemon and orange, and you’re ready to drink! This could be one of the best holiday gifts ever…knowing you can now drink sangria all year round!

Chocolate-y Christmas Cafe au Lait

Because when it’s cold outside and you’re stuffing your face with sugary treats, you’re going to need a hot drink to warm you up (and wash down all the sugar).

This drink is for those who believe hot chocolate is for wusses, but don’t just want to sip on a boring old cup of coffee. It’s basically the best of both worlds. It’s Cafe au Lait, which means it’s hot chocolate (made with dutch cocoa) AND coffee (espresso to be exact). But then to make it a bit more Christmas-y, you need to add some cinnamon. And then. Perfection. Drink up!