As soon as the air gets freezing cold and everyone around starts wearing their heaviest winter coats, it becomes obvious that the holiday season has arrived. To beat the frigid weather and celebrate the new year, we have listed a few holiday recipes to help you spread the holiday cheer. These treats are perfect to snack on at home or to supply a winter party that all your friends –– especially your vegan and gluten free friends –– will travel far and wide to attend.
1. Yule Log
A traditional cake served around Christmas time, the yule log cake is a popular dessert in European countries like France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The shape of the cake is reminiscent of an actual yule log, where a long sheet of chocolate cake is covered in cream and rolled into a log shape. As a cake, it is incredibly moist and spongy, while the cream inside is delectably light. Altogether, the yule log makes for a very tasty way to enjoy the holiday season and is sure to impress your friends and family. For a vegan and gluten free yule log recipe, click on the link here. Take lots of pictures of the finished product!
2. Hot Chocolate Spoons
For many children and adults alike, hot chocolate remains a favorite drink to beat the terrible cold of winter. Both sweet and creamy, hot chocolate never gets old, and each cup can be spruced up with an endless amount of toppings. Whether it be the classic marshmallows, chocolate shavings, peppermint pieces, or whipped cream, a big mug of hot chocolate is a wonderful thing to have after a full day playing in the snow. Be sure to click on the link here to get access to a vegan and gluten free hot chocolate spoons recipe. These little hot cocoa makers are a delight to make and can serve as a gift for party guests to take home after a holiday party. Mix them with a steaming cup of dairy-free milk and drink up.
3. Cookies
Probably the most popular holiday treat, cookies line multiple aisles in the grocery store, beckoning visitors to buy and savor them. Of course, they are much more fun to bake at home with friends and family. Cookies in all shapes and sizes, cookies frosted to look like snowmen or your uncle Joe, cookies with sugar walls that look like stained glass –– these delicious discs of sugar are simply a must have during the winter months. Buttery, full of flavor, and soft, the classic sugar cookie is a safe bet for decoration and indulging purposes. For a vegan, nut free, and gluten free sugar cookie recipe, click on the link here. Host a cookie decorating party for your friends and neighbors, and get to baking!
4. Gingerbread
Nothing tastes more like the holidays than the sharp, spiced, and comforting flavor of gingerbread. Served as a loaf, in cookie form, or even as a house, gingerbread has been baked during the holidays for centuries now. According to PBS, the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. But that wasn’t the only location where it was enjoyed, as gingerbread recipes in 10th century China and Medieval Europe have also been found. Now, in the 21st century, the sweet hasn’t gone out of fashion, and people continue to eat the dessert to this day. To access a vegan and gluten free gingerbread recipe, click on the link here. This recipe is also nut free, so more of your loved ones can have a piece.
5. Mulled Wine
Another warm, soothing drink –– though a drink you’ll need to keep to your adult friends and family only –– is mulled wine. Red wine flavored with hints of citrus and spices like star anise and cinnamon create a fruity yet balanced concoction that is a delight to sip on. A sort of holiday version of sangria, mulled wine is associated with hearth, happiness, and good health, all things we need during the long winter days. To make a vegan and gluten free version of mulled wine, click on the recipe linked here. Treat yourself to a cup or even two –– after all, it is the holidays!
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