Unique Baked Goods to Bring to Your Next Holiday Party

The holidays are right around the corner, meaning visits from friends and family, many holiday parties, and, of course, deliciously fulfilling food! Considered by many Americans as the most wonderful time of the year, the festive season brings with it the most wonderful baked goods—and it’s the perfect gift to take along to all of those celebrations you will be attending. Here are three of our favorite untraditional holiday baked good recipes to wow at that next get-together!

Homemade Garlic Rolls

Let’s face it, garlic rolls are a staple of the winter holidays, and this simple and tasty recipe will have everyone raving about your baking abilities. Plus, it is always handy to have a tried and true garlic roll recipe in your back pocket for any time of year—especially one that comes together quickly with the help of Spice World Ready-to-Use Organic Minced Garlic.

Ingredients:

4 ¾ to 5 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 envelopes instant yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ cup milk
¾ cup water
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the Garlic Butter Topping:

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Spice World Ready-to-Use Organic Minced Garlic

Instructions:

Place 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Whisk to combine.
Place milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter in a measuring cup. Heat in the microwave until very warm (around 120° to 130°F).
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed in an electric mixer, scraping the bowl occasionally.
Add the egg and ½ cup flour. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed.
Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. The dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
Place the dough on a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. It is done when the dough springs back when touched with two fingers.
Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
Divide the dough in half. Roll each half to a 12-inch square, about ¼-inch thick.
Cut each into six strips. Cut each strip into 3 rectangles.
Stir together the garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl.
Brush each rectangle with the melted butter mixture. Fold the dough over once and roll it into a spiral. Arrange in rows, slightly overlapping, on greased baking sheets, with the shorter seams of each roll facing down. Allow ¼ inch of space between each row. Keep any extra butter mixture for after baking.
Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until done. Remove from sheets; cool on a wire rack.
Brush the hot rolls with the remaining butter mixture.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Granny’s Gingerbread

If you want a recipe that will take you back to the good old days of eating your grandmother’s gingerbread, this is the perfect holiday treat for you. It is the most flavorful gingerbread around, and when made with Spice World Ready-to-Use Ginger, it is great for making cookies or little gingerbread men out of. Bring back the nostalgia of the season and dig into the recipe here.

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp Spice World Ready-To-Use Minced Ginger
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
½ unsulfured molasses
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Icing Recipe:

2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Ginger, baking soda, cloves, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you can use a hand mixer and a separate large mixing bowl), beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add in the egg, molasses, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.
Divide the dough into two equal portions and form each into a ball. Then gently use your hands to flatten each ball into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until the dough is chilled yet still somewhat pliable. (If you want to refrigerate for longer, you can, as long as you let the dough soften on the counter for about 15-20 minutes after.)
Once you are ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Unwrap the dough and place it on a large, floured, hard surface. Roll the dough evenly until it is approximately ⅛-inch thick. Then, use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-covered baking sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp around the edges and on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Once the cookies are at room temperature, feel free to decorate them as desired with the icing and any extra sprinkles or candies.
Serve and enjoy immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days.

To make the simple icing:

Whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until smooth. If your icing is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If your icing is too thick, add a tiny bit of milk.
Use a piping bag, a ziplock bag (with the corner snipped off), or a plastic squeeze bottle to pipe the icing onto the cookies.

Ginger Snap Cookies

Oh snap! These Ginger Snap Cookies might just be the perfect way to usher in the holidays. Whether you are making them to bring to loved ones or simply for your own enjoyment (we don’t blame you), they are sure to bring a smile to your face with the aromatic, delicious flavor from Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Ginger.

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

1 ½ sticks (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp kosher salt
1 ¼ cups plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 tsp Spice World Ready-To-Use Minced Ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cloves
⅓ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Rolling:

⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp Spice World Ready-To-Use Minced Ginger

Instructions:

Place 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric hand mixer).
Place one large egg on the counter. Let both sit at room temperature until the butter is softened, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons of Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves to the bowl of butter.
Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
Add the egg, ⅓ cup molasses, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl once halfway through, about 1 minute total. The dough will be soft and sticky at this point. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while the oven heats.
Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 325°F.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon ground Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Ginger in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Portion the dough into balls about 1 ½ inches wide; a medium (or #30) cookie scoop is best for this (if the dough is too soft, refrigerate until firm). Toss the balls in the spiced sugar mixture to coat them all over.
Place on the baking sheets about 3 inches apart, 6 per sheet. (The cookies spread during baking.) Refrigerate the remaining dough balls.
Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet from front to back and between racks. Bake until the cookies have spread and have a crackled surface, about 10 minutes more.
Let it cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets. Use an offset spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat baking the remaining dough balls on cooled baking sheets.

These three fun, fulfilling, and festive baked goods are just what you need to add some pizzazz to any holiday party. They are great for a crowd, come together quickly with the convenience of our Spice World Ready-to-Use products, and, if you’re lucky, you may even have some leftovers! It’s time to make the holidays sweeter and less stressful, and Spice World is here to help. Visit our website for even more joyful meals and snacks. Happy eating!