I love baking all year but it’s particularly special around the holiday season. In addition to baking for the actual holidays, friends and family, I personally love to bring some baked goods to my appointments this time of year (nail appointments, hair appoints, even the dentist). I think it’s a nice gesture. Below are my favorite baked goods recipes for the holiday season.

Cannoli Bites from Cooking Classy

This is one of the most popular recipes I make this time of year. I used to get my nails done professionally every month and the girls at the salon I went to looked forward to these every year. One year I walked in with them and they started jumping up and down screaming and hugging each other- that’s how good they are. This is a great recipe if you are looking for a large batch. They are significantly easier to make and eat compared to traditional cannolis.

Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies from Christina’s Cucina

These are sometimes referred to the cookies that made my husband fall in love with me. Very early on in our relationship I made these for him and he ate all of them in one night, so needless to say they are incredibly delicious. They are not your typical cookie; they are more of a light and fluffy cake-like cookie. Blood Oranges are in season December-April so it’s the perfect time of year to make these.

My Inception Cookies

If you are looking for a more traditional cookie that is easier to transport I recommend my own cookie recipe. This is a recipe inspired by all my favorite cookie recipes. It’s an over-the-top and decadent version of chocolate chip cookies.

Gingerbread Cake (or cupcakes) from Butter Be Ready

If you are looking for more traditional Christmas flavors I recommend this Gingerbread cake recipe. This cake brought me to tears the first time I ever made it and it’s probably in my top two favorite desserts I’ve ever made. I prefer to make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese frosting recipe from Dessert Person for this recipe. I’ve recently tried converting it to a cupcake recipe by baking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. The cupcakes came out perfect and it made about 20 cupcakes.