Festive Christmas Baking Ideas: Gingerbread, Apple Pie & Cookies

There’s something so heart warming about baking during the Christmas season — the scent of ginger, cinnamon, and sugar drifting through the house, the soft glow of fairy lights in the kitchen, and the joy of sharing homemade treats with family and friends. ✨

Christmas baking isn’t just about making cookies or cakes; it’s about creating memories. Whether it’s your first time rolling out gingerbread dough or you’re a seasoned baker perfecting your annual cookie line up, there’s a special kind of magic that happens when you bake with love.

In this post I will be sharing some of my favourite festive bakes - gingerbread man, apple pie, and chocolate cookie crinkle. To make holiday baking even easier, I’ve included links to some of my favourite baking tools and ingredients throughout this post — like my go-to  Gingerbread man cookie cutter, cooling rack, and silicone baking mats. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting my little corner of the internet!)

So preheat your oven, turn up the Christmas music, and let’s bake something that tastes like the holidays. ❤️

1. Gingerbread Man

   Makes about 12 large cookies

   Prep time: 45 minutes

   Bake time: 10–15 minutes

   Keeps: up to 1 week in an airtight tin

   
   

   🧈 Ingredients

   • 140 g unsalted butter

   • 100 g dark brown sugar

   • 3 tbsp golden syrup

   • 350 g plain flour

   • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

   • 2 tsp ground ginger

   • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

   • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for gentle heat)

   For decorating:

   • 50 g icing sugar

   • A few glacé cherries, sprinkles, or chocolate chips

     
     

   🍪 Method

   • Preheat oven: to 200 °C (180 °C fan) / Gas 6. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

   • Melt together: butter, sugar, and golden syrup in a small saucepan. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat.

   • Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne.

   • Make dough: Pour in the melted butter mixture. Stir until a stiff dough forms. Let cool slightly.

   • Roll out: on a lightly floured surface to about 5 mm thick. Cut out gingerbread men shapes using a gingerbread man cookie cutter.

   • Bake: 10–12 minutes for soft cookies or 13–15 for crisp ones.

   • Cool: Leave on the tray for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling wire rack

   • Decorate: Mix icing sugar with a few drops of water until thick and smooth. Pipe on faces, buttons, and trim using this reusable piping bag. Add cherries or sprinkles. Let dry before storing.

   

   
   
   
   

2. Apple Pie

   Ingredients

   Crust (makes a double crust – bottom + top)

   • 2 ½ cups (≈ 312g) all‑purpose flour

   • 1 tsp salt

   • 1 Tbsp sugar (optional, for a slightly sweet crust)

   • 1 cup (≈ 226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

   • ½ cup (≈ 120 ml) ice‑cold water (or part water / part buttermilk)

   Filling

   • ~8 large apples (≈ 1.25 kg sliced, about 10 cups) — use a mix of firm, tart + sweet apples. Examples: Granny Smith for tartness, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady for sweet & crisp.

   • ½ cup (≈ 100g) granulated sugar

   • ¼ cup (≈ 31g) all‑purpose flour (or a little more if your apples are very juicy)

   • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

   • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

   • ¼ tsp ground allspice

   • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

   • 1 large egg + 1 Tbsp milk (for egg‑wash on top crust)

   • 2–3 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced (to dot on top of filling)

   Equipment

   • 9‑inch (≈23 cm) deep dish pie pan

   • Rolling pin

   • Large mixing bowl

   • Pastry blender or food processor (for crust)

   • Baking sheet (to place under pie to catch drips)

     Make the crust:

     • In a bowl, whisk flour + salt + sugar.

     • Add cold cubed butter and blend (by pastry cutter or food processor) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (some pea‑sized bits of butter remain).

     • Drizzle in cold water a little at a time, mixing until dough just comes together.

     • Divide into two discs, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

     Prepare filling:

     • Peel, core and slice the apples (~¼‑inch / 0.6 cm slices).

     • Toss apples with lemon juice.

     • In a separate bowl, mix sugar + flour + cinnamon + allspice + nutmeg.

     • Add the dry mixture to the apples and toss to coat evenly.

     Assemble:

     • Pre‑heat oven to 425°F (~220°C).

     • Roll one crust disc to fit the bottom of the pie plate, leaving overhang.

     • Pour in the apple filling, dot with the diced butter.

     • Roll the second crust disc: you can do a full top crust (with slits for venting) or a lattice top if you like that look.

     • Trim overhang, crimp the edges. Brush top crust with egg + milk mixture.

     • Place pie on baking sheet (to catch any bubbling juices).

     Bake:

     • Bake at 425°F (~220°C) for about 15 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 350°F (~175°C).

     • Continue baking for about 40‑45 minutes more, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling and thickened. If edges brown too quickly, cover them with foil strips.

     Cool & serve:

     • Let the pie cool for at least 2‑3 hours (better overnight) so the filling sets up and doesn’t run when you slice.

     • Serve warm or at room temperature. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream is perfect.

       
       

   

   
   

3. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

   Makes about 30‑40 cookies

   Prep time: 20 min + 1‑2 hours chilling

   Bake time: 10‑12 min

   
   

   Ingredients

   • 1 ⅔ cups (≈ 200 g) all‑purpose flour

   • ¼‑⅓ cup (≈25‑35 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

   • ½ tsp salt

   • 1 tsp baking powder

   • 8 oz (≈225 g) dark chocolate (60‑70% cocoa), chopped (optional but gives richer flavour)

   • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature (or melted & cooled)

   • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed

   • ⅓ cup (≈70 g) granulated sugar

   • 3 large eggs, room temperature

   • 1 tsp vanilla extract

   • For coating: ½ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar (or more to roll generously)

     
     

   Instructions

   • Pre‑heat your oven to ~163 °C (325 °F) for fudgy cookies, or ~177 °C (350 °F) for slightly firmer cookies.

   • Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

   • Melt the chopped dark chocolate and butter together in a heat‑proof bowl (microwave short bursts or stovetop low) until smooth; let it cool slightly.

   • In a separate large bowl, beat brown sugar + granulated sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

   • Add the melted chocolate/butter mixture to the sugar/egg mixture; mix until smooth.

   • Fold in the dry flour/cocoa mixture until just combined—do not over‑mix.

   • Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1‑2 hours, or overnight for best results (helps shape & crackle).

   • Line baking tray with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion dough (~1″ balls). Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar so it’s well coated.

   • Place dough balls about 5 cm (~2″) apart on the sheet. Bake for ~10‑12 minutes (depending on size & oven). The edges should be set but the centres still soft.

   • Let cookies rest on the sheet for ~2–3 minutes, then transfer to a  cooling wire rack

   • Store in an airtight container at room temp for 3‑4 days or freeze for longer storage.

I hope these Christmas baking recipes inspire you to create sweet memories this holiday season. Whether you’re sharing cookies with family, gifting treats to friends, or enjoying a quiet moment with a warm mug and fresh-baked goodies, may your kitchen be filled with joy, laughter, and the delicious magic of Christmas.

Happy baking!