Holiday baking is traditional. No matter what kind of dessert or treat you make, there are always the main seasonal flavors and tastes that bring back memories of past holidays you spent. Anything apple, pumpkin, cinnamon, mint, snickerdoodle, and hot cocoa remind people of the holiday season. It all comes down to how we want to make our favorite holiday treats: from scratch versus using a mix.
Using a pre-made mix would make any dessert easy and full-proof, so any guest is bound to love it. However, when giving friends and family dessert, they may feel like that more love and care was put into their dessert when it’s been made by scratch. So, let’s discuss and conclude which is the best option for holiday baking!
Making Pies Can Be Tough!
Pies seem pretty easy to bake for some folks. The filling is an important part of the pie, but the pie crust is practically the main event. If the crust has a lot of water added to it or it’s been overworked, then the crust will turn out to be tougher instead of the desired flaky texture from the pastry. As casual bakers, we realize how easy it looks to make a pie, but they’re pastries after all. Pies take more time to make since they need more attention to details. This is a perfect example of getting a pre-made pie crust this holiday season. This way, the crust will be foolproof and you can spend more time perfecting the taste and flavors of the filling.
To Roll or Not to Roll
Cinnamon rolls have been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I used to love the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, but I’ve recently discovered just how easy it is to make. After creating a butter and sugar mixture, it’s time for the yeast and flour to be mixed together to make the dough. Let the dough rise and then make the perfect brown sugar and cinnamon filling mixture. Cinnamon rolls can also come in different flavors, like gingerbread too. (Check out this recipe if you’d like the sound of gingerbread rolls.) Due to its quick process, cinnamon rolls are best made from scratch, but the Pillsbury ones taste just as great for a quick, comforting dessert time.
The Perfect Sugar Cookies
I perfected my sugar cookie recipe pretty recently. I decided it would be best to make it from scratch for the following reason: this is the best holiday activity to do with your siblings or family. This is a great time to give your siblings and yourself to do something together and express yourself creatively with a few pots of colored royal icing. The actual cookie recipe is pretty simple and I use this one from Tasty! The hardest part is probably waiting for the cookie dough to cool and keeping the dough cool when working, but this pays off as it’s better to work in sections. My tip for this recipe is to get metal cookie cutters so then they cut the cookie neatly.
So Which Sounds Better to You – Baking From Scratch or Using a Mix?
Growing up, there was always a debate on baking goods from scratch and the harsh comparison of using a prepared mix from a retailer. A lot of things factor into both choices, but it depends on the amount of time, resources, patience, and faith you have. This holiday season may feel different, but no matter the choice made when baking, you can always drop some baked goods to your friends and family and spread the holiday cheer that way. Happy Holidays and happy baking!