Sample & Serve These Holiday-Inspired Sweets

Candy canes, sugar plums, figgy pudding, and egg nog all have a special place in traditional Christmas tales, and they make delicious desserts. This Christmas season, make your own versions of these classic Christmas desserts.

Candy Cane Cheesecake

The richness of cheesecake is perfectly complemented by the sharp minty-ness of candy canes in this creamy duo dessert. If you’ve never made your own cheesecake, don’t fret, it’s easier than you might think! A few tips to make the creamiest cheesecake:

• Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Introducing a cold element into your batter is a recipe for lumps.
• Strain your batter through a fine-mesh sieve. Though this is an extra step, it will ensure any stray lumps of cream cheese are removed before baking.
• Don’t skip the water bath, this is essential to ensure the texture of the cheesecake sets properly.

Authentic Sugar Plums

If visions of sugar plums have never danced in your head because you’ve never gotten to try this Christmas sweet, make your own this year! Sugar plums couldn’t be easier, and they’re oh so tasty. You’ll need walnuts, honey, pitted and chopped dates, dried apricots, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and sugar to make this Christmas classic. All of the ingredients except the sugar will go into the food processor until it’s very finely chopped, almost a paste. Next, roll the mixture into balls and then roll each ball in the sugar to coat it (hence the name). Coarse crystal sugar, regular sugar, and powdered sugar will all work just fine!

Eggnog Tiramisu

This year, reimagine this favorite holiday drink into an Italian-inspired dessert! Eggnog Tiramisu is actually pretty close to authentic, traditional tiramisu as it a mascarpone and egg custard for the filing. If you’re worried about eating raw eggs, this recipe has tips to pasteurize the mixture at home without sacrificing any of the flavor. When you’re making this tiramisu,  be sure to use fresh-grated nutmeg for the absolute best flavor.

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Figgy Pudding

Figgy Pudding has a long and storied history that traces its roots back to pre-industrial Great Britain, the Victorian era, and the classic Charles Dickens story. This modern take on Figgy Pudding uses modern kitchen equipment like bundt pans and the oven to create a decadent and delicious dessert that you can enjoy all winter long.