Recipes

5 Recipes for Holiday Baking on a Budget

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Recipes by Gavan Knox. Follow him on Instagram and TikTok.

3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies

3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies

Money-saving hack: Brown your butter to level up simple ingredients.

Makes 24

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoon size pieces
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Optional: Sprinkles for decoration

Directions

  1. Place the butter in medium pan over medium heat (a light coloured pan works well here so you can see the colour of the butter.)
  2. Stir the butter the entire time during the browning process. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring.
  3. After about 5–8 minutes from when you started the butter will turn golden brown. Foaming bubbles will “tighten” and subside, and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be toasty brown. It will smell buttery, nutty and delicious.
  4. Immediately remove the pan from heat and pour your browned butter into heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Set aside until fully cooled.
  5. When your browned butter has completely cooled, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone baking mats.
  6. Add your browned butter with sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until combined and fluffy. You can use a little vanilla extract at this point of you like.
  7. Add in your flour and beat again until combined. The dough will be crumblier that typical cookie dough.
  8. Break off/scoop walnut sizes pieces and roll in your hands. You can roll them in some additional granulated sugar at this point if you like.
  9. Place the cookies balls onto the prepared tray and using a flat-bottomed glass press down to flatten to ¼ to ½ inch thickness. You can press some sprinkles into the tops at this point for an extra festive touch.
  10. Bake in your preheated oven for between 13-15 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden-brown.
  11. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
Eggnog pudding

Eggnog Pudding

Money-saving hack: Use double-duty ingredients. The Eggnog Pudding recipe uses egg yolks whilst the Peppermint Brownie Cookies makes use of the remaining egg whites to give two delicious desserts making use of one whole ingredient.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ cups eggnog
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
  • ½ cup heavy cream, chilled
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Holiday sprinkles, optional

Directions

  1. In a large pan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
  2. Continue whisking and gradually add in eggnog and egg yolks until well combined.
  3. Set over medium-low to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until pudding bubbles and thickens. It is done when it coats the back of a spoon- about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove pot from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract*. Transfer pudding into a medium bowl, placing plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
  5. Just before serving, beat chilled heavy cream at medium speed until soft peaks begin to appear. Sprinkle powdered sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla over the whipped cream and beat at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
  6. Remove the chilled pudding from the fridge and divide between four small glasses or bowls.
  7. Top with the whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg. Add holiday sprinkles if using.

Note: For a spiked version, omit the vanilla extract in the pudding and replace with 1 to 2 tablespoons of bourbon or rum, to your personal taste.

Peppermint brownie cookies

Peppermint Brownie Cookies

Money-saving hack: Use double-duty ingredients. The Eggnog Pudding recipe uses egg yolks whilst the Peppermint Brownie Cookies makes use of the remaining egg whites to give two delicious desserts making use of one whole ingredient.

Makes 20-24 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2-3 large egg whites
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ up semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Place powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, cornstarch, and kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  2. Add the 2 egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir with a rubber spatula until no lumps of cocoa or powdered sugar remain, and you have a loose, shiny dough similar to a very thick brownie batter. (Note: at first the mixture will seem too dry to combine, add the third egg white gradually and the batter eventually come together. You may not need all the third egg white.)
  3. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  4. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  5. Using a heaped tablespoon, or cookie scoop portion the dough. Using your hands, roll each portion into a ball. Arrange them evenly on the prepared baking sheets.
  6. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until the tops of the cookies are cracked, shiny, and no longer look wet, 5 to 7 minutes more. Let cool completely on the baking sheets, at least 1 hour. (The cookies will stick to the parchment paper when warm but will release when cooled.)
Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Money-saving hack: DIY your own ingredients. This recipes uses homemade buttermilk and cake flour.

Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 ¾ cups cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 4 eggs whisked, room temp
  • 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup fancy molasses

Maple Glaze

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 6 teaspoons milk

Directions

Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 10 cup bundt pan with cake goop, or grease/ oil and flour.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
  3. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, buttermilk, and molasses. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low until the wet ingredients are combined.
  4. Add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix on low until combined, and no streaks of flour remain.
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
  6. When baked, remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack or cake stand. Allow to cool before topping with the glaze.

Maple Glaze

  1. In a small bowl whisk the powdered sugar, syrup, and milk until combined and smooth.
  2. Pour/drizzle over the cake, allow to set for a few minutes, cut and serve.

Bonus Money-Saving Hack Recipe: Cake Release “Goop”

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of vegetable shortening, or softened butter*
  • 1 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 cup of all-purpose flour

*You can also use butter in place of shortening. If you do, you’ll need to store it in the fridge, and warm it up before use.

Directions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Whisk until the ingredients are well mixed, then transfer the mix to an airtight container.
  3. Store the container at room temperature for up to six months.
  4. As a quick guide, a tablespoon of each will be enough to cover an 8 inch cake tin. Use a pastry brush to coat the inside of the tin, making sure to get into all the cracks and crevices.
Festive Cranberry Bars

Festive Cranberry Bars

Money-saving hack: Use unexpected ingredients in your baking like canned cranberry sauce.

Makes 12 squares, or 24 bars

Ingredients

Base

  • ½ cup fine sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange zest
  • 2 1/3 cups all-purpose Flour
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 cup salted butter, cold and cubed

Filling

  • 1 can (348ml) cranberry sauce, jellied or whole, stirred to loosen

Topping

  • 1/8 cup pecan pieces
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch ground cloves

Directions

  1. Lightly grease the sides of and line a 9″ x 13″ traybake tin with parchment paper allowing a 2-3” overhang.
  2. In a large bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, the orange zest and rub together with your fingers to release the orange oils into the sugar. Add in the flour, salt, and whisk together to further combine.
  3. Add in the cubed butter and rub together with your fingertips, or a pastry cutter, until the mixture is just beginning to bind together. Every so often do a quarter turn of the bowl to make sure you’re using all the dry mixture. You’ll want a texture somewhere between breadcrumbs and damp sand before you stop.
  4. Tip ¾ the crumb mixture into your prepared tin and press the dough so that it forms a solid, even layer. Level the surface with the back of a spoon or measuring cup, making sure the mixture is evenly spread and level.
  5. Refrigerate for 30 mins minimum.
  6. Mix the remaining ¼ of the mixture with the spices and pecan pieces. Squeeze it together so small rough clumps form. Set aside
  7. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
  8. Remove the chilled dough from your fridge and using a fork prick the dough all over.
  9. Bake the dough for 10 minutes then remove from the oven.
  10. Spread the surface of the dough with the cranberry jelly/ sauce in an even layer.
  11. Sprinkle over the topping crumb clumps to cover the surface, it doesn’t have to be fully covered. Press lightly so it adheres to the cranberry surface.
  12. Return the tray to your oven and continue to bake for 20-25 minutes.
  13. Remove from the oven and let the pan cook on a wire rack.
  14. When fully cooled, cut with a knife, or pizza cutter, into squares or bars, sized to your liking. Carefully lift the squares/ bars out of the pan with a palette knife or the parchment paper overhang and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Gingerbread Cookie Bark

Gingerbread Cookie Bark

Money-saving hack: Buy ingredients at the bulk store.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (340g) white candy melting wafers
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10 to 12 store-bought mini gingerbread cookies
  • 1 Tablespoon mini red and green chocolate candies
  • 1 teaspoon red and green sprinkles
  • 1 teaspoon red and green jimmies

Directions

  1. In a medium heatproof bowl, microwave chips in 15-second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth, about 1 minute.
  2. Add ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt and stir until combined.
  3. Using an offset spatula, spread melted chocolate on a parchment-lined baking sheet until to a thickness of about 1/4″.
  4. Decorate with cookies, and then sprinkle with candies, sprinkles and jimmies. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
  5. Break into bite-size pieces to serve.