The festive season is a time for gathering, sharing, and of course, indulging in delicious food. From the charming Christmas markets of Vienna to the historic Distillery District in Toronto, the universal language of the holidays is spoken through flavourful treats and shared meals.
This year, elevate your holiday entertaining with a selection of classic and crowd-pleasing recipes perfect for any gathering, whether it's a formal sit-down dinner or a casual buffet-style feast.
Global Inspiration for Holiday Baking
The spirit of European Christmas markets, like the world-famous Christkindlemarkt in Vienna, can inspire your home kitchen. These markets are renowned for their aromatic traditional cookies, from cinnamon-spiced zimtsterne to jam-filled linzer augen.
You don't need a passport to recreate these delights. The Linzer cookie, with its delicate shortbread-like dough and jewel-toned jam filling, is a stunning and tasty project for any home baker. It's a festive addition to any cookie tray alongside traditional gingerbread and sugar cookies.
Classic Linzer Cookies Recipe
This customizable recipe, courtesy of Wilton, yields about 20 beautiful cookies. The key is in the assembly: one solid round base and a top cut-out cookie, dusted with confectioners' sugar and sandwiched with raspberry jam.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup finely ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup softened butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Combine dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture. Chill dough for 2 hours, then roll out and cut. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10-12 minutes. Once cool, spread jam on the solid bases, dust the cut-out tops with sugar, and sandwich together.
Savoury Showstoppers for Festive Gatherings
With Christmas Day falling late in the week in 2025, the season promises a marathon of celebrations. Finger foods and buffet-style grazing are expected to be hugely popular, making impressive, make-ahead appetizers essential.
Festive Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze offer a perfect blend of sweet and savoury. This recipe from Gavan Knox for the Ontario Veal Appeal combines ground veal with chestnuts, dried cranberries, and Parmesan, baked and then glazed in a port and cranberry sauce.
For a hands-off approach, Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings are a guaranteed hit. The wings cook in a tangy, spicy-sweet sauce in the slow cooker before a quick broil to crisp them up. This recipe from Hamilton Beach serves 10-12 people, ideal for a crowd.
Holiday Cheer Eggnog
No holiday season is complete without the iconic taste of eggnog. This recipe from Eggs.ca creates a rich, homemade version that far surpasses anything from a carton.
Instructions: Whisk 6 eggs with 1/3 cup honey and a pinch of salt. Gradually whisk in 2 cups of milk and cook over medium-low heat until it coats a spoon (do not boil). Stir in another 2 cups of milk and 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Chill thoroughly for at least 3 hours.
For an adult version, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of rum or brandy before serving. Other variations include adding rum extract or folding in whipped cream for an extra-rich texture.
Whether you're baking a batch of delicate Linzer cookies, simmering a glaze for meatballs, or whipping up a pitcher of homemade eggnog, these recipes are designed to bring the festive flavours of the season directly to your table, creating memorable moments with family and friends throughout December 2025 and beyond.
