- Christmas sugar cookies
A buttery, light dough with sweet, hardened icing creates fun, festive designs. This tradition of bringing holiday sugar cookies to celebrations started in the 1700s when German settlers in Pennsylvania brought over the unleavened, easy-to-store treat from Europe. Pliable sugar cookie dough is easy to roll and cut into shapes, which adds to its popularity at Christmas time today.
Best local bakeries for sugar cookies: Café Sweets, Milford Bakery, Flourish Bakery, Cookies by Cole, Krissy’s Homemade
- Pie
Light, flakey crust with dense fillings of various fruits or savory meats. Pie was invented by the Ancient Egyptians who created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to have invented pie pastry as is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes. It was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.
Best local bakeries for pie: Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Mike and Ruth’s Hill Top Farm, Sister Pie, Spicer’s, Achatz Pies
- Cheesecake
A crushed graham cracker crust with a smooth finish that has a creamy delicious filling decorated with fruits or whipped cream. Cheesecake originated over 4,000 years ago in the fifth century BC when the Ancient Greeks on the island of Samos created the earliest known cheesecake. This rudimentary cheesecake was made with patties of fresh cheese that were then pounded smooth with flour and honey.
Best local bakeries for cheesecake: Blondie’s Best Cheesecake Ever, À Fondant, Savory Trendz Cheesecake, Washington’s Gourmet Bakery, Peteet’s Famous Cheesecake
- Puppy Chow
The Midwest treat consists of a crunchy Chex Mix base with peanut butter and chocolate combined, covered in powdered sugar. Chex cereal arrived in the markets in the year 1937 made by a St. Louis food company. The company had adopted the name “chow” for its animal feed during World War I. While puppy chow has some of the same seasonality—helping sales of Chex cereal spike in December—it has none of the traceable history. Multiple Midwesterners happily shared stories of the prevalence of puppy chow going back to the ’60s. General Mills, the owner and producer of the Chex cereal brand since 1996, says that the Puppy Chow recipe was developed in 2002. This cannot be found in bakeries but a few simple ingredients from the grocery store will make this treat homemade.
- Peppermint Bark
Smooth chocolate base with crushed candy cane on top, leaves your mouth with a refreshing mint taste mixed with sweet chocolate. Peppermint bark feels like a very nostalgic food, having been a holiday staple for barely two decades. In the United States, it wasn’t widely popularized until the late 1990s, when the kitchen supply chain Williams Sonoma made it a seasonal specialty. A local bakery to buy this delicate treat is Sweet Retreats Coffee Shoppe.
- Tiramisu
The word tiramisu comes from Italy, but in English, it means “pick me up”, the name is an apt title for the dish. Tiramisu consists of ladyfingers soaked in espresso which are connected with a light fluffy whipping cream and topped with cocoa powder. There have been many disagreements on how this dessert originated, but according to some, Tiramisu was first invented in Veneto, at a tiny restaurant known as “Le Beccherie.” The owner, Robert Linguanotto, created a “simple” dessert that let the flavors speak for themselves. Tiramisu cannot be found at many local bakeries but can be ordered fresh from Coratti’s Still on Main in downtown Milford and can be found sold in every bakery in Italy.
- Hot Cocoa Bomb
A fun and festive “explosion” of hot chocolate experience for kids, bombs consist of hot cocoa powder in a hard round chocolate shell with fun toppings and marshmallows inside. This is a new dessert that came about from a baker/content creator on TikTok. Many people have mastered the tedious creation of the sealed chocolate bomb. Multiple chocolate shops and local chain stores, including Press and Scoop of Milford, carry this treat.
- Swiss Cake Roll
This festive treat can be made with a light chocolate sponge cake as the base with fillings ranging from fruit jam to custard. To assemble, the filling is spread onto the sheet cake, rolled into a long log-like shape, and then cut into circle-shaped slices. The Swiss roll, known by different names in various regions, has historical roots dating back to 19th-century Europe. Its name comes from its shape, which resembles the sleeve of a shirt, as gypsies used to wear in those days.
The best local bakeries where you can find Swiss cake rolls are Milford Bakery, Holstons Baking Co., Ambrosia Bakery, Dolce Bakery, and Waterwheel Cáfe.
- Christmas Pudding
Plum pudding is an original dish with a sweet cake-like base and dried fruits, including prunes and cranberries. By the mid-1600s, it was sufficiently associated with Christmas that when Oliver Cromwell came to power in 1647, he banned it, along with Yule logs, carol-singing, and nativity scenes. It is a traditional staple at most family celebrations, especially around the holiday season.
- Gingerbread Cookies
In the shape of a man, a slightly spicy, sweet, crisp cookie base with fresh buttercream icing is what makes this dessert so unique. Gingerbread was a popular treat at medieval European festivals and fairs, and there were even dedicated gingerbread fairs. The first documented trade of gingerbread biscuits in England dates to the 17th century, when they were sold in monasteries, pharmacies, and town square farmers’ markets.
Best local bakeries to find gingerbread cookies: Dexter Cider Mill, Crust, The Art of Bread by Joe