The festive season is upon us, and the Farmhouse Christmas cookbook is here to help us celebrate with warmth and style. I should interject quickly to say that while this charming book has an unabashedly Christmas theme, it is not heavy-handedly Christian in tone, celebrating the secular magic and whimsy that so many of us associate with Christmas. I think it can be used whenever anyone is looking for festive ideas for gathering with friends and family, but especially at this time of the year.
This is Melissa Bahen’s fourth cookbook, and you may know her online as Lulu the Baker, where she is active as a recipe developer. In Farmhouse Christmas, she shares 70 recipes for breakfast and brunch, holiday dinners, cookie plates, festive desserts, appetizers for party food and New Year’s Eve, fancy beverages, along with directions for a dozen crafts with a festive theme. The crafts feature items that are relatively easy to gather, such as porch features using birch tree branches or hard-baked ornaments that could work as tags for presents or hanging decorations. I got great gift ideas for some of the people in my life.
Bahen’s directions are clear, if a bit lengthy, so I advise a quick read-through before starting a recipe. This was not a problem for me and will be an asset for a cook who likes their hand held as they make their way through the creative process. I much prefer this approach to one that makes some assumptions and provides cursory instructions.
For this review, I chose two recipes that I thought might have general appeal while seeing if they’d work for my family. The Mini Ham and Cheese Croissants were a hit here and would make a great holiday appetizer or snack while watching a game or movie on TV. On larger croissants, the recipe would make for an easy and delicious breakfast sandwich or lunch. It comes together easily, and the thinly sliced deli ham and cheese, topped with a savoury glaze and melted together in a buttery croissant, makes every bite a tasty morsel. We will enjoy these again!
The Cranberry-Orange Star Bread is a visual delight, one of those desserts that you almost hate to cut into. The cranberries and orange awaken the taste buds just enough, stirring holiday memories with their scents and tastes, while adding another texture to the rich pastry. You might want to set your finished bread on a sideboard for display before you bring it to the table, as it serves beautifully, and before I knew it, second helpings made the star shape quickly disappear. As one wishes! I successfully froze the leftover wedge and was pleased that it kept its moistness and wonderful taste after a gentle thaw.
I felt this “bread” was well worth the work it took. Some of the recipe can be prepared the day before, and the double raising of the bread dough can happen throughout the day. Bahen’s clear step-by-step directions make this dish look like a culinary masterpiece. I’m sure anyone would enjoy sharing this with others at their table. I do not want to set any expectations in my circle, but it would be a lovely contribution to a potluck gathering or a gift for a family close to your heart.
SUE GORDON has taught baking to high school students, including running an alternative school’s commercial bakery in Carcross, Yukon. Now a retired nurse and educator, she is enjoying trying new things in her kitchen and garden.
Mini Ham and Cheese Croissants
I’m a sucker for a good breakfast sandwich, and this version is party-perfect. These mini ham and cheese croissants are easy to make and easy to eat, very fancy-looking, and absolutely mouthwatering. They are super savoury with just a hint of sweetness, and luscious layers of gooey, melty cheese. You’ll look for any excuse to make them, from slow weekend mornings to festive holiday brunches, and they’ll be a hit every single time.
MAKES 12 MINI SANDWICHES
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely minced onion
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 mini croissants
Mayonnaise
12 slices thin-sliced Swiss cheese, cut in half (about 6 ounces)
12 slices deli honey ham
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. When the butter has melted, remove from heat and add the mustard, onion, honey, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined; set aside.
3 Cut the mini croissants in half and place the bottom halves on a rimmed baking sheet. I usually place them pretty close together. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on each bottom half. Place half a slice of Swiss cheese on each croissant bottom, followed by a ham slice folded in half, another half slice of Swiss cheese, and the top half of each croissant.
4 Drizzle the butter mixture evenly over the tops of the sandwiches, then use a pastry brush to spread the mixture around, making sure to get it all over the top of each sandwich.
5 Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes, uncovered. Serve hot.
NOTES: I use packaged, thin-sliced baby Swiss cheese squares, and they are perfect for this. If you don’t have something similar available to you, you can buy a block of Swiss cheese and slice it yourself. You’ll just slice 6 ounces altogether and divide the cheese up evenly among the sandwiches.
Cranberry-Orange Star Bread
One of my mom’s signature recipes is a mouthwatering pastry called “pecan rings”: three layers of fluffy yeast dough with cinnamon, sugar, and pecans tucked in between, then twisted, baked, and glazed with icing. They are as beautiful as they are delicious. But a few years ago, my mom discovered that she can’t eat nuts anymore. What’s a baker to do? She decided to try her famous pastry with a mix of dried cranberries and oranges instead, and unsurprisingly, the redesigned pastry is every bit as good as the original! With the holiday flavours of cranberry and orange, and a pretty, twisted shape that looks like a snowflake, this cranberry-orange bread is the star of any holiday breakfast.
MAKES 17 PASTRIES
FOR THE BREAD
1/3 cup warm water
3 3/8 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus a pinch for proofing the yeast
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup whole milk
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
FOR THE FILLING
1 cup dried, sweetened cranberries, finely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
2 oranges
2 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/8 teaspoon butter flavouring
A pinch of salt
6 When the dough has doubled in volume, scrape it out onto a floured surface. Knead it until the dough is smooth and elastic, sprinkling on more flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Roll one piece of dough out into a 12-inch circle and place it on a 12-inch round pizza pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Brush the surface of the dough with melted butter, then spread 1/3 of the filling mixture on top, making sure to get filling all the way to the edges. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough. You should end up with 3 layers of dough, melted butter, and filling.
7 Push a 3-inch round cookie cutter or a wide-mouth canning ring down into the center of the dough circles and just leave it there. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut all three layers of dough and filling from one edge to the center, stopping about 1/4-inch before you hit the cookie cutter or canning ring. Spin the pan around and do the same on the opposite side so that you’ve now cut the whole pan of dough in half. Cut each half in half again to make 4 quarters, then cut each quarter into 4 equal pieces. You should end up with 16 chunks of dough plus the circle in the middle.
8 Pick up one portion of dough, making sure you get all three layers. Twist it either to the left or to the right (it doesn’t matter which) 1 1/2 times, then lay that portion of dough down. Pick up the portion next to the one you just twisted and twist it the opposite direction 1 1/2 times. When you have two portions twisted opposite ways, pinch the outside ends together. Repeat all the way around the pan so that you end up with 8 “points” or flower petals. Remove the cookie cutter or canning ring from the center, cover the star bread lightly with plastic wrap, and let it sit on the counter to rise for 30 minutes.
9 Preheat the oven to 375°F. When the star bread has risen for 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and bake the pastry for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden on top. Allow the star bread to cool while you prepare the glaze.
10 Combine all the glaze ingredients plus the reserved orange zest. Whisk until smooth, then drizzle evenly over the top of the warm star bread. Serve the pastries warm or at room temperature. •
Recipes excerpted from Farmhouse Christmas by Melissa Bahen. Copyright ©2026 Melissa Bahen. Photographs by Melissa Bahen. Published by Gibbs Smith. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
