With Christmas fast approaching it's quickly becoming the season for holiday baking. I used to bake a lot more for Christmas, but now that work has gotten so busy I've had to scale back. To get some inspiration going for all of us I thought it would be fun to share your holiday baking plans. Is there a new recipe that you're excited to try? A tried-and-true family favorite that you can't imagine Christmas without? Have you taken any photos of your baking adventures?

My big thing that I want to try this year is a croquembouche. I adore cream puffs and the finished product always looks so beautiful. Other than that I'm keeping it simple this year. I'm focusing on blondie bites (so addicting) and this recipe for biscotti. It's my most asked for cookie from the family (and tastes so good with hot cocoa).

What about you?

I have baked a couple batches of thumbprint cookies. I didn't take pictures of them. Thumbprint recipe This is the recipe i use. I used raspberry jam and peach preserves. I am gonna do a batch with blueberry preserves.

Thumbprints are so yummy! Those look particularly tasty. I've never had ones with peach or blueberry preserves, I love the idea of mixing it up.

I have never made blueberry ones either but I think they will be my favorite ones.

I'm making zucchini bread for friends and family -- some WITH pecans, some without! It's my aunt's recipe, so, I'm keeping my mouth shut about the recipe, BUT! We're also making chocolate crinkle cookies which have been in the betty crocker recipe book since my mother was a little girl. :)

I bought a cookie press this year and it is by far the best purchase ever! I made some wonderful butter cookies AND they were adorable!

I made a Guinness chocolate cake. I overcooked it. But the cream cheese frosting on top was delicious.

I missed Thanksgiving but for Halloween I made skeleton parts cookies. It was my first experience using royal icing. The cookie recipe I used was lacking though. I'll have to find a different one.

this year's baking demand was nuts! lets see.... me and my mom and sister had ginger, chocolate chip, and peanut butter blossom cookies, a gingerbread house (kinda a last thought of attempt for my little sister haha), fantasy fudge, bonbons, chocolate dipped/drizzled pretzels, and candied orange peels. all homemade! took us 4 days total to make enough for goodie tins to hand out to friends and family :)

Holy crap! That is insane! That takes true dedication! What exactly is fantasy fudge?

yes it was a lot! needless to say, we were all worn out XD oh and i forgot, we also made pretzel delights XD the things that remind me of reindeer hooves for some reason haha

and fantasy fudge is basically chocolate fudge. the recipe is on jars of marshmallow creme if you are anywhere that sells it. (we simply get ours from Wal-Mart lol)

Oh, gotcha! I didn't know for sure if it was like a SUPER SPECIAL EXTRA COOL SECRET RECIPE DELUXE fudge. :) I just looked it up. It sounds pretty good!

haha amazing title! i might experiment and make my own fudge just to name it that! ;) lol

yeah it's pretty good :D just really sweet! haha sugar rush to-boot! we still have half of it left. bonbons are devoured XD, pretzels still a good bit of them, and cookies.... and nobody has yet to touch the gingerbread house XD lol

I think I might try my hand at some date balls soon. I've never attempted to make them, but I have always like to eat them. :)

Oh, wow! All of that sounds amazing! I'll have to try Fantasy Fudge one of these days, I've seen the recipe and just never gotten around to it. Now I definitely will!

Date balls are really fun to make!

all bonbons are devoured! haha no more left XD still have some fudge, cookies, and pretzels left. then the gingerbread house XD

you should give it a try! no baking required, just mixing, boiling, melting, blending, and then stick it in the fridge lol it is amazing :D pretty rich tasting too! :)

we were going to make divinity fudge too but my mom couldnt find her recipe for it so... maybe next year lol

Do you have any good recipes for them?

i'm not even sure what a date ball is o.O are they made with dates? or is that just a catchy name for them? lol

thet are made with dates.

okay that was my best guess haha

never really had a date... dont know if i would like them or not XD aint they dried up plums or something?

I....Don't....Actually know.....You are thinking of prunes, but I really don't know what dates are. I suppose I should google it.

They are apparently a fruit that comes from a date palm.