Gingerbread Poke Cake

This cake is the most lovely addition to a holiday spread with caramel and whipped cream topping and crushed gingersnap cookies on top.

I've made more poke cakes in recent years because I really just enjoy poke cakes. I won't say all, but I think most start with a box cake mix and just a few toppings - sweetened condensed milk and Cool Whip for sure. This gingerbread cake gets caramel sauce topping in addition to the milk. And the very top has crushed gingersnap cookies which is great for a bit of crunch and more spicy goodness. So if you're looking for a quick holiday cake recipe - this! This so much! It's great!

Gingerbread Cheesecake

This extraordinary holiday dessert has a gingersnap bottom, a creamy gingerbread and molasses cheesecake base, and is topped with a light and fluffy rum topping.

I'm not sure why, but I've found that lately I've been making cheesecake for holiday desserts. Typically, I am the one who brings dessert for any family function and I just keep latching onto cheesecake for some unknown reason. Last Christmas (yes...2016), I whipped up this gingerbread cheesecake and it was unbelievably amazing. The molasses in it was perfection and I loved the lightly rum flavored whipped topping. Plus the gingersnap bottom  - to die for! It turned out so beautifully and I was so happy with it. It was hard for me to not make it again this year, but alas, too many recipes hoarded to have repeats. But I'm very tempted to make it again and throw all caution to the wind :)

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies #FBLCookieExchange

These seasonal spiced cookies have a dollop of white chocolate in the middle - seriously wonderful cookies for Christmas!

After the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap ended, Allison of The PinterTest Kitchen and I decided we wanted to host a cookie exchange because it just didn't feel right to not have our yearly cookie exchange! And the Food Blogger Love Cookie Exchange was born.

The premise is that you are matched with 3 bloggers and send each a dozen cookies (and they don't know who has them until they receive their cookies!). In turn, you also receive a dozen cookies from 3 different bloggers. I received Triple Chocolate Biscotti from Fix Me A Little Lunch, shortbread sugar cookies with anise in them (I'll update the recipe title) from That Recipe, and Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen. I will update later today with the links to the recipes of the cookies I received. I loved each and every one of them. Thank you to everyone who joined in!

I sent a dozen each of these gingerbread thumbprint cookies to Hetal, Megan, and Colleen. I picked out the recipe at the end of October, knowing that I really wanted to make something more holiday-esque. Last year I finally figured out that I wanted all the gingerbread things at Christmas time, so I am making as many gingerbread recipes as I can fit in during the holiday season this year! Originally these cookies were stuffed with dark chocolate, but I went the white chocolate route because I just felt gingerbread and white chocolate go together better.

If you would like to be notified of blogging events like this cookie exchange, please check out the Food Blogger Love group: here.

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Chewy spiced gingerbread cookies in bar form topped with cream cheese frosting - perfect for the winter months!

Gingerbread is quintessential for Christmas and I don't make anything gingerbread...ever. What's wrong with me? So last year, I decided to change that and I picked something gingerbread from my Pinterest boards. I picked out a beautiful first gingerbread dessert recipe and would love to have them again soon. The base is chewy and spiced and wonderful. The frosting is creamy and finger-licking good. The combination of the two is magical and seriously perfect for Christmas. I topped mine with a little homemade gingerbread spice mix.