Nostalgic vintage holiday recipes transport you to Christmas past, but some of these retro dishes are deserving of a comeback (with a modern twist).
Fruit Cake
Often jokingly referred to as pure decoration, the not-so-scrumptious holiday fruit cake has received many a festive glow up-over the years. Keeping with the Christmas dessert tradition, these chewy melt-in-your-mouth fruit cake cookie bars are brimming with candied fruits and chopped nuts, drizzled in rum glaze.
Dare we say that these fruit cake cookie bars will change your mind about fruit cake forever. Toss those old lifeless bricks of dense cake in the trash! Fruit cake cookie bars are guaranteed to brighten up any Christmas cookie platter. Now that’s what we call a Christmas miracle!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Brittany Baxter / Oola
An oldie but a goodie, no holiday cookie platter is complete without one of the most cherished Christmas cookies of all time, the peanut butter blossom. Also known as the peanut butter blossom, this timeless holiday cookie classic is no stranger to modern twists. One of our all-time favorite renditions of this holiday classic is the red velvet peanut butter blossom.
Creamy peanut butter and cocoa are blended and colored a deep ruby red to make a sinfully delicious peanut blossom that will undoubtedly make the cut on to your Christmas cookie baking list each year!
Jello Salad
Cranberry jello salad pays tribute to an iconic retro holiday dish that’s both refreshing and festive. This gelatinous masterpiece contains only sweet flavors of holidays past and passes on savory combos. You won’t find any unfavorable Christmas surprises like chopped ham, lettuce, or mayonnaise in this jello mold.
Enjoy a delicious combination of fresh homemade cranberry sauce with crushed pineapple, chopped pecans, and cranberries topped with a cream cheese topping for an out of this world sweet-tart dessert.
Cheese Fondue
During the 1960s, fondue was a popular holiday treat, often served at holiday gatherings. Although fondue hasn’t lost its appeal, its retro way of being served has.
An instant pot replaces the caquelon in this updated holiday recipe favorite. Instant pot cheese fondue features an addictingly delicious blend of Swiss, Gouda, and Gruyère cheeses warmed in your choice of dry white wine.
Cheese Ball
Brittany Baxter / Oola
Amongst some of the best Christmas appetizers of all time remains the legendary cheese ball. This classic app deserves to be adorned with some delicious updates so it can remain the belle of the Christmas ball.
Our homemade bacon-studded cheese ball features a trio of cheeses: cheddar, mozzarella, and cream cheese. Make this awe-inspiring cheese ball with any combination of your favorite cheeses, a unique blend of herbs and spices, and your choice of tasty rolled exterior.
Ambrosia Salad
Often seen chilling not too far off from the festive holiday fruit cake, ambrosia salad has a bad rap. Once considered a luxurious and exotic dish, the retro fruit salad has fallen off of “best holiday dishes” lists.
But we aren’t giving up on this traditional holiday side dish just yet! Christmas holiday ambrosia salad gives this old-fashioned holiday dish a festive face-lift with new and improved seasonal flavors and homemade whipped cream instead of store-bought whipped topping.
Red Velvet Cake
With its luscious red ruby-like hue, red velvet cake is a timeless Christmas dessert. Queen of Christmas cakes, this festive holiday dessert is a showstopping addition to any yuletide spread. Natural red velvet cake features the undeniably complex yet delicious flavor that we know and love of red velvet cake, coupled with the sweet tang of cream cheese frosting. However, you’ll find no trace of red dye in this festive red cake.
Butter Spritz Cookies
Butter spritz cookies are possibly one of the easiest Christmas cookie recipes to prepare. Butter Spritz cookies consist of only five simple ingredients, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour for a delicious, delicate buttery cookie.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to own a cookie press to prepare these adorable retro-style butter spritz cookies. If not having a cookie press in your kitchen arsenal has put these beloved holiday cookies on hold, you can now bake them this Christmas with a brilliant cookie hack.
Make butter spritz cookies without a cookie press by utilizing a pastry bag with a star tip, filled with spritz cookie dough. Creates swirled designs on a baking sheet, then sprinkle with festive sanding sugar.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake
Pineapple upside-down cake fell by the wayside as layered Christmas cakes took center stage. Yet, after Cheesecake Factory’s widely popular pineapple upside-down cheesecake hit restaurant menus, this old-fashioned holiday favorite made a quick comeback, but with a creamy twist.
Pineapple upside-down cheesecake combines two decadent desserts for an ultimate holiday showstopper. A nostalgic holiday-style dessert that’ll have you singing Meke Kalikimaka on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day!
Pecan Pie Brownies
Brittany Baxter / Oola
A classic Christmas tradition, the pecan pie is a holiday staple in many homes throughout the season. But for those who can’t get enough of “you only live once” holiday sweets comes an instant twist on a vintage holiday classic, pecan pie brownies.
Pecan pie brownies combine the flavors of soft and chewy chocolate brownies with old fashioned pecan pie for an unbelievably delightful holiday dessert your family will love.
