An Old-Fashioned Christmas.

I had a lot of fun reading and reviewing Farmhouse Christmas by Melissa Bahen from Gibbs Smith Books, September 2026. Bahen is well known to foodies for her blog, Lulu the Baker — about simple food and modern country life. This is her fourth book; it is preceded by Scandinavian Gatherings, Farmhouse Weekends, and Farmhouse Weeknights. She lives in Oregon on a small farm with her husband and children.

The subtitle of Farmhouse Christmas — Recipes and Crafts for a Cozy Homemade Holiday — says it all. While Bahen adds a bit of fancy here and there (loved the Fancy Beverages section), this is a “down home” cookbook that brings back my own Christmas memories, as well as ones I wish I’d had. The collection of recipes — for food and crafts — are from her family as well friends and emanate great warmth. Each recipe has an introduction — a story of its provenance, along with the author’s memories. I honestly enjoyed these paragraphs as much as the recipes.

The book is divided into eight sections; in addition to Fancy Beverages, Bahen offers Breakfasts and Brunches; Holiday Dinners; Cookie Plate Favorites; Handmade Sweets; Festive Desserts; Appetizers, Party Food and New Year’s Eve; and Christmas Crafts and Homemade Gifts. The recipes range from very simple — ones with which the children can help — to complex, but never difficult. There are great make-ahead dishes, and some to serve crowds. She has great salads and vegetable side dishes which are often scarce on the holiday table. The crafts in the last chapter are fun, make for wonderful gifts, and, in some cases, are quite practical: homemade vanilla extract and outdoor birdseed ornaments, for example. 

As always, I tested three of the recipes in the book; two happen to be from the Holiday Dinners section, and the final — which I am sharing today — is from Cookie Plate Favorites. To me, the most important part of any cookbook is knowing that the recipes work, and the three I tested all came out perfectly with no edits needed for when I make them again. (And I will make them again.)

Bahen’s “Mom’s No-Fail Oven-Braised Barbecue Brisket” lived up to its name. It is made in a roasting bag (I had never used one before) and called for a bottle/jar of barbecue sauce. I made it using my mother’s homemade barbecue sauce and it worked perfectly. I served it to a friend who considers himself a “brisket aficionado” and it got two thumbs up. The other guests agreed. It’s a “low and slow” recipe — five hours in the oven — so it gives you a lot of time to concentrate on setting the table and making side dishes (I recommend mashed potatoes and green beans in winter, and potato salad and corn on the cob in the summer.) 

For a friend’s birthday dinner, I also made “Momo’s Butter-Glazed Dinner Rolls” (Momo is the author’s mother-in-law). Bahen halved her MIL’s recipe to make 18 good-sized rolls, perfect for a dinner party. I can’t say how they freeze as there were none leftover, which Bahen assured in her introduction: “I promise you’ll eat them all.” We did.

For my final test, I wanted to make a dessert recipe, one to share with friends and neighbors. I chose Candy Cane Brownies. My aunt used to make something similar and I was happy for the bit of Christmas nostalgia stirred by these treats. They did not disappoint. Each of the three parts — brownie, icing, ganache — was simple to make and took almost no time. I loved these, as did our friends and neighbors. If you decide to make these for your Christmas-in-July party, and you don’t have any candy canes leftover from the prior Christmas, peppermint pinwheel hard candies work just fine.

For those who love Christmas, cooking, and crafting, this is a perfect book. Though the weather is still in the 100s where I live, Farmhouse Christmas put me in a festive holiday mood, with thanks to Bahen for her beautiful photography. We might just crank the a/c and have a mid-summer holiday dinner!

~ David

Candy Cane Brownies

David Scott Allen, Cocoa & Lavender

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

  

For the Brownie Layer

• 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

For the Peppermint Frosting

• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 drops red food coloring
• A pinch of salt

For the Ganache

• 6 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 regular-size candy canes crushed (see note)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray. Cut two strips of parchment paper about 6 inches wide each. Lay one piece from left to right in the pan (the baking spray will help it stick) and lay the other piece from top to bottom. Most of the pan should be lined with parchment paper. Just the corners are bare, but they should have baking spray on them, so they’ll be fine.
• In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Set the pan aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
• When the butter mixture is cool enough to touch, whisk in the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the dry ingredients until smooth.
• Spread the brownie batter in the prepared pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool completely before frosting.
• To make the frosting, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add the milk, peppermint extract, food coloring, and salt, and beat until smooth. Spread the frosting evenly over the cool brownies, going all the way to the edges of the pan.
• To make the ganache, combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour the ganache over the frosting and gently smooth evenly over the top, going all the way to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and chill until ready to serve.
• Before cutting, use the parchment paper to help lift the brownies out of the pan. Use a large knife to cut into 25 squares (5 rows x 5 columns). I think these taste good at room temperature, but they’re even better cold.

Notes

Makes 25.

• The little round, hard peppermint candies work well, if you don’t have any candy canes.
• These freeze very well, making them a perfect make-ahead holiday treat.