fresh cranberry coffee cake

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Does anybody else have extra bags of fresh cranberries sitting around from Thanksgiving? Or do you stock up your freezer for the rest of the year, like I do?

This simple, delicious coffee cake is a perfect way to highlight fresh cranberries (as in, not dried… frozen is fine!) and spoil your family and friends at the same time.

Fresh Cranberry Coffee Cake | Sweet Anna's

Seriously, you guys, the smell alone is heavenly.

If I could make a candle that smelled like this cake, I’m pretty sure I would be a millionaire.

You be the judge!

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sour cream sugar twists - with step by step photos

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I posted this recipe here on Sweet Anna’s a few years ago, but I figured it was time for an update with step-by-step photos for any of you who have been hesitating in making these.

Sour Cream Sugar Twists | Sweet Anna's

For some of you, this recipe may seem a bit involved and outside of your comfort zone. I’m here to tell you that it’s not.

And seeing as how it is my favorite Christmas cookie ever (and the same is true for many of my family members and friends!), I think you should give it a try. You’ll be glad you did!

Sour Cream Sugar Twists - with step-by-step photos | Sweet Anna's

This cookie IS Christmas to me. This is the treat I look forward to the most each year, and the taste and smell that floods me with the most memories.

I see my beautiful, soft, loving, sweet, always-baking Grandma. I see her beyond cozy house packed full of family (and always a few friends!) on Christmas Eve as we celebrate Julenisse’s coming, and most importantly, Jesus’ birth.

I feel her hands on mine, and I remember the awe that I always had at her strength.

She had the strongest hands.

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easy, homemade bread maker dinner rolls

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Homemade buns are one of the coziest parts of the holiday season. Something about the yeasty warmth, the comforting aroma, the extra effort and love involved in the making… all embody the best parts of the holiday season.

bread-maker-dinner-rolls-textEasy, Homemade Dinner Rolls... with the help of a bread maker! | Sweet Anna's

Most of us don’t take the time on a regular basis to make our rolls from scratch, but for the holidays, for our loved ones, we are willing to put in a bit more effort for the ‘specialness’ of the season. For sentimentality, for memories, and tradition.

I love making homemade bread, especially for the holidays, but I just don’t often have the time, or the patience, with all these little kids running around me. So, I am enlisting the help of my bread maker this year, for a little cheating.

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