Join me for a session of healthy Christmas baking! From sourdough to cornflake wreath cookies, we’re going to make classic recipes with less sugar without compromising the taste and nostalgia!
Somehow, we blinked and landed right in the middle of the Christmas season. The house smells like pine, someone is always sneaking candy canes off the tree, and we’re juggling school programs, baby naps, muddy boots by the back door, and trying to keep the sourdough starter fed between everything else.
This time of year carries such a tender tension for busy moms. On one hand, we’re trying to be faithful stewards of everything God has given us—our homes, our marriages, our children, our friendships, and even the small daily rhythms that make our lives work. And on the other hand, we feel that pull to slow down… to enjoy the season, treasure our time with our kids, lean into our traditions, and create a Christmas worth remembering.
It’s a balance we all feel: stewardship and stillness. Responsibility and rest. Doing and delighting.
I’m doing that same dance over on my YouTube channel this week—showing up, creating, and serving this community, while also pulling back just a little so I can be present with my family. So I want to invite you into my kitchen for a simple, joy-filled baking day as we make three Christmas recipes together. Floury counters, sticky fingers, baby coos, and all.
Welcome to Healing Home. I hope, as always, that your time here leaves you encouraged and inspired.
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Finding Balance: Healthy, Sustainable Eating and Holiday Treats
I’m a big believer that nourishment matters—real ingredients, real food, and learning how to take care of our families with what we grow, bake, and make. But I’m also a big believer in Christmas cookies.
There is space for both.
During December, I naturally shift toward recipes that reflect our lifestyle—low-sugar options, sourdough treats, and wholesome ingredients—while still making room for old-fashioned favorites. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s balance. It’s enjoying food with our families, choosing what serves us well, and letting go of the guilt that so often creeps in during the holidays.
So today’s recipes reflect exactly that sweet spot: a little healthier, a little nostalgic, and very “busy mom friendly.”
Recipe 1: Less Sugar Christmas Wreath Cookies
These Christmas wreath cookies are my husband’s absolute favorite…and confession time: I’ve never made them. Not once. Why? Because they’re traditionally loaded with processed cereal and sugar, and I’ve become more convinced than ever that our homes should be places of healing. And sugar—especially the ultra-processed kind—isn’t exactly healing. But here’s the thing: we also can’t be dogmatic. What a shame that I’ve skipped making something my husband loves simply because it didn’t fit neatly into my usual ingredient standards.
So this year, I decided to change that. I’m lowering the sugar, I’m letting go of the rest, and I’m choosing to enjoy a nostalgic recipe with my family. I refuse to call cereal “healthy”—because no matter what the label says, cereal simply isn’t health food—but it is part of this classic Christmas treat. And sometimes, that’s okay.
These wreath cookies are bright, gooey, festive, and easy enough for kids of all ages to jump in and help. To tone down the sweetness, I’m using Max Mellows, a low-sugar marshmallow, plus just a few regular marshmallows to keep the traditional texture.
How I Make Them
- Melt 6 tablespoons of butter
- Add 2 bags of Max Mellows
- Add 6 large regular marshmallows for stability
- Stir until melted and smooth
- Tint with Watkins green food coloring
- Pour over 8 cups of cornflakes
- Shape into wreaths and decorate if you’d like
If you want the full recipe, you can find it over on the recipe site. Or click here.
They come together so fast that your kids will be forming wreaths before you even finish washing the pot. They’re nostalgic, fun, and just a bit less sugary—perfect for a busy weekday baking session and a sweet nod to the traditions our families love.
I have to give a disclaimer. Because I’m working with a bit better for you ingredients, these are not going to be bright green. I tried a couple of things to get them the bright green that I saw online, and I remember from childhood, but it just wasn’t working. I did add some sprinkles for the images on the blog, but the final product wasn’t super glamorous. Not even really blog worthy. I put the recipe on the blog, though, anywa,y and I hope you will pop over if you want a bit less sugar version of this classic recipe.
Recipe 2: Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies + Less Sugar Icing
This recipe is the one that leans a little more wholesome, and honestly, it just feels like Christmas to me. I’m taking my sourdough discard sugar cookies and pairing them with my less-sugar icing, and the combination is the perfect marriage of nourishing ingredients and classic Christmas cookie vibes. My kids had an absolute blast making these with me, and there’s something so sweet about little hands pressing cookie cutters into dough you mixed together earlier that morning.
The original sourdough discard sugar cookie recipe was published all the way back in 2022, and I’ve tweaked it just a bit over the years, but it’s still very much a winner. They’re soft, buttery, and incredibly easy to roll out—exactly what busy moms need during the holidays. The sourdough discard adds this subtle depth of flavor and a lovely texture, and the less-sugar icing brings just enough sweetness without overpowering anything. It’s the kind of icing that pipes beautifully but doesn’t leave you with that sugar-crash feeling afterward.
Usually, I mix up the dough earlier in the day so it can chill, and honestly, making it the night before is the ultimate busy-mom trick. Then we roll it out, cut the shapes, bake them, and once they’re cooled, the kids dive right into the decorating. You can go full-on festive with sprinkles and swirls, or keep them simple and elegant. Either way, these cookies hold their shape so well and somehow are always the first to disappear from the tray.
Recipe 3: Sourdough Sticky Pecan Focaccia
This final recipe is the one I’m still holding close. I’m hoping to perfect it soon and eventually share it on the recipe blog, but for now, it’s staying right here in this season of experimenting and refining. I want it to be just right before I hand it over to you—because when I do, I want it to be the best version possible.
My hope is that this becomes our new Christmas morning tradition, replacing our usual sourdough cinnamon rolls. As much as I love those, they take a lot of time, and this feels like a simpler, more sustainable option for busy mornings.
And honestly? I might like these even better. The sticky pecan sourdough focaccia has that tangy sourdough depth, a gentle sweetness, and this rich, cozy warmth that fills the entire house. It makes everything smell like Christmas. It feels indulgent without being over the top, and it lands somewhere between breakfast and treat in the very best way.
We made these on a particularly tight morning. The boys were heading out early for an adventure day with their grandma, and I was trying to squeeze in a few school lessons before they left. The schedule was full, the clock was ticking, and yet the morning felt so peaceful. The smell of cinnamon sourdough focaccia baking, the Christmas tree glowing in the corner, little boys learning at the table—it was one of those simple, fleeting moments that feels almost idyllic when you pause long enough to notice it.
That’s part of why this recipe made the list. Christmas baking doesn’t have to be only cookies and sweets. Sometimes it looks like warm bread, shared slowly, paired with coffee, and woven into the rhythm of real life. This focaccia is rich, sticky, nutty, and deeply satisfying—and it disappears faster than I ever expected. When it’s ready to share fully, I think it’s going to become a favorite in many homes, just like it already is in ours.
Stay tuned next week for the final recipe because I’m sure I’ll have it ready.
Enjoying Christmas as a Family – Healthy Christmas Baking
At the end of the day, Christmas baking isn’t really about the recipes—it’s about making memories with our families. It’s letting the kids stir the bowl, allowing the mess, laughing when someone drops a cookie cutter on the floor, and remembering why we’re celebrating in the first place.
Scripture reminds us where our joy comes from:
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11 (ESV)
In the midst of the flour and the sugar and the sticky marshmallows, we can slow down enough to remember the gift of Jesus. Baking becomes worship when it’s done with gratitude and joy.
Merry Christmas, friend. I hope these recipes bring warmth, sweetness, and a little peace to your home this season.
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