The smell of freshly baked cakes or bread is just amazing, and they bring back so many great memories of cooking with family & friends. So why not create new baking memories with your loved living with dementia that taste great but also spark cherished memories for you both.
So here’s a collection of sweet treats designed to make the baking experience enjoyable and meaningful. You can work together to use these christmas recipe ideas and bake them, decorate them or just have your loved one be the chief taster! Whatever you enjoy doing, do as much of it as you’re able.
Get ready to fill your home with the delightful aromas of Christmas while creating sweet moments together. Some of these baking ideas can make great gifts that will be devoured by your family and friends as well! So enjoy, it is the season to eat well, so why let anyone down!
Gingerbread Men & Cookies for Christmas
Gingerbread men & cookies are more than just a treat, they encourage artful expression through the way you choose to decorate them. You can create an assortment of decorated gingerbread cookies, each one adorned with colorful icing and festive designs and they can make great edible christmas gifts or even decorations for the tree.
If you’re looking for easy Christmas recipes, gingerbread cookies are perfect. The base ingredients are straightforward: flour, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, and golden syrup. With a few simple steps, you can whip up a batch that fills your home with wonderful aromas. Here’s an easy recipe for you to follow
Peppermint Bark for Sweet Holiday Treats
Peppermint bark is a festive favorite, perfect for the holiday season. This sweet treat layers smooth chocolate with crunchy peppermint bits on top. Just looking at it can bring back cozy memories of holiday gatherings and sweet treats shared with loved ones.
This recipe is incredibly easy and can be a great way to bond with family. It’s a wonderful option for those cooking with dementia, as the steps are simple. Gather some chocolate, peppermint extract, and a few basic kitchen tools, and you can create a delicious holiday treat that everyone will love.
Here’s a quick way to make peppermint bark: Melt equal parts of white and dark chocolate, layer them on a baking sheet, sprinkle crushed peppermint on top, and let it cool. Once set, break it into pieces and enjoy! If you want a stronger peppermint flavour, then here’s a simple 5 ingredient recipe that you can follow.
Chocolate Fudge: Perfect for Sharing
Rich chocolate fudge, yum, yum, yum, doesn’t that bring back memories. We used to make these as kids (supervised!) and mum used to make her favourite turkish delight! It’s more than just a treat, these make great Christmas gifts to loved ones. It’s great one to make with loved ones with dementia as you can get messy, but a simple foolproof recipe that everyone can enjoy.
To make this rich chocolate fudge, you’ll need just a few ingredients: chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Melt the chocolate, vanilla extract and mix in the condensed milk, allowing it to thicken. Pour the mixture into a lined pan, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt or nuts or other decorations you love, and let it cool. It’s that easy! Just be careful with this one as the fudge has to be heated to high temperature, so it’s easier for you to take over that role, and shaping & decorating the fudge done with your loved ones.
Timeless Fruitcake
There’s always a fruit cake around at Christmas or Christmas pudding in the UK, but every time I visited friends who celebrated Christmas, there it was a fruit cake on the kitchen table. Mum used to eat this all year in a loaf format loving all the sweet fruits in the cake.
Baking this cake can be a wonderful experience, allowing families to bond over mixing, pouring, and decorating together. It’s such a rich cake a little goes a long way, again makes a great gift and it lasts a long time. A great one to make with loved ones living with dementia. The blend of dried fruits, nuts, and spices means it definitely Christmas.
Chocolate Chip Muffins for a Yummy Morning Snack!
These muffins are perfect for cozy mornings, especially during the holiday season. Pair them with a your favorite tea or coffee for a comforting mid morning snack. They also make for great gifts when friends and family come together.
Making chocolate chip muffins is easy, you only need a few simple ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and of course, chocolate chips. Mixing them together is a great way to involve everyone, even creating moments with your loved one with dementia. You just got make sure that more mixture goes into the muffin cases rather than your mouths, and that’s a hard task to achieve in our household!
So, whether you’re preparing for a festive gathering or just want a sweet treat for yourself, these muffins are a wonderful choice.
Apple Pie Filling the Air with Rich Aromas
This is a great recipe for cooking with a loved one with dementia, from peeling the apples, shaping the pastry, and making the custard to go with it, so many small elements that you can share as a family. When was the last time you made an apple pie?
Warm Cinnamon Rolls to Start the Day
There’s something special about waking up to the smell of warm cinnamon rolls (or croissants, or fresh bread for me!). These gooey treats are a classic way to brighten your morning. Topped with a sweet icing, they’re simply irresistible (for me anyway!)
These rolls are perfect for gatherings or just a sweet start to your day. Whether enjoyed fresh from the oven or warmed in the microwave, or just buy the ready made roll, cut in portions, and bake. A great activity to do with your loved one with dementia. Yum, mum helps with the icing/frosting and tasting!
Watch this video on how to make your own homemade cinnamon rolls at home!
Now I’m off to do some baking, I going to make some chocolate chip cookies and freeze them with the help of mum, mainly directing me and eating the chocolate. These cookies are to say thank you to our care workers this Christmas, small gesture but hopefully appreciated. This is the recipe we use, but with a lot less sugar, and slightly underbaked, best cookies ever!
Have a lovely Christmas!
