Twelve Days of Christmas Themed Recipes (2024)

The Twelve Days of Christmas is an English Christmas carol, published in 1780. Thought to be of French origin, it features a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas, starting on Christmas Day and ending on January 5. The Twelve Days of Christmas Themed Recipes each borrow from some aspect of the specific day, with a bit of poetic license for some!

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The Twelve Days of Christmas was first published without any music. It wasn’t until 1909 that the familiar tune was added in an arrangement by English composer Frederic Austin. In that arrangement, each verse is built on top of the previous verses.

Day 1. Partridge in a Pear Tree: Pear Tart with Goat Cheese, Rosemary & Honey – Home and Plate

Goat cheese, rosemary and honey are the stars on this pear tart. This simple fall dessert is delicious and can be on your table in 30 minutes.

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Day 2. Two Turtle Doves: Chocolate Turtle Cake with Caramel Pecans and Chocolate Ganache– Wyldflour

This chocolate turtle cake has two layers of moist, fudgey chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, caramel sauce, and chopped pecans in the middle. Then the turtle cake is covered with a thin layer of chocolate buttercream and scraped for a naked effect. Finally, a thick layer of rich chocolate ganacheand sprinkles of extra pecans. Chocolate Overload. Chocolate Decadence. Caramel Pecan Turtle Goodness. There is no perfect name that embodies all the flavors of this chocolate turtle cake.

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Day 3. Three French Hens: Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry Stuffing – Grits and Pinecones

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry Stuffing is a delicious, elegant, and inexpensive main course for your Christmas dinner or a special dinner party!

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Day 4. Four Calling Birds: Chicken au Champagne – Cooking with Curls

Calling all Birds with this Chicken au Champagne. The flavors are absolutely amazing. I am not a Champagne lover, I actually can’t stand the taste of it.However, when combined with chicken, and tarragon,il est magnifique!

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Day 5. Five Golden Rings: Baked Apple Cider Donuts – Veggie Inspired

Baked Apple Cider Donuts – Golden Rings of soft, fluffy, moist baked donuts with all the flavors of fall. Dairy free, egg free, and oil free!! Trust me, you are going to love these!

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Day 6. Six Geese a Laying: Easy Potato Salad with Eggs – Melanie Cooks

This easy potato salad with eggs is the best potato salad recipe ever! Once you try this amazing recipe, you’ll never have potato salad any other way! Secret ingredient is revealed below!

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Day 7. Seven Swans a Swimming: Lemon Cream Cheese Bundt Cake – Pudge Factor

Brighten your holiday season with this rich and moist Lemon Cream Cheese Bundt Cake made with Swans Down cake flour. It feels like springtime, and tastes amazing under a layer of lemon glaze.

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Day 8. Eight Maids a Milking: Frozen S’Mores Hot Chocolate – A Turtle’s Life for Me

Homemade hot chocolate with frothy milk has to be one of the most decadent beverages out there, but this recipe for frozen s’mores hot chocolate just kicked it up several notches!

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Day 9. Nine Ladies Dancing: No Bake Black Forest Tiramisu – Food Meanderings

I love tiramisu with ladyfingers and black forest anything so I created this easyno bake dessert. Quick and delicious, it is a combination of tiramisu and my family’s favourite black forest trifle.

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Day 10. Ten Lords a Leaping: Rosemary French 75 – Nomageddon

You’ll definitely want a Rosemary French 75 with the bubbles leaping out of the glass? The classic champagne co*cktail made with London Dry Gin, Brut Champagne, and Rosemary Simple Syrup.

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Day 11. Eleven Pipers Piping: Meringues with Marmalade and Cream – Little Sunny Kitchen

Sweet piped meringues filled with fresh clotted cream, orange marmalade and dark chocolate…

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Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming: Sweet Cherry Chicken Lollipops – Rum Smoked – BBQ Bastard

Chicken lollipops (a.k.a. drumsticks) are trending in the BBQ scene for a while now. They look incredible and the technique used for these “Sweet cherry chicken lollipops” is leading to a juicy tasteful and well balanced result.

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Are you drooling yet? Isn’t this an amazing array of Twelve Days of Christmas Themed Recipes?

Leave me a comment and let me know which one of these recipes is your favorite or which one you plan to try first. Even better,leave me a link to your favorite Christmas recipe!

I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season!

Twelve Days of Christmas Themed Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What should be eaten on each 12 days of Christmas? ›

12 Days of Christmas Recipes
  • Day 1: A Partridge in a Pear Tree. These Baked Pears are EASY and delicious with 4 simple ingredients. ...
  • Day 2: Two Turtle Doves. ...
  • Day 3: Three French Hens. ...
  • Day 4: Four Calling Birds. ...
  • Day 5: Five Golden Rings. ...
  • Day 6: Six Geese a Laying. ...
  • Day 7: Seven Swans a Swimming. ...
  • Day 8: Eight Maids a Milking.
Dec 25, 2020

Which type of tree was the partridge sitting in according to a well-known Christmas song 29? ›

Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree. Subsequent verses follow the same pattern.

What are the official 12 days of Christmas? ›

The Twelve Days are 25 December to 5 January, counting first and last. The Octave, or Eighth Day, is New Year's Day and the Feast of the Circumcision, the day Jesus was circumcised according to the faith. The evening of the last day is Twelfth Night or Epiphany Eve, the next morning being Epiphany.

How many gifts were given in the 12 days of Christmas? ›

Originally Answered: How many presents were given in the 12 days of Christmas? There are a total of 364 gifts: Day 1: 1 gift, Day 2: 3 gifts, Day 3: 6 gifts… Each day “true love” gives the gifts of the current day PLUS all the gifts of the previous days as well. Day 1: A partridge in a pear tree.

What is 9 in 12 days of Christmas? ›

Day 9: Nine ladies dancing. Day 10: 10 lords a-leaping. Day 11: 11 pipers piping. Day 12: 12 drummers drumming.

What is 8 in the 12 days of Christmas? ›

The 6 Geese A-laying are the six days of creation. The 7 Swans A-swimming are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments. The 8 Maids A-milking are the eight beatitudes. The 9 Ladies Dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

What does maids a-milking bird mean? ›

It's possible that eight maids a-milking may symbolize either doves or pigeons, because the adult birds produce crop milk to feed their hungry chicks. As most people know, these birds were often eaten across much of Europe in medieval times and beyond.

What is a traditional Christmas dinner menu? ›

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.

How to serve xmas dinner hot? ›

How to Keep Hot Food Warm Before Serving
  1. Your Oven. Some ovens actually will have a "warm" setting, which is usually 170 to 200 F, or a warming drawer, which is meant to keep foods at a level, warm temperature. ...
  2. Rice Cooker and Other Steam-Based Cookers. ...
  3. Cooler or Insulated Bag. ...
  4. Warm Plates for Serving. ...
  5. Aluminum Foil.
Mar 18, 2024

Can you pre-cook vegetables for Christmas Day? ›

I prep all the veg the day before - boil the taters for the roasties, fluff them up and let them dry out overnight, parboil the parsnips for roasting on the day, cook the carrot and swede and mash so it just needs re heating on the day, boil the sprouts and cut them in half for frying with pancetta on the day.

What should be eaten on each of the 12 days of Christmas to ensure good luck for the year ahead? ›

According to tradition, you should eat one mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas to bring good luck. It's technically illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day in England. In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas pudding, mince pies and anything to do with gluttony.

How do you do 12 days of Christmas? ›

Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas with Your Family
  1. Play "Name that Christmas Carol." ...
  2. Sing "The 12 Days of Christmas." ...
  3. Open your Christmas gifts throughout the 12 days of Christmas. ...
  4. Look through your Christmas cards together. ...
  5. Set aside a special family day. ...
  6. Host an Epiphany party to celebrate the visit of the magi.

What is the tradition of 12 days after Christmas? ›

The twelfth day of Christmas was known as Twelfth Night. It marked the night before the feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the wise men to visit the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Twelfth Night might have signalled the end of Christmas, but people celebrated it with great feasts, games and plays.

Why do we eat 12 on Christmas Eve? ›

A twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared to commemorate Jesus' twelve disciples in Central, Northern and Eastern European cultures, especially those that were formerly part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries.

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