Christmas cookies are great and all, but sometimes you feel like taking on a baking project thats a little more special. Once the stockings are hung by the chimney with care and the holiday madness settles down a little bit, we highly recommend setting aside a couple of hours to bake something that requires a little TLC.

Choose a recipe that calls for you to knead some dough, decorate a gingerbread house or frost a bche de Nel so meticulously that it actually looks like its growing moss and mushrooms. When youre not in a rush, baking can foster the practice of mindfulness , allowing you to feel creative, be present in the moment and distract you from the stressors that weigh on you all day.

Plus, you get to eat the finished product.

Check out our favorite recipes below, from sticky buns to sticky toffee pudding and other joyously sticky desserts.