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 cocktail 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 you eat on each of the 12 days of Christmas? ›

of Christmas it brings good luck for the year ahead.

What is in the 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.

What is the 10th day of Christmas gift? ›

7 Swans A-swimming = The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 8 Maids A-milking = The Eight Beatitudes. 9 Ladies Dancing = The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit. 10 Lords A-leaping = The Ten Commandments.

What should be eaten throughout the 12 days of Christmas to ensure good luck in 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.

Why do we have 12 dishes for Christmas? ›

Why do Poles eat 12 dishes during the Christmas Eve dinner? Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year. But in the past, dinner consisted of an odd number of dishes.

What is a fun fact about the 12 days of Christmas? ›

The Twelve Days carol was once a popular party game in the 1700-1800s where making a mistake in the lyrics meant you would have to give up a small token, sweet, or perhaps even a kiss!

What does 8 maids of milking mean? ›

It's a shortened form of maiden, a young, unmarried woman. This combination of milking and maid lends itself to the idea that a gift of eight maids-a-milking might have more to do with romance than with cows. During this time period the term go a-milking did have strong romantic connotations.

When should you start the 12 days of Christmas? ›

That's right: December 25 marks the official start of the 12 days of Christmas, the Christian tradition that shares its name with a relentlessly stick-in-your-head Christmas carol.

What is the 12 course Christmas dinner? ›

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.

What are the traditional 12 days of Christmas? ›

The original twelve days of Christmas were a series of religious feast days celebrated as part of the Roman Catholic religion in medieval and Tudor England. Starting on Christmas Day, there were 12 days of religious celebrations, feasting and entertainments that lasted all the way up to 5 January.

What is 11 in the 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.

How to do a 12 days of Christmas campaign? ›

Kick off your campaign with a Christmas greeting. This is a good opportunity to get creative — perhaps with an animation, illustration or video message from your team. Remember, there'll be lots of similar Christmas messages going out on this day, so make yours stand out with eye-catching visuals. Ask a question.

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.

What do people eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? ›

These are the top-rated main dish and side dish recipes you need for a perfect traditional Christmas dinner. They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.

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