Can you believe it’s almost Christmas already? Just one week away, and if you haven’t planned out what to feed your family and friends yet, can we suggest… a Christmas Brunch? Yes, there’s no better way to feed friends and family over the holidays than by bucking the trend for a large, sit-down dinner and opting for a casual Christmas brunch that’s easier to make (because breakfast is always simple) and more laid back to boot!
This year, we’ve whipped up a full Christmas brunch menu that all of your guests will love. And more importantly – it won’t take up all of your time over the holidays, so you can spend more time socializing and opening presents and less time in the kitchen. Pick and choose which dishes you want to make and serve them buffet style, so that everyone can easily grab what they want.
The Kick Ass Christmas Brunch Menu
Christmas Inspired Brunch Cocktails – For starters, it’s not a brunch unless there are cocktails involved. We don’t make the rules; we just follow them. Brunch cocktails are usually mimosas (champagne and orange juice) and bloody marys (heaven in a glass – just kidding. It’s tomato juice, vodka, and spices). This holiday, though, we’re switching things up and making our cocktails a little more Christmas themed.
- DIY Eggnog – Keep it straight or add some liquor to it for your adult guests. Either way, this DIY eggnog is super simple and super delicious – and super fresh. You won’t find it better at the supermarket, so do yourself a favor and whip this version up instead.
- Boozy Espresso Shots – Everyone needs a little espresso to wake them up on Christmas morning. And then a little Amaretto to bring them back down to Earth. These boozy Espresso shots are so good, you won’t mind being a little hazy.
- Holiday Horchata – We’re calling it: horchata is the new holiday drink fad. The milky, rice drink is popular in Spain and in South America, and for good reason. It’s refreshing; goes well with cinnamon and nutmeg; and is a fun departure from the ordinary.
Egg Dishes – You can’t have an egg-less morning, so we’ve created a few egg dishes to serve during your fabulous Christmas brunch. Eggs are cheap and easy to cook, so they’re a great option for a large meal when you want to keep your costs down. These four dishes are incredibly simple to make; can be cooked and stored in advance (like the night before); and are super tasty:
- Crustless Quiche – A lot of people like quiche, but apparently they don’t really dig the crust. That’s cool. You can just make it without. Crustless quiche is just as delicious minus however many calories are in the crust. You can even color coordinate it for Christmas by adding broccoli and red peppers – creative, right?
- Eggs Baked in Spinach – Eggs baked in spinach is a lot less heard of, but it’s incredibly tasty, super easy and quick to make, and can be served on toast. As far as Christmas brunch items goes, this one is a winner and it’s filling, so it’s perfect as an entree.
- Frittata with Tomato and Pepper and Mascarpone – Everyone loves a frittata, but one stuffed with tomatoes, red pepper, and mascarpone? They’ll love it. This version can be served warm out of the pan or at room temperature (if you made it earlier).
- Egg Hand Pies – Out of all of our egg dishes, this one is the most time intensive, but it’s great for kids and lends itself well to parties where walking around and socializing is prevelent. Think of it as the egg themed hors d’oeuvres (just full-sized).
Brioche Breads – You know that saying, it’s better with brioche? Yeah, us neither. But it should be a saying, because life really is better with brioche. That’s why we’ve created some great recipes – one for a basic brioche loaf (which you can’t go wrong with) and one for brioche donuts (really!). Do one; do the other; do both!
- Christmas brunch brioche – This brioche loaf is so good, you can eat it warm out of the oven with just a little butter on it. Or, add a light sprinkle of sugar to the top for something a little more sweet. It’s so simple and so delicious that you really can’t go wrong however you serve it.
- Brioche donuts with chocolate cream filling – For something a little more impressive, try these brioche donuts. You can make them plain or add in a creamy chocolate filling for a Christmas brunch dish that will have everyone begging for more.
Savory Pastries and Tarts – You’ve got to have some pastries lying around if you want a proper brunch. They’re good to snack on before the main dish arrives, and they’re portable and easy to walk around with (if you’re doing some brunchy schmoozing). These two dishes perfect fit the bill. The first is a simple tomato tart that the adults will love (and the kids too, because you can trick them into thinking it’s pizza). The second is a homemade puff pastry horn filled with a savory egg salad mixture.
- Tomato Tart – This tomato tart has fresh tomato slices, parmesan cheese, and a rich cheese spread on top of puff pastry. It’s so simple, it’s almost too easy. The flavor is perfect – creamy and fresh – and it’s hearty without being too filling.
- Egg Salad Horns – Remember back when we made chocolate pastry horns? This is sort of similar, but instead of filling our puff pastry horns full of chocolate, we’re opting for a more savory egg salad mixture. Still tasty; still perfect for brunch. Especially paired with a Bloody Mary.
- Apple Roses – The best part about a pastry like these apple roses is that they’re super easy to make, but they look like they took ALL DAY. They’re perfect for making a statement, and no one has to know how little time it took to create them. You can create a basic version with apples, butter, and puff pastry strips. But for this Christmas brunch, we added spiced sugar (you’ll have to click through to see what that is!) and lined the pastry with dulce de leche – Mmmm.
