These Butter Celebrates Eggnog-less Bars strike a delightful balance of creamy, crunchy, sweet and boozy — and they come with a fun giveaway to boot.
Rosie Daykin’s latest cookbook, Butter Celebrates!, opens with a playful note to Mr. Webster suggesting that the definition of “celebrate” should include a few extra ingredients: family, friends, laughter, love, witty toasts, good music, cheerful chaos and delicious food. It’s a warm, cheeky invitation to make ordinary moments special.
With “BUTTER” right in the title, I was sold before the first recipe. The book reads like a year-round celebration, with recipes organized around holidays and special occasions — from New Year’s Day to Christmas. Make Cinnamon Hearts for Valentine’s Day, Pistachio Macaroons for St. Patrick’s Day, Bunny Buns for Easter, Lemon Thyme Scones for Mother’s Day, Apple-Stuffed Challah for Hanukkah, Holiday Gems for Christmas and Sweet Potato Marshmallow Pie for Thanksgiving. Each recipe feels approachable and festive.
When the book arrived, I originally planned to make a cake, but practicality nudged me toward something simpler. I landed on the Christmas chapter and tried the Butter Celebrates Eggnog-less Bars — a perfect canvas for decorating and a quick, satisfying bake. I followed the recipe as written, then added a homemade caramel layer (I’ll share that in a future post) and finished with a dusting of graham cracker mixed with nutmeg. In the book Rosie keeps the topping minimal — just a light sprinkle of nutmeg — and the bars are lovely in their elegant simplicity.
The cookbook is thoughtfully organized: recipes use readily available ingredients and familiar equipment, and the book offers practical tips, techniques and a six-page entertaining guide. There are also twenty-two buttercreams and frostings, which is a baker’s dream. I especially appreciate that each recipe is paired with a full-page photograph and a short note revealing the inspiration behind the dish.
If these Eggnog-less Bars — along with the book’s striking cover and pretty ribbon bookmark — don’t have you updating your holiday shopping list, we may need to reassess our priorities.
Rosie Daykin is the founder of Butter Baked Goods in Vancouver and the author of the bestselling Butter Baked Goods cookbook. Her passion for baking shines through every recipe, and I can’t wait to sample more of her creations the next time I visit Vancouver.
Here are a few more tempting recipes created by fellow #butterbakedbloggers from Butter Celebrates:
Amanda – Banana Pecan Caramel Cake
Christina – “Hostess” Cupcakes
Gwen – Christmas Panettone
Heather – Cookie feast: Cinnamon Heart Cookies, Empire Cookies, Coconut Nest Cookies, Cookie Jar Cookie
Jan – Animal Cookies
Jenny – Guinness Cake with Pretzels
Kelly – Peppermint Nanaimo Bars
Libby – Gingerbread Guys
Mardi – Champagne Cupcakes
Meg – Lemony Lemon Loaf
Robyn – Orange Gingerbread Cake
Tessa – Chocolate Gingerbread Genoise
Ready to bake something delicious? Enter below for a chance to win a Butter Celebrates! cookbook signed by the author, plus a box of treats from Butter Baked Goods in Vancouver.
Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Prize value is approximately $125. The contest runs for one week and is open to residents of legal age in their province or territory at the time of entry. Void in Quebec. Winner must correctly answer a skill-testing question. No purchase necessary. Winner will be chosen at random. The contest starts at 12:01am on November 25th and ends Wednesday, December 2nd at 11:59pm.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of Butter Celebrates for review. As always, opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 