The 1-Ingredient Holiday Baking Upgrade You’ve Been Missing

Some people start the countdown to Christmas with carols, collecting stocking stuffers, and drinking mulled wine. Me? I’m here for the cookies. Shortbread, pinwheel, thumbprints, spritz, peanut butter blossoms, I love them all. What don’t I love as much? The time it takes to bake at least six or seven different types of cookies to arrange in a tin for friends and family. Don’t get me wrong, baking is my love language. But amidst the chaos of holiday shopping, planning a festive dinner, and the general whirlwind that is December, carving out time for a baking marathon can be challenging.

But all that is about to change. I recently discovered something called finishing sugar, and a light bulb went off. Why bother with making six different cookies when I can just make a big batch of something simple, such as sugar cookies, and roll them in different flavored sugars that would make each cookie taste unique? Not only that, but I could also use the sugars to pack other recipes—banana bread, muffins, waffles, you name it—with bold holiday flavors. If you’ve never heard of finishing sugar, then you’re in for a treat. Here’s why I’m using it to turn the simplest desserts into something that feels special for all my loved ones this year.

What Is Finishing Sugar?

Whether it’s twinkly turbinado sugar on top of apple pie or crunchy pearl sugar in Liège Belgian waffles, look closely and you’ll find dozens of recipes that call for sugars beyond the standard granulated, brown, and caster. While we often think of sugar as a key player in imparting sweetness to a dish, it also affects texture. Even confectioners’ sugar, which may seem innocuous at first, can be a crucial factor in determining whether a shortbread cookie turns out soft and tender.

Finishing sugar is somewhat of an outlier, since its primary role is as a garnish. It adds depth and a satisfying crunch to whatever it’s sprinkled on—without overpowering the final result. Think of it as the sweet counterpart to finishing salts. Just as you’d reach for celery salt or flaky sea salt to elevate a cooked meal, finishing sugars are an easy shortcut to enhance flavor and add a festive flair without extra effort.

Where To Find Finishing Sugar

Currently, the most popular brand for finishing sugar is none other than McCormick. The 136-year-old brand offers a wide range of blends—from Spiced Orange to Candy Cane to Maple Brown Sugar—that home bakers swear by. In fact, fans love the line so much there’s even a Reddit thread devoted to tracking down what stores across the nation have it. Considering all the ways you can use finishing sugar, it’s no surprise fans are stocking up to give their desserts a fun seasonal twist.

If you’re having trouble finding McCormick’s finishing sugars in stores, Simply Organic recently launched a new line of limited-edition ones. I recently tried them on a batch of sugar cookies, and the results turned out way better than I ever expected.

I rolled half the cookie dough in the brand’s Chai sugar and the other half in its Spicy Cocoa blend. As expected, the Chai sugar lent that quintessential warmth we all crave around this time of year, with bits of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. But the standout was the brand’s Spicy Cocoa finishing sugar. Made with cocoa, cayenne powder, and cinnamon, this infused the cookies with a rich, spiced chocolate flavor reminiscent of hot cocoa—except in cookie form. It caught me off guard in the best way possible, which is why I’m convinced these sugars are the key to effortless, unexpected, and delicious holiday baking.

How To Use Finishing Sugar

The best thing about these sugars is their versatility. While I wouldn’t go so far as to replace the sugar in a recipe with them, there are countless ways to doctor up a baking recipe with them. Roll slices of shortbread cookies in them, generously sprinkle them over a loaf cake, use them as a filling in cinnamon rolls, or coat the rim of a cocktail glass for any festive drinks.

Don’t know where to start? Here are some recipes we think could easily be jazzed up with a bit of finishing sugar: