Recipes with spices

Traditional Tuscan cavallucci spice cookies built from a hot sugar syrup kneaded with walnuts, candied orange peel, and warm spices like clove, anise, and cinnamon. Chewy, perfumed, and unmistakably medieval.

Mother's Day baked apple-cinnamon French toast assembles overnight, then bakes into a puffed, custardy casserole with dried apples, raisins, and warm spices. Zero morning-of stress.

Cinnamon roll ring uses frozen dinner rolls coated in cinnamon sugar, layered with toasted pecans and butterscotch pudding mix in a bundt pan. Rises overnight, bakes in 30 minutes.

Vegetable and rice stuffed pumpkin: a whole pumpkin roasted as an edible bowl, packed with basmati rice, chestnuts, apples, apricots, and vegetables. A stunning vegetarian Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Applesauce snack cake starts with a box cake mix boosted with applesauce, warm spices, raisins, and nuts for a moist, spiced sheet cake. A semi-homemade shortcut that tastes fully from scratch.

Sour cream apple coffee cake with two cups of chopped apple in a tender crumb and a brown sugar, nut, and cinnamon topping. Bake in a 9x13 pan or a bundt.

Applesauce cinnamon bread for the bread machine, with buttermilk for tang and a full tablespoon of cinnamon for serious spice. An eight-ingredient yeast loaf that loads and starts in under 5 minutes.

Tea-smoked chicken breasts use brown rice, brown sugar, cloves, and Earl Grey tea leaves smoldering in a Dutch oven. Chinese-inspired indoor smoking technique that flavors boneless chicken in 16 minutes.

Moist coffee orange fudge bundt cake doctored from a German chocolate cake mix with Kahlua, orange zest, sour cream, instant pudding, and chocolate chips. Bakery-quality from a box.

This delicious new rendition of pickled eggs is made with beet juice which gives it a surprising new flavor.

Baked spiced apple rings in cranberry juice with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and lemon. Slow-baked until transparent and jewel-toned, served hot or cold as a garnish or vegan side dish.

One-crust apple crumb pie with a buttery brown sugar and nut topping over tart apples spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Freezes unbaked for an easy make-ahead dessert.

Thai yellow curry paste from scratch with toasted cumin and coriander seeds, dried red chilies, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, and warm spices. Pairs naturally with beef and pork.

Greek semolina honey cookies (melomakarona): torpedo-shaped orange and cinnamon cookies soaked in a warm honey-cinnamon syrup and dusted with sesame or walnuts. Traditional Christmas tradition.

Mexican manicotti: pasta shells stuffed with beef, refried beans, and cumin, smothered in corn and picante salsa. A microwave-friendly fusion casserole on the table in under 40 minutes.

Persian-style pilaf with basmati rice, red lentils and sour cherries perfumed with turmeric and cumin, finished with a buttery golden crust. A sweet-tart, aromatic side or vegetarian main with real character.

Sweet potato pie with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a flaky shell, finished with a decorative ring of pecan halves and a dollop of whipped cream. The yogurt in the custard adds tang and lift that traditional milk-only versions miss.

Coffee cake muffins with a cinnamon-pecan brown sugar streusel baked inside and on top. All the flavor of coffee cake in individual portions, ready in 30 minutes.

Texas-style smoked brisket with a spicy chili rub and a beer-based mop sauce. Smoked low and slow over wood chips for tender, smoky bark and pink smoke ring.

Layered tamale pie steamed in real corn husks with three distinct masa layers: fresh corn, green chile cilantro, and red pepper chili. Served with fresh green salsa.

Chicken mole poblano with a rich sauce of cocoa, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, and warm spices. Browned chicken simmers in a complex blended mole and served over rice.

Brownie cakes in a jar bake a rich, cinnamon-spiced chocolate cake right inside canning jars, then seal them hot for a charming, giftable treat. Walnut-studded, fudgy, and ready to tie with a ribbon.

Sand tarts, a classic Pennsylvania Dutch butter cookie rolled paper-thin, brushed with egg white, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and topped with a pecan half. Crisp, buttery, and delicate.

While watching the first snowfall, try these scrumptious cookies that contain a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Curried corn and chicken salad with a creamy yogurt-curry dressing, red cabbage, bell pepper, and cumin. A no-cook, make-ahead lunch with bold Indian-inspired flavor.

Persimmon pudding cake, a moist autumn loaf with ripe persimmons, brandy, warm spices, raisins, and walnuts. Served with a brandy ricotta topping for fall holiday gatherings.

Competition-style Texas chili with brisket and pork shoulder simmered in beer, tequila, and six jalapenos. No beans, massive flavor, thickened with masa harina.

Chicken and okra stew braises bone-in chicken with tomatoes, white wine, and a quiet pinch of cinnamon. The okra soaks in vinegar first to tame the slime before baking. Greek-style one-pot meal.

Low-calorie pumpkin muffins made with skim milk powder, pumpkin pie spice, grated carrots, and raisins. No oil, no butter, and only 7 tablespoons of flour in the whole batch.

South Indian eggplant dip with tempered mustard seeds, cumin, tamarind, and fresh coconut. A smoky, tangy spread with roasted eggplant pureed with ground spice masala.

Roasted Cornish game hens marinated overnight in honey, mustard, garlic, thyme, and cinnamon. Roasted hot breast-down for juicy meat, then flipped to brown the skin glossy and dark.

Albondigas soup with cumin-spiced beef meatballs simmered in a rich broth with cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, green chiles, and fresh cilantro. A hearty Mexican meatball soup.

A delicious ginger bread is made with whole wheat flour, several spices, brown sugar and molasses. It's moist, tasty and packed with flavor. A great snack or a lighter dessert with a cup of coffee.

Dairy-free curry artichoke dip made with silken tofu and rice milk. Warm, creamy, and spiced with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne.

Carob pineapple thisbies are no-bake raw cookies made from pureed figs, dates, and carob powder mixed with pineapple, walnuts, and raisins, then rolled in cinnamon coconut.

Homemade pickling spice blend with mustard seeds, allspice, coriander, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon. Mix once and use all canning season for pickles, relishes, and brines.

Drop donuts (no-cut, no-roll) made with buttermilk, eggs, and lemon zest, fried golden and finished with honey and cinnamon. The fastest fried doughnut recipe you'll find.

Chocolate snappers with unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, and corn syrup rolled in sugar and baked until crackled. A chewy, crinkle-style chocolate cookie with a sugary crust.

Spaghetti with Greek lamb meatballs in a tomato feta sauce. Mint, cinnamon, and scallion-seasoned lamb meatballs simmered in white wine tomato sauce with crumbled feta stirred in.

No one who loves to eat can visit Cincinnati without falling in love withthe most eccentric and delicious noodle dish of all--5-Way Chili. Invented by Greek immigrants in the 1920s, it is unique to southern Ohio, and served only in chili parlors, most of which are fluorescent-lighted luncheonettes that haven't changed much since 1950. Nobody in Cincinnati gives out their recipe. It is a dish of startling complexity, so dizzingly spicy....

Pumpkin torte: a layered fall dessert with graham cracker crust, baked cream cheese center, and a light gelatin-set spiced pumpkin chiffon top. The Thanksgiving alternative to pumpkin pie that feeds a crowd.

Chiles rellenos con queso stuffs roasted green chiles with Monterey Jack, dips them in fluffy egg batter, and fries to golden puffs. Topped with a spiced cinnamon-clove tomato sauce.

Topsy turvy apple pecan pie flips out of its pan like a tarte tatin, revealing a caramelized pecan-and-brown-sugar top crust over cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith apples. A Thanksgiving showstopper.

Whole-wheat sourdough applesauce cake bakes up moist and tender in a tube pan, with cinnamon, allspice, and clove warming a tangy starter-and-applesauce batter. A bundt-shaped keeper for fall.

This famed chicken "barbecue" from northern India is traditionally prepared in a tandoor, an underground jar-shaped clay oven that believed to have originated in Persia. The oven can be heated to very high temperatures, which sears the chicken and seals in the juices. Equally delicious results can be obtained in a conventional oven or on a covered grill. The yogurt marinade keeps the chicken from drying out.

Deep dish peach pie features ripe summer peaches under a single golden crust with cinnamon, nutmeg and a sugar-crackled top. The classic peach dessert at its most extravagant.

Portobello barley risotto made with pearl barley using the classic risotto method, sweet white wine, rosemary, allspice, and golden raisins. A hearty, earthy vegan main course.

No eggs, no butter, no milk in this vegan cake that's free of all dairy and egg products.