118 christmas baking recipes

"This cake is a rich, dark, moist fruit cake, very flavorful at Christmas. Try icing with almond paste for a more festive touch. This recipe is started in October or November so as to let it mellow before the holidays. I remember very well my mother storing her fruit cake in an old butter churn that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother. I wish that I had that old crock."

Festive slice-and-bake sugar cookies studded with colorful gumdrop pieces that create a translucent "stained glass" effect when held to light—perfect for holiday treats or kids favorite Christmas cookies.

Moravian white Christmas cookies are rich, butter-and-cream rolled cookies cut into fancy shapes. Pennsylvania-Dutch tradition with a crisp snap and tender middle.

Czech Christmas cookies rolled paper-thin, packed with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg, sweetened with molasses and brown sugar. Crisp, spicy, and not too sweet.

Gingerbread men cookies with deep molasses, warm ginger and cinnamon, and currant eyes. The classic Christmas cutout cookie with a soft chewy center perfect for kids' decorating projects.

Cakey gingerbread squares with molasses, fresh orange zest, and warm holiday spices. Tender old-fashioned gingerbread, dusted with powdered sugar for a snowy finish.

Karen's pumpkin pie uses fresh roasted pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, warm spices, and a splash of whiskey for the richest holiday pie. From-scratch Thanksgiving classic.

Christmas sugar cookies are buttery rolled cut-out cookies for decorating. Crisp edges, tender centers. Big-batch dough yields four dozen festive shapes for the holidays.

Spice cookies with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove rolled and cut into festive shapes. The perfect Christmas cookie for decorating with royal icing.

Chewy spice cookies are low-fat molasses cookies sweetened with applesauce, scented with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, then drizzled with lemon icing. Holiday spice cookies without butter or eggs.

Classic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves bound by evaporated milk and eggs in a flaky shell. The straightforward holiday standard, two pies from one batch.

Classic Kentucky pecan pie with dark brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and a heap of pecans on top. The Dear Abby reader-favorite recipe from the back of newspapers nationwide.

Easy pecan pie with butterscotch chips folded into a classic Karo syrup filling. The Thanksgiving and Christmas pie that bakes up glossy, gooey, and dotted with caramel pockets.

Soft, warmly spiced gingerbread cookies made with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Roll and cut into festive shapes for Christmas decorating with simple icing.

Spicy pumpkin pie with two teaspoons of cayenne pepper hidden in the warm spice blend, balanced by honey, half-and-half, and ground pecans. A Thanksgiving showstopper that surprises every guest at the second bite.

Miniature pecan pies bake up in 17 minutes for a one-bite holiday treat. Dark corn syrup filling, chopped pecans, and an egg-white-sealed tart shell keep the bottoms crisp. Sixteen tarts per batch.