Christma Recipes

Christmas Lizzies are boozy Southern fruitcake cookies loaded with candied cherries, raisins, dates, pecans, and citrus zest, soaked in whiskey. Make them weeks ahead and drizzle with spirits to age.

Jalapeño, raspberry and pecans blend beautifully in this thumbprint cookie from Anna Marie Bleich of California, Mo.

My mother makes this Cardamom bread every Christmas morning. It's a real treat.

Orange cranberry bread with yellow cornmeal for a slightly gritty crumb, fresh cranberries simmered with orange zest and sugar, then folded into a tender quick bread.

Pecan pie bars: shortbread crust topped with classic gooey pecan pie filling, baked in a sheet pan and cut into 36 holiday bars. All the flavor of pecan pie, none of the slicing drama.

Velvety pumpkin cheesecake spiced with cinnamon and allspice sits atop a buttery gingersnap crust. Topped with tangy sour cream for a show-stopping holiday dessert.

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth piped shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate. Only 5 ingredients and no eggs needed for these classic Viennese Fingers.

Oatmeal pecan pie deepens the classic with toasted oats and pecans in a honey custard, all baked in a rum-spiked oat crust. A nuttier, less cloying twist on pecan pie with a hint of black pepper.

Pumpkin layer cake with cooked fresh pumpkin, warm cinnamon, and a tender, moist crumb. A two-layer Thanksgiving and Christmas cake that's lighter than spice cake but just as comforting.

A very moist, custardy pumpkin pie spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. Lightened up with sugar substitute and skim milk for a lighter slice on the Thanksgiving table.

Rubber stamp gingerbread cookies bake up firm enough to hold cutter shapes and decorate, with a pinch of cayenne hiding behind the molasses, ginger, and cloves for unexpected warmth.

Pumpkin pie sweetened with honey and molasses, lightened with whipped cream folded into the custard, in a buttery short pastry crust. A holiday classic with a silkier-than-usual filling.

Orange and ginger cookies: soft-centered molasses cookies with fresh orange zest and ground ginger, rolled in citrus-sugar before baking. Holiday classic with bright modern twist.

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

Holiday gingerbread cutout cookies made with molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices. Dough chills for 1 hour, rolls to perfect thickness, then cuts into festive shapes ready for decorating.

Christmas stollen with raisins, almonds, walnuts, lemon and orange zest in a buttery yeast dough, frosted with powdered sugar glaze. Make two to three days ahead for best flavor.