Christma Recipes

Orange spice muffins with whole wheat flour, sour cream, fresh orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Topped with cinnamon sugar for a warmly spiced holiday breakfast.

Scotch shortbread with just five ingredients: butter, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. A classic, buttery, sandy-textured cookie that melts on the tongue.

Peanut butter bears: cinnamon-spiced peanut butter cut-out cookies shaped like teddy bears with detailed dough faces. A holiday baking project that's as fun as the cookies are good.

Peanut butter cinnamon brownies with crunchy peanut butter, brown sugar, and warm cinnamon in a chewy blondie-style bar. No chocolate, all flavor.

Pecan wild rice pilaf with wheat pilaf, dried currants, fresh mint, orange zest, and Italian parsley. A festive room-temperature side dish for holiday tables.

Peppermint candy cookies with a buttery walnut shortbread shell hiding a pink cream cheese filling inside. Rolled in crushed peppermint and powdered sugar after baking.

Pumpkin drop cookies with warm spice, chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts. Soft, cakey fall cookies for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and everything in between.

These raspberry almond bars are not only good during Christmas...

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Appetizers have long been a part of the culinary tradition in Europe, but they're relatively new to America. One of the first to appear in American cookbooks, at the turn of the century, was shrimp cocktail.

Buttery sour cream coffee cake studded with bittersweet chocolate chunks and chopped walnuts, baked in a fluted bundt pan. Rich, moist crumb with no frosting needed. Serves 12.

Spells & Bells are festive Christmas cookies cut into holiday shapes and deep fried until golden and puffed, then served plain, sugared or glazed. A cream-rich fried dough that's crisp outside and tender within.

Soft spiced raisin drop cookies made with cookie mix, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, topped with a smooth vanilla butter frosting. A semi-homemade shortcut for holiday cookie trays.

Cinnamon applesauce Christmas ornaments: scented dough ornaments made from cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and applesauce. Not edible, but they smell like Christmas for months.

No-mayo rainbow coleslaw with cabbage, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and red onion in a tangy apple cider vinegar dressing spiced with turmeric, cayenne, and warm spices.

A boozy coffee punch with Kahlua, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream that serves 14 from one batch. This crowd-pleasing holiday drink comes together in minutes with no cooking required.