Holidays recipes

Italian rainbow cookies (seven layer cookies): three almond paste sponge layers tinted red, green, and yellow, stacked with raspberry jam, and coated in chocolate. A classic holiday bakery tradition.

Cheese log blends sharp New York cheddar, pimento cheese, and cream cheese with garlic, Worcestershire, and red pepper, rolled in paprika. Old-school holiday appetizer for crackers.

Christmas kuchen bakes a buttery yeast bread scented with lemon, orange, mace, and coriander, then ribbon-tied for gifting. German-inspired holiday loaf that freezes for two months.

Passover cheesecake with a chocolate macaroon and almond crust, filled with a silky cream cheese custard. A flour-free holiday dessert best made a day ahead.

Snow cap meringue cookies fold semi-sweet chocolate chips into low-and-slow baked egg-white meringues, then dip the tops in melted white chocolate. Crisp, airy holiday cookies. Makes 6 dozen.

Chunky turkey vegetable soup with sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, and a half-and-half cream finish. A hearty post-holiday soup loaded with vegetables and leftover turkey.

Mom's Portuguese sweet bread (massa sovada) for the bread machine, with eggs, milk, and butter for a tender, slightly sweet loaf. Three loaf sizes given. Adjust sugar for sweeter or more savory. The classic Easter and holiday bread.

Brown rice stuffing with mixed dried fruit, sautéed onions, celery, and a trio of herbs. A hearty, naturally gluten-free alternative to bread stuffing that feeds a holiday crowd with ease.

Card gingerbread cookies shaped into playing-card rectangles and scored with lines, made with molasses, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. A vintage rolled cookie for the holidays.

Chocolate date truffles made with melted milk chocolate chips, crushed vanilla wafers, chopped dates, and vanilla yogurt, rolled in powdered sugar. No-bake holiday candy with chewy date and creamy chocolate in every bite.

Lele Party Cookies are thumbprint cookies rolled in egg white and chopped nuts, then filled with colorful jelly. A buttery, nutty holiday cookie perfect for Christmas trays.

Crunchy candied pecans coated in a cinnamon-vanilla meringue and slow-baked in butter. These addictive Swedish Nuts are the holiday snack your guests will fight over.

Wolfgang Puck's elevated pumpkin pie with a Grand Marnier cranberry layer, bourbon-spiked custard, and warm spices in a blind-baked crust. Serve with cinnamon ice cream for a holiday stunner.

Christmas tree cake cut from a 13x9 sheet cake into a tree shape, frosted green and decorated with peppermint candies, pretzel rod trunk, and a gumdrop star. Festive holiday show-stopper from one boxed mix.

Classic turkey hash casserole with leftover turkey, diced potatoes, peas, cream of celery soup, and melted American cheese. A thrifty post-holiday dinner that comes together in under 45 minutes.

Orange-pumpkin chiffon pie with a gelatin-set spiced filling brightened by orange juice and zest, lightened with whipped egg whites. A no-bake holiday alternative to traditional pumpkin pie.