Holidays recipes

Cranberry wine gelatin mold with fresh cranberries simmered in red wine, set with raspberry gelatin, and studded with chopped walnuts. A jewel-toned holiday side or dessert.

Braided yeast bread wreath filled with dates, walnuts, bran flakes, and cinnamon, topped with vanilla confectioner's sugar frosting. A stunning holiday bread that's worth the rise time.

Festive pumpkin pie with a cream cheese-enriched filling, warm spices, and a sour cream topping baked right on. Part pumpkin pie, part cheesecake, all holiday showstopper.

Shrimp puff pastry loaf wrapping a buttery shrimp, tomato and red pepper filling in golden flaky pastry. Elegant make-ahead seafood centerpiece for dinner parties and holidays.

Macadamia butterballs with chopped chocolate chips and macadamia nuts rolled in powdered sugar. A melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie that makes five dozen for holiday gifting.

Candied spiced walnuts or pecans coated in orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and powdered sugar, then baked until dry and crunchy. A festive holiday snack or handmade gift.

Hot curried fruit with poached pears, oranges, melon, and grapes in a warm spiced curry syrup topped with crystallized ginger. An elegant side dish for holiday entertaining.

Beverwyks are old Dutch spiced cookies with cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and chopped raisins rolled and cut into shapes. A traditional holiday cookie from New York's Dutch heritage.

Brigette's almond crescent cookies bring together buttery shortbread, rolled oats, and finely chopped almonds, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. A classic passed-down holiday bake.

Spicy pickled plums in malt-vinegar brine with red chilies, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and mace. A British-style preserve for cold meats, cheese boards, or holiday ham.

English trifle with sherry-soaked angel food cake, raspberry jam, raspberry jello, and creamy vanilla pudding. A festive, make-ahead holiday dessert layered in a glass bowl.

Homemade egg nog blended fresh and served ice-cold with a dusting of nutmeg. This quick blender method skips the stovetop custard for a frothy holiday drink in minutes.

Butter cookie press poinsettias for Christmas with red flower shapes and hand-formed green leaves topped with silver dragees. A beautiful, festive holiday cookie with almond and vanilla flavor.

Tortilla chip wreath: a salty-sweet holiday candy wreath of vanilla-coated tortilla chips arranged in a circle and decorated with gumdrops. A no-bake Christmas dessert kids can help with.

German chocolate pies: two pies at once, gooey cocoa-pecan-coconut filling in flaky shells. One to eat now, one to freeze. A Southern dessert for holidays and church suppers.

Cream filbert cookies with a whole hazelnut hidden inside each shortbread ball, glazed in vanilla icing and rolled in sugar. Vintage Pacific Northwest holiday cookie with a sweet crackly finish.