Holidays recipes

Pecan crescents, buttery melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies rich with finely chopped pecans and a hint of nutmeg, shaped into little crescents. A cornstarch-tender holiday cookie in the wedding-cookie family.

Spritzgeback, the traditional German pressed butter cookie made with rich butter, powdered sugar, and almond or lemon extract. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth shapes pressed through a cookie gun for the holiday tin.

Butter Cookies are one of those traditional Christmas cookies that everyone adores. This homemade butter cookie recipe is much better than what you find in the tins at the store during the holidays.

German-style honey spice bars with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ground almonds, and lemon zest, finished with a rum-almond glaze. These keep for weeks in a sealed container, making them ideal holiday baking.

Painted sugar cookies decorated with vibrant egg-yolk paint before baking, set on a no-leavening rolled cookie that holds its shape and color. A craft-and-bake project for kids and holidays.

Santa's chocolate pie is a frozen mousse pie in a baked shell, built on melted chocolate, marshmallow creme, and whipped cream, with a whisper of coffee and almond. A make-ahead holiday dessert.

Savory yam casserole layers thin-sliced sweet potatoes in a cayenne-spiked cream, then crowns them with a crunchy topping of saltine crumbs, parmesan, and pecans. A grown-up, not-sweet take on the holiday classic.

Butter almond classic cookies are tender almond crescents: a buttery shortbread scented with almond extract, studded with chopped almonds, and rolled in powdered sugar. The melt-in-your-mouth cookie every holiday tin needs.

These delicate, buttery spritz cookies are infused with almond flavor, shaped into crisp wafers, and dipped in a smooth semi-sweet chocolate glaze. Finished with optional almond slices, they’re perfect for holiday trays or an elegant treat any time of year.

Old-fashioned scalloped oysters layered between buttery bread and saltine crumbs, moistened with oyster liquor and cream, then baked until golden. A classic holiday seafood casserole with a crisp top and plump, tender oysters.

Scalloped oysters layered with buttery cracker crumbs, cream, and a drop of Worcestershire. A microwave-quick version of the holiday side that comes together in under 20 minutes without giving up the toasty top.

Chocolate-filled ravioli cookies are sweet pasta-shaped pillows with a crushed chocolate-walnut filling, sealed with fork tines and brushed warm with honey. The Italian-American holiday cookie that doubles as edible art.

Star-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies cut from a chewy cocoa-and-chip sheet bake, then filled with sweet cream cheese frosting. A festive holiday cookie that looks fancy but skips the rolled-dough fuss.

Chocolate almond confections, a no-bake holiday rum ball cousin made with crushed vanilla wafers, melted chocolate, toasted almonds, and a splash of orange Curacao. The kind of homemade candy that keeps for weeks.

Peanut butter cookie dough wrapped around mini Snickers or Mars bars on a stick. Golden, chewy, and loaded with candy bar surprise in every bite. A total showstopper for bake sales and holiday parties.

Orange sugar-crusted meltaway cookies with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, dipped in fresh orange juice and rolled in sugar to form a delicate citrus-sugar shell. A bright, buttery shortbread-style holiday cookie.