Holidays/26 recipes

Cheesy mashed potato soup transforms leftover mashed potatoes into a creamy, sharp cheddar-spiked bowl with sauteed onion and milk. Ready in 20 minutes, perfect for using up the post-holiday potato stash.

Crunchy no-bake chocolate butterscotch clusters with peanuts and chow mein noodles. Only 4 ingredients, 20 minutes, and zero oven time. A holiday cookie tray must-have.

Microwave scalloped oysters: a holiday-table classic shortcut with shucked oysters, breadcrumbs, celery, and a splash of cream baked together in a covered casserole. Ready in 20 minutes, no oven required.

Cinnamon-spiced cranberry sauce made with whole cranberries, sugar and a cinnamon stick. Just four pantry ingredients and 20 minutes for a holiday side that beats anything in a can.

Crown roast of pork stuffed with apple, cranberry, and bread dressing for elegant holiday entertaining. Showstopping centerpiece feeds 16 in 3.5 hours.

Apricot coconut balls are no-bake holiday candies with just four ingredients: dried apricots, shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and a powdered sugar coating. Ready in 20 minutes.

Chewy, warmly spiced mincemeat squares with cinnamon, nutmeg, and bran, drizzled with a sweet confectioners' sugar glaze. A cozy holiday baking treat that makes 16 shareable squares.

No-bake bourbon balls rolled in powdered sugar with crushed vanilla wafers, cocoa, and chopped nuts. A boozy Southern holiday treat ready in 20 minutes flat.

This warm spiced wassail blends claret wine, dry sherry, citrus juices, and cinnamon into a fragrant holiday punch. Ready in 20 minutes, it's the coziest sip for cold-weather gatherings.

Hot spiced punch made in a coffee percolator with cranberry juice, apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Fill the house with the smell of the holidays in 20 minutes.

Tiny Bohemian chocolate cookies with melted milk chocolate, grated walnuts, and butter, baked low and slow until they melt on your tongue. Makes 16 dozen bite-sized cookies for holiday platters.

No-bake snow balls made with peanut butter, crisp rice cereal, and chopped nuts, rolled in powdered sugar and coconut. Holiday-ready cookie tray candy ready in 20 minutes.

Real-meat mincemeat in a manageable 20-serving batch. Beef, suet, apples, raisins, citron, and orange zest simmer with strong coffee, molasses, and warming spices into a deeply flavored holiday pie filling.

No-bake butterscotch haystacks coat corn flakes in melted butterscotch and peanut butter, then fold in mini chocolate chips. Crispy, sweet-salty, and freezer-stable. A 20-minute holiday cookie that needs no oven.

Buttery almond crescent cookies with oats, dusted in powdered sugar like fresh snowfall. A melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookie that bakes in under 20 minutes.

Honey apple tea simmers black tea with apple juice and honey for a warming spiced-cider-meets-tea drink. Perfect for cold afternoons, after-school snacks, and holiday gatherings. Ready in 20 minutes.