Holidays/7 recipes

Four ways to shape holiday butter cookie dough: cutouts with egg paint, spritz cookies, chocolate caramel marbles, and coconut macaroon wreaths. One dough, endless options.

This easy make-ahead cocktail sausage recipe combines BBQ sauce's smoky, tangy flavors with the sweet, tart taste of cranberry sauce for a delightful burst of seasonal flavors.

A delicious blend of crunchy cereal, salty peanuts, and sweet candy-coated chocolate pieces blanketed in a buttery, peanut butter-enriched coating. This snack mix is perfect for any occasion you have guests to entertain; everyone will enjoy it. The recipe can be easily made in the oven or microwave and is perfect for sharing with friends and family.

Try this crockpot rendition of hot cocoa that is perfect for a large group of people!

Soft applesauce spice drop cookies with cold coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, raisins, and nuts. One batch makes 7 dozen with just a 7-minute bake time - a holiday baking staple.

Carmelitas wrap chocolate cookie dough around a soft caramel center, then dunk the baked cookies in a glossy chocolate glaze. Surprise-center holiday cookie that bakes up in 7 minutes.

Old-fashioned mince meat with calf tongue, suet, dried fruit, candied citrus, brandy and whiskey. The traditional pie filling, aged in a crock for at least 7 weeks for deep holiday flavor.

No-bake peanut butter cookies shaped into acorn points, dipped in melted chocolate, and rolled in chopped nuts. 60 cookies from 7 ingredients. A fun holiday or party treat.

Maple glazed ham for the smoker: a 7-pound cooked ham basted in spiced maple syrup, studded with cloves, and smoked slow with pineapple and cherries for a holiday showstopper.

"A tall, impressive cake that showcases the flavors and smells of the holidays. A three-layer extravaganza with a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. It fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. It will be talked about long after the party is over." Source: The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather

"This cake is a rich, dark, moist fruit cake, very flavorful at Christmas. Try icing with almond paste for a more festive touch. This recipe is started in October or November so as to let it mellow before the holidays. I remember very well my mother storing her fruit cake in an old butter churn that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother. I wish that I had that old crock."

Holiday gingerbread cutout cookies made with molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices. Dough chills for 1 hour, rolls to perfect thickness, then cuts into festive shapes ready for decorating.

Chewy oatmeal cookie dough shaped into snowmen and decorated for the holidays. A fun winter baking project for kids that makes four big cookie snowmen.

No-bake walnut chocolate rum balls rolled in cocoa powder. Made with grated milk chocolate, chopped walnuts, powdered sugar, and real rum. A rich holiday candy ready in 15 minutes, makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Miniature pecan pies bake up in 17 minutes for a one-bite holiday treat. Dark corn syrup filling, chopped pecans, and an egg-white-sealed tart shell keep the bottoms crisp. Sixteen tarts per batch.

I got this recipe from "TheSouthernLadyCooks.com" Here's a blurb from her website: "These rolls will melt in your mouth. I have made them for years and they are wonderful. My family looks forward to these rolls during the holidays. I think this recipe was on a box of grits years and years ago."