The Christmas season is upon us! I’m making my lists and checking them twice! (and keeping watch over Santa’s progress!)
I’m looking forward to gathering with friends and family and enjoying our Christmas traditions together!
Wishing all the best to you and your family! I’m sharing the favorite holiday recipes we enjoy throughout the Christmas season!!
Table of Contents: Christmas & Holiday Recipes
Festive Favorite Appetizers & Beverages:
Cranberry Orange Prosecco Cocktail
Celebrate the holidays or ring in the new year with this festive cocktail! Fresh cranberries, orange and ginger simmer together to make a delicious and beautiful ruby red colored syrup. Pour a little in your glass then top with Prosecco or Champagne! Cheers!
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Bow Tie Bacon Crackers
These are one of my favorite appetizers! They’re incredibly simple to make, just 3 ingredients. They slow cook in the oven and the crackers absorb lots of bacon-y goodness! They get all golden brown and tender-crispy and the bacon cinches in the center of the cracker making them look a little like bow ties!
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Honey Kissed Blue Cheese Tartlets
Super easy savory blue cheese and pecan appetizer nibbles and sweet yogurt and fruit brunch bites using frozen fillo cups and both featuring honey!
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Pizzeria Style Pepperoni Bites
Slices of savory pepperoni all wrapped up in yummy pizza dough, then baked until nice and puffy. When they come out of the oven, they’re slathered with basil pesto oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip & Appetizer Puff Pastry Bites
The classic Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip baked up all warm and cheesy! Get ready to dig in with crostini, veggies or tortilla chips! You can also spoon the dip into these delicious 2-bite appetizer Spinach and Artichoke Dip Puff Pastry Bites! They’re a crowd-pleasing appetizer that freezes very well – great to make ahead!
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Roasted Grape & Shallot Crescent Squares
I have roasted grapes a few times before and I really love them! I have used them in a dessert tart and in a savory sauce. It’s a great way to use up grapes that are turning soft and wrinkly. The grapes are roasted with shallots and are delicious over the creamy cheeses and the crispy crescent dough crust. It makes for a savory and sweet appetizer that disappears quickly!
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Dill Pickle Dip Recipe
Everyone loves this dip! It’s quick and easy to make. I usually serve with potato chips! Also great as a burger topping!
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Herb and Garlic Roasted Olives
I find myself making these easy little olive nibbles all the time throughout the holidays. They are the perfect addition to a nice cheese board, antipasto or crudité platter. They are crazy simple to make and you won’t believe they started as a simple can of black olives.
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Mini Spinach and Artichoke Empanadas
Classic Spinach and Artichoke Dip gets an update – all wrapped up in 2-bite sized empanadas! They bake up golden brown and flaky, literally bursting with creamy spinach and artichoke dip. (Take a short cut and use refrigerated pie crust.)
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Buffalo Chicken Dip (Stand Mixer)
Classic Buffalo Chicken Dip! Shred the chicken & Mix the dip right in your stand mixer! 5-simple ingredients! Party favorite! Big game appetizer!
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Marry Me Chicken Dip (Slow Cooker or Oven Baked
Tender shredded chicken, 3 flavorful cheeses, tangy ranch dressing, sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil. You can heat it in your slow cooker or bake until all bubbly in the oven. I love dipping into it with crunchy toasted baguette slices.
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Dirty Martini Dip
A delicious, savory and creamy dip with all the flavors of a dirty martini cocktail!
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Warm Butternut Squash & Black Bean Salsa
Delicious warm salsa also makes a great filling for tacos, burritos, etc.
Better Recipes, Mexican Contest Winner 9/6/12
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Christmas Savories: Pasta, Breads and Sides
Caramelized Shallot & Crispy Prosciutto Salad Recipe
I have been on a shallot and balsamic kick lately, so I decided on a simple caramelized shallot dressing with prosciutto crisps and some blue cheese crumbles. The dressing and the crisps can be made ahead of time, so when combined with pre-washed packaged greens it’s a cinch to pull together – even in the salad doldrums of winter!
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Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
Tender thinly sliced potatoes layered with white cheddar and gruyere cheese baked with cream and stock that’s seasoned with Dijon mustard and thyme. A sprinkling of extra cheese on top browns up nice and crispy.
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Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Casserole
Nothing beats a bubbly, cheesy delicious pasta casserole!This easy to pull together comfort-food casserole is something everyone will love! It combines fresh broccoli, chicken, your favorite penne pasta and a jar of alfredo sauce – plus some flavor boosting seasonings and mozzarella cheese! YUM!
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Spinach, Mushroom & Pepper Stuffed Shells
I love these “holiday” stuffed shells…They are festive looking, they feed a crowd, you can make them ahead, they freeze well and everyone loves them! They’re filled with lots of spinach, mushrooms and roasted red peppers…as well as three yummy cheeses! Healthy veggies with just enough ooey gooey cheese – naughty & nice! Makes approx. 44 stuffed shells (about 8-10 servings) You can split the recipe between two dishes and freeze one for later.
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Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
A delicious twist on traditional stuffed shells! These are stuffed with roasted butternut squash and ricotta cheese, then drizzled with a creamy sauce made with wine and a little sage. Finish them off with pine nuts and blue cheese crumbles. For a big family party, we’ll make 1 pan of these, 1 pan of spinach stuffed shells and 1 pan of traditional stuffed shells – something for everyone!
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Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes that you can mash with your hand mixer or mash and whip with your KitchenAid Stand Mixer (see video in recipe post on website.) Make ahead 1-2 hours and keep them warm in your slow-cooker.
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Make Butter with Your Food Processor
Who knew you could churn your own butter using your food processor? I knew you could make it in your stand mixer, but a food processor makes it all a little neater! It tastes amazingly fresh and light!
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Homemade Garlic Parmesan Crescent Rolls (or Plain)
Homemade crescent rolls are rich, buttery and bake up fluffy and light! They are truly special and worth a little extra time. You can choose the Plain Buttery Homemade Crescent Roll version or the Parmesan Garlic Crescent Rolls! Both are scrumptious!
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The Brussels Sprouts You Will Fight Over
Awesome air-fryer Brussels sprouts! Plus – Roasted Garlic and Thyme sauce to dip them in!
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Christmas Sweets: Scrumptious Treats to Delight!
North Pole Pie “Peppermint Bark” Mousse Pie
This fun, festive holiday pie is what happens when peppermint bark candy meets a light and fluffy cloud! First, you'll taste fluffy whipped cream and crunchy peppermint bits, then white chocolate peppermint mousse studded with more peppermint bits. Next, there's fudgy chocolate ganache and a crunchy chocolate cookie crust! I can't wait to make this pie again!
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Red Velvet White Chocolate (Slow Cooker) Lava Cake
This Red Velvet White Chocolate (Slow Cooker) Lava Cake combines warm and gooey red velvet cake (from a box mix!) cooked together with a creamy white chocolate lava filling! It's a really easy and great for a crowd! Plus it doesn't need any oven space! I like to serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate chips!See Notes for Oven baking directions.
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Easy Chocolate Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Rich, Moist Chocolate Loaf Cake with Chocolate Chips or Peppermint Bark Chips!Easy Chocolate Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze starts with a chocolate box cake mix which makes it super fast and easy to mix up! We add sour cream, eggs, oil and pudding mix which makes the loaf super moist and delicious! A little coffee enhances the chocolate flavor! Then you can customize by mixing in chocolate chips or peppermint bark chips. A creamy cream cheese glaze gets poured over the top of the loaf cake and you can add the sprinkles of your choice!
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Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel and Maple Glaze
Tender, fluffy blueberry muffins all dressed up for fall with a crumbly cinnamon streusel topping and a sweet maple glaze. Make sure to spray or grease the top of your muffin tin as the muffins will develop a scrumptious overhanging muffin top that gets a little crunchy!
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How to Make: Dubai Style Pistachio Oreo Truffles
I took the basic flavors of a Dubai Style Chocolate Bar and created an Oreo truffle version! They're absolutely scrumptious and fun to make! The filling of my Dubai Style Pistachio Oreo Truffles is made from homemade rich and buttery pistachio butter, light and crispy phyllo pastry shells and Golden Oreo Sandwich Cookies – that lend their familiar crunchy, creamy vanilla flavor!
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Orange Cinnamon Sweet Roll Monkey Bread:
Remember those refrigerated orange cinnamon rolls? This Orange Cinnamon Sweet Roll Monkey Bread recipe takes those flavors and makes them so much better! Homemade orange kissed sweet roll yeast dough is combined with butter and orange scented cinnamon sugar, a gooey brown sugar syrup, then baked until fluffy, sticky and golden brown in a Bundt pan. While still warm the monkey bread is drizzled with a simple orange glaze. Then it's fun to pull off pieces of monkey bread to enjoy or it can alternatively be served in slices like coffee cake!
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Fluffy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls rise overnight in the refrigerator.
This dough is rich with butter, milk, an egg and egg yolks – reminds me of tender and rich brioche dough. I always spread the warm rolls with a simple icing the melts, coats the rolls and slips into all the cinnamon swirls. Sometimes I make a simple butter, powdered sugar and milk icing, sometimes I make one with cream cheese – either way, they’re delicious!
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Sticky Buns
Sticky Buns are cinnamon rolls that are baked in a sticky, gooey mixture of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup, lots of times also with nuts and raisins. After baking the pan is inverted and the sticky mixture becomes a sticky topping! They are delicious and very popular here in Pennsylvania.
Adapted from “Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls”
Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook, 1996
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Frozen Marshmallow Whipped Cream Cocoa Toppers
Elevate your Cocoa or Coffee drink with these adorable, easy to make and scrumptious Marshmallow Whipped Cream Toppers! Make ahead and freeze for up to a month!
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Classic Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies
Classic Gingerbread Cookies to roll and cut out with your favorite cookie cutters! The dough is flavored with the classic spices: ginger, cinnamon and clove. A little touch of orange zest makes them extra special! Decorate with simple royal icing and let the cookie party begin!
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Gram’s Classic Sugar Cookies with Icing
These are my favorite sugar cookies! They are buttery, soft and have great vanilla flavor. Grandma Appolonia always added a little white icing to the top of them.
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Soft Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
These Soft Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are thick, soft, chewy and have just enough tang from the cream cheese to offset some of the sweetness in the cookie and the buttercream frosting. Makes 2 dozen (2 1/2 inch approx.) Cookies.
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Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Pudding Cake
Cozy Warm Dessert – Mix & Cook Right in Your Slow Cooker!This Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Pudding cake is kind of magical! There's a cake layer in the bottom that you mix right in your slow cooker. Then you add a fresh diced Granny Smith apple mixture right over the cake layer. Lastly, over the top, you pour an apple cider/juice mixture. Once it's all layered in – DON'T STIR and DON'T PEAK! ( : It magically creates a warm cinnamon and apple flavored pudding cake that is studded with pretty dried cranberry "jewels" on the top …and… under the apple pudding cake a gooey sauce mixture forms. It's a perfect dessert for the holidays!Serves 8-12 depending upon serving size.
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I made the Dubai oreo truffles for Christmas and they were gone in a flash. Now everyone has requested them for Easter. Nice recipe. I used Dubai chocolate to dip them into.