This easy peppermint bark combines semisweet or milk chocolate, creamy white chocolate, and crushed candy canes in a festive, no-bake treat you can break into shareable pieces. A sheet of peppermint bark makes holiday candy feel wonderfully approachable. There is no dough to mix or sugar syrup to cook: the work is in melting gently,…
White chocolate pretzel clusters are an easy, three-ingredient Christmas treat with salty mini pretzels, a sweet white coating, and cheerful red and green sprinkles. When the oven is already busy with holiday baking, a tray of no-bake clusters is a welcome addition to the kitchen. The pretzels supply the crunch, melting wafers make the coating…
Wafer-based chocolate Lebkuchen combine hazelnuts, walnuts, candied citrus, and warm spice in rounded German Christmas cookies with a thin edible wafer base and a dark chocolate finish. These substantial holiday cookies have a different character from a flour-based gingerbread cutout. Their body comes from chopped and finely ground nuts mixed with eggs, sugar, and candied…
German Pfeffernüsse spice cookies are small, warmly spiced cookies with molasses, cocoa, ground almonds, and a bright lemon icing that dries to a delicate white finish. These rounded Christmas cookies offer a little of everything: a fragrant brown crumb, a soft bite, and a tangy coating that balances the rich dough. Anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger,…
This old-fashioned Christmas date nut bread is a dark, tender quick bread filled with chopped dates and crunchy nuts, with brown sugar and hot coffee bringing depth to every slice. A loaf like this belongs beside a warm drink on a December afternoon, but its simple preparation works just as well for an everyday baking…
Cherry winks cookies combine chopped dates, pecans, and maraschino cherries in a soft cookie with a crunchy cornflake coating and a bright cherry top. With their red cherry “winks” and craggy golden edges, these cookies bring a cheerful, old-fashioned look to a holiday plate. Inside, chopped dates provide chewy pockets of sweetness, pecans contribute a…
Italian almond paste cookies have a tender, chewy center, a lightly golden edge, and a delicate powdered sugar finish with almonds on top. Almond paste is the heart of this simple cookie dough. Combined with sugar, egg whites, and almond extract, it produces a richly flavored cookie without a separate addition of flour or butter….
Italian mostaccioli cookies combine cocoa, almonds, honey, and warm spices in a diamond-shaped cookie finished with melted chocolate. A tray of glossy chocolate diamonds makes a striking addition to a Christmas cookie assortment. This working version of mostaccioli has a substantial almond dough scented with cinnamon, cloves, citrus, and vanilla. Honey contributes both sweetness and…
Buttery, delicately crumbly Italian pecan crescent cookies are packed with finely chopped pecans and finished with a snowy dusting of powdered sugar. These little crescents bring a simple, welcoming touch to a Christmas cookie plate. Their appeal comes from the contrast between the soft sugar coating and the rich, nut-filled interior. The dough uses everyday…
Quick, buttery dinner rolls made with Greek yogurt and baking powder instead of yeast. Greek yogurt dinner rolls are useful when you want warm bread without planning a long rise. The yogurt gives the dough moisture and a gentle tang, while baking powder and a little baking soda provide the lift. These rolls have a…