Our Best Christmas Recipes, Tips & Tricks

Let’s talk caramels. The candy kind. The chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, deeply sweet, and insanely addictive kind. These make some of the best gifts ever, whether the event is Christmas, a birthday, a thank you for a favor, or a thoughtful hostess gift. Or no reason at all. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry, and if you haven’t made caramels recently, you probably don’t know how easy they can be. Grab a bag of sugar and your candy thermometer, folks!

Irish coffee is one of our favorite St. Patrick’s Day treats — though we also enjoy it on Black Friday (staying home, skipping shopping) and on both Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. So when Sheela Prakash shared her uncle’s rules for making the very best Irish coffee I had to give his method a try. It turns out, just a few key points make for a better Irish coffee that is perfect for celebrating the everyday.

Give this gift to yourself.

Tastes like a ticket to Paris.

Our favorite way to eat cauliflower isn’t as a cauliflower pizza crust or cauliflower rice, it’s an extremely creamy mash. But before we designate mashed cauliflower as just a lighter version of mashed potatoes, let’s consider why it is a side dish with merits all its own. You can’t over-mash or over-whip cauliflower the way you can potatoes. Without potato’s starch to contend with, you can purée the cauliflower all day with no risk of gumminess.

It's perfectly retro.

You had me at crispy bacon and gooey cheese.

You can prep it the day before.

You won't believe how I do it.

Fondant potatoes look like a dish you’d order in a fancy restaurant. But don’t be intimidated by their appearance — they take less than one hour to make and use humble ingredients you might already have on hand. They also come together using just one pan, making cleanup a breeze. Serve them with seared steak or roast chicken for a restaurant-quality dinner at home. Or serve them alongside prime rib for an impressive holiday meal.

They're a new tradition.

Whether it’s a small, intimate celebration with my family at home or a gathering with the extended family, my favorite way to kick off a holiday morning is with an extra-special breakfast. But since I’d much rather enjoy my time with my family than spend it in the kitchen, I make a point to stick with a breakfast that can be cooked through (or at least totally prepped) the day before.

It was only a few years back when my mom first decided to bake stollen for Christmas morning. Traditionally, she baked her signature coffee cake after stockings, but with a house filled with more holiday guests than usual, she decided to expand the morning menu.I can still remember her kneading the dough on the 23rd, and when I later walked past the countertop, I encountered the most supple, glistening dome of dough I had ever seen.

Looking for an exciting holiday showstopper desert or no-bake summer stunner that’s ridiculously easy to make? Let us talk you into making trifle. In case you’re new to the dessert, trifle is a classic English dessert that usually consists of layered sponge cake, fruit, and custard, but there’s a lot of room for creativity. Serve it in a traditional glass trifle bowl to display the layers and you will be thankful trifle is so deceivingly impressive.

You'll make it on repeat.

It's an easy and impressive way to feed a crowd.

You've never had creamed corn like this.

It's ridiculously good — and surprisingly easy to make.

They're a holiday miracle.

It's a showstopper that only requires four ingredients.

A hot and fruity Mexican Christmas punch.

Consider them the ultimate comfort cookie.

It's all about the icing on the cake.

And it's so easy!

People love them.

It’s not what you think.

So rich, so buttery.

They look so fancy.

They taste like Reese's, only better.

‘Tis the season.

They’re a family favorite for a reason.

They're a classic for a reason.

The secret’s in the cream cheese.

They make a statement.

So easy and delicious.

Calling all chocolate-lovers!

Prepare to win the “best guest” award!

Because we all know the big feast isn't complete without it.

The very best gifts are the edible sort!

Don't mess with a classic — unless you can improve it.

They taste just like the real deal.

You probably have all the ingredients you need to make it already.

Nobody wants to settle for dry or gluey mashed potatoes.

I can't stop snacking on them.

We love number 7.

Make this the year you try it.

Ready to pack into little pink boxes — or directly into your mouth.

Thanks to a preheated baking sheet and a drizzle of honey, these sprouts are extra caramelized and extra crispy.

Just saying.

On one of my very first forays into journalism, I was tasked with interviewing some local Atlanta lifestyle celebrities about comfort foods and one interview in particular has stuck with me. Recently it once again popped into my mind giving me the ideal drink idea for our 10-Minute Happy Hour. At the time Lee May was a garden journalist for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

Fast, flavorful, and super easy.

There really is nothing quite like a multi-day cooking project to ease winter’s biting chill, and with the current temperatures in the single digits I’m sure we could all use an activity to bide our time indoors. These Southern-style tamales are the perfect way to get your friends and family off the couch and into the kitchen, and a batch is guaranteed to keep your minds occupied and bellies warm!

If hash brown casserole had a bougie aunt, this dish would be it.

Just when I thought I’d filled my arsenal with enough delicious homemade holiday treats, along came heavenly hash to sweep them all under the carpet. The combination of bittersweet chocolate, roasted almonds, and marshmallows is truly a gift from above! Heavenly Hash may be better known as an ice cream flavor, but it actually started out as a candy.

I strongly recommend rounding out your brunch spread with a seasonal fruit salad that's just as hearty as it is fresh.

It feels so fancy to put them on a cookie tray for a spot of afternoon tea.

Crisp on the outside, gooey on the inside.