5 Fun Holiday Recipes to Try
The holidays are all about gathering with your loved ones, sharing thanks, and digging into mouth-watering holiday classics like mashed potatoes, honey glazed ham, and pumpkin pie. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or any other winter celebration, there’s no better thing to bond over than a delicious home-cooked meal.
To get you ready for the holidays, we’ve created a list of our favorite fun holiday recipes that will surely be a hit. And don’t worry, no need to be a head chef at a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars. These recipes are simple enough for first-time chefs and the critically acclaimed—enjoy!
1. Decorative cake pops
Cake is always great, but have you ever had it in lollipop form? Cake pops are the new rave—and for good reason. You don’t have to commit to shoveling down a gigantic piece of cake (which is completely acceptable if you choose to do so), or you can have multiple and taste a variety of flavors while still having room for more.
To make cake pops, simply bake your cake as you normally would. Then, once it’s ready to go, mash it up and form balls or any other fun holiday shapes, like Christmas trees, reindeer, and ornaments. Once they’re in formation, shove a stick through them, decorate with frosting, sprinkles and other sweet treats, and they’ll be good to go! Anyone who takes a bite will question whether they were bought from a bakery or made right in your kitchen.
2. Christmas tree cheese ball
You can never go wrong with cheese. This holiday season, get festive by creating your own Christmas tree cheese ball. With some cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and some spices, you can mold your very own Christmas tree cheese ball. Then, cover it with some freshly chopped dill and parsley to resemble pine needles, pomegranate seeds for ornaments, and buttery Ritz crackers for dipping.
3. Christmas cookies
No one can resist dessert, especially tasty cookies. Give a gift your guests can bite into, like holiday-inspired cookies in the shape of Christmas-themed items. With food safe silicone molds, you can shape your cookies into perfect squares to resemble gifts, or any other shape you desire, such as Christmas trees, ornaments, and snowmen.
Once your cookies are baked, whether they’re chocolate chip, sugar, or gingerbread cookies, pull out the icing and begin decorating. Make sure you have plenty of different colored food dyes, such as red, blue, green, yellow, and purple, to style your cookies with ribbons, bows, and more. Then, use sprinkles and other types of candy for your finishing touches.
4. Mulled wine
There’s nothing quite like a glass of wine, especially during the holidays. Rather than a traditional glass of vino, warm yourself and your guests up with warm mulled wine, vin chaud, vino caliente, vinho quente, or whatever you call it, depending on where in the world life may find you.
Creating mulled wine is an excellent way to ring in the holidays, as it’s easy to make and always a hit at any gathering. First, pick out your favorite red or white wine and pour it into a pot and bring to a simmer. Then, throw in some orange slices, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, mulling spices like cardamom, cloves, and star anise, and finish it with a sweetener like sugar, honey, maple syrup, or agave.
Once you’ve let your concoction simmer on medium-high heat for anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours, strain the oranges and mulling spices, and serve! For an extra kick, feel free to add additional liquor, such as cognac, bourbon, or brandy. The options are endless when it comes to creating your own mulled wine recipe.
5. Christmas casserole
To wow everyone on your guest list, surprise them with a mouth-watering Christmas casserole that will make them look forward to Christmas at your home every year. There are endless varieties of Christmas casseroles you can bake. Some of our favorite ideas include:
- Sweet potato casserole
- Baked cauliflower mac n’ cheese casserole
- Brussel sprouts gratin
- Green bean casserole
- Cornbake casserole
- Eggplant parmesan lasagna
As you can see, there are dozens of ideas when it comes to making a Christmas casserole. Whether you want it as your main dish or side dish, these are just some of our fan-favorite casserole recipes.
Wrapping up
While this holiday season might not look like previous years’ gatherings, it doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to fun and tasty holiday recipes, whether you’re cooking for yourself or just your immediate family.