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Hostess With the Mostess More Christmas Party Ideas

  • Baked Brie

    35 min
    Easiest baked brie EVER! Brie cheese topped with jam, wrapped in puff pastry or crescent roll dough, and baked until melty. Delicious!
  • Swedish Meatballs

    1 hr, 20 min
    The BEST Swedish meatballs recipe! Made from a mixture of beef and pork, flavored with nutmeg and cardamom and served with a tasty Swedish Meatball sauce.
  • Stuffed mushroom caps on an appetizer tray

    40 min
    Vegetarian
    These classic stuffed mushrooms are loaded with shallots, garlic, walnuts, breadcrumbs, and chopped mushroom stems. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pop them in the oven and you've got a great appetizer for the holidays.
  • Gougeres Cheddar Cheese Puffs

    50 min
    Light and airy savory cheese puffs (gourgères) with cheddar cheese and thyme.
  • Cranberry Glazed Meatballs

    1 hr
    Cranberry glazed meatballs with lean ground turkey, thyme, fennel seeds, ricotta, glazed with a spicy-sweet ruby red cranberry sauce.
  • Honey Hazelnut Baked Brie

    45 min
    Festive Baked Brie! Drizzled with a sweet and sour honey sauce and toasted hazelnuts.
  • Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip with Bacon in a white casserole dish

    35 min
    Gluten-Free
    This Spinach Artichoke Dip with crunchy smoky bacon will disappear in a flash at your next party! Make this for football parties, game nights with friends, or any gathering that needs a dip on the table.
  • Pimento Cheese in bowl surrounded by crackers

    15 min
    Vegetarian
    Pimento Cheese! It's a Southern staple: a spreadable dip for celery, sandwiches, crackers. We make ours with pimentos, cheddar and jack cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese. Dig in!
  • Easy focaccia bread with rosemary baked and cooling on a cooling rack

    4 hrs, 50 min
    Homemade focaccia is simply the BEST! It's easy to make, but be sure to give yourself the afternoon. You'll be rewarded with a rich, rosemary-scented bread that feeds a crowd. Serve as an appetizer or as a side with soup, roasts, or braises.
  • Smoked Salmon Dip with Capers - smoked salmon dip with crackers on tray

    10 min
    Low Carb
    Take your party appetizer game up a notch! This pretty pink smoked salmon dip is ready in minutes, makes any occasion feel extra special, and tastes just as good with crackers as it does with crudités.

Christmas Cookies Galore! More Christmas Cookies

  • Walnut Snowball Cookies

    45 min
    These festive holiday Snowball Cookies are made with finely chopped walnuts, flour, and vanilla, then rolled into balls and dusted with powdered sugar. They freeze well and ship well, too!
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies on Plate

    4 hrs, 35 min
    Chocolate crinkle cookies! Chocolate dough rolled in powdered sugar and baked into a festive black and white cookie. They're the perfect Christmas cookies!
  • Gingerbread Man Cookies

    2 hrs
    Gingerbread Cookies are the essence of the holidays and are deeply flavored with spices and molasses. Decorate with royal icing and enjoy them for dessert or on your Christmas tree!
  • Mexican Wedding Cookies

    1 hr, 28 min
    Crumbly, buttery, and nutty - Mexican Wedding Cookies are irresistible. Also called Russian Tea Cakes. Make with pecans, walnuts, almonds, or any other nut.
  • Easy Peanut Butter Cookies on a serving plate

    3 hrs, 40 min
    These are the best peanut butter cookies ever! Use your favorite store-brand peanut butter and a combination of white and brown sugar. For the best cookie shape, let the dough chill for at least three hours before baking.
  • Chocolate Covered Pretzels

    1 hr, 20 min
    Chocolate-Covered Pretzels are a fun and easy snack to make at home! Decorate with drizzles or sprinkles for a holiday treat.
  • Christmas Crack

    8 hrs, 25 min
    Christmas Crack! Saltine crackers coated with caramel and chocolate. A salty, crunchy holiday treat. What's not to love?
  • Thumbprint Cookies

    55 min
    Thumbprint Cookies! These buttery little cookies are filled with jam and rolled with nuts. Make this classic cookie for your next cookie exchange or holiday party.

  • 1 hr, 15 min
    Chocolate rum balls! These easy no-bake treats are perfect for your next holiday party.
  • Peanut Butter balls or Buckeye balls

    2 hrs, 12 min
    Gluten-Free, Low Carb
    Chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls or Buckeye balls are so easy to make at home with this easy Buckeye recipe. An essential for any cookie tray!
  • Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

    2 hrs, 27 min
    Soft, chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies! Made with dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and fresh ginger.
  • Oatmeal Lace Cookies

    20 min
    Crispy, lacy oatmeal cookies. So impressive on a cookie tray.
  • Finished Candy Cane Cookies on Baking Pan

    3 hrs, 28 min
    Candy Cane Cookies! Twists of red-and-white cookie dough flavored with peppermint extract. Such a fun way to celebrate the holidays!
  • Overhead shot of magic cookie bars ready to eat

    35 min
    Classic 7-layer magic bars with chocolate, nuts, butterscotch, and coconut! They're the perfect make-ahead dessert for your next party.
  • Peanut butter blossoms in a wide ceramic bowl.

    22 min
    Nostalgia alert! When was the last time you made these favorite childhood cookies? Don't know? Let's remedy that. Chocolate and peanut butter belong together, and these easy cookies prove it.
  • How to make the Best Chocolate Chip cookies from this Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

    47 min
    These homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies are the BEST! One special ingredient helps deepens the flavor and gives the chocolate chip cookies a chewier texture. Save this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's that good.
  • Pfeffernüsse Spice Cookies

    30 min
    Pfeffernüsse Spice Cookies! Traditional German Christmas cookies made with a blend of spices like ginger, cinnamon, and white pepper and glazed. These cookies store and ship very well.
  • Chewy, Brownie Peppermint Bark Cookies

    15 min
    Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies! These chewy, chocolate brownie cookies are studded with pieces of peppermint bark. They're the ultimate holiday treat! Best enjoyed next to a roaring fire with hot cocoa.
  • Spritz Cookies

    35 min
    Spritz cookies are a classic Christmas cookie! With roots in Germany and Scandinavia, they're a simple butter cookie pressed into festive shapes and topped with all sorts of garnishes.
  • Holiday Pinwheel Cookies

    4 hrs, 40 min
    Holiday Pinwheel Cookies are so fun on a cookie tray! Made by rolling with two colors of dough together. Freeze the log of dough for up to a month for slice-and-bake cookies.
  • stained glass cookies

    2 hrs, 10 min
    Beautiful, festive stained glass cookies. Sugar cookies cut out and filled with hard candy to look like stained glass windows when they are baked.
  • Sugar Cookies

    Tried-and-true, fabulous sugar cookie recipe! Old fashioned, easy to make buttery cookies, perfect to decorate for the holidays!
  • Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies in Basket

    30 min
    Here's a classic, chewy Oatmeal Cookie! This was Grandma's favorite oatmeal cookie recipe, made with oats, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and shortening. Walnuts and raisins are optional.
  • Peppermint Meringue Cookies

    Gluten-Free
    Light and airy peppermint meringue cookies, made with egg whites, sugar, crushed candy peppermints, and optional chocolate chips.
  • Cinnamon Snap Cookies

    2 hrs, 42 min
    Cinnamon Snaps! This version of crispy gingersnap cookies are packed with cinnamon and sweetened with honey. They're a good choice for bake sales and holiday cookie trays.

Christmas Morning

  • The best cinnamon rolls frosted with cream cheese frosting.

    9 hrs, 50 min
    These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls taste like they came from a bakery! They're soft and fluffy, and topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. A make-ahead dough breaks up the work.

  • 1 hr, 5 min
    Take your favorite egg and cheese bagel sandwich and turn it into a make-ahead breakfast casserole instead! This breakfast bake is an easy crowd-pleaser.
  • Make Ahead French Toast Casserole

    55 min
    This EASY French toast casserole has a super crunchy cinnamon-sugar top! Bake right away, or make it ahead and refrigerate overnight. Give your family a treat this Saturday morning!
  • Biscuits and Gravy Bake

    1 hr
    The Southern favorite, biscuits and gravy, gets the casserole treatment! Assemble the gravy ahead of time; make this for a hungry brunching crowd, and you'll taste why it's a classic!
  • Sausage Breakfast Casserole

    1 hr, 25 min
    EASY sausage breakfast casserole! Made with eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, cubed day old bread, and Italian pork sausage. Perfect brunch casserole.
  • Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

    1 hr, 20 min
    Make-ahead ham and cheese breakfast casserole! Just bread, cheese, tomatoes, ham, eggs, and milk. Feeds a crowd.
  • Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe - coffee cake on blue plate

    1 hr, 20 min
    Love Starbucks Coffee Cake? This version is even better. Tender, buttery cake topped with crunchy crumbles and a cinnamon-sugar ribbon running through the middle. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, and dig in!
  • How to Make Stuffed French Toast

    25 min
    French toast is good, but this Honey Ricotta Stuffed French Toast is even better! It only looks and sounds fancy—you can whip this up in less than a half hour.
  • Eggs Benedict

    25 min
    Making Eggs Benedict is easier than you think — especially if you make Hollandaise in a blender! It just takes a little planning and know-how. Perfect for a special meal for a special someone.
  • Pancakes Using Homemade Pancake Mix

    5 min
    Vegetarian
    Homemade Pancake Mix comes together in mere minutes and keeps for up to six months! Fluffy, buttery pancakes piled high on a Saturday morning are just a scoop away.
  • Best fruit cake on a serving platter

    2 hrs, 15 min
    This easy Christmas fruitcake is perfect for the holidays. It's light, tender, and full of dried fruits and nuts. Sprinkle the loaf with brandy, or leave it out! Either way, this fruit cake is a welcome addition to the holiday table.

  • Quiche Lorraine with a buttery crust and a tender filling with our favorite food group - bacon!
  • Overnight Breakfast Casserole

    1 hr, 5 min
    This breakfast casserole is adaptable to whatever ingredients you have on hand—cheese, veggies, meats—and can be assembled the night before and baked in the morning. Or eaten for dinner—your choice!

Recent Christmas Recipes & Ideas

  • Peanut Butter balls or Buckeye balls

    2 hrs, 12 min
    Gluten-Free, Low Carb
    Chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls or Buckeye balls are so easy to make at home with this easy Buckeye recipe. An essential for any cookie tray!
  • Easy chocolate mousse in serving glasses and set on a tray.

    8 hrs, 35 min
    Classic chocolate mousse makes any dinner feel a little more fancy. It's great for a dinner party because it looks so pretty, everyone gets their own serving, and you can make it ahead.
  • Applesauce cake, frosted and with a piece removed.

    1 hr
    Welcome fall with this easy applesauce cake! It's rich, moist, and fragrant with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Top with cream cheese frosting or leave plain.
  • Cosmopolitan ingredients on a counter with a cosmo drink in front.

    5 min
    Nothing like a Cosmopolitan! Made with citrus vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup, this easy-to-make cocktail is a favorite for every occasion.
  • The best cinnamon rolls frosted with cream cheese frosting.

    9 hrs, 50 min
    These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls taste like they came from a bakery! They're soft and fluffy, and topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. A make-ahead dough breaks up the work.
  • Overhead view of a homemade coconut cream pie with a slice removed and set on a plate to the right.

    1 hr, 10 min
    Toasted coconut and creamy custard in a perfectly flaky pie crust topped with pillowy whipped cream: this is all you need to make any day feel like a day at the beach. This toasted coconut cream pie will become a family favorite in no time!
  • Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream topped with caramel sauce in a bowl

    45 min
    Gluten-Free
    This homemade vanilla ice cream is made with a custard base, sugar, cream, and real vanilla beans. So classic and so good! Serve it topped with caramel sauce or alongside a slice of apple pie.
  • Overhead shot of magic cookie bars ready to eat

    35 min
    Classic 7-layer magic bars with chocolate, nuts, butterscotch, and coconut! They're the perfect make-ahead dessert for your next party.
  • Two small bowls of marshmallow salad with cherries on top are at the front of the image. Two spoons are crossed to the right of the first bowl. A striped dish towel is in the background.

    15 min
    This Classic Ambrosia Salad recipe is a throwback to a simpler time. It’s just fruit, whipped cream, marshmallows, and almonds. Ambrosia salad is a light, airy, sweet treat.
  • Easy focaccia bread with rosemary baked and cooling on a cooling rack

    4 hrs, 50 min
    Homemade focaccia is simply the BEST! It's easy to make, but be sure to give yourself the afternoon. You'll be rewarded with a rich, rosemary-scented bread that feeds a crowd. Serve as an appetizer or as a side with soup, roasts, or braises.
  • Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce served in a bowl

    1 hr, 25 min
    These classic Italian-American style meatballs are huge and pillowy soft! They're mixed with ground beef and pork, loaded with herbs and cheese, and served with a traditional tomato sauce. Make them baseball-sized for a dinner entree, or roll them smaller for an appetizer.
  • Horizontal view of white plate with slice of small batch lasagna and garnished with chopped parsley. A partial view of the baked lasagna in the glass pan is to the right of the plate. Above the plate to the left is a small bowl of lettuce and a tumbler. A fork is on the left of the plate.

    1 hr, 5 min
    This small-batch weeknight lasagna comfortably serves two and is ready in half the time as a larger batch. Loaf Pan Lasagna is layered with chunky pieces of sausage and rustic-but-quick tomato sauce.
  • Old fashioned cocktail ingredients

    2 min
    An Old Fashioned is a true classic. Made with whiskey, sugar, Angostura bitters, and an orange peel (or cherry) for garnish, it's a cocktail made for whiskey lovers!
  • Earl grey tea and tonic drink with ice

    55 min
    Healthy
    Don't drink or trying to drink less? A rich tea syrup is a great way to add flavor and body to a non-alcoholic drink, like in this citrusy Earl Grey Tea and Tonic mocktail.

  • 38 min
    Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegetarian
    These Mini Flourless Chocolate Olive Oil Cakes are do delicious and decadent, you might be surprised to see healthy ingredients in the recipe. They're gluten-free (thanks to the almond flour!) and made with olive oil instead of butter. And the flavor? So rich and satisfying.
  • Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip with Bacon in a white casserole dish

    35 min
    Gluten-Free
    This Spinach Artichoke Dip with crunchy smoky bacon will disappear in a flash at your next party! Make this for football parties, game nights with friends, or any gathering that needs a dip on the table.
  • Kir royale cocktail recipe

    2 min
    A Chambord Kir Royale is a festive sparkling wine cocktail made with Chambord, a delicious berry-infused liqueur. Cheers to that!
  • Gingerbread Man Cookies

    2 hrs
    Gingerbread Cookies are the essence of the holidays and are deeply flavored with spices and molasses. Decorate with royal icing and enjoy them for dessert or on your Christmas tree!
  • Side view of a cooking ham with a bone in and sitting on a cutting board.

    2 hrs
    Glazed Baked Ham is so easy and delicious! Choose from two different glazes, both with honey. Baked ham is a great way to feed a crowd during the holidays.
  • A loaf of homemade panettone in a paper mold with a slice cut out with a wreath around the base.

    15 hrs, 55 min
    Make the holidays extra special with a homemade loaf of panettone. This enriched Italian Christmas bread—dotted with rum-soak dried fruit, citrus, and almonds—is easy to make at home with the time-saving tip of letting it rise overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Muffins packed in a paper box with a red ribbon and bell

    Giving food gifts this holiday season? Make them extra special with pretty packaging! From containers to liners and labels, here's what you need to know to create beautifully packaged edible gifts for your friends and family.
  • Best fruit cake on a serving platter

    2 hrs, 15 min
    This easy Christmas fruitcake is perfect for the holidays. It's light, tender, and full of dried fruits and nuts. Sprinkle the loaf with brandy, or leave it out! Either way, this fruit cake is a welcome addition to the holiday table.
  • Easy Peanut Butter Cookies on a serving plate

    3 hrs, 40 min
    These are the best peanut butter cookies ever! Use your favorite store-brand peanut butter and a combination of white and brown sugar. For the best cookie shape, let the dough chill for at least three hours before baking.
  • Cheesy bacon stuffed mushrooms party appetizer recipe

    40 min
    These Gouda and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms, made with your basic white button mushroom, are a hearty, crowd-pleasing party appetizer. Stuff them ahead and bake them when ready. Your guests won't be able to have just one!
  • 12 Christmas Breakfast Ideas

    As kids, Christmas morning was about stockings. As grown-ups, it's all about BREAKFAST! From bakery-worthy cinnamon rolls to an outstanding bagel casserole, here are our favorite holiday breakfasts for the whole family.

All Christmas Recipes

Most viewed
Most pinned Most recent
  • Side view of a cooking ham with a bone in and sitting on a cutting board.

    2 hrs
    Glazed Baked Ham is so easy and delicious! Choose from two different glazes, both with honey. Baked ham is a great way to feed a crowd during the holidays.
  • Roast beef Tenderloin

    1 hr
    Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Paleo
    Roast Beef Tenderloin, seared then oven roasted, served with mushrooms sautéed in the pan drippings with butter and herbs.
  • Turkey Soup

    Classic turkey soup recipe! Take what's left of the turkey carcass and make a delicious turkey soup with the leftover turkey to enjoy for days.
  • Gingerbread House

    How to make a homemade gingerbread house! Get in the holiday spirit with this fun family project.
  • Horizontal view of white plate with slice of small batch lasagna and garnished with chopped parsley. A partial view of the baked lasagna in the glass pan is to the right of the plate. Above the plate to the left is a small bowl of lettuce and a tumbler. A fork is on the left of the plate.

    1 hr, 5 min
    This small-batch weeknight lasagna comfortably serves two and is ready in half the time as a larger batch. Loaf Pan Lasagna is layered with chunky pieces of sausage and rustic-but-quick tomato sauce.
  • Beef Wellington

    2 hrs, 10 min
    Perfect Beef Wellington! Beef tenderloin fillet, coated with mustard, mushroom duxelles, ham, wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Based on Gordon Ramsay Beef Wellington recipe.
  • Sliced Roast Leg of Lamb with pink center

    3 hrs, 30 min
    Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Paleo
    Classic roast leg of lamb recipe. Leg of lamb marinated in a citrus rosemary marinade, then oven seared and slow roasted.
  • Roast Beef

    4 hrs, 35 min
    Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Paleo
    Classic roast beef recipe using rump roast, round roast, or sirloin tip. This slow roasting method at low heat is good for tougher cuts of beef; the lower heat prevents any gristle from getting too tough.
  • How to Make Gravy

    15 min
    Two easy gravy recipes with photos and step-by-step instructions.
  • Walnut Snowball Cookies

    45 min
    These festive holiday Snowball Cookies are made with finely chopped walnuts, flour, and vanilla, then rolled into balls and dusted with powdered sugar. They freeze well and ship well, too!
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies on Plate

    4 hrs, 35 min
    Chocolate crinkle cookies! Chocolate dough rolled in powdered sugar and baked into a festive black and white cookie. They're the perfect Christmas cookies!
  • Prime Rib

    Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Paleo
    Prime rib recipe, how to cook to perfection a standing rib beef roast, step-by-step instructions and photos. Perfect for Christmas and the holiday season.
  • A show bowl with Thanksgiving mashed potatoes inside.

    35 min
    Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
    These heavenly mashed potatoes are made using buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, cream, butter, milk, salt, and pepper. This is a classic recipe, perfect for Thanksgiving, Easter, and everything in between!
  • Yorkshire Pudding

    1 hr, 40 min
    Traditional Yorkshire pudding to serve with roast beef, batter of flour, salt, eggs, butter, milk, cooked in pan with roast drippings.
  • Cosmopolitan ingredients on a counter with a cosmo drink in front.

    5 min
    Nothing like a Cosmopolitan! Made with citrus vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup, this easy-to-make cocktail is a favorite for every occasion.
  • Baked Brie

    35 min
    Easiest baked brie EVER! Brie cheese topped with jam, wrapped in puff pastry or crescent roll dough, and baked until melty. Delicious!
  • Overhead view of a homemade coconut cream pie with a slice removed and set on a plate to the right.

    1 hr, 10 min
    Toasted coconut and creamy custard in a perfectly flaky pie crust topped with pillowy whipped cream: this is all you need to make any day feel like a day at the beach. This toasted coconut cream pie will become a family favorite in no time!
  • Two Glasses of Coquito

    40 min
    Think of Coquito as the Puerto Rican version of eggnog! It's made with a blend of coconut ingredients, cinnamon, and rum. One batch makes plenty for a party.

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