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Dec 29, 2025

Cardamom Cinnamon Muffins

These cardamom cinnamon muffins, with warming spices and a sweet topping, are a tasty way to start your day. 

Cardamom Cinnamon Muffins on a white platter.


These muffins take just a few minutes to assemble before baking too, so you can have fresh muffins on your table in less than an hour. Your kitchen will be filled with the aroma of freshly baked treats. 

Dec 28, 2025

Tomato and Boursin Bruschetta

This tomato and Boursin bruschetta is a super easy to pull together when you need a tasty appetizer in a flash. 

Tomato and Boursin Bruschetta serving.


This appetizer is wonderful for this time of year, especially with New Year's Eve coming and with football season going strong. Plus, sometimes you just need a quick snack for when friends drop by or for bringing to a get together. 

Dec 21, 2025

Bakery-Style Holiday Sprinkle Cookies

These extra big bakery-style sprinkle cookies have a wonderfully distinct vanilla flavor with just a touch of almond... and they're filled with jimmies for a bit of fun color and additional sweetness.

Bakery-Style Holiday Sprinkle Cookies stacked with one cut in half.

These cookies are wonderful for a holiday cookie exchange or for gift giving. They can be adapted for any holiday or special occasion. Just change the color of the sprinkles.

Dec 17, 2025

Zacatecas Beef Stew

This Zacatecas-style beef stew is a quick and hearty dish you can have on the table in less than an hour. 

Zacatecas Beef Stew in a white bowl.


This stew is based on picadillo Zacatecano, a mixture of ground beef and potatoes in a tomato sauce. Most regions of Latin America have their own picadillo, from simple to complicated. This one, from the central/north state of Zacatecas, Mexico, is fairly simple but still flavorful. 

Dec 16, 2025

Soboro Ppang (Korean Peanut Streusel Bread)

Soboro Ppang (소보로빵) is a Korean roll that is topped with a tasty peanut butter streusel. It can be baked with just the streusel or it can be stuffed with a filling such as red bean paste, pastry cream, jam, or even more peanut streusel. 

Soboro Ppang (Korean Peanut Streusel Bread) on black plates.


This soboro ppang is the recipe the Bread Baking Babes are baking this month, as introduced by the blog My Diverse Kitchen. This is my first go at making this bread and, although my streusel turned out a little too sparse after the rolls rose in the oven, I was still super happy with the results. 

Dec 14, 2025

Homemade Chinese Five Spice Powder

Homemade Chinese Five Spice Powder - one of my favorite spice blends. Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cloves, fennel, and cinnamon combine to create a wonderful and uniquely flavored seasoning. 

Ingredients to make Homemade Chinese Five Spice Powder on a plate.


Why should you make your own Chinese Five Spice? First, one of the cool things about making your own spice blends is that you can control the ingredients in the blend, and customize the spices to your taste. 

Dec 9, 2025

Eggnog Babka Knots

These babka knots are filled with the sweet flavor of eggnog, perfect for the Christmas season. Serve them for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert for a tasty holiday celebration. 

Eggnog Babka Knots on a plate and in a bowl.


These mini eggnog babka twists are made from a dough that you would use for a small-sized loaf. You divide the dough into smaller pieces and cut and twist it into cute little individually-sized knots. 

Dec 7, 2025

Pear and Cherry Sourdough Bread

This pear and cherry sourdough bread is loaded with chunks of fresh Asian pear and dried cherries. 

Pear and Cherry Sourdough Bread with two slices cut off on a cutting board.


This bread is loaded with chunks of firm Asian pear along with dried cherries, and the contrast of the sweet and tart flavors is pretty tasty. This bread is wonderful warm with butter on the day that it is made. It also makes fabulous toast and sandwiches. 

Pumpkin Martini

This pumpkin martini is like a milkshake in a cocktail glass... only much better.

Two Pumpkin Martinis.



This pumpkin martini is like a milkshake in a cocktail glass... only much better.

Dec 5, 2025

Bûche de Noël Cookies

These Bûche de Noël Cookies are a bite-sized take on everyone's favorite Christmas cake. They are fun to shape, decorate, and especially to eat. 

Bûche de Noël Cookies on a cake stand and small plate.


These cookies start with a shortbread-style dough, which is spread with a hazelnut filling and then rolled up before slicing and baking. They are topped with a chocolate ganache with a hint of hazelnut chocolate spread and then finished with cute little holly berry and leaves sprinkles. 

Dec 4, 2025

Marbled Ube Cookies

These marbled ube cookies start with a vanilla dough, half of which is flavored with ube, a yam with a sweet subtly vanilla flavor and a bright purple color. 



These cookies are soft and chewy. They also have a bit of crunch from a generous topping of festive sprinkles! 

Dec 3, 2025

Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Candy Cookies

These browned butter chocolate chunk candy cookies are a wonderful combination of flavors and are the pefect addition to your Christmas cookie recipe collection. 

Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Candy Cookies on a white platter.


The name of these cookies is a bit of a tongue twister in order to capture all of the things that make these cookies so terrific, including crushed candy coated chocolate, bittersweet chocolate chunks, and browned butter. 

Yangzhou Fried Rice

Yangzhou Fried Rice is a simple yet flavorful dish to make. It is a classic dish served at a Chinese banquet toward the end of the meal and it's an amazingly simple dish to prepare. 

Yangzhou Fried Rice in a bowl.


There are only five ingredients (eight if you count the oil, salt, and pepper). No garlic, no ginger, and, in this case, no soy sauce. 

Dec 2, 2025

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

These big bakery-style chocolate mint chip cookies are loaded with crème de menthe chocolate candies and topped with even more chocolate mints after baking. 

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies on small plates.


These chocolate mint chip cookies are big, thick, and craggy, with crispy edges and chewy centers with pieces of Andes Mints in every bite. 

Dec 1, 2025

White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps

These white chocolate dipped gingersnaps are a little softer than most gingersnaps and are quite delicious ether left plain or dressed up in white chocolate and sprinkles for the holidays.  

White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps in a bowl.


There's something about ginger and the holidays for me lately. Of course I've been doing a lot of baking, and anything ginger has been at the top of the list. Fortunately, everyone's been pretty happy with this development.