Holiday baking ideas

[Note: I wrote this last year, and I thought it might be a good idea to repost it in case you'd like to see some of my favorite recipes all in one place! --K]

Let's do some holiday baking! I've compiled some of my favorite treats below. Click on the links for detailed recipes. While some are not necessarily authentic Christmas fare, they're so good that nobody's going to raise an eyebrow when you slide them in alongside the fruitcake and, I dunno, the figgy pudding.

Sugar cookies Quite simply, these are the cookies you want to make this time of year. Cut them out, decorate them, and eat them hand over fist. The dough is easy to deal with and will not make you hate Christmas. The cookies freeze well uniced (I'm afraid I've never iced them and frozen them, but I imagine that would be OK). I like to decorate them the day before I serve them, as they seem to taste best on Day 2.

Gingerbread *home* Feel like knocking yourself out for a few days? This is one of those ideas that Jeff and I look back on and think, Clearly we were out of our minds. It's adorable, though. One night last February or March, we set this house outside for neighborhood wildlife to munch on. The next morning it had disappeared without a trace. I like to think that a family of raccoons absconded with it.

Gingerbread cake This is a much more reasonable gingerbread alternative. It gets a little dry after a couple of days, but all you need to do is put a slice in the microwave and zap it for a few seconds, and it'll come back to life in a mighty way.

Christmas chutney I urge you to make this and give some of it away. If people ask you what it is, just say it's Christmas Awesomesauce. Use it as a condiment on turkey and ham sandwiches. It's fun to put together, and your house will smell incredible.

Star-topped mince pies Let's face it, this time of year CUTENESS COUNTS, and these babies have it in spades. I made these last year. The mince pies were not as popular as the apple alternative also seen above, but if you like the taste of boozy, raisin-y cranberries, by all means go ahead and make the mincemeat.

Hand pies I've said it before: I will never, ever stop thinking about these savory-sweet pies filled with sausage and apples. The concept of an "on the go" mini-pie is one that I can really get behind. The pastry is hard to work with, but the taste is unforgettable and so worth the trouble.

Mint chocolate cookies Unpretentious, easy, really chocolatey, festively minty. A delight.

Lemon bars A Paula Deen recipe, so you know it's bad for you. I made these for school functions so many times it became expected of me. I like the idea of something bright and zingy on a table crowded with buttery, nutty treats. The citrus acts as a palate cleanser, thus allowing you to eat more buttery, nutty treats.

The Heavyset Cheeseball Do you want people to love and fear you? Make this. That is all.

Yule log Too good to be believed, easier than it looks, and it's even gluten-free! Above is my Easter version, but I'm sure you have plenty of pinecone bric-a-brac laying around the house to make it look like a winter log, and you can dust it with powdered sugar. Better yet, frost this and let a quiet, preferably artistically gifted sixth-grader decorate it. I ask you: What kid doesn't want to tart up a fake log?

Edible Christmas ornaments It's not too late! Fill in your Christmas tree's holes with these. Bonus: once they're on the tree, you'll get a faint but distinct whiff of gingerbread as you walk by. That sixth grader wants to work on these, too.

Seasonally spiced nuts These are excellent to have around while people mill around waiting for food. The warm nuts are salty and sweet with a woodsy hint of rosemary. Note: they take maybe ten minutes to prepare, so don't make them ahead. They're just not as good.

Cocktail sausages Heyo! Who doesn't want these? You can throw the sauce and li'l smokies together in a plastic bag and refrigerate/freeze ahead of time. Warm them up in the oven (or stovetop, I'm assuming). As Nigella suggested, I'm going to hollow out a round loaf of crusty bread and put them inside it this year, and I can't imagine that not working.

Stuffing This has quickly become The Only Stuffing I Want. Do it.

Red pepper cheesecake Fussy-looking, yummy little thing. Put it on a cracker and you've got The Perfect Bite.

Lemon ricotta cookies Not a Christmas cookie, but why not? They're little cakes of lemony goodness, and they're so tender you just might lose your mind.

Chocolate chip cookies Who's going to say no to these? They are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. Stop messing around. Big-ass. Blockbuster.

Flan cake In case you're more of a cake person, try flan cake on for size. This beloved, strange, easy recipe comes from Chicago news kingpin Ron Magers. Mager win.

Rocky road So good I made a double batch of it yesterday. Easy, easy, easy. Nutritionally bankrupt. And I don't think I need to tell you who's gonna want to arrange it, dust it, and put that caribou on top.

Enjoy, and happy baking!