Daily Indulgence: December 2015

Updated: June 21, 2016
Satisfy your cravings with decadent recipes including chocolate desserts, impressive cakes and pies, and rich main dishes.
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Belgian Spice Cookies

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

These perfectly spiced cookies get a finishing touch from a beautiful design on top. Place a stencil or doily over the cooled cookies before dusting them with powdered sugar. 


Belgian Spice Cookies Recipe
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Tout Sweet Russian Tea Cakes

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Kelly Allen

Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cakes, Viennese almond crescents--many countries have their own version of these melt-in-your-mouth butter-and-nut cookies which also happen to look like little snowballs! 


Tout Sweet Russian Tea Cakes Recipe

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Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

We love to drizzle some melted chocolate over top of these luscious shortbread slices for a decadent finish. 


Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread Recipe
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Red Velvet Thumbprints

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

The cream cheese and white chocolate icing is the superstar of these red-velvet beauties. Simply use a plastic bag and snip the corner for an easy DIY piping bag. 


Red Velvet Thumbprints Recipe

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Glazed Fruitcake Bars

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

These dense, chewy fruitcake bars are a fresh version of the kind passed around at holiday parties. We love raisins and dried cherries in this recipe, but use your favorite combinations.


Glazed Fruitcake Bars Recipe

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Easy Chocolate Christmas Cake

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: JK Denim

No one will ever have to know this show-stopping 4-layer Christmas cake started with a box of chocolate cake mix! 


Easy Chocolate Christmas Cake Recipe
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Golden Potato Latkes

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross Walker

Serve these perfectly golden latkes with sour cream and applesauce for the perfect bite each time.


Golden Potato Latkes Recipe

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Marshmallow-Krispie Christmas Trees

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Blake Ramsey Murray

These DIY marshmallow-krispie trees make great gifts to pass out at the next holiday potluck or Secret Santa swap. 


Marshmallow-Krispie Christmas Trees Recipe

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Just-for-You Tea

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Blake Ramsey Murray

These too-cute tea packages make unique DIY gifts for the holidays. Use any loose leaf teas of your choice to fill each tea bag with customizeable flavors. 


Just-for-You Tea Recipe
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Praline Cream-Beignet Tower

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

What else are we to do with so many beignets? We'll build something out of it, of course! Use wooden picks and a foam cone to attach the beignets, then dust the finished tree tower with generous amounts of powdered sugar for the "snow." 


Praline Cream-Beignet Tower Recipe

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Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

These little tarts make for a perfect grab-and-go dessert for guests at your next holiday party or potluck. Dust the tarts with cocoa for a pretty finish. 


Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts Recipe

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Gingerbread Baked Alaska

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

Want to try your hand with a kitchen torch? Use it to brown the meringue just perfectly in this classic dessert with a gingerbread twist. 


Gingerbread Baked Alaska Recipe
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Bacon Jam

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Blake Ramsey Murray

This crowd-pleasing savory condiment is fantastic on crackers and sandwiches and makes a great gift for any bacon lovers on your list. 


Bacon Jam Recipe

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Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

This four-layer stunner is a cake that will surely make a statement at the dessert table this holiday season. Place it on a pretty cake stand to make it that much more impressive. 


Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling Recipe

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Gingerbread Gift Boxes

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Blake Ramsey Murray

Delight neighbors and coworkers with edible gingerbread boxes this year. Fill the decorated boxes with candy and place lids on top for an elegant and edible gift like no other.


Gingerbread Gift Boxes Recipe
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Caramel Popcorn Cookies

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Claire Spollen 

Experimenting with unusual ingredients can produce an irresistible batch of cookies. In this recipe, caramel and popcorn pieces create the ultimate combination of salty and sweet—in cookie form!


Caramel Popcorn Cookies Recipe

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Stacked Snowman Cookies

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Blake Ramsey Murray

Let the young ones help out with these fun gingerbread treats. Kids will love helping to frost and deliver these stackable three-layer snowman cookies!


Stacked Snowman Cookies Recipe

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Raspberry-Swirl Mini Bundt Cakes

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross Walker

These mini-bundt cakes are perfect for gifts to send to friends and family this holiday season. Just be prepared to share the recipe when they ask for it! 


Raspberry-Swirl Mini Bundt Cakes Recipe
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Easy Chocolate-Bourbon Fondue

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford, Claire Spollen

This chocolate fondue can easily be made kid-friendly by omitting the bourbon. Dip strawberries, cookies, or any treat of your choice for a heavenly chocolate experience. 


Easy Chocolate-Bourbon Fondue Recipe

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Fudgy Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross Walker

When a soft, fudgy cookie meets crunchy candy cane shards, it's a match made in heaven. 


Fudgy Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies Recipe

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Snowmen Donut Sticks

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: JK Denim

Store-bought sugar donuts become impressive holiday snowmen when decorated with chocolate candy pieces, pretzels, chocolate chips, and orange gummy candies. Let kids do the assembling and decorating for a fun DIY project.


Snowmen Donut Sticks Recipe
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Stained Glass Window Cookies

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross Walker

For these colorful cookies, use Jolly Rancher candies for the brightest, most vibrant "stained glass." Wrap them up in an elegant package to share with friends and family this year. 


Stained Glass Window Cookies Recipe

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Layered Eggnog Blondies

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

These treats have a split personality: 1 part blondie, 1 part eggnog cheesecake. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container up to one week.


Layered Eggnog Blondies Recipe

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Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

It's never easier to get out of bed than when the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls is wafting through the air! 


Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
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Smith Island Cake

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards; Styling: Rachael Burrow, Linda Hirst

This show-stopping layer cake gets even more decadence with a rich chocolate ganache icing between each beautiful layer. 


Smith Island Cake Recipe

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Browned Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Flake Salt

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Not your everday chocolate chip cookie. This recipes adds brown sugar and coffee granules to the batter, mixes in rich chunks of semisweet chocolate, and finishes with a light dusting of flake salt. Are you drooling yet?


Browned Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Flake Salt Recipe

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Boozy Almond-Honey Hot Chocolate

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Infuse rich hot cocoa with amaretto liqueur to create this perfect adults-only, cold-weather cocktail. 


Boozy Almond-Honey Hot Chocolate Recipe
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Hazelnut, Rosemary, and Plum Linzer Cookies

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

The perfect afternon tea cookie, these classic linzer cookies are filled with deliciously sweet plum preserves and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.


Hazelnut, Rosemary, and Plum Linzer Cookies Recipe

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Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

We know exactly what you should do with all those leftover peppermints and candy canes...Put them on a chocolate cheesecake, of course! 


Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe

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Coconut-Almond Biscotti

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Enjoy this delicious Coconut-Almond Biscotti with your favorite cup of coffee or espresso, and you're practically sitting in a quaint Italian café. 


Coconut-Almond Biscotti Recipe
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Speakeasy Sparkler

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Kay Clarke

We're turning to a different kind of sparkler to help us celebrate and ring in the New Year! 


Speakeasy Sparkler Recipe
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