holiday roundup

My blog archives resemble the Land of Sweets. While the amount of dessert that comes out of my kitchen is somewhat troubling — I promise, I do eat tons of vegetables and sometimes even meat! —it does come in handy for the holidays.

With no further ado, I bring to you 12 recipes worth revisiting for the holiday season — and one DIY cocktail kit.

1. Dark chocolate cookies. Uber chocolatey and soft. Ready to be dipped into a glass of milk. Perfect for mailing to a long-distance friend.

2. White Russian soufflés. Kahlúa meets white chocolate ... and cream cheese. Excuse me while I freak out a little.

3. Double-chocolate banana bread squares. Some would call these "banana brownies," but that would be wrong. They are studded with chocolate chips and mashed bananas. It sounds weird, but somehow it all works out.

4. Russian tea cakes. I make these every Christmas. So simple, yet satisfyingly addictive.

5. Chocolate crinkle cookies. Another Christmas staple. Super fudgy and totally pretty!

6. Cocoa brownies. Fantastically fudgy... but kind of flaky on the outside. Texture is a good thing.

7. Chocolate chunk cookies. Everyone needs a failsafe chocolate-chip cookie recipe. If you don't have one yet ... try this.

8. Salted margarita cookies. Sparkly and unusual. Plus, there's tequila in there! I won't judge if you pour yourself a mixed drink while whipping these up.

9. Lime cake. I die over this frosting every time. Bright, zesty and amazingly fragrant. Excellent for celebrating something special.

10. Striped mint meringues. Fancy and delightfully crunchy.

11. Vanilla sugar cookies. Dusting cookies with extra sugar is always a good idea.

12. Caramel sauce. Dark, full-bodied, buttery. I'm of the persuasion that you don't have to have something to dip into caramel sauce. Just eat it by the spoonful.

13. Cranberry cocktail mixer. Make two. Give one away. Keep the other for yourself. Cheers!