17 Recipes Epicurious Staffers Are Excited to Cook Right Now
We're planning to do a lot of cooking and baking before the year runs out. Some of us are hosting holiday gatherings and already thinking about New Year's Eve, while others are plotting late-night baking marathons so we can distribute fresh cookies among our friends. Below you'll find a few of the recipes we're most pumped to make this winter.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton1/17Chili Crab Dip With Shrimp Chips
“In my family, the holidays are for lounging in pajamas and eating lots of really good food. The lazy afternoon snack and cocktail hour is just as important as the holiday meal. My snack centerpiece this time around is Joe Sevier's chili crab dip with shrimp chips. Now I just have to pick my cocktail.”—Olivia Quintana, associate manager, social media
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton3/17Molasses Sandwich Cookies With Coffee Cream
“I got to taste these cookies as they were being developed back in 2018, and I have been absolutely obsessed with them ever since. I made them for Christmas a few years ago, and now my family is obsessed, too. They're a staple on the tiered tray of cookies at my family house, along with our classic Hello Dolly bars.”—Emily Johnson, associate director, commerce
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews4/17Champagne Punch With Brandy and Citrus
“After a several-years-long hiatus, I'm excited to host some friends for New Year's Eve this year. I can't wait to wheel away my desk chair and turn the home office corner of my living room into a drink station with a sparkling punch bowl full of this citrusy, fizzy punch.”—Anna Hezel, senior editor
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Samantha Seneviratne & Jason Schreiber5/17Pastel Butter Cookies
“These buttery almond flour cookies are a great move any time of year, but I love them especially at the holidays since they look like little ornaments. They're reminiscent of Mexican wedding cookies, but the powdered sugar coating is tinted with pulverized freeze-dried fruit. You can pick by flavor or color to suit your mood.”—Joe Sevier, editor, cooking and SEO
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Judy Mancini6/17Low-Fuss Crispy Roast Chicken
“When the weather turns cold, the only thing I want to make is roast chicken. I could seriously roast a bird every day in the winter months, and I don't think I'd ever get sick of it—especially because there are so many different ways to go. On my list for December is this Low-Fuss Crispy Roast Chicken with potatoes, onions, and choose-your-own-adventure fresh herbs. I plan to start with rosemary and, for a little twist, I might finish the whole thing with my favorite lemon-infused olive oil.”—Emily Farris, senior commerce writer
Photo by Alex Lau8/17Chocolate Budino With Candied Walnuts
“I’ve been experiencing oven woes lately, so I’m all in for no-bake desserts this holiday season. This silky chocolate budino fits within those parameters (with the exception of toasted walnuts, which I think I can improvise), yielding a rich, creamy, chocolatey product, no heat required.”—Li Goldstein, digital production assistant
10/17New England Clam Chowder
“4 years spent living in Maine made me a bonafide chowderhead, and you can't tell me that Manhattan is better than good ol' New England! If you're working with canned clams and clam juice, try and find the Bar Harbor brand, for the real Down East taste, bub!”—Wilder Davies, commerce writer
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton11/17Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
“I want my holiday dessert to be just as impressive and exciting as the meal itself. We love tres leches in my family and this year, I'm making this nontraditional tre latte olive oil cake. I love that it feels cozy and rich, but still manages to have bright flavor with an airy texture.”—Olivia Quintana, associate manager, social media
William Abranowicz12/17Parmesan Shortbread With Fennel and Sea Salt
“I have made these shortbread cookies from Caitlin Williams Freeman more times than I can count, and they're still one of my favorite make-ahead snacks for holiday gatherings. They're pleasantly sweet, packed with umami from the Parmesan, and topped with some soft floral notes from fennel seed.”—Anna Hezel, senior editor
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele13/17Quick Chana Masala
“Our food editors and cross-testers were so delighted by this newly published recipe from Epi contributor Keya Wingfield, they couldn't stop talking about how delicious it was. I've already saved it in the app and bought two cans of chickpeas so I can make it this week.”—Maggie Hoffman, digital director
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich14/17Mashed Potatoes With Crispety Cruncheties
“Honestly, if I could eat mashed potatoes every week for the rest of my life, I probably would. Normally I eat them completely drowning in gravy, but after my carb-loading over Thanksgiving, I'm looking to change it up and I'm planning to start with this crunchy recipe.”—Megan Wahn, associate commerce editor
Photo by Alice Gao15/17Peanut Butter Fingers With Salty Milk Chocolate Glaze
“A peanut butter cookie, or finger in this case, has to be chewy, almost to the point of gooey—don't waste my time with crumbly peanut butter cookies. This recipe is something I cannot wait to make for myself while I do holiday baking for others. I'd share, but, honestly, I just don't want to. They're too good.”—Jarrett Melendez, associate editor
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks16/17Miso-Tahini Squash Soup With Brown Rice
“I would like to be a soup person, but I'm just not. I've been looking for some gateway soups to get me into it. This one that's half soup and half rice bowl seems like a promising start to winter.”—Noah Kaufman, reviews editor
Photo by Alex Lau17/17Chicken and Dumplings
“I can’t imagine anything more comforting than a piping hot bowl of creamy chicken stew, speckled with brightly-colored veggies and topped with schmaltzy drop dumplings. This particular recipe has been a favorite in my family for years now. Sometimes I’ll make it as written, starting the stock portion in the late afternoon and letting it simmer until I’m ready to commence with making dinner. But if I happen to have good chicken stock and cooked chicken pieces on hand or in my freezer (as I sometimes do), I’ll pick it up from Step 3 for an even easier, more weeknight-friendly dinner.”—Alaina Chou, commerce producer
