Old-fashioned hermit cookies spiced with molasses, coffee, and five warm spices. Soft, chewy, and loaded with raisins, bake them as drop cookies or cut into bars.
Fat-free carrot muffins with grated carrots, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest. Weight Watchers-friendly with no oil or butter and just 6 tablespoons of flour.
A Mexican mole-inspired chili with cubed lamb, black beans, toasted tortilla and seed thickener, warming spices, and a square of unsweetened chocolate. Deep, complex, nothing like a Texas chili.
A must on your Christmas cookie tray. Despite the lemony frosting, the cinnamon flavor comes through.
Soft molasses sugar cookies with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, rolled in sugar with a thumbprint filled with extra crunch. Crisp edges, chewy centers, warm holiday spice.
Homemade herbes de Provence blend with basil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, savory, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, and white pepper. A fragrant French herb mix in five minutes.
Election Day cake, a historic New England yeast-raised spice cake studded with raisins, citron and nuts, warmed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and mace, and glazed with confectioners' sugar. A colonial American tradition.
Fat-free carrot muffins with cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, and raisins. No butter or oil needed, just grated carrots and eggs for moisture in a warmly spiced batter.
Indian-spiced fried potatoes with coriander, cardamom, cumin, ginger, chili powder, nutmeg, mace, and cloves. Boiled then pan-fried until crispy and golden. A flavorful side for two.
Can't make up your mind how fancy to get? Here are 2 presentations of this tasty squash--one homey and one for "dress-up".
Swedish ginger cookies (pepparkakor) made with dark corn syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. A spiced roll-and-cut dough that bakes thin and snappy for the holidays.
White bean chili with five spices: cumin, coriander, oregano, cloves, and cayenne, simmered in chicken broth with green chiles. A quick, light chili ready in 30 minutes.
Salmon baked in cream with bay leaf, cloves, thyme, and onion, then served with a silky cream sauce finished with lemon juice. An elegant old-school French-style fish dish with a rich, aromatic sauce.
Middle Eastern rice pilaf with cashews, raisins, dried apricots, and warm spices like cardamom and turmeric. A fragrant side dish with caramelized onions and a sweet-savory balance.
San Francisco-style crustless honey and spice cheesecake with dark honey, ground cloves, allspice, and a shot of espresso. A dense, creamy dessert for dinner-party finales.
Italian gocci di cioccolata, chocolate drop cookies spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, baked soft and finished with a glaze. Old-world Italian drop cookie with warm holiday flavor.