32 german recipes

Celebrate Christmas with this gum drop filled German fruit cake that kids love.

While this cold salad has some elements of a traditional warm German potato salad, it is totally Americanized to suit my family's tastes. Great with grilled burgers, dogs, meats and poultry.

A nutty and dense loaf. Great with peanut butter, or make a delicious German sandwich.

German prune coffeecake with a soft yeasted dough rolled around cooked prunes, dotted with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Makes two cakes for breakfast or brunch.

German-style beef brisket braised with caraway seeds, vinegar, bay leaves, and brown sugar, finished with sauerkraut and grated potato. Low and slow for 3 hours until fork-tender.

German pumpernickel bread made with rye flour, cocoa, molasses, and caraway seeds. Dark, dense, and earthy with a chewy crumb. Makes two round loaves.

Pfeffernuesse are traditional German Christmas peppernut cookies, fragrant with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a hint of black pepper, studded with citron and almonds and a touch of brandy. A heritage holiday cookie.

Hearty German cabbage soup with bacon, potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots simmered low in chicken broth. Finished with grated Parmesan for a savory, warming bowl.

German vegetable soup built on a long-simmered soup bone broth with cabbage, turnip, lima beans, corn, and tomatoes, thickened with a flour-milk slurry. Pennsylvania Dutch comfort food.

Crispy breaded meatballs packed with ground pork, sauerkraut, and cream cheese, fried golden and served with a mustard-mayo dipping sauce. A bold German-style appetizer that makes 3 dozen.

Hot German bean salad gives black and kidney beans the sweet-and-sour treatment, with a glossy vinegar dressing and crisp-tender carrots, celery, and onion. Served warm, oil-free, and vegan. A fast, tangy twist on the bean salad.

German lentil soup with sliced frankfurters, carrots, celery, and onions, finished with a splash of vinegar for tang. A filling one-pot soup ready in about an hour.

Kuchen, a traditional German yeast coffee cake with raisins and cinnamon, made from a rich egg dough that rises twice. A heritage recipe that makes two golden loaves.

Three-layer German chocolate cake with mashed potatoes in the batter for a tender crumb, German milk chocolate, and a cooked pecan-coconut frosting that's stirred for 12 minutes until golden.

German chocolate pig out cake with a gooey caramel, pecan, and chocolate chip layer sandwiched between two layers of German chocolate cake mix batter. A ridiculously rich bar-style dessert.

German meatballs with sauerkraut and apple mixed into the meat, browned in bacon drippings, then simmered with braised red cabbage, apples, and caraway seeds.