Meal Prep · A holiday collection
Christmas Baking and Holiday Dinner
Cookies for the tray and the swap, candy for gifts, and a roast dinner with all the trimmings. Some recipes are new; others live elsewhere in Meal Prep and are gathered here. Pick your menu and your baking, get one shopping list, and let the timeline work out when the roast goes in and when the Yorkshire puddings follow.
⏰ Roast timeline: when the roast goes in
Enter when you want to eat, pick the roast and its weight. The plan works backward from dinner with USDA’s minutes per pound, then fits the Yorkshire puddings, potatoes and other oven dishes in while the roast rests.
- Loading the plan…
Times are planning guides from USDA’s roasting tables. The roast is done when a food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, reads the temperature shown, whatever the clock says. The side dishes go in the oven while the roast rests under foil, and the plan fits them on two racks.
🎀 Cookie swap planner
At a cookie swap, everyone bakes one kind of cookie in quantity and goes home with a mix of all of them. Tell the planner how many people are swapping and how many cookies each person takes from each baker.
Pick a sturdy cookieShortbread, snickerdoodles, gingerbread, crinkles and fudge travel well. Delicate iced cookies need a flat box, one layer deep.
Bake aheadMost doughs freeze for 3 months. Bake a batch an evening over the week before, or freeze baked cookies and thaw them in their container.
Label every boxWrite the cookie’s name and what it contains (wheat, milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soy), so guests with allergies can choose safely.
Share the recipePrint the recipe card from the recipe page and tuck one in each box.
Cookies for the tray
Cut-outs to decorate, spiced gingerbread, butter cookies that keep for weeks, and two from our everyday recipes. Most doughs freeze, so you can bake in December evenings and still have a full tray.
Sugar Cookie Cutouts with Royal IcingButtery cutouts that hold their shape in the oven, iced with smooth royal icing that dries hard enough to stack. The cookie most people picture for decorating day.3 hr 10 min · serves 24
Gingerbread PeopleDark, spicy molasses cookies, soft in the middle with crisp edges. Decorate with royal icing buttons and smiles.2 hr 50 min · serves 24
Scottish-Style Butter ShortbreadThree main ingredients, butter, sugar and flour, pressed into a pan and baked low and slow until pale gold and sandy-crisp. Keeps for weeks and packs well for gifts.1 hr 20 min · serves 24
SnickerdoodlesSoft, crackly cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. Cream of tartar gives them their slight tang and pillowy middle.45 min · serves 24
Jam Thumbprint CookiesTender butter cookies with a thumb-pressed well of bright jam. Use raspberry and apricot for a red-and-gold tray.1 hr 9 min · serves 24
Spritz Butter CookiesLittle pressed butter cookies in wreaths, trees and flowers. Their name comes from the German word for “to squirt,” which is what the press does.44 min · serves 24
Chocolate Crinkle CookiesFudgy cocoa cookies rolled in powdered sugar that cracks into a snowy pattern as they bake.3 hr 31 min · serves 24
Classic Peanut Butter CookiesSoft, chewy peanut butter cookies with the classic fork crisscross on top.45 min · serves 24 · from our recipes
Oatmeal Raisin Walnut CookiesChewy, cinnamon-spiced oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins and walnuts.49 min · serves 24 · from our recipes
Candy and gifts
No-bake treats that pack well in tins. The from-scratch marshmallows make a fine gift with a jar of cocoa.
Peppermint BarkA layer of dark chocolate, a layer of white chocolate and a shower of crushed candy canes. No baking, and it makes a pretty gift.1 hr 30 min · serves 24
Easy Chocolate FudgeSmooth, rich fudge from chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk, with no candy thermometer needed. Add nuts if your family eats them.2 hr 20 min · serves 24
Gingerbread HouseA sturdy construction gingerbread, baked flat and hard, glued together with stiff royal icing and covered in candy. A family project for a December weekend.5 hr 45 min · serves 12
MarshmallowsSoft vanilla marshmallows from gelatin, sugar and syrup, whipped, set in a pan and cut into squares.4 hr 49 min · make it from scratch
Chocolate from cocoa powder and cocoa butterThe easy way: melt cocoa butter, whisk in cocoa powder and sugar, and pour it into bars. Reliable, about 30 minutes.1 hr 28 min · make it from scratch
The roast
Pick one centerpiece. Prime rib is the grandest; a glazed ham feeds a crowd and gives the best leftovers; a roast chicken suits a small table.
Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)A bone-in beef rib roast with a garlic, herb and black-pepper crust, roasted at 325°F the USDA way. The bones make their own rack and the drippings make the Yorkshire puddings.3 hr 20 min · serves 8
Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral HamA fully cooked spiral ham warmed slowly and finished with a brown sugar, mustard and orange glaze. Plenty for a crowd and for leftovers.2 hr 10 min · serves 14 · from our recipes
Honey-Orange Glazed Bone-In HamA fully cooked bone-in half ham, scored in diamonds, warmed slowly at 325°F and lacquered with honey, orange and mustard. The bone goes into soup afterward.3 hr 5 min · serves 20 · from our recipes
Simple Roast ChickenA whole chicken roasted with lemon, garlic and herbs. Leftovers become soup, salads and quesadillas.1 hr 45 min · serves 5 · from our recipes
Garlic Herb Pork Loin RoastA garlic, rosemary and mustard crusted pork loin roasted over potatoes and carrots for an easy Sunday dinner.1 hr 45 min · serves 8 · from our recipes
Yorkshire puddings, potatoes and vegetables
Yorkshire puddings bake while the beef rests. Potatoes and roots can share the oven before that.
Yorkshire PuddingsTall, crisp, hollow puddings baked in sizzling beef drippings. The classic partner for roast beef, from northern England.1 hr 2 min · serves 12
Extra-Crisp Roast PotatoesPotatoes boiled until just tender, shaken in the colander to rough up their edges, then roasted in hot fat until glassy-crisp outside and fluffy inside.1 hr 20 min · serves 8
Beef Pan GravyA smooth brown gravy made from the roast’s drippings and beef broth while the meat rests.20 min · serves 8
Horseradish Cream SauceCool sour cream with a sharp bite of horseradish and a little lemon. The sauce for prime rib.5 min · serves 8
Honey-Roasted Carrots and ParsnipsSweet root vegetables roasted until caramelized, then tossed with honey and thyme. A classic on British and American holiday tables.50 min · serves 8
Creamy Mashed PotatoesButtery, smooth mashed potatoes made with yellow potatoes.30 min · serves 6 · from our recipes
Balsamic Roasted Brussels SproutsCrispy, deeply browned Brussels sprouts with a sweet-tart balsamic glaze.32 min · serves 4 · from our recipes
Garlic Butter Green BeansBright green beans steamed and tossed with garlic butter.15 min · serves 6 · from our recipes
Homemade Cranberry SauceFresh cranberries simmered with orange and sugar until they burst. Ready in 15 minutes.1 hr 17 min · serves 8 · from our recipes
Winter Citrus SaladGrapefruit, oranges and kiwi with pomegranate seeds, honey and mint. Bright fruit for the darkest months.20 min · serves 6 · from our recipes
Parker House RollsSoft, buttery yeast rolls folded over like little pocketbooks, the style made famous at Boston’s Parker House hotel in the 1800s.2 hr 58 min · serves 12 · from our recipes
Desserts
Both showpieces are made the day before, so the oven and the cook are free on the day.
Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake)A rolled chocolate sponge filled with whipped cream and frosted with chocolate ganache scored to look like bark. Paris pastry shops made the log famous in the late 1800s.3 hr 12 min · serves 12
Berry and Custard TrifleLayers of soft sponge cake, raspberry jam, berries, homemade vanilla custard and whipped cream in a glass bowl. A British Christmas classic, made family-style with orange juice instead of sherry.5 hr 15 min · serves 12
Mini CheesecakesLittle cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust baked in a muffin tin. Top them with fresh berries.2 hr 40 min · serves 12 · from our recipes
Double-Crust Apple PieThin-sliced tart and sweet apples with cinnamon and a little lemon, baked in a flaky double crust until the juices bubble thickly through the vents.4 hr 45 min · serves 8 · from our recipes
Whipped creamOne cup of cream, a little sugar and vanilla, whipped to soft peaks in a few minutes.5 min · make it from scratch
Christmas morning
Breakfasts that are ready when everyone comes down.
Christmas Morning Sausage StrataBread, browned sausage, cheese and eggs assembled the night before. In the morning it goes straight into the oven while presents are opened.9 hr 20 min · serves 10
Cranberry Orange MuffinsTart cranberries and fresh orange in a tender muffin. Freezes well for busy mornings.40 min · serves 12 · from our recipes
Cinnamon rollsA soft milk dough rolled around butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, finished with a simple glaze.3 hr 3 min · make it from scratch
Cinnamon French ToastA good use for day-old bread: dipped in cinnamon custard and griddled until golden.20 min · serves 4 · from our recipes
🧑🍳 Make it from scratch
Butter, powdered sugar and whipped cream from scratch, marshmallows and chocolate for gifts, cinnamon rolls and brioche for Christmas morning, and beef stock for a richer gravy.
Butter (and the buttermilk it leaves)About 7½ oz of butter (a little under 2 sticks) and about 1 cup of buttermilk from 1 pint of cream.Powdered sugarAbout 1¾ cups.Whipped creamAbout 2 cups.MarshmallowsAbout 40 marshmallows, 1½ inches square (a 9 × 13-inch pan).Chocolate from cocoa powder and cocoa butterAbout 8 oz (230 g) of dark chocolate, roughly 60 percent cocoa.Cinnamon rolls12 large rolls in a 9 × 13-inch pan.Brioche (loaf or buns)One 9 × 5-inch loaf or 8 burger buns.Beef stockAbout 3 quarts (12 cups).Soft buns and dinner rolls10 hamburger buns (about 3½ inches across), 10 hot dog buns, or 16 dinner rolls, or a mix of shapes from one batch.
📦 Packing, storing and giving cookies
Storing
- Cool completely before packing; warm cookies steam and go soft.
- Keep crisp and soft cookies apart. Soft ones give up moisture and turn crisp ones soft.
- Airtight tins or containers, with parchment between layers of iced or sticky cookies.
- Most baked cookies keep about a week at room temperature; shortbread keeps two. Anything with cream cheese frosting or a cream filling goes in the refrigerator.
- Freeze baked cookies or dough up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw cookies in their closed container so they don’t sweat.
Packing and giving
- Pack the heaviest cookies at the bottom and the most delicate on top.
- For mailing, choose sturdy bars and drop cookies, wrap them in pairs back to back, and pad the box so nothing shifts.
- Peppermint bark and fudge make good gifts in small tins; marshmallows pair well with a jar of cocoa.
- Label each gift with what it is and its allergens. The major food allergens in the United States are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame (FDA).
🌡 Food safety: the numbers that matter
| Roast | Time | Done at |
|---|---|---|
| Beef rib roast, bone in, 4 to 8 lb | 23 to 30 min per lb | 145°F, rest 3 min |
| Beef rib roast, boneless, 4 lb | 39 to 43 min per lb | 145°F, rest 3 min |
| Ham, fully cooked, half, bone in | 18 to 24 min per lb | 140°F |
| Ham, spiral-cut, fully cooked | 10 to 18 min per lb | 140°F |
| Whole chicken | see the recipe | 165°F |
Measure in the thickest part, away from bone. USDA advises never roasting meat below 325°F.
Baking
- Don’t taste raw dough or batter. Raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs; bake first (FDA and CDC). That goes for kids’ fingers, too.
- Royal icing isn’t cooked, so make it with pasteurized egg whites or meringue powder (FDA advises pasteurized eggs for raw-egg recipes).
- Custards and egg fillings, like the trifle’s, cook to 160°F.
After dinner
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow containers. Use them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them; leftover ham keeps 3 to 5 days. Reheat to 165°F and bring gravy to a rolling boil (USDA).
📜 Where the traditions come from
Christmas, on December 25, is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, and it is also a cultural holiday for many families who mark it in their own ways. Its baking traditions grew up in different countries over centuries:
- Gingerbread houses were made in Germany before the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel in 1812, but the story’s candy cottage made them famous. German immigrants brought the custom to America in the 1800s.
- Royal icing takes its name from its use on Queen Victoria’s wedding cake in 1840.
- Spritz cookies come from the German Spritzgebäck, from spritzen, “to squirt,” for the cookie press.
- Yorkshire pudding first appears in print in 1737 as “a dripping pudding,” baked under roasting meat to catch its fat. Hannah Glasse gave it its present name in 1747.
- The bûche de Noël recalls the Yule log once burned on the hearth. Paris pastry cooks turned it into a cake in the late 1800s.