Why make a batch of cinnamon rolls for a crowd when you can make one giant roll that everyone can share? This big roll looks impressive, but it’s not a difficult task—if you’ve made cinnamon rolls before, this isn’t much different. You can use up any leftover cranberry sauce from holiday dinners in the pink glaze, which isn’t so fruity it denotes that classic cinnamon roll flavor. If you need to make part of this ahead of time, let the dough rise ahead of time, then transfer to the fridge to chill overnight. In the morning, remove it from the fridge and let stand 15 minutes before continuing with the rest of the recipe. 

Lobster may seem intimidating to cook, but these baked lobster tails are a simple and elegant preparation that’s incredibly approachable—even if it’s your first time cooking the shellfish. A bright herbaceous compound butter are all that the sweet, tender lobster meat needs to sing. However, after baking, you could also extract the lobster meat from the shells and use it for classic lobster rolls or a decadent lobster mac and cheese. You can find frozen lobster tails at most supermarkets.  

If you’re looking for an impressive bread recipe, this is it. Meet lard bread: We’re talking meaty, savory, and yeasty, perfect for a crowd, and let’s not forget beautiful. The swirl from the meat and cheese goes throughout the bread, which is slightly dense and chewy, but in the best way. Luckily for you, this bread looks way more difficult than it actually is to make. This recipe takes some time, but not a lot of skill—if you’ve made cinnamon rolls, you can make this. Ask your deli to slice hunks of salami and provolone half an inch thick so you can dice it easily. Most Mexican markets sell fresh lard, which has a more liquid texture than block lard—if you can find that, go for it, but otherwise bacon grease is a fine substitute. Serve with a light green salad, or do it up and pour some Champagne.    

These decadent little cheesecakes are basically edible eggnog with Biscoff cookie crusts, giving them nice mix of creamy sweetness and a buttery, Speculoos-like flavor. Use your favorite brand of store-bought eggnog for the cream cheese filling. The mini cheesecakes will work if they sit for four hours, but for best results, let them rest overnight. Top with whipped cream and nutmeg just before serving.

This may seem like an over-the-top cookie combo, but trust us on this one—you’re going to love these decadent hybrid cookie bars. Just imagine a chocolate chip cookie merged with a snickerdoodle and a jam thumbprint to create a single, epic (and epically delicious) cookie experience. The great thing about these bars is that they rely on one versatile cookie dough, that you enhance with various add-ins to create your layers. Plus, you can customize the cookie bars with any jam you please. We used just enough sweet-tart raspberry jam to balance the chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar, but you could use blackberry, orange, or even cranberry jam. 

Here’s a really tasty peanut butter cookie with a delightful milk (or whatever you want!) chocolate nugget smack dab in the center. It’s slightly chewy, with a little crunch from the sugar-coating, and a creamy, melty center. These can be eaten warm, but if you’re taking them somewhere, wait until the cookies have cooled completely before transporting.

  We’ve got a triple-threat here: Rich red velvet, gooey, fudgy brownies, and tangy cheesecake unite to form a dessert bar everyone will love. These red velvet cheesecake brownies are decadent without being too sweet, thanks to the cheesecake swirl, and a delicious twist on plain old brownies. They slice super clean, but remain gooey and soft. If you like your brownies fudgy bake them on the lower 30-minute end. For cakier brownies, bake longer, up to 35 minutes. Lining your pan with parchment keeps these from sticking to the pan, making them much easier to slice. 

Forget the holidays, you’re gonna want these cookies all winter long. Chewy nuggets of candied ginger, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, and warm hints of molasses made this cookie a favorite in our test kitchen. To prevent overmixing the dough, fold in the chocolate—it’ll also produce a tougher cookie. To make these cookies look as good as they taste, reserve a few of the chocolate chunks to place on top of each cookie. That way, they won’t all get hidden in the dark dough. 

Turkey sausage, sweet butternut squash, earthy mushrooms, shallots, and spinach come together to make a big bowl of delicious comfort. The colors stay intact, and the sausage is perfect for sopping up with some crusty French bread. Best of all, it’s fast and easy, and you can dress it up or down. Turkey Italian sausage has less fat, but still retains lots of flavor. Brown the shallots and mushrooms first—since the turkey sausage doesn’t have much fat, it will burn on the bottom of the pot. This soup also works well as leftovers, especially with crusty bread. 

When it comes to food alchemy, cream of mushroom soup is one of the strongest multitaskers around. But if you’re looking for something healthier than the canned version, it’s super simple to make yourself. Mildly savory and creamy, with a hint of chicken flavor, this subtle soup is a great building block for other flavors and dishes. It’s velvety when it’s hot, and as it cools, it thickens, making it the ultimate binding agent for casseroles. 

Coconut milk tames the heat and combines deliciously with shredded chicken breast in Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup.

This warm, roasted tomato soup is perfect for weeknights and weekends alike. Pair this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, and you're all set. An immersion blender, one of our favorite kitchen gadgets, makes pureeing this rich and creamy soup a snap. If you don’t have this kitchen tool, try this Southern Living Test Kitchen trick: simply transfer the hot soup in batches to a blender and process until smooth. Fill the blender no more than halfway so steam can escape.

  Impressive, crowd-pleasing desserts don’t come much easier than decadent glazed whiskey cake. All you need are a few staple ingredients to transform a boxed spice cake mix into a boozy, rich, moist-as-can-be dessert you can’t wait to share. You can also use a vanilla cake mix if that’s what you have on hand—simply mix a little cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg into the batter. We love to bake this recipe in mini loaf pans to produce highly giftable whiskey cakes; however, if you’d prefer to prepare a single whiskey bundt cake, simply bake in a standard, 10-cup bundt pan (that’s been greased and floured) for about 45 to 50 minutes. 

  As hesitant as we were about this... Buddy the Elf is clearly onto something. For a fun holiday activity with the kids, set up a dessert spaghetti bar so everyone can assemble their own Elf-inspired pasta before sitting down to watch the movie.

  These easy, cheesy meatballs are perfect for anything from a holiday party to a tailgating get-together—especially if you need to have a keto-friendly appetizer in the mix. The blend of Italian sausage and lean ground beef provide a great, flavorful base that isn’t overly greasy, and the kale and Fontina combo is a surefire crowd-pleaser.