Snack

“My elementary school grapefruit, all grown up. I like the low notes of the red pepper flakes and rosemary against the sweet-tart citrus.” —Dawn Perry, senior food editor

This holiday confection is both sweet and salty.

Beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy is essential to this pound cake’s moist, tender crumb and the Grand-Marnier Poached Apricots add a boozy yet sweet kick.

Though always delicious in its simple, unadulterated state, shortbread is also ripe for innovation, like this slightly savory version with rosemary and toasted-caraway.

This dough freezes well for make-ahead slice-and-bake convenience.

The great thing about these roasted-almond thumbprint cookies? They can be any shape or size, and the fillings are customizable.

A little cider vinegar in the filling keeps this apple pie from being too sweet.

Kick off the holiday sweet(s) season by sending guests home with this crunchy, easy-to-make-ahead brittle.

We make lots of things from scratch on Thanksgiving, but pumpkin purée isn’t one of them. Libby’s is our favorite brand.

We recommend using a finely ground cornmeal for these; it will give them the ideal texture.

This recipe for melty, cheesy, spicy comfort in a bowl is one of the best sellers on the menu at San Francisco’s Tacolicious. Don’t skimp on the chips—trust us, you’ll need them.

These hot and sour pickles make a perfect garnish for Bloody Beers (click for recipe).

Hot-smoked salmon, unlike cured, is fully cooked.

Umami-loaded ingredients (tofu and miso) make this the most addictive ranch ever.

These delicate cheese puffs always impress. Once you get the hang of the dough, you’ll serve them at every opportunity.

This spread is cheesy, tangy, and a little spicy. Serve with plenty of crackers.

Put the evening over the top by setting out these easy, impressive caramels after dessert. Or set out wax-paper bags so friends can take them home for the next day.

These old-fashioned marshmallows look beautiful in apothecary jars. Find one at a flea market, Williams-Sonoma, or on etsy.com/>.

Raspberries or blackberries can be swapped in for the blueberries.

For this deviled ham recipe (and everything else), we love Benton’s brand, made in Tennessee.

Lime zest is a fresh addition to macaroons, and a Microplane is our zesting tool of choice. If you can’t find unsweetened coconut chips, use two 7-oz. bags of sweetened shredded coconut and reduce the sugar to 1 Tbsp.