For these cookies, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup oats.
• 4 ounces of good-quality baking chocolate
• 14 mini or four regular-sized peppermint candy canes.

Before starting the dough, chop the chocolate on a cutting board and crush the candy canes into small, fine pieces.

You can crush up round peppermint candies instead if preferred.

To make these cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is well-combined and fluffy.

Then, mix in the egg and peppermint extract.

Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until the cookie dough comes together.

Next, mix the oats into the cookie dough.

To finish off the dough, mix in the chopped chocolate and the crushed candy canes until well incorporated.

Transfer the dough to the fridge and let it chill for 15 minutes. This quick step will help to produce the ideal cookie texture.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to ensure the cookies won't stick while baking.

If you don't have parchment paper, spritz your sheet with a light coating of cooking spray.

Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough. Roll enough balls until smooth, flatten gently, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

If you don't have a scoop, which helps create uniform balls of dough, eyeball it and grab sections with your hands.

With 12 balls of dough evenly spaced out on the cookie sheet, place it in the oven. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn golden.

Take the cookies out of the oven and let them sit on the hot baking sheet on top of the oven for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

This will help to create a wonderfully chewy center.

These cookies are great to bring to any holiday gathering.

They're soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful, thanks to the chunks of chocolate and crushed candy canes.

Plus, you can always play around with the fixings to make a custom cookie that's perfect for you.

Instead of crowding my fridge with holiday-cooking ingredients, I just get two things: Brie and premade dough.

For this recipe, I purchased a wheel of double-creme Brie and a tube of crescent dough from Aldi.

I think it's easier to neatly wrap the dough around the wheeled cheese, but this recipe can also be made with a wedge or slice of Brie.

One of the most difficult parts of this recipe is peeling the paper off the crescent-dough canister and waiting in anticipation for it to pop open with a loud "thwap."

I take half of the dough and lay it out flat on my countertop. If it's perforated — as many crescent doughs are — you'll want to overlap those lines a bit and smooth it out.

The goal is to get the dough as smooth as possible so there are no holes for the cheese to escape through.

After laying out the dough, I place the wheel of Brie directly in the center of the rectangle.

Then, I take the second half of the crescent dough and smooth it out like I did with the first layer.

This rectangle of dough goes on top of the cheese. Be sure to line it up so that the edges of the bottom and top layers of dough come as close to touching as possible.

Before proceeding, I seal any holes between the two sheets of dough and ensure the cheese is securely wrapped.

I think the dough ends up looking a little nicer if I brush it with a quick egg wash before placing it in the air fryer.

Crack one egg into a glass or bowl and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. This mixture can be brushed directly on the dough.

I like to line my air-fryer basket with a piece of oiled aluminum foil to prevent any sticking.

Once that's prepped, I place the wrapped cheese inside and cook it at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

At that point, I open the basket, flip the doughy disc with a spatula, and pop it back in for another four minutes to ensure both sides are even.

I frequently bake Brie in my oven and toaster oven, which takes closer to 40 minutes (not including prep time). In comparison, this method was absurdly quick, and I enjoyed it right out of the air fryer.

The air-fried dough baked up similarly to how it does in the oven, and there was no noticeable difference in flavor or texture.

Going forward, I'll definitely be using the air fryer for my Brie, especially during the busy holiday season.

If you want to spruce up the dish for a specific event, you can easily add a layer of jam or preserves — sweet, savory, or spicy — on top of the cheese before you cover it.

During a visit to the "Fixer Upper" stars' famous restaurant in Waco, Texas, in February 2022, I ordered the classic Farm Breakfast, which consisted of two eggs, tater tots, bacon, a side of fruit, and a biscuit served with strawberry butter.

I liked the meal, but the biscuit blew me away. The crumbly pastry instantly melted in my mouth when I took a bite, having the soft texture I look for in a biscuit. The strawberry butter took it to the next level by adding moisture and a subtle sweetness to each bite.

It was one of the best biscuits I've ever had, which is saying a lot, as I grew up in the South. As I left the restaurant, I regretted only eating one.

The recipe for "Jojo's Biscuits" is available on the Magnolia website, and since I don't know when I'll be able to go to Waco to get my pastry fix again, it seemed only fitting to try to make them myself.

I'd heard the recipe, which makes about 20 biscuits, was difficult to make, which made me apprehensive because I'm an inexperienced baker. 

For me, baking usually consists of adding ingredients to a box mix, so making biscuits from scratch was intimidating. But I was up for the challenge since there was a chance of tasting something even vaguely similar to Magnolia Table's breakfast treats.

You probably have most of what you need to make "Jojo's Biscuits" in your kitchen cabinet:

• Self-rising flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salted butter
• Eggs
• Buttermilk

The recipe says to whisk the self-rising flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl.

The entire recipe ends up in this bowl, so I recommend using the biggest one you have available. 

It's also a good idea to have a full bag of flour on hand, as you'll need more of it toward the end of the recipe.

The three sticks of cold butter used in the biscuit recipe need to be cut into 1/2-inch pieces or grated before they can be added to the dry ingredients. I'm not that comfortable with a grater, so I decided to just slice the butter.

I used a baking scraper to measure out my butter sticks, as the one I have has ruler marks on it.

As I sliced up the butter, I laughed to myself thinking it was no wonder I liked "Jojo's Biscuits." Who wouldn't like a biscuit with three sticks of butter in it?

Before making the biscuits, I had never used a pastry blender, so I ordered one on Amazon for the occasion. 

Joanna's recipe instructs that the butter must be cut into pea-sized chunks, so I made sure to press into each chunk of butter, combining it with the flour mixture.

Because it's sticky, chunks of butter got stuck in the pastry cutter every few times I pressed it into my bowl full of ingredients.

I used a knife and my fingers to push the butter back into the bowl, continuing to combine it with the flour.

I got nearly everything down to pea size, but I struggled to find every slice of butter at this step because much of it had slipped toward the bottom of the bowl. I wish I had used a spoon to make sure I was splitting all of the butter in the bowl evenly.

The next step of the recipe is to stir two beaten eggs into the mixture using a wooden spoon.

I mixed my eggs together before I started combining my dry ingredients, so it was easy to grab them and mix them in. 

After that, it was time to add buttermilk, again using a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together until it created "a sticky mass." The recipe notes that you should add an additional teaspoon of buttermilk one at a time if the mixture doesn't have the right consistency. I ended up having to add one additional teaspoon to my dough before it seemed right. 

Stirring everything together was definitely the most challenging part of the recipe because the dough was firm, thanks to all the butter. My arm started to get sore, and I had to take a few breaks as I stirred.

I also thought I was done once or twice, and then realized there was loose flour at the bottom of the bowl that hadn't been incorporated into the mass. I think if I had a bigger spoon, I might have had an easier time mixing it all together.

I was excited to see my dough coming together, as it had the consistency and shape I was hoping for. 

After it's prepared, the dough must chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. I let mine sit for about 45 minutes, pre-heating my oven to 400 degrees a few minutes before I took it out of the fridge.

Once the dough chilled, it was time to press it out with my hands and cut out biscuits.

According to the recipe, the dough is supposed to be pressed into a round about 14 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. I measured my dough to ensure it was the proper length across, but I wasn't as consistent with making sure the slab was the same height all the way across.

Before I removed my dough, I thoroughly floured my workstation and my hands, as the recipe instructed. 

Because the dough had become sticky as I stirred it together, I could tell this step would be important. I was glad I applied a lot of flour to my work surface, as I didn't have any issues with my dough sticking as I cut out my biscuits. 

Joanna's recipe calls for a floured, 2 3/4-inch round cutter to cut out the biscuits from the dough.

Because I'm not an avid baker, I don't have cookie cutters or rounds around the house — but I do have wine glasses. I measured one of my glasses, and it happened to be the exact size Joanna recommended. I knew my love of rosé would come in handy someday. 

I made sure to thoroughly flour the rim of the glass before I pushed it through the dough, and it worked like a charm. I was left with beautiful, round biscuits. 

I put my biscuits on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper, nestling them together as Joanna's recipe instructs. I typically make cookies when I bake, so I was surprised the biscuits were supposed to touch. 

To make the egg wash, I combined one egg with buttermilk and brushed the mixture on top of the biscuits. 

Once every biscuit had been lightly coated, it was time to pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. 

As I put them in the oven, I was worried I had done something wrong because the recipe had been so easy to make. Sure, it was time-consuming to stir everything together, but it wasn't challenging otherwise.

I pulled my biscuits out when the crust had turned a golden brown, and I was immediately met by a scent I can only call buttery.

It was warm and inviting, and based on both the aroma and the look of the biscuits, I was optimistic I had actually pulled the recipe off. 

I let the biscuits cool for about five minutes before I took a bite.

My mouth watered as I bit into the flaky treat.

The biscuits had a soft interior surrounded by a crumbly crust, just like the delectable pastry I had tasted at Magnolia Table. They were sweet, but I could tell they would taste just as good with jam as they would with bacon, as is ideal for a breakfast carb.

As I soaked up the flavor of the pastry, I knew that if I had strawberry butter within reach, I would have felt like I was back at a counter seat in Waco. 

Although all of the biscuits were delicious, some of them were thicker than others because I had not been as diligent as I should have been when pressing out my dough round. 

It didn't matter this time around since I was only making the biscuits for myself, but if I make the recipe for a group, I wouldn't want anyone to get a smaller biscuit than someone else. 

I definitely recommend taking your time shaping the dough and cutting your rounds if you try this recipe.

And because they're best when you take your time with the biscuits, they took me a few hours to complete, especially because the dough needed time to chill in the fridge.

That wasn't a problem here, but I could see that being annoying if I wanted to make this recipe for breakfast and woke up hungry.

Next time I wanted to have them for breakfast, I would probably let the dough chill overnight, as it would make serving the biscuits for breakfast or brunch nearly stress-free.

You might immediately associate Jojo's biscuits with breakfast, but I think they'd be the perfect substitute for the rolls or cornbread that people often serve at a holiday dinner. 

In fact, Joanna often serves her biscuits with her sausage gravy. You could swap her recipe for the gravy you typically serve with turkey on Thanksgiving for a savory and sweet pairing. 

Plus, you can save any leftover dough for a second batch of biscuits for a delicious brunch later in the week. It's a win-win. 

The recipe calls for four medium Idaho potatoes, which are tasty and easy to find, but I actually prefer russets.

Pretty much all of the prep work is just slicing the potatoes. Although Flay peels his spuds, I prefer skin-on for a rustic taste and feel. But it's probably worth the extra time and effort if you prefer a smoother consistency.

The slicing can absolutely be done with a sharp knife, but a simple kitchen mandoline makes it immensely easier and faster.

The final step of prep work is just washing and drying the slices.

I've developed a method of layering my potatoes between sheets of paper towels and pressing them down as hard as I can to remove all the moisture.

Once the potatoes are dried, the rest of the recipe is incredibly easy.

I like to use a sturdy casserole dish to begin layering the potatoes. Once the first layer is done, I drizzle a few tablespoons of cream over the potatoes, finish with salt and pepper, and move on to the next layer.

This creates the "11 layers," but it's more of a figure of speech than an actual number. I just continue with as many layers of potatoes as I can without overloading my casserole dish.

When the dish is full, I cover it with foil and pop the whole thing in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes — which gives me just enough time to polish off the rest of the recipe.

The caramelized shallots — basically fancy crispy onions — make this dish.

After thinly slicing the shallots (a mandoline is also incredibly time-saving here), I toss them in a pan with butter and a pinch of sugar. They cook on medium heat until they're gorgeously brown and fragrant.

Afterward, I place the shallots on a paper towel to drain the excess oil for maximum crispiness.

After finishing off the shallots, I check on the gratin and pop it back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.

This time, while it's cooking, I focus on frying sage leaves in some oil until they're crispy.

When the casserole comes out, I sprinkle my delicious caramelized shallots on top in an even layer and crumble the fried sage over everything.

Flay recommends placing whole sage leaves on top, but my family found that overwhelming. Over time, I've discovered that crumbling the sage provides just enough texture and flavor to balance each bite.

This recipe has everything. It's visually beautiful and has a delicious holiday flavor profile.

Best of all, no one would ever guess the entire dish takes very little prep and about an hour to bake.

This story was originally published on November 20, 2023, and most recently updated on November 27, 2024.

The recipe has just six ingredients: Yukon Gold potatoes, unsalted butter, whole milk, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

It serves four to six people, so I cut all the measurements in half for my household of two.

I was interested in Garten's choice of potato for this recipe. Some mashed potatoes call for russet, others call for Yukon Gold, and others still include a combination of both.

Russet potatoes have a higher starch content, which makes for lighter, fluffier potatoes. Yukon Golds have a medium starch content, which makes for denser, creamier potatoes with a natural buttery flavor. 

I figured with all of the butter in this recipe, plus the creamy Yukon Gold potatoes, the lemon zest would be pretty handy in balancing the richer flavors.

The cooking directions were straightforward and similar to many other recipes I've made.

I started by peeling and cutting the potatoes into about 1 ½-inch chunks.

I placed them in a pot and covered them with cold water and salt before bringing everything to a boil. Once boiling, I cooked them for 20 minutes until they were soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.

Garten calls for a food mill to puree the potatoes. I don't have one, so I used my trusty ricer for that step. 

Just before the potatoes were done cooking, I put ½ cup of whole milk in a small pot to simmer on the stove.

By using warm milk instead of cold, the potatoes can absorb the liquid better, which evidently keeps them from becoming too gummy.

While the potatoes were cooking, I cut a full stick of butter into ½-inch pieces and kept them in the fridge.

Unlike the milk, the butter was meant to be whisked into the potatoes while it was still very cold and fresh from the fridge.

Had I warmed up the butter like the milk, it might have separated.

After ricing the potatoes, I started whisking in a little bit of butter at a time.

It was impressive to watch how quickly the potatoes became silky and creamy even before I started pouring in the warm milk.

Once the full stick of butter was incorporated, the instructions said to pour in just enough milk to make the potatoes "creamy but still thick." 

Ultimately, I only needed about ¼ of the milk to reach my desired consistency before stirring in the salt and pepper. 

Once the salt and pepper were thoroughly mixed into the potatoes, I whisked in the zest of one lemon.

Unsurprisingly, the full stick of butter and warm milk turned the potatoes into a silky-smooth, buttery-soft pile of fluff on my plate.

They were ultra-creamy without being soupy, and they were still able to hold their shape and form peaks when I spooned them into a dish.

These potatoes had an amazing texture that was both light and decadent at the same time.

Including salt, fat, acid, and heat in a recipe has become a common adage, so I couldn't believe I'd never thought to add lemon to my mashed potatoes before.

Mashed potatoes always include plenty of salt and fat from the butter or heavy cream, and there's a hint of heat when you add black pepper. 

But the lemon zest adds just enough acidity to cut through all of the rich textures and flavors, adding a nice brightness and freshness to help balance out the heavier ingredients.

I loved the taste and texture of Garten's mashed potatoes. They were somehow both rich and creamy and light and vibrant.

Although I loved the addition of lemon, I'd cut back slightly and use the zest of about ½ to ¾ of a lemon for a slightly more subtle brightness. I also think some fresh herbs, like chives or parsley, would complement the lemon and make the potatoes even better.

Overall, thanks to Garten's recipe, I'll keep a lemon handy anytime I want to make mashed potatoes.

This story was originally published on November 15, 2022, and most recently updated on November 25, 2024. 

Rosie Mayes, author of the blog I Heart Recipes, told Business Insider that bacon is an easy and delicious addition to any stuffing recipe.

"You can use many different kinds of meat in stuffing, from chicken to turkey and sausage," she said. "However, you can also use crumbled bacon because bacon adds flavor to everything!"

"If you add sausage or any other ingredients that you are cooking up separately, it's great to add the cooking fat or drippings to your stuffing for that extra moisture and flavor," Chungah Rhee, author of "Damn Delicious: 100 Super Easy, Super Fast Recipes" and the blog Damn Delicious, told BI.

In New England, it's traditional to add seafood to stuffing.

"You can add oysters, shrimp, or some people even add scallops to their stuffing," Mayes said.

Instead of throwing away the turkey giblets as you normally might, try repurposing them into the stuffing instead of the traditional sausage.

Mayes said you could also add browned liver to your stuffing for extra flavor. 

Although many stuffing recipes call for sweet Italian sausage, you can also switch up the kind of sausage you use.

For example, if you're looking to give your Thanksgiving stuffing recipe an added kick, you could experiment with spicy Italian sausage like this recipe from chef Emeril Lagasse.

If you don't want to add meat to your stuffing, consider incorporating apples. 

Everyone from famous chefs like Ina Garten to bloggers like Rhee of Damn Delicious have shared their own recipes for apple stuffing.

Cranberries are already a holiday favorite, but they don't need to be limited to just sauce. If you have some extra berries, why not throw them into your stuffing?

The tartness of the cranberries can add flavor, and their bright color makes for a perfect Thanksgiving plate photo opp.

"A mixture of breads such as sourdough, multigrain, whole wheat, or pumpernickel makes for a great stuffing," Rhee told BI.

However, no matter what bread you choose, make sure it's slightly dried so the ingredients are properly absorbed.

"Bread should be dried out," Rhee said. "If you use fresh bread, it will end up soggy or even soupy — we don't want that!"

Although sourdough or plain white bread is traditionally used in stuffing, many people use cornbread instead. Cornbread makes for a super flavorful, Southern-inspired stuffing base and perfectly soaks up the broth and other ingredients.

"I usually use cornbread in my stuffing and I always make it the day before," Mayes told BI. "If I forget to make it the day before, I just overcook it for about 10 to 15 minutes to help dry it out."

"I usually use regular day-old white bread in my stuffing, but I love to add saltine crackers to give it a little more texture as well," Mayes said.

Instead of using chicken or turkey broth, you can add a ton of flavor to your stuffing by opting for a cream-based soup. 

"If you use cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery soup, that's going to add a little moisture and creaminess to your stuffing," Mayes said. 

If you like a little wine on Thanksgiving, why not add it to your stuffing?

"You can absolutely use a dry white wine in place of stock or even incorporate half stock and half wine for some extra flavor," Rhee told BI.

"I generally stick to the essentials — thyme, rosemary, parsley, and garlic," Rhee said. "But you could even add some nutmeg or cardamom for a little kick."

Mayes said that bell peppers are usually a go-to addition to her stuffing. She also likes to use classic vegetables like onions and celery, as well as kale or collard greens.

Pumpkin and butternut squash are two beloved fall fruits that work exceptionally well in stuffing.

To make the perfect pumpkin- or butternut squash-filled stuffing, soften and roast your fruit beforehand to ensure it gets tender before you add it to your stuffing. Otherwise, it might not cook quickly enough. 

Although carrots, celery, onions, and leeks "cover the basics," you can also add Brussels sprouts to just about any traditional stuffing recipe, said Rhee.

Although many choose to stuff their dressing inside the turkey or bake it in a pan inside the oven, you can also make stuffing in a slow cooker or Crock-Pot.

"Oven stuffing is always great but if you are trying to keep your oven and stovetop reserved for other dishes, a slow-cooker version is another easy and delicious way to make your Thanksgiving stuffing without adding any more stress," Rhee said.

This story was originally published on November 20, 2020, and most recently updated on November 20, 2024.