Meringue Cookies – Light, Crisp, and Perfect for the Holidays

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a metal serving tray full of small white meringue cookies

This is the classic holiday recipe for meringue cookies! Our little meringues only call for 5 ingredients, and a lot of oven time. Be patient as the piping takes a little bit of practice, but this recipe will walk you through the steps so that you can make your own perfect meringues!

Must Make Holiday Cookies

Ok, this Christmas, well, holiday cookie recipe is one you would have found in my grandma’s kitchen which means it’s a must-make! I love the traditions of holidays and cookies are the perfect place to remember loved ones.

I’ve been busy practicing meringue cookies, dying meringues, and munching on A LOT of meringues so that I can share what I’ve learned with you! Now you can make these addictive cookies without the stress! And since they are only about 20 calories each, munch away!

Important Tip: Making Meringue Cookies

This recipe calls for only 5 ingredients. With so few ingredients, you actually run a higher risk of issues. The key to avoiding those issues is stiff peaks.

While adding the sugar, the foamy egg mixture will start to become thick, glossy, and sticky, that’s exactly what you are looking for! My mom would often stop the mixer, grab the whisk and turn it upside down to inspect. I love that method of checking for stiff peaks!

Ingredients for Meringue Cookie Recipe

  • Egg Whites: The foundation of meringue — when whipped, they trap air, creating the light, airy structure. As they cook, the proteins set and give the cookies their crisp texture.
  • Salt: Sharpens the flavor and helps slightly strengthen the egg white foam during whipping.
  • Cream of Tartar: The acid that stabilizes the egg whites which allows them to hold more air without collapsing, and helps prevent overbeating.
  • Clear Vanilla: Adds flavor without discoloring the pure white meringue. Regular vanilla extract can give the meringue a beige tint.
  • Sugar: Sweetens and dissolves into the egg whites to create a glossy, stable foam that bakes into a crisp shell outside with melt-in-your-mouth marshmallow on the inside.

How to Make Meringue Cookies

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 225℉ and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Beat: Using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer (you can also use a mixing bowl and electric hand mixer), beat the egg whites. When they start to get foamy, add the salt, cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
  3. Whip: Slowly add the sugar one small spoonful at a time continuing to w

Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

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Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

This easy baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip is the perfect holiday appetizer this season. Only a few simple ingredients (cheese, cream cheese, leftover cranberry sauce, cranberries and spices) to this savory hot dip. Ever wondered what to make with leftover cranberry sauce? This is the answer!

This cheese dip is one of my favorite holiday dip recipes! I love that it looks as festive as it tastes and the kids love that it’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty!

The holiday season is here and that means a lot of parties, get-togethers and food. From the family Thanksgiving dinner to the “favorite things party” with girlfriends, our calendar is packed. When I need to bring a dish to share, quick and easy recipes are the way to go… like this Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip.

We Love Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip!

Our family has a list of recipes that are a tradition every year. It’s not the holidays without our best cheeseball, soft and chewy gingerbread men cookies, peanut butter balls, and the best Christmas cookies ever! So why do we love this savory cranberry dip?

  • Easy to make: There are only a few simple ingredients so no running to a million different stores to get what you need.
  • Sweet and Cheesy: The tangy flavor of the cranberries are balanced with the savory cheeses and then you get that hint of sweet from the cranberry sauce.
  • Everyone Asks For the Recipe: I love that this is the dip we often get asked for the recipe, guests just love it!
  • Uses Up Leftovers: I don’t know about you, but I’m often googling “what to make with leftover cranberry sauce” This festive recipe solves that problem!
  • Make Ahead: This dip is easy to make ahead of time, so you can spend more time with your guests. See more below.

Carrian’s Secret Sandwich!

Not only is this an amazing dip, it’s also to-die-for as a spread for sandwiches or grilled up into a grilled cheese sandwich with ham or turkey. Try it and share on instagram by tagging @ohsweetbasil and #ohsweetbasil.

Ingredients for our Holiday Dip Recipe

  • Extra-Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, grated
  • Mozzarella Cheese, grated
  • Cream cheese

Easy French Toast Casserole

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a photo of a piece of french toast casserole topped with fresh berries

Our Easy French Toast Casserole is a classic recipe for brunch or breakfast, especially a holiday breakfast! You’ll go nuts for the cinnamon crumb topping. 

It has been years and years since we’ve updated this old post for our favorite, simple french toast bake, but I’m finally getting around to it. Every year I’ve made it for a special breakfast, vowed to take new photos and then gobbled the entire thing up. 

Well, a few months back we lost a few of our older posts in a tragic mishap on the blog, so here we are, desperate to get this baked french toast back up because it’s the perfect holiday breakfast!

Ingredients for French Toast Casserole

There’s nothing too surprising here, but starting with a good bread is crucial! Other than the bread, you’ll probably have everything else at home already. Here is your ingredients list:

  • Challah, Brioche or Sourdough Bread: you want a dense sturdy bread and day old is best
  • Eggs: large eggs, medium and you’ll need more eggs, extra large and you’ll need less
  • Milk: don’t use fat free milk, but any other milk will work fine, we prefer 2%
  • Heavy Cream: essential for the custard base of the casserole and adds richness and flavor
  • Sugar: any granulated refined sugar works great
  • Brown Sugar: adds flavor and richness
  • Cinnamon: any brand of cinnamon is great
    • NOTE: If you’re a nutmeg fan, you could add a little pinch of nutmeg too. I especially love that during the holidays!
  • Vanilla: real vanilla extract is preferred

Topping

  • Butter: chilled and cut into small (1/2 inch-ish) cubes
  • Flour: just all purpose
  • Brown Sugar: I never need a reason for brown sugar…haha…but really it’s all the flavor and sweetness
  • Cinnamon: combined with the brown sugar and it’s all the flavor you need
  • Salt: just a little pinch enhances all the flavors
  • Optional: Top with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.

How to Make French Toast Casserole

This is a great recipe for the holidays because you can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning. In fact, it’s better if you let it sit overnight. Overnight french toast casserole makes breakfast on Christmas morning so easy! Just a thought! Here are the simplified steps for making this breakfast casserole:

  1. Prep: Tear or slice the bread into bite size pieces and prepare a baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Place the bread into the pan.
  2. Whisk: Whis

Cranberry Crumb Bars

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a photo of a cranberry crumb bar sitting on a small dessert plate with whole cranberries scattered around it and on top of it

Get into the holiday spirit with these delicious cranberry crumb bars. It is my favorite way to use up leftover cranberry sauce. Follow our step-by-step instructions and video to create a festive and tasty dessert that is perfect for any holiday gathering.

I got fed up last year with leftover cranberry sauce so for months after Thanksgiving I was testing it in all sorts of recipes to find ways to use it. This is how our cranberry sauce muffins came to be! And it’s the same story for this cranberry crumble bars recipe. I’ve been experimenting with this one and this is finally the winning recipe. They are to die for!

They are the most wonderful combination of creamy cranberry sauce and a chewy sugar cookie, tart shortbread crust!

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce Bars

We will actually make one crust recipe and we will use it for both the base of the bars and the crumble on top! Then we will make a filling to go in the middle. I’ll include the ingredients for an optional glaze too. Here is everything you will need for each component:

Crust and Topping

  • Wet Ingredients: Butter (softened), Cream Cheese (softened), Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Egg, Vanilla and Almond Extract
  • Dry Ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt

Filling

  • Sour Cream: full fat cream cheese
  • Eggs: binds the filling together
  • Cornstarch: helps thicken the filling
  • Vanilla and Ground Cinnamon: add flavor
  • Cranberry Sauce: homemade is preferred, but store-bought would work fine too, just don’t use the canned cranberry jelly
  • Whole Fresh Cranberries: adds more flavor and texture

Glaze

  • Powdered Sugar: acts as the base of the glaze and adds all the sweetness
  • Milk: adds richness and creates the glaze
  • Vanilla: adds flavor

The measurements for each ingredient can be found down below in the recipe card. This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients you will need.

How to Make Cranberry Crumb Bars

Let me walk you through each step of this recipe! It might seem like a lot of steps, but it’s super easy.

Crust

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment. Spray everything with cooking

Easy Ham Dipping Sauces [+Video]

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Easy Ham Dipping Sauces [+Video]

Honey Mustard Ham Dipping Sauce is literally my obsession every holiday! ohsweetbasil.com

Elevate your next ham dinner with these easy and delicious dipping sauces. From a sweet honey mustard sauce to a tangy pina colada sauce, these sauces will take your ham to the next level.

These are the best easy ham sauce recipes that I’ve ever had.

Oh, Christmas Ham, Oh Christmas Ham, and delicious ham dipping sauces… Who needs a song about a tree when you’ve got the world’s best brown sugar ham?!

My family has this funny way of eating ham, we eat it with applesauce. It is truly delicious. I mean, apples and pork are meant to be together and while many may not do actual applesauce they really should. We always use my mom’s homemade applesauce which is 10x better than any ol’ can. Or we did, until we found these ham dipping sauces.

My cousin, Robyn works as the manager for the LDS Church’s Catering and she is the one that introduced me to these easy ham dipping sauces.

I don’t know what it is about ham, but I just have to have a little sauce to dip it in.

Ingredients for Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

This honey mustard recipe is my personal favorite, which is funny because I’m not a lover of mustard. I tell you what though, it is wonderful with the ham. DELIGHTFUL. You only need 3 simple ingredients:

  • Mayonnaise: Duke’s is our favorite brand of mayo, but you can use whatever brand is your favorite.
  • Honey: adds natural sweetness
    • PRO TIP: If you want to add a little heat to your sauce, use hot honey!
  • Mustard: Just regular yellow mustard is our preference, but you change up the flavor to your liking with dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, etc.

If you end up with extra sauce, this would make a bomb diggity sandwich the next day. The measurements needed are listed in the recipe card below.

Ingredients for Pina Colada Dipping Sauce

The pina colada sauce is most everyone’s favorite. It’s so fun and creamy and pairs so well with the ham! It seriously tastes just like a pina colada and I’m sure you won’t have anyone throwing a fit about a little coconut and pineapple action. Here is what you will need:

  • Cream of Coconut: head to the alcohol section of your local grocery store and it will be by the margarita mixes
  • Sour Cream: use full fat sour cream for maximum flavor and creaminess
  • Crushed Pineapple: make sure you drain it before adding to the sauce
  • Desiccated Coconut: has a more fine and powdery texture than shredded coconut and a milder flavor

Again, the measurements are listed in the recipe card at the end o

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