Midwest Living Holiday Cookbook 2007
Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes [1]

This gooey-center, intense chocolate dessert is among guests' favorite treats at Kirby House Bed and Breakfast in Saugatuck, Michigan.
Fabulous Red Velvet Cake [5]

We gussied up chocolate cake mix with sour cream and red food coloring for Fabulous Red Velvet Cake. Then, we crowned the cake with a white chocolate-cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.
Sticky Toffee Pudding [9]

Chicago's MK the Restaurant used an English tradition as inspiration for this molasses-date dessert with honey-toffee sauce. Buttery toffee originated in England, but a Robinson, Illinois, company named Heath launched an empire when it began making toffee commercially in 1914.
Santa's Midnight Cookies and Key Lime Spritz Cookies [13]

A dip in melted chocolate dresses up jam-filled Santa's Midnight Cookies, a popular treat at Dinkel's Bakery in Chicago. In our Key Lime Spritz cookies, lime juice gives new-American flavor to old-world butter spritz (the name derives from the German word spritzen, which means "to squirt").
Sesame Seed-Crusted Tuna Appetizer and Indian Summer Cocktail [18]

The crispness of fried wontons and the bite of wasabi alongside cooked tuna and greens create the flair in Sesame Seed-Crusted Tuna Appetizer, featured at Entourage on American Lane in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Another Entourage on American Lane specialty: Indian Summer Cocktail, a beautiful green drink with a nice balance of liqueurs and fruit juice.
Mini Burger Party Platter [23]

To keep in step with the small-plate trend in restaurants, we created this Mini Burger Party Platter with fun sauces to choose from, including Balsamic Mayo, Herbed Goat Cheese and Citrus Ketchup.
Wine-Tasting Lasagna [27]

If you're thinking about holding a holiday wine-tasting party, the flavors of the red meat sauce and cheese-spinach layers in this colorful lasagna will complement the wines.
Wine-Tasting Lasagna [28]
Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Red Currant Sauce [31]

Coat lean pork tenderloin with mustard and herbs for easy-to-prepare Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Red Currant Sauce. We like it with the Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta also pictured on the plate.
Crispy Beer-Batter-Fried Walleye with Mango Sweet-and-Sour Sauce [36]

Tartar sauce gets a mango upgrade for fried walleye at Gunflint Lodge on the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, Minnesota. The exotic, yellow-orange mango adds beautiful color, plus lots of Vitamins A and C. Serve the state fish with the state grain: wild rice.
Crispy Beer-Batter-Fried Walleye with Mango Sweet-and-Sour Sauce [37]
Finnish Baked Pancakes [40]

This recipe comes from the Poplar Creek Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast on the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, Minnesota. The traditional big pancake has been adapted into a lighter version: puffed pancakes.
Vanilla Sables [44]

These butter cookies, which have a crumbly texture, are named for the French word for sand. The recipe comes from Julee Rosso, owner of the Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck, Michigan, and author of the Silver Palate Cookbook.
Vanilla Sables [45]
Cappuccino Mousse [48]

Cappuccino Mousse is "a creamy, cool and spoonable version of our favorite cappuccino," says Silver Palate Cookbook author Julee Rosso. "We think it's a perfect brunch treat."
Another brunch recipe from Julee: Asparagus and Arugula Frittata -- "loaded with flavor in every bite," she says. You'll find truffle oil at specialty food stores.
Cappuccino Mousse [49]
Patsy's Egg Casserole [53]

Midwest Living® Creative Director Geri Boesen credits her mother-in-law, Patsy, for creating this easy sausage and-cheese brunch recipe, a popular food at family holiday gatherings. "It's nice because you can make it the day ahead and put it in the fridge overnight," Geri says.
Kringla breakfast cookies [57]

Rolling and shaping these Scandinavian breakfast cookies is a fun and creative family bonding activity. Just don't get too carried away with flour, which can make the breadlike pastries tough and dry.
Kringla [58]
Easy Fudge [61]

Midwest Living Travel Editor Kendra Williams shared this Easy Fudge recipe; her grandparents made it every year, and it's just not Christmas for her family without it.
Easy Fudge [62]
Butter Dream Cookies [65]

A festive red maraschino cherry tops each cookie in this recipe, contributed by one of our Midwest Living editors.
Butter Dream Cookies [66]
Holiday Seven-Layer Bars [69]

Chocolate, nuts, coconut and more fill our easy-to-make bar cookies. Mixed dried fruit bits and candy-coated milk chocolate pieces are among the layers that make this bar cookie distinctive.
Fat Molasses Cookies [73]

Packed with flavor from molasses, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar, these cookies look especially nice when cut with a scalloped or round cutter and sprinkled with coarse sugar or crystallized ginger.
Fat Molasses Cookies [74]
Rugalach [77]

Choose a chocolate or apricot filling for this swirled pastry that's a holiday tradition of the family of Midwest Living Assistant Travel Editor Hannah Agran.
Rugalach [78]
Spiced Cherry Pie [81]

Bring all-time favorite cherry pie into the holidays. Although we tested it with refrigerated piecrust, you can use your homemade crust, if you like. The filling gets a tasty boost from cinnamon and allspice.
Spiced Cherry Pie [82]
More Holiday Cookbook 2007 recipes [85]

Maple-Baked Stuffed Pears [86]
Chocolate-Banana Butter Pound Cake [87]
The Taste of Christmas Cranberry Cake [89]
Roasted Red Pepper-Chipotle Hummus Dip [92]
Gluhwein (Hot Spiced Mulled Wine) [93]
Rustic Potato Skins with Basil Cream Dip [96]
Roast Breast of Chicken with Mushroom and Wild Rice Stuffing [97]
Carrot Mold [98]
Red Apple Salad [99]
Holiday Squash Risotto [100]
Hot Biscuits and Sausage Gravy [101]
Stuffed French Toast [102]
