Molasses

We recommend using finely ground cornmeal to give these the ideal texture.

Lori Sobelson A moist and flavorful gingerbread with a cakelike texture, this snack cake is simply dreamy when served warm from the oven with a cold glass of milk. No one will guess it's gluten free. Note: Don't be fooled by a deep brown crust or a clean toothpick—this cake isn't done until it bounces back. The cake is vegan if made with flaxseed meal in place of the egg.

This fresh seasonal sauce—so good you'll be glad to have leftovers—features less sugar than traditional barbecue sauces. Serve the moist, flavorful chicken on warmed burger buns. Wear rubber gloves when mincing the jalapeño so you don't burn your hands. When prepping the fresh cherries, wear a dark shirt, use a good cherry pitter, and work over two bowls: one for the pits and stems and the other for the usable flesh. Feel into the center of each cherry after pitting and de-stemming to make sure that no pit remains.

Tarte Tatin meets gingerbread cake in this pretty upside-down dessert.

These spicy molasses cookies were a popular nineteenth-century New Orleans street food. For years, grocery stores throughout the United States have been selling them prepackaged, and often topped with white or pink icing.

Lightly spiced little cookies are the perfect canvas for your holiday decorations. To keep the dough logs from flattening on one side, set them in empty paper-towel rolls before freezing.

I love a recipe like this, in which one familiar item (balsamic vinegar) combines with something else very familiar (in this case, the elements of a homemade barbecue sauce) to form something entirely new. The end result, which gets slathered all over spareribs that have been slow-roasted in the oven and baked at a high temperature until the two entities combine, makes for a sticky, tangy, unforgettable take on good old-fashioned ribs. If you're feeding a crowd, the oven is your best bet for that final step; if you have the time, though, try broiling the ribs with the glaze on top. The rib and the glaze fuse together and, if you take it far enough (just before it turns black), you get a crispy, sweet, and succulent rib that'll be your new standard from now on.

Amazingly, the New York Times fashion critic, Cathy Horyn, is also an accomplished cook and intrepid baker. The equivalent would be if I, a food writer, were also a sleek fashion plate with a deep bench of vintage and modern pieces. This is certainly not the case, so I find her extremely impressive. She claims that these cookies are a Swedish-American tradition in her hometown of Coshocton, Ohio, but I feel they are the cookie equivalent of Paris Fashion Week: a modern, edgy take on a classic. They are truly remarkable, with a robust and smoky undertone that sets them apart from other gingersnaps.

This dense quickbread is traditionally baked in empty coffee cans.

Grunts get their quirky name from the fact that the fruit, which is topped with dumplings and cooked on the stove in a covered skillet, can make a grunting sound as the dessert steams. Molasses adds sweetness and a lovely depth of flavor.

Another dessert cocktail made with oatmeal stout, the Oatmeal Cookie gets a spicy edge from Goldschläger, a Swiss cinnamon schnapps that has thin flakes of gold leaf floating in it.

A ham may be fully cooked and usually smoked as well, but another round in the smoker and a tasty glaze really take it to the next level. The apricot-soy combo here adds a sweet/salty taste to the outside of the ham. This recipe calls for a bone-in ham, but you can easily adapt it to any cooked ham. This is a great way to impress the family for the holidays and leave the oven available for other dishes.

Our test kitchen had an Aha! moment with this dish. Crumbled bacon, mixed in with the breadcrumbs, makes a great topping for these tangy-sweet beans. We think the combo would do the same for mac and cheese.

This homemade cereal is hearty, wholesome, and filled with nutritious ingredients such as walnuts, rolled oats, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Granola is very flexible, so you can add whatever fruits and nuts are your personal favorites. This granola is great with milk or yogurt, or even as a topping on pancakes. Because raisins can make the granola soggy, we add them right before serving. The granola keeps well for a long time, so this is a big batch—it makes three pounds. Just keep it in an airtight container and eat it for breakfast all week, as we do at Bubby's or cut it in half to feed a smaller crowd.

In the halls of Winterfell, black bread is easy to find. Of course, bread can be found in many lands and nations, but the black bread of the North is fitting for its inhabitants. It possesses a darker color, higher fiber, and stronger flavor than other breads. It's denser as well, implying a great inner strength. Such food seems to symbolize the soul of the Stark family: gritty and stronger than anyone gives them credit for, with hidden resources that emerge when needed. Flavorful and healthy, it's both a treat and practical nourishment. (A Game of Thrones, Chapter 5—Jon)

Bake this festive spice cake in your favorite Bundt pan or pudding bowl, or feel free to use an 8" springform pan. You can top the cake with Luscious Chocolate Icing or simply dust it with powdered sugar.

As its name implies, this sauce is extremely versatile—you can brush it on chicken (whole or parts), ribs, steak, even vegetables. A small amount of butter is added at the end for a smooth finish; feel free to leave it out, especially if you’re using the sauce with a particularly fatty piece of meat.

We used apple juice to sweeten the bread, but this recipe is equally tasty made with orange juice or cranberry juice.