What to Cook This Weekend

What to Cook This Weekend: December 7–9

This weekend it's time to deep-dive into holiday baking and winter comfort food like hearty braises, soups, and stews.

By The Editors of Epicurious

December 6, 2018

Watercolor christmas ornament cookies next to an pine branch.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Diana Yen
1/11
Watercolor Christmas Ornament Cookies
This recipe starts with our favorite sugar cookie dough. Using a simple watercolor painting technique, it’s easy to brush and splatter them with festive patterns.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
2/11
Apple Fritters With Spiced Sugar
Cinnamon, cardamom, and freshly ground black pepper lend warm spice to these sweet fritters.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
3/11
Molasses Sandwich Cookies With Coffee Cream
Adding ground coffee to both the cookie dough and the filling turns these cookies into something deeply more interesting than your average holiday spice treats.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
4/11
Charred Steak and Broccolini with Cheese Sauce
Love cheesy broccoli casserole? Then go for this steak dinner, which mimics those flavors in a simple but elegant way with charred broccolini and a creamy Gruyère sauce.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
5/11
Crispy Chicken Thighs With Kale, Apricots, and Olives
While the chicken thighs braise in the oven, the kale gets nice and crispy, making it the most irresistible part of this cozy one-pot dinner.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
6/11
Oxtail and Red Wine Stew
Love beef stew and braised short ribs? Consider giving oxtails a try. These surprisingly meaty cuts contain a ton of collagen, which melts into the stew to create an ultra-rich, ultra-silky texture and flavor. In fact, you might end up needing to thin the finished stew with water before serving.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
7/11
Pistachio-Rose Shortbread Squares
A coating of crushed, freeze-dried raspberries and pink sanding sugar adds color, sparkle, and crunch to these festive cookies.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
8/11
Vegetarian Skillet Stuffed Shells
This one-pan, stovetop-only pasta turns mushroom- and spinach-stuffed shells into an easy weeknight dinner.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
9/11
Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Hazelnut Thumbprints
Toasted hazelnuts are the perfect complement to luscious dark chocolate and fragrant cinnamon in these decadent holiday cookies.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime
10/11
Aromatic Shrimp and Noodle Medicine Soup
Step into January with this healing, brothy Cambodian-inspired soup, perfumed with warming spices, revitalizing ginger, and spicy dried chiles.
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Photo by Charles Masters, food styling by Sue Li
11/11
Our Favorite French Onion Soup
Buy the best beef broth you can, or better yet, make your own for a rich, full-flavored soup. And if you don't have ovenproof bowls or ramekins for the soup, don't worry—you can just top your soup with melty cheese toasts.
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