Christmas Snack Recipes

Doing all that decorating and hosting is guaranteed to make you hungry. Put out a spread for guests or just chow down in the kitchen as you get prepped this holiday season. From beautiful cocktail cookies to homemade pretzels, these Christmas snacks will surely get the festivities going.

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Salty Black-and-White Sesame Cocktail Cookies

"In these cookies, you start with a sweet dough and the sesame seeds push it over on the sweet-savory continuum," says Dorie Greenspan. Blending ground almonds with the flour emphasizes the nutty sesame flavor.

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Maple Pecans

These nuts are an addictive combination of sweet, spicy and sticky-crunchy.

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Popcorn with Sesame-Glazed Pistachios

Mixing popcorn with glazed pistachios creates a sweet-salty snack that's fantastic with cocktails.

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Cardamom-Cheddar Straws

Justin Devillier upgrades classic Southern cheese straws with Sharifi's Iranian spices at his New Orleans restaurant La Petite Grocery. He sometimes swaps out the cardamom for equal amounts of ground coriander or fennel seed. "I've always assumed cheese straws originated in the Carolinas," says Devillier, "but that may be because my mother-in-law always brings them when she visits from South Carolina."

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Warm Olives with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon

Chef Marc Murphy serves these olives warm to accentuate the marinade's lemony flavor.

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Rosemary-Buttermilk Crackers with Chanterelle Spread

The key to the flaky, super-crisp texture of these crackers is pastry flour, a low-protein, low-gluten flour.

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Tiki Snack Mix

This irresistible mix of soy-and-honey-glazed peanuts, bacon and chewy glazed pineapple is the perfect complement to tiki cocktails, combining Polynesian-inspired flavors in every bite.

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German-Style Pretzels

These chewy pretzels from chef Hans Rockenwagner develop a shiny, professional-looking crust as they bake.

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Oat-and-Cheddar Crackers

After rolling out this buttery dough, stamp out all different kinds of shapes (Ginna Haravon likes making animal crackers). It's important to chill the dough before and after rolling it out so the crackers are tender.

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Hogs in a Blanket

This fun, high-brow take on pigs in a blanket swaps spicy andouille sausage for the hot dogs, with sweet mustard chutney as a condiment.

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Christmas Snack Recipes

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Salty Black-and-White Sesame Cocktail Cookies