We chatted with a cookie swap pro — yes, really! — to find out her best tips for preparing a festive fête with family and friends this season, what makes cookie exchanges so special, and some of her very favorite recipes.
dessert
Orange & Ginger Oatmeal with Toasted Walnuts
This warming bowl of breakfast oats is loaded with flavor and can be made the night before.
Brown Sugar Breakfast Tarts
Forget the store-bought treat: Spread icing over these warm, homemade tarts and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to impress children and adults alike.
Maple-Pecan Coffee Cake
We recommend adding North Carolina-grown nuts to this maple-pecan coffee cake — a Christmas morning classic.
The Miracle of the Oil
When cultures collided in one family’s Raleigh kitchen, a new food tradition — part Jewish, part Southern Baptist — was born. Two treats served each year for Hanukkah — latkes and sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts — got updates. The Jewish husband was mesmerized. The Southern wife had a secret.
Aunt Nancy’s Cookies
A writer in Greensboro recalls how a favorite relative arrived each December, bearing shirt boxes brimming with old-school gems.
A Merry Little Breakfast: 4 Recipes for Christmas Morning
Let your heart be light: Many of these festive dishes can be made ahead — a bonus gift on Christmas morning.
A Neighborhood Awakening in New Bern
Ten years ago, a couple moved to New Bern with a vision: open a coffee shop and change one little corner of the world.
Apple Cider Caramel Dumpling Pie
This beautiful, rustic pie tastes most delicious when made with old-timey butter piecrust.
