6 last-minute holiday treat recipes

With Christmas and New Year’s around the corner, the time to prepare holiday goodies is shrinking. These six quick recipes for festive sweets, snacks and drinks come to the rescue.

Every year around the Christmas season, Taco John’s swaps standard tortilla chips for housemade red and green chips as the base for its signature nachos, creating the more festive Nachos Navidad. The appetizer is a quick build of cheese, refried beans, taco meat, guac and assorted garnishes—easy to replicate in any operation. Taco John's franchisees donate a portion of the sales from every Nachos Navidad purchase to a worthy cause in their local community.

Click here for the recipe.

‘Nduja, a spicy spread made with cured pork and chilies, originated in the Calabria region of Italy but is now trending on U.S. menus. While most recipes use Italian salami, chef Andreozzi's zero-waste version uses the small pieces of prosciutto left after the leg is cut into slices for charcuterie plates or appetizers.

Click here for the recipe.

Created at Casa Jacaranda in Mexico City, this salsa recipe is steeped in authenticity but is simple to produce in any foodservice operation. It’s composed of just five readily available ingredients that create a complex blend of sweet, hot and acidic flavors. Charring the tomatillos intensifies their flavor and adds color contrast.

Click here for the recipe.

Mago Grill & Cantina created the Manzanita as a Hanukkah-themed cocktail to complement the restaurant’s specialty menu that will be available for the eight days of the Jewish holiday. To make the drink, tequila is infused with apples—a common ingredient during Hanukkah—along with cinnamon, a warming winter spice. To go with the cocktail, the food side of the menu offers holiday-inspired dishes with Mexican flair.

Click here for the recipe.

Move over eggnog—hot chocolate got elegantly elevated. Chef Casey of Dish D'Lish in Seattle takes a classic holiday beverage up a notch by combining chocolate with red wine and honey, making for a decadent and timely treat.

Click here for the recipe.

Peppermint and ginger are the flavors that dominate holiday sweets, but this candy provides a welcome contrast. Mindy Segal of Chicago’s Hot Chocolate bakery and restaurant combines salty potato chips, savory bacon, smoky almonds and sweet chocolate to create this quick treat with complex flavors.

Click here for the recipe.