There’s no better feeling than having a full house.

The whole family is home for the holidays, and every room is abuzz with endless treats, festive chatter, and tinsel…everywhere. No room witnesses it all more than The Kitchen. It’s the only room in the house where everyone wants to be at the same time. You may not like whatever is playing in the living room, bedrooms are inherently antisocial, bathrooms even moreso (hopefully), but the kitchen is the most universal communal meeting spot, aaand it always smells like butter and cinnamon. There are things to taste and jobs to delegate and the omnipresent hum of something delicious happening.

That said…

Delegating is hard, supervising sticky hands is stressful, and your six-year-old has asked to help approximately fourteen times today, but your brain filled with oven temperatures and present pickup times simply doesn’t have the capacity to figure out HOW?!

This is where we come in!

Holiday recipes literally came to be in kitchens where multiple generations worked simultaneously. They’re made to be made in community. From tamales in Mexico City to mochi in Kyoto to pepparkakor in Stockholm, these recipes are designed for everyone to have a role.

Here’s a breakdown of how to delegate in a way that optimizes fun and efficiency…with the least amount of clean up possible.

We heard you love cheese! 🫕 🧀 

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Borden is a heritage cheese company that’s been around since 1871, and is 100% farmer owned and crafted. Follow them at Borden Cheese for an additional 5 entries!

We made this cheesy Christmas-tree pull apart bread with Borden last week and it was all gone before we even sat down for dinner. Recipe here!

@peppertheapp

CHEESY CHRISTMAS TREE PULL-APART BREAD 🧀🎄🍞 Find this recipe on Pepper the app or comment “TREE” for the link 🌶️ To celebrate the holidays,... See more

10 Holiday Recipes To Make with the Whole Family

1. Mexican Buñuelos

These crispy, cinnamon-sugar discs show up across Latin America during Christmas and New Year's. The Mexican version is thin, crispy, impossible to eat neatly, and so so good.

The beauty of buñuelos is the production line. Once you get the rhythm going, you can crank out two dozen in an hour.

Recipe here!

Station 1: The Dough Rollers 

Divide the rested dough into golf ball-sized pieces. Each person rolls their portion as thin as possible. This is harder than it looks, so it’s great for the older kids to help out with.

Station 2: The Fryer 

Adult-only zone. Drop the rolled dough into 350°F oil, flip after 30 seconds, remove when golden. The high heat creates steam inside that puffs the dough into layers.

Station 3: The Sugar Tossers 

The second a buñuelo comes out of the oil, it goes into a bowl of cinnamon sugar. This is the kid job everyone wants because you get to shake the bowl aggressively and the sugar actually sticks to the hot, oily surface. Wait until they cool and you're just dusting pastries with loose sugar that falls off immediately.

2. Japanese Mochi

Traditional mochi-making involves pounding steamed rice with wooden mallets for 30 minutes while onlookers chant rhythmically. Mochitsuki ceremonies bring entire Japanese communities together for New Year's.

For this recipe, we're using the microwave because we're realistic, but you still need to knead the mochi to develop that signature stretchy texture.

Recipe here!

The Microwaver

Mix mochiko (sweet rice flour), water, and sugar. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, microwave another minute. Watch it transform from liquid to a glossy, translucent mass that looks slightly alien.

The Starch Distribution Team 

Dust the work surface with potato starch. Dust it again. Keep dusting. Mochi without starch permanently adheres to every surface in your kitchen including your hands, the counter, and anyone standing too close.

The Kneaders 

Turn out the hot mochi, and start folding it over itself repeatedly. This is great for kids because it's essentially playing with extremely sticky, stretchy playdough. Knead for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. The starch keeps it workable instead of creating a situation where you need scissors to separate your child from the counter.

The Assembly Line 

Divide into 12 pieces. One person flattens each piece, another adds filling (red bean paste, ice cream, Nutella), another pinches them closed. Work quickly because mochi firms up after about 20 minutes.

3. Swedish Pepparkakor

These spiced cookies are thinner and crispier than American gingerbread. The dough needs to be rolled nearly translucent—1/8 inch thick—to get that snap-when-you-bite-it texture.

Swedish tradition says to make a wish while holding a pepparkakor in your palm and tapping it gently. If it breaks into exactly three pieces, your wish comes true.

Recipe here!

The Dough Makers 

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and molasses, mix in flour, spices, and baking soda. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (overnight is better). Cold dough rolls thinner without sticking to everything.

The Rolling Station 

Flour the surface, roll dough extremely thin.

The Cutting Station 

Traditional Swedish shapes are hearts, stars, pigs, and goats. Use whatever cookie cutters you have. Transfer carefully to baking sheets because the dough is delicate when it's this thin.

The Baking Monitor 

These bake at 375°F for 6-8 minutes. They'll look slightly soft when you remove them but crisp up as they cool. Someone needs to watch them constantly because the difference between perfect and burnt is about 90 seconds.

The Decorating Free-For-All 

After cooling completely, set up stations with royal icing and pearl sugar.

4. Filipino Bibingka

Bibingka is traditionally made during Simbang Gabi, the nine-day series of masses before Christmas in the Philippines. It's a coconut rice cake that's both sweet and savory and topped with salted duck eggs and cheese.

Recipe here!

The Banana Leaf Prep Team 

If you can find frozen banana leaves at an Asian grocery store, use them. They add an herbal, slightly smoky flavor that parchment paper can't replicate. Brush them with oil, arrange them in the pan. This is an easy job for younger kids.

The Batter Mixers 

Whisk together coconut milk, eggs, melted butter. Add rice flour, sugar, and baking powder. This is standard cake-mixing territory. Anyone who can stir can do this.

The Bakers 

Pour batter into the prepared pan, bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Pull it out, add sliced salted eggs and cheese on top, return to oven for 5 more minutes until the cheese melts.

The Finishing Touch 

Brush the top with butter and sprinkle with sugar while it's still hot.

5. South Asian Gulab Jamun

These fried dough balls soaked in rose-scented syrup appear at every South Asian celebration; Diwali, weddings, Eid, any time something good happens! The technique requires gentle frying at low temperature so the outside doesn't brown before the inside cooks through.

Recipe here!

The Syrup Makers 

Boil sugar, water, cardamom, rose water, and saffron until slightly thickened. Keep it warm.

The Dough Team 

Mix milk powder, flour, baking soda, melted ghee, and just enough milk to hold it together. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

The Ball Rollers 

Divide dough into 20 pieces. Roll each one into a perfectly smooth ball with no cracks.

The Fryer 

Adult work. Fry at exactly 300°F (use a thermometer) for 8-10 minutes, turning constantly. They should be deep golden brown all over. Transfer directly from oil into the warm syrup.

6. Ethiopian Dabo

Dabo is a slightly sweet, cardamom-scented bread served at Ethiopian Christmas. It's one large round loaf, but the braiding or scoring on top makes it impressive enough to be a centerpiece.

Recipe here!

The Bread Makers 

Standard bread-making. Activate yeast, mix everything, knead for 10 minutes. Everyone can take turns.

The First Rise Monitors 

Let it rise for 90 minutes until doubled. Poke it every 20 minutes to see if it's ready.

The Decorating Team 

Traditional dabo has elaborate crosses or geometric patterns scored into the top before baking. Give everyone a section of the loaf and a butter knife. Let them design their own pattern. Just make sure not to cut all the way through.

The Egg Wash Specialist 

Brush the entire loaf with beaten egg before baking. This makes it brown beautifully and gives it a glossy finish.

The Bakers 

Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.

7. Tamales

Tamales are a…process, but they are so worth it in the end. They’re also easy to freeze and save for those dreary January days when you can’t fathom cooking. Assembly is also meant to be a team effort, so it goes exponentially faster with more hands.

Recipe here!

The Prep Team (Day Before) 

Make your filling with shredded pork, chicken, or beans.

Make your masa. Soak corn husks overnight.

Do all of this the day before so the actual assembly party isn't also a three-hour cooking marathon.

Station 1: The Masa Spreaders 

Spread masa onto corn husks. Little kids can do this. It's basically playing with textured playdough that smells like corn.

Station 2: The Filling Team 

Add a spoonful of filling down the center of the masa. This requires portion control or you'll run out of filling before you run out of masa.

Station 3: The Folders 

Fold the sides of the corn husk over the filling, then fold up the bottom. This takes practice. Older kids and adults typically handle this station.

Station 4: The Steamers 

Stack the folded tamales upright in the steamer. Someone needs to tetris them so they all fit without falling over.

8. No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These come together in 10 minutes and set up in 20. Perfect for when your kid wants to help but their attention span is measured in minutes rather than hours.

Recipe here!

The Boilers 

Adult job. Bring sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa to a boil, let it boil for exactly 1 minute (set a timer, this matters for the texture).

The Prep Team 

While the sugar mixture is heating, measure out oats and peanut butter. This gives kids something to do while they wait.

The Mixers 

Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter and vanilla until melted, add oats. Everyone can take turns stirring here.

The Droppers 

Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper. This is the best job because you get to control the size. Some people make uniform cookies. Others make one enormous cookie the size of their hand. Both are fine.

9. Gingerbread House Construction

The classics are classic for a reason…

Recipe here!

The Foundation Team 

Use pre-made gingerbread house kits or graham crackers. Build on a cardboard base covered with foil for stability. This prevents the whole thing from sliding around while you're working on it.

The Structural Engineers 

Adults handle the icing-as-cement part. The walls need to actually stick together. Apply icing, hold pieces in place for 10 minutes while it dries, move to the next section. This requires patience that most kids don't have.

The Decorating Committee 

Once the structure is solid, kids handle all the decorating. Candy, cereal, pretzels, crackers, whatever sticks. This is where creativity matters more than precision. Some sections will be minimalist. Others will have so much candy you can't see the gingerbread underneath. Accept this.

The Landscape Designers 

Don't forget the base. Powdered sugar for snow, pretzel stick fences, gummy bear people, candy cane trees. The yard is often more fun to decorate than the house itself.

10. Italian Pizzelle Cookie Pressing

If you have a pizzelle iron, this is perfect for rhythm-based cooking. The production line is deeply satisfying once you get going—pour batter, close iron, wait 30 seconds, remove cookie, repeat. You can make 50 cookies in an hour.

Recipe here!

The Batter Makers 

Mix eggs, sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, and anise or vanilla.

The Iron Operator 

Adult job. The iron gets genuinely hot. Brush it lightly with oil, pour about a tablespoon of batter in the center, close the iron, wait 30 seconds, open and remove the cookie. The timing becomes automatic after a few cookies.

The Removal Team 

The cookies are soft when they first come off the iron but crisp up immediately. Transfer them to a cooling rack quickly.

The Shape Shapers (Optional)

If you remove the cookies while they're still warm and pliable, you can shape them into cones or rolls before they harden.

The Dusters 

Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar.