Christmas foods like puppy chow, peppermint bark, and potato skins are holiday staples in the Midwest. The dishes featured here belong on every Christmas menu from Chicago to Cincinnati, Detroit to Des Moines, and beyond, with varying family and community traditions.
The mere mention of these dishes triggers instant nostalgia for those who grew up in the Midwest. You don’t need to be a Midwesterner to love them—give these comfort food recipes a try.
Karla Conrad
Make-Ahead Mini Cheese Balls
Andy Lyons
Cheese is big in Wisconsin and beyond, and no Midwestern party—regardless of the time of year—is complete without at least one cheesy appetizer. Cheese balls are one of the ultimate crowd-pleasing options for holidays like Christmas. We suggest dressing them up for the season. Roll half in a mix of finely chopped dried cranberries and toasted chopped pecans and roll the other half in finely-snipped chives and toasted chopped pecans.
Party-Ready Potato Skins
BHG / Abbey Littlejohn
At virtually every Midwestern table, you can’t go wrong by sharing potatoes any which way. Come Christmas, though, potato skins always cue instant nostalgia for the members of Team BHG who grew up in the center of America. Loaded up with chili oil, crispy bacon, tomatoes, green onions, and cheese, these skins are certain to keep folks satisfied until entrée time.
Parmesan-Ranch Sweet Potato Snack Mix
Carson Downing
Ranch dressing isn’t just served on salads in the Midwest, you’ll also find it paired with wings, vegetables, French fries, cheese curds, and even pizza. A big bowl of party mix is a staple in many Midwestern homes. So we combined those two ideas into one snack mix. Once you know how much melted butter and dry ranch dressing to mix with crackers/chips/pretzels/nuts, you can easily make a fresh batch in no time.
Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms
Blaine Moats
A Midwestern butcher we spoke to confirmed that his shop sells far more tenderloin than prime rib or poultry during the Christmas season. For this prized cut of beef, we’re highlighting one of our fan-favorite preparations with a buttery, sherry-spiked mushroom topping. This beef tenderloin is ideal for an intimate Christmas dinner menu; just add a salad and a starchy side and you’re all set.
Holiday Ham
Jason Donnelly
Ham is also a popular main dish for festive Midwestern celebrations. This centerpiece is a winner any time of year, however due to a couple of the glaze options, we typically think of it (and share it) around Christmas. Try the pomegranate barbecue blend or the cranberry-orange option since those fruits are in season in late fall and early winter.
Overnight Refrigerator Rolls
Jason Donnelly
Every menu needs some sides, and if you’ve ever been to a Midwestern supper club, you know that bread is a Midwesterner’s BFF. These homemade rolls can be prepped the day before and baked golden brown about 20 minutes before dinnertime. Brushing them with melted butter immediately after baking makes them shine.
Smoky Green Bean Casserole
Andy Lyons
Scroll through the most popular Thanksgiving dishes in every state, and you’ll notice that green bean casserole makes several appearances across the Midwest, from Michigan to Nebraska to Ohio. It’s far too tasty to reserve for just one day per year, so why not whip up this cozy classic again for Christmas? The original fried onion-crowned casserole recipe was created to promote Campbell’s Soup in the mid-1950s. This slow cooker strategy is the way many Midwestern moms have made it since the invention of the Crock-Pot in 1971. Those delightfully-crunchy onion pieces star atop the casserole, and there’s cream of mushroom soup in the mix, too.
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Blaine Moats
Every time we look at the photo of these buttery, creamy mashed potatoes, we can almost taste and smell them already. Making classic mashed potatoes could not be easier. Simply boil and drain potatoes, blend with butter, and finish with milk, salt, and pepper.
Test Kitchen Tip: For a lower-carb option, try our cauliflower or celery root variations. Or for depth of flavor, give the roasted garlic method a go.
Puppy Chow
Katlyn Moncada
Midwestern households often shake up big buckets of Puppy Chow (AKA Muddy Buddies) for bake sales, potlucks, and holidays. The sweet snack mix looks like it’s been dusted with snow, which makes it particularly fitting for your Midwestern Christmas menu. If you’re short on time, skip the stovetop instructions and jump ahead to our fast and just-as-fabulous microwave method for this no-bake dessert.
Scotcheroos
Dera Burreson
Ask pretty much any Midwesterner, and these are the bar cookies to bring to any potluck, including Christmas gatherings. Peanut butter and chocolate is a frequent pairing for good reason: the salty, nutty notes pair nicely with the rich, subtly-sweet chocolate. This no-bake recipe ups the ante by incorporating the crunch factor via crispy rice cereal.
Test Kitchen Tip: To amplify the salty-sweet element, sprinkle the top of the Scotcheroos with flaky sea salt before the frosting hardens.
The Best Sugar Cookies
Jacob Fox. Food Styling: Annie Probst
Sugar cookie cut-outs make delightful edible holiday crafts that are sometimes too pretty to eat. Mix, roll, slice, bake, and cool the all-butter, vanilla-scented sugar cookie recipe, then decorate as desired with multiple colors of royal icing.
Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Karla Conrad
Leftover (non-garlicky) mashed potatoes from Christmas dinner is the secret ingredient creating, “absolutely the BEST cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made,” one BHG fan says “I think it’s the potato in it. You won’t be disappointed when you make these.” The cinnamon rolls are ideal for a holiday brunch. If you really want to celebrate your inner Midwesterner, enjoy the cinnamon rolls with chili for lunch on December 26.
Candy Cane Bark
Peter Krumhardt
In addition to family gatherings, Christmas classroom parties, neighborhood gatherings, and office get-togethers are common across the Midwest. It’s always a kind gesture to present the host with a homemade food gift, and a no-bake, big-batch bark like this one earns rave reviews each time we share it. The eye-catching marble pattern and the candy cane pieces make this easy dessert recipe feel like you purchased it from a gourmet shop. It takes only 10 minutes to make a whopping 1-¼ pound batch.