If you ask us, there’s nothing cozier on a cold day than a freshly baked gingerbread cookie. The sweet-and-spicy blend of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper (yes, black pepper!) always warms us right up, evoking memories of happy holiday gatherings. That’s why we believe gingerbread shouldn’t be limited to Santa's Christmas Eve plate, decorated cutouts or cookie houses. With these recipes, you can enjoy this quintessential treat any day, all winter long. And, if you make your own gingerbread spice mix you can easily add it to pancakes, coffee cake, hot cocoa and more—and treat yourself to comfort and warmth whenever the craving strikes.

This giant gingerbread snowflake cookie is a triple threat: super simple to prepare, a great baking project with kids and show-stopping enough to take center stage on your holiday dessert table.

As with most gingerbreads, this cake only gets better with time. When it's first baked, it will be light and cakey. If you wrap it and let it sit a day, it will become even more moist and the warm spices will intensify. Either way, it's homey and delicious and perfect for your holiday table. And if you don't have gingerbread cookies to decorate the bottom with, don't worry. This cake can easily stand alone and still impress.

If you love cutesy gingerbread cookies, but not the work it usually takes to make them, then this recipe is for you. These cookies have the same great flavor as the classic cutouts but there’s no need for a rolling pin, cookie cutters, icing or special equipment like piping tips. Instead, just shape the gingerbread people by pressing your fingerprint into the dough as you would with a thumbprint cookie. Then fill the indentations with easy microwave-melted chocolate and top off the holiday treats with festive sprinkle buttons.

Trisha plays up the gingerbread flavor in this festive martini by making a homemade simple syrup that’s infused with cloves, cinnamon and fresh ginger. The perfect finishing touch for her cocktail? A sprinkle of crushed-up gingerbread cookies.