There are too many temptations during the holidays! Sweets are everywhere but they don’t all have to be bad for you. My sugar cookies use half the butter, are low in sugar and you can make them using part whole wheat pastry flour. And by the way, I can not tell the difference between the all purpose flour version and the whole wheat version.

Everyone loves these cookies so I make a lot. That’s why I usually use a cookie press because I need lots of cookies and it’s just faster. They’re not as pretty as the cutouts but they taste just as good. One of the best things about these sugar cookies is they keep well and travel well so they are perfect to give as gifts with no worry that they won’t be fresh.  They also freeze well.

Either cutouts or cookie pressed, why not make Christmas cookies a little healthier for everyone? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I’ve had a craving for soft oatmeal raisin cookies lately and never knew how to make them. My oatmeal cookies are always crisp so I decided to try making soft and chewy ones. It was easy. They turned out really well with several different variations.

My recipe works three different ways:

1) Made with only butter.

2) Made with half butter, half oil.

3) Made with only oil.

But here’s the surprise. I did a blind taste test (with my husband’s help) and I could not tell the difference between any of them. All of the cookies, made with butter, oil, or a mix of both, tasted the same to me. So if you’re like me and try to avoid butter, make them with oil. I use cold pressed avocado oil. If you prefer butter, use only butter. If you’re undecided, use a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of each. I think you’ll like them no matter what but keep in mind that they are large cookies because that keeps them soft, and also do not over bake them. If you bake them until they are too brown and golden, they may not be soft. But they’ll still taste good, though.

Oh, and one more thing: You can skip the raisins and use chocolate chips instead. (Do I hear applause??) Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

My thanks to everyone who takes time to send a photo. It’s even better if you say where are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

OLIVIA (from the UK) MADE MY BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

“Hi Jenny, usually my dad sends in my stuff. But I can do it now. I made your Blueberry Coffee cake. And it was really good! i had to use your substitution for ‘buttermilk’  but you couldn’t tell the difference. Thanks from the UK.”

~ Olivia, it makes me so happy to see you (at only 12 years old!) be such a good baker. Thank you for sharing your journey and photos. And Merry Christmas to you and your dad. ~ jenny

GREG MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Good afternoon! Saw your video in my YouTube feed about a week ago. Had to try it! It looked so easy and it was!!! Like you, I LOVE bread also. It turned out EXACTLY as you said! LOVE IT! Thank you for making things simple. I’m not afraid to try cooking and baking anymore thanks to your simplified recipes! Happy Holidays!”

~ It’s nice to know my recipes are giving you confidence. Happy Holidays back to you. ~ jenny

DAVID MADE MY CABBAGE ROLLS

“Thought you might get a laugh here. They taste terrific. A Local place here, Bobs Produce had Large Kraut Cabbage they called it (7-8lbs)…As you can see they are very large..I got 10 total..  I make cabbage soup weekly ,often so I used up remaining cabbage in that… I might try adding a can of tomatoes along with the Puree next time, Green Chile’s, Red Pepper..”

~ Wow! It looks like one cabbage roll would serve four people! Great photo, thank you.  ~ jenny

SAM (in North Carolina) MADE MY NO KNEAD RYE BREAD

“I made a double recipe of No-Knead Rye Bread, baked in a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven.”

~ Thanks for your photo. It’s helpful to know it can be doubled.  ~ jenny

“FIALHO38” MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

“Hi Jenny. Thank you so much for the wonderful  “No Knead Crusty Rolls” recipe. As you see in my photos I made also some Baguette style  from the same dough. Just delicious. We all love it !!”

~ I never thought of making baguettes but I will definitely try it. Thank you.  ~ jenny

MEISTER MADE MY 2-HOUR FASTEST NO KNEAD BREAD

“I used regular yeast and it looks/tastes delicious.”

~ I love your chalk board idea and thanks for the lovely photo.  ~ jenny

JULIE MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS

“Cinnamon Rolls…with a whipped cream cheese frosting. They were awesome. Thank you!”

~ Thank you for the photo. That’s a great frosting idea.  ~ jenny

EVELYN MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny, Love all your recipes! They work! My favorite is the pan pizza. Delicious!”

~ What a great photo – thank you! I’m making pan pizza right now.  ~ jenny

EFISIA MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS

~ Picture-perfect cinnamon rolls – thank you for your photo.  ~ jenny

TABITHA MADE MY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

~ Scrambled eggs and biscuits – that’s the same combo I make too. Thank you.  ~ jenny

JOE (from Colorado) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“My first attempt at this terrific recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us. Can’t wait to bake more of your stuff. – Joe in Aurora, Colorado.”

~ Thank you for the photo and congrats on your first loaf (of many more to come, I know).  ~ jenny

MARIE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Thanks so much Jenny for your easy to follow no knead bread recipe.  I’ve baked it several times and each time it’s getting better.  My husband really enjoys it.”

~ Thank you. What a great way to start off the month. Your crust looks perfect.  ~ jenny

I can never get enough spaghetti and meatballs. It’s really one of the best comfort foods. Most people think you have to cook sauce for hours but I will never do that when I can make delicious marinara sauce (and meatballs) in half an hour. I always use canned San Marzano plum tomatoes for my sauce.

And people think you have to brown meatballs first before putting them in your sauce but I don’t do that either. By cooking the meatballs totally in the sauce they come out super soft and delicious. We had this tonight with a salad and breadsticks. I made cookies too.

For dessert I made soft & chewy oatmeal raisin cookies – super easy. I’ll be posting that recipe soon. Meantime, if you want to try my quick and easy spaghetti and meatballs recipe, click here. – Jenny Jones

Good luck to everyone who took on the challenge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Here’s a little humor to make you smile.

I have so much in life to be thankful for but I also want to say how grateful I am to everyone who jumps in to help answer questions and help other cooks. It’s become impossible for me to keep up with all the questions, and sometimes I don’t know the answer anyway. Between this website and my youtube videos, I have over 1/2 million visitors every week, something I never expected. So thank you for helping me out.

~ Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and fellow cooks. ~

I made ribs this weekend with my own rub and sauce and I can see why the video has 5 million views and 35,000 comments on youtube and why my recipe has garnered over 800 comments here on this website. They are fantastic! I always make them in the oven now because I don’t like cleaning the grill. And this time I couldn’t find the silver skin on the back to remove and they were still just as tender as ever.

In case anyone has not tried this easy, foolproof way to make the most delicious fall-off-the-bone-ribs, try this recipe. Use my rub and sauce and you won’t be disappointed.

I went to bed early last night, planning to have the leftovers for dinner tonight but this morning, two of the ribs are missing. Apparently, my husband decided he needed a midnight snack. ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Somebody please stop me from eating five! These oven-baked Polish doughnuts are so light and so delicious and filled with homemade custard, well….. I can only make these a few times a year. It’s too easy to eat five. Pączki are most often filled with jam but custard is my favorite by far. These Polish doughnuts are light and airy and really simple to make.

Filling them is the hardest part and a pastry bag does make it easy. I used to use a long, slender pastry tip but I find it easier to use a wider tip, something like these:

Pączki are traditionally fried but I avoid eating deep fried food – nobody needs that. Besides, I could never eat five fried doughnuts without requiring medical care. Oven-baked is the way to go. Fill them with jam or custard. Either way you will love these delicious pączki (pronounced potnch‘-kee). Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I just love getting photos of my recipes being made all over the world. It’s even better if you say where are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

JACKI MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS

“Dear Jenny, I made your cinnamon rolls for my daughter’s pre-school class to celebrate her birthday. I scaled down the size a bit and baked them in muffin tins. They were a hit! Thanks for your great recipes!!”

~ What a pretty presentation! Thanks for the photo and new idea.  ~ jenny

JERI MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“My friends devour this bread. Have tried it with AP, bread flour, 1/2 1/2, and all the same results. Even used 1 packet of yeast by accident and all were delicious.”

~ It’s good for people to know that this is such a flexible recipe. Thank you. ~ jenny

MARCO (from Canada) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Dear Jenny, Thank you so much for your recipe for the no-knead bread with Le Creuset, it literally is a game changer for me! My partner is a FAN of Le Creuset and we pretty much bought the whole collection. He is the chef in the couple so I don’t get to use it a lot. Now that I baked a wonderful and tasty bread in our dutch oven, I feel I own the Creuset collection too 🙂 Your video is funny and instructive, it helped a lot! – Marco Parent, Montréal, Canada.”

~ I’m so glad to hear it, thank you. Btw, I used to live in NDG! ??. ~ jenny

SHARON MADE TACO PIZZA with MY 20-MINUTE PIZZA DOUGH

“I love you Jenny! Pizza dough intimidated me so I never made it. Made your 20-minute pizza dough for a taco pizza. Can’t believe how easy it was (did by hand, no stand mixer) and came out awesome!”

~ Taco pizza sounds like a great idea. Thanks for sharing your photos. ~ jenny

HEDY MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

“1 1/4 cup hot water to 2.5 cups flour.  My dough is very dry not wet like yours.. what am i doing wrong?”

~ Please look to the FAQs for answers – you can always add a little more water if needed. ~ jenny

MARY EVE (from the Philipines) MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“Hi Jenny.! I’m Eve from the Philippines. Thanks for your simple and yet so delicious and healthy recipe! Check out my pics ?”

~ Thank you. Photos like this will motivate more people to bake bread at home. ~ jenny

ANNETTE MADE MY MULTIGRAIN NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny, Thank you for your wonderful recipes! I have been baking bread for years but none of the no knead varieties before making your super easy multigrain recipe yesterday. My husband and I loved it! Can’t wait to try the rye bread next time. Big, big thank you from both of us!”

~ You just made my favorite bread. I have one in the oven right now. Thanks for the photo! ~ jenny

KYLENE MADE MY SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS and BEEF STEW

“I made spaghetti and meatballs and beef stew this week. Both were so good! My 12 year old son especially loved the beef stew and ate 2 large bowls. I’ll have to double the recipe next time! I also made sweet cornbread to go with the beef stew. I added mushrooms and Parmesan cheese to the spaghetti. Thanks for sharing all your delicious recipes, I really enjoy making them. 🙂 PS.. I’m currently looking for a good chicken salad recipe… hint hint lol.”

~ Thank you for TWO fab recipe photos! I do not have a chicken salad recipe, sorry. ~ jenny

MONK PHILARET MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT DINNER ROLLS

“Hi Jenny! I use many of your recipes at our monastic residence. Your bread and roll recipes are amazing. Today I made the whole wheat dinner rolls to go with your skinless chicken thigh recipe. W-O-W. I can’t keep Monk Sergius out of the kitchen! Blessings to you!- Monk Philaret.”

~ My roll are being made in a monastery – how exciting! Thanks so much for the lovely photo. ~ jenny

OLIVIA (from the UK) MADE MY GREEK WALNUT CAKE

“Hi Jenny. Olivia (now almost 12) is still making your fab recipes – but usually eaten before any chance of a photo. Tonight she made your amazing walnut cake, moist and delicious – especially with a little Greek yoghurt to go with it. Big hugs from us all in the UK. – Paul, Olivia and the family x.”

~ Olivia, I’m so glad you’re still cooking! Thank you for the photo and keep up the good work! ~ jenny

JODI (from British Columbia) MADE MY EASY BAKED ZITI

“Hi Jenny, I discovered your Jenny Can Cook videos on YouTube just recently while looking for a recipe online for an easy quick chocolate cake. I whipped yours up quickly and easily and it was delicious! This lead to me watching more of your videos and pictured below is the Easy Baked Ziti from last night – a big hit for a tasty Friday dinner. My boyfriend is Polish and we live with his Polish parents so we’re excited and eager to make some of your Polish recipes! Probably starting with those tempting baked Paczi…Thanks for doing these recipes, videos and website – fun for us but lots of work for you, I’m sure! Regards, Jodi Murphy, Surrey, BC Canada.”

~ That looks just like mine and I see it works with penne just as well. Thank you. ~ jenny

SHAYNA (from Toronto) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Was literally as easy and fast as you said. I’ve officially been converted!!! – Shayna, Toronto, ON.”

~ Thank you for starting off the month with these great photos. (I’m from London ??) ~ jenny

Look at this beautiful spaghetti! It’s not just beautiful but it’s delicious and healthy too, full of brain boosting beets. And wait until you see how easy this pasta dish is. Everything cooks in one pan. No draining the spaghetti and no extra pots to wash. I am loving my new one-pan and one-pot recipes and this one makes a dramatic presentation. (anyone thinking Christmas?)

The ingredients are so simple: garlic, beets, spaghetti, and Parmesan cheese. You’ll need a pan at least 8 inches across so the spaghetti can fit, but you still have to break the spaghetti in half. These days, whenever I sauté garlic, I add it before the oil gets hot. This way there is no chance it can burn and the garlic flavor infuses the oil as well.

Beets are red… very red. Do not wear white clothing when handling beets and remember they can also stain white or wood utensils. I use the big holes on a box grater like this to shred the beets:Beets are full of fiber and nutrients and are good for lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, supporting brain health, and they have anti-cancer properties. So besides the stunning presentation, there are may reasons to make this easy and healthy side dish. Keep in mind it’s important to stir the spaghetti well and often so it doesn’t stick.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Autumn is here and that means it’s apple pie time. I always make it with an oil crust because if nothing else, it’s just easier. You can pat it into the pan but I find that rolling it between sheets of wax paper is the best way to use an oil crust, especially for the top. My apples of choice are granny smith ? and my thickener of choice is tapioca but flour works too.

Homemade apple pie is something special. We were at a social gathering last night and when desserts were set out, I told some friends I had just made an apple pie and it was cooling on the counter at home. If they wanted to, we could skip the prepared desserts and go to my house for apple pie. “Homemade apple pie? Let’s go!”

That’s the power of homemade apple pie. My husband’s two favorite desserts are my Fresh Strawberry Cake and Homemade Apple Pie. Nothing compares. I love this delicious pie and I must admit I like the power. I think I hear him in the garage right now cleaning things up. ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones