Hosting a Special Holiday Brunch? These Are the Recipes You Need

Not your ordinary breakfast staple, these waffles infused with the warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves and smell just like the holidays. They're delicious when served with tangy sour cream and tart lingonberry preserves (though any type of jam is fantastic).

Here's a classic brunch dish that's wonderfully indulgent for a holiday morning and not so difficult to make thanks to our streamlined recipe. Hollandaise sauce and Canadian bacon are the two non-negotiables.

This delightful dish would be terrific alongside pancakes or French toast. Serve the persimmons hot, each half topped with a dollop of sweetened mascarpone and sprinkled with ginger or sugar.

A Dutch baby is the ultimate special-occasion pancake. To make it, you whir a few basic ingredients in a blender, pour the batter into a piping-hot skillet, and bake for 20 minutes (no need to flip). After it poofs up into a show-worthy display, serve with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and warm maple syrup.

It's the holiday season, so if you're pulling out all the stops, make these fluffy cinnamon rolls. They're tender and delicious and sure to go fast. Plus, the dough can be made and the buns assembled a day ahead so all you need to do the morning of is pop them in the oven.

Smoked salmon seems so fitting on a holiday morning, and these open-face sandwiches are certainly special occasion-worthy. Serving them on marble rye bread makes them feel extra fancy. Trout roe or salmon roe or caviar and fresh dill add a little extra oomph.

Super-simple to make, this riff on a classic is just right for the holidays. The egg cups seem fancy but all you have to do is layer bread, spinach, and eggs in a muffin tin, then bake until the bread is toasted and the yolks are perfectly runny. 

Yes, you should serve your hungry holiday brunch crowd French toast, but instead of standing at the stove preparing slices one by one, make this celebration-worthy casserole instead. This decadent take on French toast is made complete with thinly-sliced pears and jewel-like raspberries glistening among the eggy slices of brioche or challah.

Bacon, egg, and cheese, but make it holiday. The classic sandwich gets an impressive upgrade with the addition of creamed spinach and Gruyère popovers.

These bacon pancakes satisfy both the sweet and savory senses. The bacon cooks right into the pancakes (think blueberry pancakes, but bacon).

Totally decadent, these cake donuts are the sweet ending every holiday brunch should have. The vanilla bean variation is finished with a vanilla glaze but you can make the same versatile cake donut batter into Apple Cider Donuts and roll them in cinnamon sugar.

Perhaps the ultimate in easy yet elevated, this fantastic one-dish meal is vegetarian and gluten-free, but also cheesy and comforting, making it perfect for a gathering with mixed dietary needs.

Here's an easy way to dress up bacon for a holiday brunch. Coat it with ground pepper and light brown sugar, then bake, for a treat that's sweet, savory, and a little spicy.