1. Frozen Whipped Cream Snowflakes
If you ask us, the only correct answer to “do you want whipped cream on that?” is ALWAYS AND FOREVER. Cool down cups of piping-hot cocoa with these frozen Cool Whip™ cutouts. (Or stack them between two cookies that are the same shape for easy “ice cream” sandwiches.)
To make: stir 1/4 cup water into a container of frozen whipped topping, spread in a lined sheet pan and pop in the freezer for an hour before cutting out your shapes.
2. Sheet-Pan Breakfast Burritos
Since Christmas usually means a crowd, here’s an easy way to feed them all. Cheesy eggs with spicy chorizo sausage are baked in a sheet pan for build-your-own breakfast burritos you just slice and serve. Even this pretty photo doesn’t do justice to how crazy-good these burritos are.
Recipe: Sheet-Pan Chorizo Breakfast Burritos
3. Sheet-Pan Pancakes
Making pancakes for a crowd usually means you’re stuck in the kitchen flipping and pouring while your friends are in the other room, having all the fun. No more! Make one giant pancake, and join the party. Slice into squares (like sheet cake) or bust out the cookie cutters for some serious fun.
To make: Start with a box of Bisquick and follow package directions for the “makes about 14” pancake recipe. Line a sheet pan with parchment and coat with cooking spray. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until set, and broil 1 to 2 minutes for a golden-brown finish.
4. Cookie Decorating Station
Gather all your sprinkles and candies on one sheet pan that you’ll have at the ready all holiday season long. Just add frostings and cookies.
5. Drip Catcher
Place a sheet pan (lined in parchment or foil) underneath a baking rack when finishing a recipe that calls for a drizzle of chocolate or glaze icing. The pan catches all the extras, and you can just crumple up the foil or parchment and throw it away when you’re done. (Works great for sprinkles, too.)
Recipe: Raspberry-Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies
6. DIY Jerky
Place a drying rack over a baking sheet, and like magic your oven transforms into a jerky-making machine.
Recipe: How to Make Turkey Jerky
7. Slab Pie
Once you discover slab pie, you’ll wonder why you even own a pie pan. It’s so easy to slice and serve, and there’s always enough for everyone to have a piece.
Recipe: Cinnamon-Roll Apple Slab Pie
8. Sheet-Pan Mise en Place
“Mise en place” is the French culinary term for “everything in its place,” and it’s the professionals’ secret to keeping restaurant kitchens running smoothly 24/7. Prep and collect all the ingredients you need for a recipe on a sheet pan before you start cooking, and simply use the pan to bring them all with you when it’s go time. You’ll save time and prevent any unnecessary surprises, like realizing halfway through cooking that you don’t have the right ingredients (not that that’s ever happened to us).
9. One-Pan Christmas Dinner
From turkey to stuffing to candied sweet potatoes, the we took a sprawling Christmas feast and shrunk it down to apartment kitchen-friendly proportions. It’s completely ready to eat in a little more than two hours, and makes enough to comfortably serve four people—or two people, plus a very comfortable amount of leftovers.
Recipe: Sheet-Pan Turkey Dinner