Christmas baking from Melis’s kitchen

Behind every recipe

Developed, cooked and filmed in our studio kitchen

Cookies, cakes and holiday recipes written and tested by Melis, then photographed on set. No stock photos, no AI images.

Melis styling a holiday spread for a photo shoot, camera and lights around the tableMelis plating a dish next to a red Dutch oven in the studio kitchenPortrait of Melis smiling at sunset

Sweet or savory?SweetorSavory

Christmas

Pick of the week

Mashed Butternut Squash (Thanksgiving Side)

Picked from this month’s seasonal recipes. A new pick every week, all through November.

Get the recipe

Sides & Salads

Browse by color

Pick a color, find a recipe: every photo, sorted by its main color.

My kitchen rules

How I test every recipe

On-set monitor and a finished dish during a studio recipe shootMelis blending a sauce on set during a recipe shoot
  1. 01

    I cook every recipe myself

    Before a recipe reaches you, I make it in my own kitchen, often more than once, until it works every single time. If I haven’t cooked it, it doesn’t go on the site.

  2. 02

    Every detail, tested one by one

    I weigh, taste and adjust: the bake time, the texture, the little things that can go wrong at home. Then I write those tips down for you, so your first try turns out just right.

  3. 03

    Real photos, honest measurements

    Every photo comes from our own shoots, never AI. You’ll find US cups next to grams and °F next to °C. AI helps with translation and editing, and every recipe is checked against my own notes, videos and photos before it goes live.

Seasonal calendar

What to bake in November

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Thanksgiving sides, pies and fall flavors.

In season

  • Pumpkins
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Cranberries
  • Brussels sprouts

Bake this month

Coming up in December: Christmas cookies, holiday breads and festive desserts.

Hands whisking crumbs and sugar in a glass bowl, next to cream cheese, eggs and cream on a marble counter
Mixing a crumb crust, from Melis’s portfolio

Meet Melis

A recipe developer’s home kitchen

Melis is a professional recipe developer who has spent years creating and photographing recipes for food brands. Turkish-born, she now shares American holiday bakes and Turkish classics here, written for home bakers.

Every recipe is developed and cooked by Melis in our studio kitchen.

More about Melis

Follow along @platedbymelis

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New bakes, holiday ideas and easy weeknight dinners from Melis’s kitchen.

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