If you ask us, one of the best parts of the holiday season is the snacking that happens before the main meal. Who wouldn’t want to mix up a festive cocktail or two and treat themself to an assortment of small bites before a special holiday dinner? Cheese balls and cheese logs, party-ready dips, wow-worthy platters—with so many delicious options, choosing what to make can be difficult. One of the recipes we always include in our pre-dinner spread however, is this baked brie. We like to dress it up for the holidays; we stuff it into little golden parcels of puff pastry along with a hit of cranberry sauce and crunchy walnuts—for the ultimate sweet-and-savory bite.

Deviled eggs are everyone's favorite appetizer and this fun display is perfect for the holiday season. Parsley and scallions color the herby green filling for the wreath. The bow is made up of a deconstructed pimento cheese: the eggs are stuffed with a spiced Cheddar spread and chopped pimentos provide a brilliant red blanket on top.

Sweet crab, creamy cheese and crunchy mini peppers come together for a super simple appetizer that will be a guaranteed crowd pleaser at your next event.

This warm baked goat cheese dip is creamy, tangy and irresistibly melty. Topped with herbs and served with crusty bread or crackers, it’s an easy yet sophisticated holiday appetizer.

The holidays are all about entertaining and decorating. Why not combine the two? These three colorful cheese ball "ornaments" are festive and fun – the perfect addition to a Christmas party or other celebration. Pair them with your favorite veggies and crackers and watch them disappear!

This fun, savory take on classic thumbprint cookies combines all the best parts of pizza into one-bite treats. The cookies have just a hint of sweetness and balance out the zesty tomato sauce, gooey melted mozzarella and nutty Parmesan filling. They’re elegant enough to serve cocktail party guests and also great to have on hand when a pizza craving hits.

This rich, garlicky dip caused a feeding frenzy in the Food Network test kitchen. We've taken a beloved shrimp-and-pasta dish and made it into a creamy, crowd-pleasing appetizer. You can make it ahead to take to a nearby potluck, then ask your host if you can borrow some oven space to quickly bake it.

What could be more party-perfect than these festive caprese-inspired bites, decked out in all the colors of the holiday season?

Bring your outdoor holiday wreath inside with this festive and easy cheese ball. Use a small Bundt pan to form a wreath shape, or roll the mixture into a ball or log. For a cheese ball worthy of any big gathering, skip the Bundt pan and colorful garnish and roll the ball in toasted sliced almonds instead.

This easy melted cheese dip is a crowd-pleaser, so you might want to double the recipe to have a backup ready! Feel free to change up the dried fruit-cherries, raisins, dates and figs would all work nicely.

Holiday appetizers have met their match with this spinach artichoke baked brie. The crispy puff pastry encases a layer of creamy spinach and melty brie, making the perfect mashup. Spread onto your favorite crackers or crostini and enjoy all season long.

Jazz up your holiday entertaining with this Mediterranean-inspired party spread. You’ll need to spend just about 30 minutes preparing three quick elements — homemade marinated feta, marinated artichoke hearts and fried halloumi cheese — then surround them with your choice of colorful ingredients and prepared foods like hummus, pickles, crunchy veggies and more.

A sausage and pepperoni pizza morphs into a festive wreath for the holiday season. Top with a golden-brown dough bow and sprinkle with fresh basil for a dish that's almost too cute to eat.

Bobby puts his spin on the classic seafood appetizer by first poaching the shrimp with lemon, peppercorn and coriander, then serving with them a dipping sauce of roasted tomatillo, jalapeno and horseradish.

This festive kale tree decked with cheese-stuffed mini chile pepper lights is the perfect centerpiece for your next holiday party. Your guests can help themselves to the chile peppers with a quick tug of a bow.

Love stuffed artichokes but too busy? Make this easy casserole instead — it has all the same flavors and can be done in half the time.

This party-perfect recipe couldn't be simpler. Just drizzle Brie with honey and bake for five to seven minutes so the cheese is soft and spreadable. Serve it with crackers and fruit.

Talk about your easy appetizers: These cheesy, pesto-filled twists come together with just three ingredients--crescent dough, mozzarella and pesto (plus a dusting of flour). This means more time with your guests and less time in the kitchen.

Forget all other stuffed cheese things: This ooey-gooey bread is a perfect holiday appetizer and has all the flavors of antipasto.

Fresh seafood at its best needs little adornment. Here, Ted tops raw scallops and clams with olive oil, salt and minced jalapeno. Quality is key in this recipe: Use a trusted supplier and let him or her know you will be eating the fish raw.

Two of the holiday season's most popular ingredients—cranberries and Brie—team up in this easy appetizer. Twist them with fluffy pizza dough and bake until golden for the ideal handheld starter.

Molly uses lots of fragrant spices to give these mini meatballs their pastrami-inspired flavor. They're super tasty and so easy to pop in your mouth — just be careful not to fill up before dinner!

Crostini always look so elegant as part of an appetizer spread — and they couldn't be easier to make. These simple toasts are topped with ham, cheese and honey for a pretty presentation and the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavor.

With just a few ingredients and some hands-off time, feta cheese can be transformed into a delicious appetizer to serve with crostini or as an accompaniment to grilled vegetables and meat. We came up with a trio of super versatile flavor combinations that are all made following the same method. By marinating the feta in glass jars, you’ll be able to see the colors of the aromatics, for a beautiful and delicious gift too.

A sophisticated seafood dish that is totally doable, you can make these in advance and keep them in your refrigerator until you’re ready to fry!

This holiday appetizer is ready in just 10 minutes. Ina keeps the hummus simple with garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Serve it with crisp vegetables on the side for dipping.

Use cream cheese, goat cheese and Parmesan to hold this cheese puff croquembouche together.

Baked pizza dough is the base of Alex Guarnaschelli's elegant flatbread appetizer, which is layered with lemony creme fraiche, scallion pesto and crisp bacon.

Ina (the ultimate party planner!) has the formula for easy hosting: the perfect cheese board, complete with four crowd-pleasing cheeses and fruit and crackers to pair with them.

Adriana Urbina writes, "In Venezuela, you can find tequeños anywhere from a party to a family meal. They are usually served with a spicy or sweet sauce; the most popular ones are guasacaca (salsa verde) or papelón (a sweet sugar cane-based sauce). For this version of the recipe, I pair the tequeños with a delicious spicy sauce my dad used to make. Inspired by Armando Scannone's cookbook "Mi Cocina a La Manera de Caracas," also known as the "Red Book," the sauce contains red bell peppers, jalapeño and garlic and brings back beautiful memories of my childhood."

You've got shrimp lovers and jalapeno popper lovers to please. Fry shrimp-stuffed jalapenos for a crunchy, kicked-up appetizer that'll make everyone happy.

Bacon-wrapped shrimp and scallops deliver the perfect bite—savory, smoky and slightly sweet. This easy yet elegant appetizer is a crowd-pleasing way to kick off any holiday gathering.

If you love a good, sweet-and-savory bite then this is the perfect appetizer to enjoy before dinner.

This is a unique spin (or spiral!) on pigs in a blanket, the classic appetizer that's perfect for any occasion. We've swapped in diced kielbasa for the usual hot dogs, and baked honey mustard into the swirls of puff pastry. The best part: You can assemble the three-ingredient apps ahead of time and then cook them off just before your guests arrive.

Upgrade the classic sandwich into a no-fuss bite-size appetizer with crispy pancetta and chive mayo served on fresh lettuce boats.

These individual pretzel monkey muffins are the perfect party appetizer! The key is using non-flaky biscuit dough, so it doesn't fall apart in the baking soda bath. Each muffin is filled with Cheddar and baked until the center is melty and the exterior is chewy and golden brown.

Mini-loaded potatoes bring comfort food to cocktail hour. Prep the dish in advance, and then reheat the potatoes under the broiler right before you want to serve.

Score big points for baking your own cheese straws this holiday season; no one will know how easy they are to make. Grate your own cheese, though, as the ingredients used to prevent clumping in the pre-shredded variety can mess with the end product.

Sweet fig preserves pair perfectly with tangy blue cheese in this super simple appetizer that is ready to serve in just 20 minutes.

Stick these seafood-based sliders with fancy toothpicks for an added touch of holiday decor.

Stuff jalapenos and sweet red peppers with store-bought cheese spread for an appetizer that you can make in just about 5 minutes. Make sure to tell your guests the types of peppers that are on the plate so they know what heat level they’re biting into.

Ree takes pizza to whole new level when she transforms it into a Christmas tree! She even decks it out with cherry tomato ornaments and green pepper tinsel.

These tasty one-bite appetizers require only four ingredients and are easy to pack up — perfect for entertaining on a whim.

Frozen puff pastry saves the day when you’re entertaining and strapped for time. These tiny tarts require only four ingredients and are ready to serve in just about 40 minutes.

Ina uses a combination of store-bought ingredients (like hummus and stuffed grape leaves) and homemade ingredients (like marinated feta and pita chips) to put together her simple Greek spread.

Crostini are Italian appetizers of toasted bread topped with almost anything; this version is topped with roasted tomatoes and herbed ricotta. Prepare separate components ahead of time and then put it all together right before you're ready to serve to avoid soggy toast.

Stuffed mushrooms are made even better with melty raclette. Your guests will love the creamy cheese stuffing and crunchy breadcrumb topping combo.

Give your typical deviled eggs a holiday makeover and turn them into tiny trees! Ree adds parsley, cilantro, pickles and avocado to the mayonnaise for a nice green color and tops everything off with a yellow pepper star.

Deviled eggs get the breakfast treatment. Ree tops this classic party dish with crispy peppered bacon for a new take on bacon and eggs.

Rub a whole clove of garlic against slices of toasted bread to create the flavorful base of this bruschetta; the rough exterior of the bread acts as a grater and extracts garlic flavor with minimal effort.

These veggie bundles are a nice break from the heavy food that normally shows up throughout the holidays. Get the kids involved with party preparation and have them tie the bundles together with chives.

These high-class hushpuppies look and taste impressive, but take less than an hour to put together. Although big chunks of lobster are the star of the dish, you’ll find lobster flavor in every bite because some of the tail meat is blended right into the batter.

Gougeres are savory puffed pastries made with choux dough, the same type of dough used to make profiteroles, eclairs, French crullers and many others. While they look impressive and may sound intimidating to take on, gougeres are actually pretty hard to mess up. Geoffrey Zakarian even advises to let them get a little over-caramelized in the oven — the bitterness works well with the rich, creamy Mornay sauce.

Ree uses fresh rosemary sprigs as skewers to add flavor and presentation value to a classic appetizer combination. If you don’t have a squeeze bottle on hand, use a spoon: Holding a bowl of balsamic reduction over the platter of skewers, dip a spoon into the reduction and gently drizzle over the skewers.

Ree’s easy chicken satay is served at room temperature, so you can prepare the dish long before guests arrive.

Turn a classic dip into an elegant soup course. Thinned creme fraiche and chives make a simple, fancy garnish.

Try this cold-weather riff on prosciutto-wrapped melon. Like citrus fruit, winter is peak persimmon season.

Consider this another way to use popcorn during the holidays without stringing it on your tree. Popcorn and panko make a nice, light breading for shrimp.

You don't have to save steak and potatoes for the main course. Together, they make the perfect bite-sized party app served with a dab of sour cream.

Put out a crudite platter with pride at your next holiday party. You'll be shocked at how quickly this fresh dip flies off the plate.

This appetizer mashup is the perfect mix of elegance and comfort food. Mini meatballs fit perfectly atop crostini toasts for a hearty and heavenly finger food.

If you love slab pies, this tart will be a savory hit. A three-ingredient homemade crust couldn't be easier and the veggie filling complete with three cheeses is just the right amount of indulgence before your holiday feast.

This is not your average shrimp cocktail. You'll mix chili sauce and hot mango chutney into the cocktail sauce for something sweet and spicy and amp up jumbo shrimp with ginger and other spices to serve something special.

Meatballs look like something special with a simple garnish. A sprinkling of scallions adds color and freshness to this unassuming app.

Save room in your oven with this sweet and savory cheese dip. You'll combine ricotta cheese and capers in a food processor and top the mixture with simmered raisins, pine nuts and a honey drizzle. Yum!

Aida Mollenkamp tops crisps with ricotta and a mustard, orange and onion jam for a sophisticated appetizer. Fresh figs are a beautiful, flavorful finishing touch.

Ted Allen tops crisp polenta rounds with slow-roasted, herb-stuffed pork and pickled onions. For easy party prep, make the pork roast up to three days ahead.

These savory cookies from Food Network Kitchen contain two kinds of grated Italian cheese (pecorino and Parmesan), and they are flecked with chopped rosemary leaves.