Ramen! Everybody loves those packages of instant ramen noodles. Well, not everybody. I'm sure there's a few picky eaters out there who are blind to the myriad charms of ramen. But for the rest of us, there's just something irresistible about those squiggly little curly noodles in that briny broth.

Sure, you could heat up some water, toss in that flavor pack, and enjoy your ramen straight-up. But consider all the other places you can take that noodle package. Here are 11 tasty twists on instant ramen.

Will you please look at these cute little guys? I die! These are the sweetest little snowman cupcakes ever. And the recipe for them is pretty simple -- vanilla cupcakes with frosting piped on to look like snow and candy decorations. This adorable confection is from Sharon Bowers' book, Sweet Christmas, which is loaded with other kid-friendly magical recipes for holiday treats and instructions for wonderful decorations. Check out the snowman cupcakes recipe here!

I don't know if you caught this earlier? But I hate holiday baking. I've almost entirely sworn it off, in fact. And one of the big reasons for that can be summed up with two words: Gingerbread house. Or as I like to call it, gingermotherfuckingbread house. Look, there are those of you who are gifted in the gingerbread house arts. Lucky you!

But I'm talking to the rest of us. People who have tried and failed -- numerous times. I've baked gingerbread from scratch and I've bought those kits. And I've cursed and gnashed my teeth as walls warp, roofs collapse, and frosting fails to hold. And don't even get me started on how gingerbread for houses doesn't even taste good.

So here's my 101 on the easy, NO-BAKE gingerbread house. Some call it the graham cracker crack house. I call it saving my sanity.

When I tell you that these Christmas cookies are easy, I mean EASY. As in, you don't even have to turn on your oven easy. Throw in the fact that they're also adorable and delicious, and these are a must to make this holiday season.

From Souffle Bombay, they're cookie pops. She's decorated hers to look like snowmen and "sugar plums," but the possibilities are endless once you get the basic treat down. You can decorate them with Christmas colors, or for Hanukkah, or for any other occasion, like a birthday party. They're like all of the fun of cake pops but without all of the fuss to make them. Check out her technique after the jump.

Ever since I first had one of these at a Swedish coffee shop in my neighborhood a few months ago, I have been unable to get them out of my mind. The dense, rich chocolatey center, mixed with wholesome oats, rolled in decadent coconut ... I think I need one right now. They're the perfect afternoon snack with that pick-me-up coffee, and they're ridiculously good. I even swung by the coffee shop on my way to vote so that I'd have a snack to nibble while I was standing in line.

These coconut-covered chocolate balls are a classic Swedish treat, and one that all children there learn how to make when they're young, so they'd be perfect to mix up with your kids. They can get their little hands dirty rolling the balls up in the coconut. Yum!

I can bake, and I can get crafty in the kitchen (gimme a double-boiler and I'll make a mean batch of chocolate-covered pretzels), but I've always been envious of those women who gift incredible-looking, homemade holiday goodies to all their family and friends this time of year. They're always presented in such an adorable way -- in a cute tin or box with a bow. And their cookies or brownies or candies always look so perfect, too. Like they should be sitting behind glass at a fancy bakery. My baked goods never come out looking so flawless. But maybe I haven't been baking the right ones ...

For instance, check out this two-ingredient, 20-minute, and super-easy Oreo bark recipe. It's foolproof -- bound to look delectable no matter how you slice it! And I'm pretty sure someone would have to be just plain crazy to not be thrilled to receive it as a gift. Check it out ...

This is a great fall cookie recipe that the kids will love. They're fun to decorate, easy to make, and enlist "awwws!" from just about everyone who sees them. I mean, who wouldn't sigh when presented with a plate full of sugar cookies dressed up to look like apple slices? It's like, Wait, is that healthy fruit you're offering me? No? It's cookies?? Yay!!

Go ahead, make everyone's day with these adorable apple slice sugar cookies.

Sure, Starbucks wants to try to seduce us into starting the holiday season with their peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes, but we will not be swayed from the love affair we're still having with pumpkin, amirite?! This past week, I baked up my first pumpkin pie of the season (will be sharing that recipe with you soon!), and before that, I made three batches of these out of this world pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Friends and family just can't get enough. One of our friends remarked that they came out so soft, they were sort of like muffin tops. So if cookies for as a dessert, snack, or even BREAKFAST sound like a plan to you, you're in luck!

If you or your loved ones love pumpkin, I implore you to try the super-tasty and incredibly easy recipe yourself!