25 Delightful Christmas Desserts to Impress Your Guests

Looking to wow your holiday guests with festive treats? These 25 Christmas desserts blend classic flavors with creative touches to create delicious masterpieces. Each recipe is designed to be visually stunning while keeping the holiday spirit alive with seasonal ingredients and irresistible sweetness. Perfect for any gathering!

1. Peppermint Bark Brownies

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup flour
• Crushed candy canes
• White chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking pan.
2. In a bowl, melt butter and mix with sugar. Add eggs, one at a time.
3. Stir in cocoa powder and flour until combined.
4. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Once cool, melt white chocolate and spread over brownies. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

2. Eggnog Snickerdoodles

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup eggnog
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and eggnog, and mix well.
3. Sift in flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, forming a dough.
4. Roll dough into balls and coat it with cinnamon sugar.
5. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown.

3. Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Servings: 16
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a square baking pan.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar, then add egg.
3. Mix in dry ingredients, and spread dough in the pan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, let cool before slicing.
5. Decorate with a drizzle of white icing for a festive touch.

4. Cranberry Orange Shortbread

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in flour, orange zest, and cranberries.
4. Roll dough and cut into festive shapes.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden.

5. Hot Chocolate Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• Marshmallow bits

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar, then add eggs.
3. Stir in cocoa powder and flour to form dough.
4. Fold in marshmallow bits.
5. Bake for 12 minutes and enjoy the gooey, chocolatey goodness.

6. Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 box cupcake mix
• Green frosting
• Mini star sprinkles
• Pretzel sticks

Steps:

1. Bake cupcakes as per package instructions. Let cool.
2. Pipe green frosting in the shape of a Christmas tree.
3. Insert a pretzel stick as the tree trunk.
4. Decorate with mini star sprinkles.
5. Serve and impress with these festive treats.

7. Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate ganache

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
2. Whisk eggs and sugar until fluffy. Fold in flour and cocoa powder.
3. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 12 minutes.
4. Once baked, roll the cake with a towel and let it cool.
5. Unroll, spread whipped cream, and reroll. Cover with chocolate ganache and use a fork to create bark texture.

8. Almond Snowball Cookies

Servings: 36
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• Extra powdered sugar for dusting

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar, then mix in flour and ground almonds.
3. Roll dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar while still warm.
5. Allow to cool completely before serving.

9. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp red food coloring
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar for rolling

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and red food coloring.
3. Mix in flour and cocoa powder.
4. Roll dough into balls and coat with powdered sugar.
5. Bake for 12 minutes until crinkled and set.

10. Cinnamon Star Bread

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 ¼ tsp yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp salt
• Cinnamon sugar filling

Steps:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and yeast. Add warm milk to form a dough.
2. Knead for 10 minutes and let rise for 1 hour.
3. Roll dough into a large circle, and spread with cinnamon sugar filling.
4. Cut into star shape and twist segments.
5. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes until golden.

11. Sugar Plum Tart

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust
• 1 cup plum jam
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Fresh plums, sliced

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and press pie crust into a tart pan.
2. Spread plum jam over the crust.
3. In a bowl, mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over jam.
4. Arrange sliced plums in a fan pattern on top.
5. Bake for 35 minutes until the crust is golden.

12. Pistachio Christmas Wreath Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup chopped pistachios
• Red and green sprinkles for decoration

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar, then add flour and chopped pistachios.
3. Roll dough into small wreath shapes.
4. Decorate with red and green sprinkles.
5. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool before serving.

13. Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs.
3. Mix in flour, cocoa powder, and peppermint extract.
4. Drop batter onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Once cool, sandwich marshmallow fluff between two cookies.

14. Nutmeg Maple Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add maple syrup.
3. Mix in flour and nutmeg to form dough.
4. Roll dough into balls and flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are golden.

15. Stollen (German Christmas Bread)

Servings: 10
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 packet yeast
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup dried fruit
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Steps:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Add warm milk to form a dough.
2. Knead for 10 minutes and let rise for 1 hour.
3. Fold in dried fruit.
4. Shape into a loaf and bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
5. Dust with powdered sugar once cool.

16. Cinnamon Roll Wreath

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 packet yeast
• ½ cup warm milk
• Cinnamon sugar filling
• Icing for drizzling

Steps:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and yeast. Add warm milk and knead dough.
2. Let dough rise for 1 hour, then roll out and spread cinnamon sugar.
3. Roll up the dough and shape it into a wreath.
4. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.
5. Drizzle with icing before serving.

17. Reindeer Cake Pops

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 box cake mix
• 1 tub frosting
• Candy eyes
• Pretzel antlers
• Red candy noses

Steps:

1. Bake the cake as per package instructions and let it cool.
2. Crumble cake into a bowl and mix with frosting to form dough.
3. Shape into balls and insert cake pop sticks.
4. Decorate with candy eyes, pretzel antlers, and red noses.
5. Chill in the fridge until firm before serving.

18. Caramel Gingerbread Cake

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 cup caramel sauce

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cake pan.
2. Mix molasses, sugar, and eggs in a bowl.
3. Stir in flour and ginger, and pour into the pan.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Drizzle with caramel sauce before serving.

19. Christmas Meringue Kisses

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Red and green food coloring

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 225°F.
2. Whisk egg whites until stiff, then gradually add sugar.
3. Fold in vanilla extract and food coloring.
4. Pipe meringue into small kiss shapes on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 1 hour until crisp.

20. Cherry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup chopped almonds
• Cherry preserves

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour and almonds.
3. Roll dough into balls and make an indent with your thumb.
4. Fill each indent with cherry preserves.
5. Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden.

21. Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Servings: 16
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ½ cups flour
• Vanilla frosting
• Festive sprinkles

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and flour.
3. Spread dough in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Let cool, then spread vanilla frosting.
5. Decorate with festive sprinkles.

22. Candy Cane Macarons

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup sugar
• Peppermint extract
• Crushed candy canes

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together.
3. Whip egg whites and gradually add sugar.
4. Fold in dry ingredients and peppermint extract.
5. Pipe macarons onto baking sheets, sprinkle with crushed candy canes and bake for 15 minutes.

23. Pistachio Snowflake Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup ground pistachios
• Snowflake cookie cutters

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar, then mix in flour and ground pistachios.
3. Roll out dough and cut into snowflake shapes.
4. Bake for 12 minutes until golden.
5. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

24. White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge

Servings: 16
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins (chill for 2 hours)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped pistachios

Steps:

1. In a saucepan, melt white chocolate and condensed milk over low heat.
2. Stir in dried cranberries and pistachios.
3. Pour into a lined baking dish and chill for 2 hours.
4. Cut into squares and serve.

25. Christmas Pudding Truffles

Servings: 20
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 0 mins (chill for 1 hour)

Ingredients:

• 1 Christmas pudding (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• ¼ cup brandy (optional)
• White chocolate for drizzling
• Red and green decorations for garnish

Steps:

1. Crumble the Christmas pudding into a bowl. Add melted dark chocolate and brandy and mix well.
2. Roll the mixture into small truffle-sized balls.
3. Chill for 1 hour in the fridge to firm up.
4. Once chilled, drizzle with white chocolate to resemble icing.
5. Garnish with red and green decorations before serving.

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Conclusion

From classic favorites like gingerbread and peppermint to modern twists like Christmas pudding truffles and cranberry fudge, these 25 delightful Christmas desserts offer something for everyone. They are not only delicious but also beautiful additions to your holiday table, ensuring your guests are impressed and satisfied. Whether you’re a fan of bold flavors or simple treats, these recipes capture the festive spirit and will make your Christmas celebrations extra special. Happy baking, and enjoy the sweet moments of the holiday season!