Festive Ways To Use Chocolate This Holiday Season

Thinking about whipping up a few decadent chocolate treats this holiday season? If so, you're in luck. No matter what kind of chocolate you use, this uber-satisfying treat tends to lend itself well to the holidays and beyond. Still, it can sometimes be difficult to remember all the ways in which chocolate can be used to make holiday dinners and gatherings feel special. In this post, we've done our best to round up some of our favorite chocolate recipes to get your creative juices flowing and bolster your recipe roster.

From simple and basic to recipes that are well worth the effort it takes to make them, we're ready to present you with our list of decadent chocolate goodies sure to accent your holiday meal with just the right touch. Join us as we explore the many festive ways to use white, dark, and milk chocolate this holiday season. Let's dive in.

Peppermint bark is an amazing way to add the robust flavor of mint to chocolate to produce a treat that's downright irresistible. To make the bark, crush peppermints, melt your chocolate (both dark and white work well), add peppermint extract, and layer these ingredients to make an outstanding snack. You'll want to refrigerate each layer of chocolate before adding the next, and top the final white chocolate layer with crushed peppermint. Do one final 10-minute chill in the fridge until the top layer of chocolate has hardened, all before breaking apart to eat. 

Recipe: Peppermint Bark

Instead of incorporating peppermint extract into your chocolate for your peppermint bark recipe, you could instead add crushed peppermint to white almond bark before layering with plain dark chocolate. This 3-ingredient peppermint bark makes for a pleasant crunch and minty flavor without needing to add the aforementioned peppermint extract. Layer the infused white almond bark on top of the initial chocolate layer and finish the assembly with more crushed candy canes on top. Refrigerate until firm.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Peppermint Bark

Peppermint bark is awesome and all, but when you want something with a little more chocolatey sustenance, cupcakes are where it's at. Simply combine the cupcake ingredients in a bowl along with cocoa powder. Bake until the cupcakes are cooked through. Allow to cool before topping them with peppermint frosting made of confectioner's sugar, butter, milk, peppermint extract, and a bit of food coloring if desired. Top the cooled cupcakes with the frosting and take a bite. You won't regret dishing up this decadently rich chocolate recipe this holiday; we guarantee it.

Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Infusing the deeply satisfying flavor of chocolate into a martini is a force to be reckoned with, and with this recipe, you're setting yourself up for a mouthful of festive flavor, all within the confines of a single glass. To start, you'll want to coat the rim of your drink using chocolate syrup and crushed peppermint. Combine the likes of vanilla vodka, crème de cocoa, peppermint schnapps, half and half, chocolate syrup, and ice before shaking and splitting between glasses. It's too easy (and too delicious) to miss.

Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Martini

We love white chocolate during the winter season and think it's high time white chocolate is made the main attraction in the desserts we love. To make a white chocolate peppermint cake, you'll first need to combine the cake ingredients, which will also include melted white chocolate to infuse that oh-so-decadent flavor. You'll top the cake with icing infused with crushed peppermint pieces and add an additional layer of crushed peppermint for a crunchily delicious garnish. Yum.

Recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Making gingersnaps and dipping them in white chocolate may sound strange, but honestly, it tastes delicious and is a combo worth trying. To make white chocolate-dipped gingersnaps, you'll first want to make your gingersnap cookies. Once your cookies have come together, bake them according to the recipe's instructions, allow them to cool completely, and then dunk them in decadent melted white chocolate before allowing them to harden. You'll end up with a visually stunning snack with an even more impressive savor that'll easily be devoured by friends and family. It's totally a win-win.

Recipe: White Chocolate-Dipped Gingersnaps

This Gingerbread Hot Chocolate has a base made up of rich and flavorful coconut milk, making it enjoyable even for those sensitive to dairy. To pull it off, you'll simply need unsweetened coconut milk, cocoa powder, pure maple syrup (big ups for the natural sweeteners used here!), and a variety of gingerbread-inspired spices. Combine these ingredients in a pot, and heat until warm before topping it all off with whipped cream and another optional dash of cinnamon. Yes, please!

Recipe: Gingerbread Hot Chocolate

Christmas Yule Log tastes just as fun as it looks. The thing is, you'll want to follow the Yule Log recipe closely here, as technique and ingredients play an important role in how well your log will turn out. One important step found in the recipe is the rolling of the cake layer before it completely cools, along with several other key tasks. All in all, if you're up for a challenge with a major payoff, attempting to make a Yule Log to enjoy after Christmas dinner is certainly a worthy feat.

Recipe: Yule Log

Making dark chocolate ganache may seem super fancy, but actually, it's ridiculously easy to make. This three-ingredient recipe only requires dark chocolate chips, heavy cream, and cocoa powder to form little balls of chocolatey delight sure to satisfy your craving for holiday sweets. To get started, you'll need to heat your heavy cream over the stovetop before adding it to your chocolate chips. Once melted and stirred, allow this mixture to refrigerate before forming into balls and rolling in cocoa. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle

This hot chocolate bomb recipe requires a mold and tempting ingredients to stuff it with, but once you've got the supplies you need, the process may not be as intense as you think. Also, try not to be frightened by the vodka included in the ingredients; it's only there to help you apply the optional edible gold flecks to the outside of your chocolate, which you can forgo if you'd rather not use it. Follow the directions in this recipe to inspire a party in your mug made completely from scratch.

Recipe: Hot Chocolate Bombs

There are hot chocolate bombs, and then there are mocha bombs. The mocha adds the element of coffee to make this treat more of an adult relish than something catered toward kiddos. For this recipe, you'll follow much the same procedure you would for a hot chocolate bomb. The coffee in this recipe will get incorporated into the shell of the bomb itself rather than the inside of the bomb. Top with white chocolate, and you've got a chocolate bomb that tastes — well — the bomb. You're welcome.

Recipe: Mocha Bombs

This "soup" isn't anything savory — it's actually just a big mug of hot chocolate. To get the "snowman" effect, you'll top your hot chocolate in a pool of whipped cream before crowning it with large-sized marshmallows that you've cheekily decorated with a snowman face — so cute, we know. This one is especially fun to do with kiddos, but don't worry: we won't tell on you if you choose to take this one on by yourself.

Recipe: Snowman Soup

Fudge pie is so easy to make there's no excuse not to try it. To bake fudge pie, you only need a good crust, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and flour. Mix all ingredients, pour into your pie crust, bake, let cool, and enjoy. You can dust this baby with powdered sugar if you wish, but that step is optional. You'll be left with a stunning fudgy dessert to serve to your family, and no one will have any idea how easy it was to whip up.

Recipe: Old Fashioned Fudge Pie

Fudge is so easy to make, it's a shame we forget about it from time to time. To whip these up, simply grab a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Combine the milk and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat. Once the chocolate chips have melted, you can stir the mixture and add anything else, like nuts or other add-ins that might suit your fancy. Pour onto a prepared baking sheet and chill before cutting into cubes.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Fudge

Mini chocolate-covered cheesecake bites are certainly as decadent as they seem, but ultimately, you'll want to make sure you've got enough time on your hands to make them. One thing to know about this recipe is that it can take a while to make and involves several steps to pull off. Still, though this recipe will take time, we think the effort is truly worth it ... especially when it comes to celebrating the joyous holiday season.

Recipe: Mini Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites

If you've never savored a proper trifle before, you don't know what you're missing. This Britain-born dessert is worth taking the time to make, and adding chocolate to the mix really works to make things interesting. Thankfully, many of the ingredients can be purchased pre-made to cut the time it takes to make this holiday trifle in half. To get it done, simply layer Jell-O, custard (or pudding), berries, and a variety of other ingredients along with whipped cream and, of course, chocolate to top everything off. Delish.

Recipe: Holiday Trifle

Making mandel bread is an amazing way to introduce chocolate to your holiday table, and it will also tend to be a bit different than what people are used to. Mandel bread is a traditional Jewish recipe similar to biscotti but with more fat. To make chocolate chip mandel bread, you'll need flour, cinnamon, high-quality chocolate chips, and a few other ingredients. The recipe makes a nice large Mandel loaf that can be generously shared amongst friends and family. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea and savor the flavor.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread

This classic recipe combines the goodness of chocolate flavor with whipped cream to form a decadent treat that can be topped with festive berries, more whipped cream, and even additional chocolate. To make this recipe, you'll need a few ingredients, including chocolate sauce, a few eggs, sheet gelatin, and butter. You'll also need heavy whipping cream and cocoa, and of course, cute little glasses to present the mousse in. It may not be chocolate cake, but this light and fluffy dessert is the perfect way to finish off a large holiday meal. Enjoy.

Recipe: Chocolate Mousse

If you love "regular" chocolate mousse, you'll love Guinness chocolate mousse. The ingredients needed are similar to that of typical mousse, only you'll add 1/3 cup of Guinness to the mixture for a mature twist on an old-time favorite. In addition, you'll add white chocolate to this mixture, bringing a creamy yet still decadently distinct taste to your mousse we're certain you'll adore. Top with additional whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or chocolate candies, all before digging in — yum.

Recipe: Guinness Chocolate Mousse

Chef Nyesha Arrington has graced us with her wonderful chocolate cranberry ganache tart recipe, and boy, are we glad. This is a great idea for adding chocolate to your holiday with a quick and easy dessert to serve up. To enjoy this ganache tart, you'll make your own crust using butter and chocolate wafers before filling it with a decadent cranberry and orange-essenced ganache. Refrigerate and serve — easy, right?

Recipe: Chocolate Cranberry Ganache Tart

We love Nyesha's version of chocolate ganache tart, but for an even simpler rendition, consider following our 5-ingredients chocolate orange tart recipe. The recipe starts with making your own crust using butter and shortbread or graham crackers. After a short period of chill time in the fridge, you'll fill the pie crust with melted chocolate, cream, and vanilla extract. Allow the prepared tart to chill once more before decorating with cookie crumbs or leftover chocolate pieces. Simple, delicious, and perfect — even for a novice.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Chocolate Orange Tart