60 Christmas Dessert Recipes Everyone Needs To Try Once

For people who love to bake — and eat — festive sweets and desserts, Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year. The season is the perfect time to indulge, especially when the weather is cold and there's a fire raging in the fireplace, though crave-worthy desserts aren't limited by the weather. This round-up of Christmas dessert recipes has you covered, whether you prefer cookies, fudge, pies, or candy.

Some recipes, like a gingerbread house and decorated sugar cookies, will get everyone involved in the holiday spirit. Others are show-stopping desserts perfect for parties, like a chocolate yule log (a type of Christmas cake from France) and a two-tiered spice cake. There are recipes to make with kids, like Snowman Soup, Reindeer Food, and Grinch Cookies. Need a quick and easy treat to make at the last minute? There are plenty of recipes to choose from, like 2-Ingredient Fudge, Peanut Brittle, and No-Bake Pumpkin Pie. 

When deciding what to make for the holidays this year, take note of these Christmas dessert recipes that everyone needs to try at least once (though, to be honest, you'll likely make them far more).

These sweetly delicious Strawberry Santas are one of the cutest Christmas treats ever, plus they're fun to make. Shop for the freshest and best-looking strawberries you can find; the recipe shows you how to slice them to make the bodies and the Santa hats. Next, whip together an easy cream cheese frosting. Use a piping bag to add the frosting to the strawberries for the Santa heads and details. (If you don't have a piping bag, there's a handy baking hack to make your own.) This is a great recipe to make with kids. 

Recipe: Strawberry Santas

You'd be hard-pressed to find a Christmas treat as iconic in the United States as homemade cookies. These from-scratch Christmas cookies with holiday shapes and decorations are easy to make, so you can spend less time fretting over specifics and more time bonding with family. All in all, these Christmas cookies take just over an hour from start to finish. (A little longer, if you want to do more elaborate decorating.) Almond and vanilla extracts together bring out a nutty sweetness. Grab your favorite cookie cutters — like Christmas trees, Santa, and reindeer shapes — and let your imagination go wild.

Recipe: Christmas Cookies

According to Britannica, trifle isn't just one of the UK's favorite desserts, it also has a history going back centuries. It's a dessert you should try this holiday, too. It's easy to assemble: Just layer cake, fruit, pudding (or custard), and Jell-O in a large bowl and let it set up in the fridge overnight. In a glass bowl, a trifle is beautiful with all the layers and colors on full display. Most importantly, this trifle is delicious, with the melded flavors (and textures) of berries, fruity Jell-O, creamy vanilla pudding, and tender cake. 

Recipe: Holiday Trifle

Do Santa's reindeer really like to eat a colorful blend of peanut butter-coated cereal and candy? We may never find out, but it's for certain that humans absolutely love it. The snack mix is surprisingly fast to prepare: Just add melted peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar to Chex cereal until coated. Combine this with red and green M&Ms, pretzels, and peanut butter cups, then serve — it all takes less than 20 minutes. Try other add-ins too, like sprinkles or cookie pieces. 

Recipe: Reindeer Food

Take the flavor of a classic and beloved holiday treat — the candy cane — and turn it into a luscious cupcake. Start by baking up chocolate cupcakes with a from-scratch recipe that's easy to prepare. To top the cupcakes, make a peppermint-flavored buttercream with a little red food coloring in the piping bag to create red swirls. You can finish the cupcakes with crushed candy canes, mini canes, or with peppermint sticks pushed into the cake. They're pretty enough to make for guests or to give to the neighbors.

Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

It just doesn't feel like Christmas without soft molasses cookies full of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. These cookies have been a holiday favorite since medieval times, when molasses was a practical alternative to expensive refined sugars. This recipe makes a batch of 24 cookies that bake up in less than 10 minutes. Do plan for chilling time before baking, which is crucial for the best shape and texture. Make them for your family, bring them to a cookie exchange, or mail them in a sweet care package. 

Recipe: Molasses Spice Cookies

The yule log is a special piece of wood that's burned on the hearth around Christmastime in certain parts of Europe. The yule log as a dessert, however, is a delicious, log-shaped treat that deserves a spot on your holiday table. It's a Swiss roll chocolate cake with a swirl of whipped cream, frosted and decorated with frozen bits of whipped cream in the shape of mushrooms. It looks fancy, but anyone who can make a sponge cake can make this yule log. It's forgiving of small mistakes, yet it will be an eye-catcher anytime it's put on the table.

Recipe: Yule Log

Admittedly, eggnog is not 100% in the desserts category, instead falling somewhere in between dessert and drink. (And eggnog can be an alcoholic drink, if you'd like.) This year, leave the overly sweet commercial eggnog versions on the grocery store shelves and make your own. Egg yolks and cream are heated during preparation, so there's nothing to fear for people who are wary of using raw egg in beverages. This eggnog is easy to whip together for a homemade drink that's rich, creamy, and perfect for long nights snuggled under a blanket or sitting next to a fire.

Recipe: Eggnog

Rice Krispie treats are fun to make with kids — but you don't have to be a kid to love them. Make Christmas-themed Rice Krispies treats for a festive snack, for Santa on Christmas eve, or to give as gifts. The classic recipe calls for stirring crisped rice cereal into a melted marshmallow-butter blend, with red and green M&M's and holiday sprinkles added in. Press the mixture into a buttered pan, then chill until set. Slice into squares or use cookie cutters to make holiday shapes. 

Recipe: Christmas Rice Krispie Treats

Peppermint bark is an easy and quick treat to make that's ideal for the holiday season, when everyone's mind is on candy with red and white swirls. Tins of the stuff can be found at stores as soon as the Christmas music starts playing, but making your own is delicious fun. This peppermint bark recipe needs only three ingredients and takes just 15 minutes to make. Crush miniature candy canes, large candy canes, or small, round peppermints — Oreos, M&M's, or other favorite candies can be sprinkled on top as well.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Peppermint Bark

A spiced cake flavored with pumpkin and cranberry is a welcome addition to holiday dessert tables and a nice treat to have on hand for overnight guests. The batter is simple to make; Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree in the mix turn out a wonderfully moist cake. Cranberries folded into the batter are juicy and tart. Baking takes only 30 minutes, and you can top the cooled cake with powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar) or sweetened whipped cream. 

Recipe: Pumpkin Cranberry Cake

Two ingredients that are probably already in your pantry are all you need to make a batch of creamy, chocolaty fudge: Sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Plus, it's unbelievably easy to make. Though the fudge does need to chill for a couple of hours before slicing, this makes it a perfect make-ahead dessert or holiday food gift. Enjoy the fudge plain (it's delicious) or zhuzh it up: Add peppermint or vanilla extract, or add toppings like M&M's, peanut butter cups, or crumbled Oreos.

Recipe: 2-Ingredient Fudge

If you have any kids in your life — your own, nieces, nephews, the ones you babysit — they'll love this fun, drinkable holiday dessert. Chocolate chips melt in warm milk to make a chocolaty drink that's topped with whipped cream. The best part is putting little snowman faces on marshmallows before adding them to the cup. The recipe makes one mugful, but you can easily scale up the recipe to make lots of cups of swimming snowmen. 

Recipe: Snowman Soup

'Tis the season for gingerbread, and we don't mean just cookies and houses. Try homemade gingerbread ice cream: It's creamy and full of flavor from molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and clove. This recipe doesn't require any precooking of ingredients, which saves some time. Just blend everything together, then add it to an ice cream maker. Gingerbread ice cream is delicious all on its own, but you can also serve it with slices of cake, fresh-baked cookies, or a cup of hot cocoa. 

Recipe: Gingerbread Ice Cream

With a Grinchy-green color and red heart-shaped candies, these cookies may just become a holiday classic for the whole family. Make an easy sugar cookie batter that needs no chilling, with a little green food coloring mixed in to get just the right hue. As a nod to the Grinch's tiny heart that "grew three sizes that day," press a large, heart-shaped sprinkle or candy into each cookie when you pull them from the oven. They're perfect to make with kids or to bring to a family-friendly holiday party or cookie exchange. 

Recipe: Grinch Cookies

The best desserts aren't just sweet but also have a mix of flavors in every bite. Cranberry and orange oatmeal cookies are a balance of sweet and tart with lots of texture and a thick, chewy middle. Ingredients like cranberries, pecans, and cinnamon make them perfect for the holidays, and for everyday eating, too, because, well, they're delicious cookies. The cookie batter needs no chilling, and the cookies bake up in about 10 minutes. 

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Kringle isn't just an alias for Santa Claus. According to Allrecipes, a kringle is also a favorite Danish pastry that's been around for centuries. The oval-shaped ring of flaky pastry holds delectable fillings like fruit, nuts, or custard. It's a show-stopping treat that gives you a chance to practice your pastry skills. (Though the traditional method can be a lot of work, this recipe is easy to follow.) This Christmas Kringle has a sweet raspberry filling, and is topped with almonds, sprinkles, and glaze. 

Recipe: Christmas Kringle Pastry

Festive holiday treats don't have to be complicated or time-consuming, and these fun brownies are proof of that. Mix together a simple boxed brownie mix and bake the batter in a round cake pan. Once cooled and sliced into wedges, it's time to transform them into Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, and the rest of the reindeer team. Use melted chocolate chips to attach reindeer faces made of pretzel twists, candy eyes, and M&M's. They're fun to make with kids, with roommates in a college dorm kitchen, or for a marathon viewing of Christmas movies. 

Recipe: Reindeer Brownies

Peppermint candy canes are a Christmastime classic, but if you're looking for something different you should crush those candy canes up and turn them into this easy no-bake peppermint pie. It has an Oreo cookie crust and a fluffy, cheesecake-like filling that's loaded with peppermint flavor. No baking is required for this dessert, just a few hours to chill and set in the refrigerator. Try some easy customizations: Chocolate and peppermint are natural pairs, but feel free to use other cookies like 'Nilla Wafers or graham crackers if that sounds tasty to you.

Recipe: No-Bake Peppermint Pie

Want something a little more sophisticated for your family's Christmas stockings this year? Red velvet truffles are rich and decadent, yet really easy to make. The centers are red velvet cake that's made from an easy box mix. Once baked the cake is crumbled and blended with frosting, making it easy to scoop and roll them into truffles. Coat them in white chocolate (or dark or milk chocolate) then add Christmas sprinkles. Tie the finished truffles up in little boxes for stockings or a secret Santa exchange. 

Recipe: Red Velvet Truffles

Run, run, as fast as you can ... before someone else eats all the gingerbread men! Christmastime calls for a batch of these fragrant, fun cookies decorated with icing and candies. Make the cookie dough from scratch with spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and of course, ginger. Chilling the gingerbread dough first helps the cookies keep their shape during baking, which also means you can make the dough in advance. Use cookie cutters to form men, women, and maybe a few gingerbread trees, too. They bake fast so you can get to decorating — and eating. 

Recipe: Gingerbread Men

Not to be confused with the French cookie macarons, macaroons (with two o's) are made with egg whites, sugar, and shredded coconut. They add a little coco-nuttiness to your holiday dessert spread. They only take around 20 minutes of prep work and then 15 minutes of baking, resulting in treats that are crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Dip the bottoms in dark or semi-sweet chocolate for even more decadence. Macaroons are a perfect treat for both Christmas and Hannukah.

Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

There are Christmas cookies that are extremely fancy with many different ingredients, but some are as simple as can be. Case in point? This recipe, which needs only three ingredients: Peanut butter, sugar, and an egg. No chilling is necessary and it takes only 10 minutes to bake. The cookies are delicious just as they are, but you can make them even more festive by adding in holiday color M&M's, sticking mini peanut butter cups in the centers, or drizzling them with melted dark and white chocolate.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Pumpkin pie may get more attention when Thanksgiving rolls around, but it's a great dessert to put on the table after Christmas dinner as well. With this no-bake pumpkin pie recipe, you can skip the oven. Make a homemade graham cracker crust (or save time by getting a graham crust at the store). The filling ingredients are simply whipped and stirred together, and once it's poured onto the crust all that's left to do is to chill it in the refrigerator for two to three hours to set.

Recipe: No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

You may just win the award for "Cutest Christmas Cupcake" with this recipe, and best of all, they're easy to make. Perk up a basic, boxed white cake mix with peppermint extract and put red food coloring in half of the batter. Then, simply layer the two batters in cupcake liners and bake to turn out cupcakes with beautiful white and red swirls. Top them with homemade peppermint buttercream and a mini candy cane. Bring them to all the Christmas parties this season — and be sure to leave one out for Santa. 

Recipe: Candy Cane Cupcakes

Christmas is the perfect time to bring out recipes for old-fashioned and nostalgic desserts like this nutty fudge. Made with cream, sugar, and butter that are simmered until caramelized, it's similar to penuche fudge. The squares have added flavor and texture from chopped pecans and a little orange zest. The final holiday touch comes from holiday-themed sprinkles scattered over the surface before the fudge sets. Make it as a food gift or keep a tin of this fudge at home for the perfect fire-side dessert. 

Recipe: Christmas Fudge

It might be surprising to see waffles in a dessert collection, but trust us: When combined with your favorite sweet toppings, they're a truly decadent treat. The waffles are made from a quick-mix batter full of holiday spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as molasses for plenty of sweetness. They cook up in just minutes in your waffle maker (regular or mini). Set out toppings for your family or guests to build their own dessert-waffle creations. We recommend whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles in Christmas colors.

Recipe: Gingerbread Waffles

The creator of this recipe, Kristen Carli, says fruit cake doesn't deserve the annual round of jeering it receives — when made well, it's actually really delicious. Fruit cakes have a history going back centuries as a favorite Christmas treat, and would often include days-long preparations. In this recipe, only an overnight wait is needed to allow dried fruits like figs, cherries, and apricots to soak up sweet, dark rum. The finished loaves are full of boozy fruit, holiday spices, and nuts. This recipe makes two loaves; give one away and keep one for yourself. 

Recipe: Fruit Cake

People who love to make food for others are especially giddy come holiday time, as it's the perfect season to share your favorite homemade sweets. Peanut brittle is a popular homemade food gift choice, because it's delicious, cooks and hardens quickly, and is easy to package up. The recipe shows you how to use a candy thermometer to easily simmer a mixture of water and sugar, then stir in peanuts and spread it on a cookie sheet to cool. You can add spices too, like cinnamon or even a pinch of cayenne pepper. 

Recipe: Peanut Brittle

Though these chocolate treats can (and should) be enjoyed anytime of the year, they've become a favorite cookie to make at Christmastime. Perhaps the powdered sugar coating on the cookies has something to do with this: With the "crinkles" of chocolate cookie peeking through the sugar, they resemble a snowy December landscape. Or it could be just because they're delicious and a pleasure to share. The chocolate cookie dough comes together quickly and needs only an hour to chill. Roll balls of cookie dough in powdered sugar to give them the pretty crinkled look once they're baked. 

Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Most holiday cookies fall into one of two groups: Elaborately decorated or elegantly simple. These star cookies fall in the simply decorated category, and they're absolutely beautiful with white icing against a light brown cookie. Make a spice cookie dough with ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, and immediately roll out the dough. Use star-shaped cookie cutters to create the cookies, then bake. Once cool, whisk up a simple powdered sugar icing to decorate. You can use a piping bag or spread the icing on with a knife. 

Recipe: Christmas Star Cookies

How Stuff Works shares that the holiday favorite marzipan, made from ground almonds and sugar, has an easy-to-mold texture like that of Play-Doh. It can be rolled out and used to cover cakes, but is especially fun to shape into candies that look like miniature fruit or even animals with silly faces, like the holiday classic marzipan pig. This marzipan recipe requires only three ingredients and a few minutes to make, and once chilled, it's ready to be used. The decorated candies are a great way to show off your artistic side and create unique Christmas treats.

Recipe: Marzipan

Enjoy the taste of a favorite holiday coffee drink in this cupcake recipe that makes enough to share. The batter includes all the classic gingerbread ingredients, like molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, along with espresso powder to give the treats a hint of coffee flavor. The cupcakes bake up in only 15 minutes. Instead of milk foam, these latte cupcakes are topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. You can make them even more festive by topping each cupcake with a miniature gingerbread man cookie or some Christmas-themed sprinkles.

Recipe: Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

If you're reaching for store-bought holiday candy because you think making your own is too much of a hassle, STOP — this White Chocolate Fudge recipe is super easy, quick, and requires just two ingredients. Head to the baking aisle and pick up a can of sweetened condensed milk and a bag of white chocolate chips. Melt them together on the stove or in a microwave, then spread the mixture in a pan. Go watch a Hallmark Christmas movie while the fudge chills and sets, then slice and serve.

Recipe: 2-Ingredient White Chocolate Fudge

Here's a Christmastime recipe that's both a sweet treat and a holiday craft. Hansel and Gretel would love this sweet house with walls of sturdy gingerbread and royal icing to hold everything together. The recipe shows you how to make both, along with buttercream frosting to add decorative swirls and lines. The best part, of course, is adding the décor: CookThink recommends peppermints, M&M's, cereal, gum drops, Necco wafers, pretzels, and candy canes. Spend some time admiring it, then dig into that delicious gingerbread. 

Recipe: Gingerbread House

Make this easy three-ingredient marshmallow pumpkin cake for a special holiday dessert table centerpiece, or leave a slice out for Santa on Christmas Eve. The recipe is perfect for the busy season: It's a cinch to blend boxed cake mix with canned pumpkin pie mix and then bake it up in about 30 minutes. The topping is simply marshmallow fluff poured over the top. Serve it just like this or add some holiday décor to the top, like red and green sprinkles. 

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Marshmallow Pumpkin Cake

The flavor of raw cookie dough is addicting — cookie dough ice cream exists for a reason, after all. Our five-ingredient edible cookie dough recipe can help with that: It contains no eggs, so you can get your fix without any worry. The only cooking step in the recipe is to briefly toast the flour in the oven, which helps make it safe for eating raw. Fold sprinkles or holiday-colored baking bits into the dough to turn your cookie dough into a Christmastime treat.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Edible Cookie Dough

If you want a more formal and elegant holiday dessert to serve after Christmas dinner or bring to a party, this two-layer candy cane cake is perfect. The fluffy yellow cake is easy to make from scratch; the two round layers bake through in about 25 minutes. Frost the cake with a simple peppermint buttercream, and candy cane bits between the layers. Finish the pretty cake with piped frosting, a snowy dusting of powdered sugar, and candy canes. Little pine tree cake toppers would also be cute to add to the top.

Recipe: Candy Cane Cake

Get everyone in on the Christmas cookie fun, even if you or they have a gluten intolerance. These gluten-free cookies have all the flavor and spice of traditional gingerbread, including a hefty dose of fragrant ginger. Use a blend of gluten-free flour and xanthan gum in place of wheat flour, and let the dough chill and firm up in the fridge before cutting and baking. The recipe includes a simple powdered sugar icing to add faces, buttons — whatever you like — to your gingerbread people. 

Recipe: Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Christmas is all about red and green, and thankfully, these red velvet brownies fit the bill perfectly. It's easy to make a brownie batter from scratch, and this batter gets its red color from cocoa powder and a few drops of red food coloring. You can use any kind of chocolate chips, but we love how white chocolate chips stand out in the red brownies. You can simply serve them with a cold glass of milk, or add a scoop of peppermint stick ice cream and hot fudge to make a festive sundae. 

Recipe: Red Velvet Brownies

Keep oranges on hand at Christmastime, and don't discard those orange peels. With a little sugar and simmering time, you can transform them into an old-fashioned confection that's sweet with the intense flavor of orange. After the peels are simmered and rolled in sugar, they need just a day to dry; after that they're ready to use. Very Eatalian shares that candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate are a favorite French treat known as orangettes. Or, use the candied peel in holiday quickbreads, to top cakes, or as a cocktail garnish. 

Recipe: Candied Orange Peel

Desserts filled with warming spices, like these gingersnaps, are our favorites when the holidays roll around. My Recipes shares that compared to gingerbread cookies and molasses cookies, ginger snaps are crispier and have a stronger ginger bite. And these gingersnaps are especially delicious because they get a dip in sweet, creamy white chocolate after baking. Vanilla-flavored melting chocolates are easy to use, and you can even swap out the white variety for holiday reds and greens. 

Recipe: White Chocolate-Dipped Gingersnaps

Make a creamy chocolate fudge this Christmas that's surprisingly easy: This recipe has all of the good parts of fudge without the fuss of a candy thermometer. Sweetened condensed milk is the secret ingredient that turns melted chocolate chips into delectable fudge. Vanilla extract brings flavor, and you can swap it for other flavors like peppermint or orange. Fun mix-ins to try include crushed Oreos, chopped nuts, holiday-color M&M's, or sprinkles. Bring this fudge to your next holiday gathering, and you'll be sure to be the star dessert chef of the evening.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Fudge

Atlas Obscura shares that in Denmark, rice pudding is a Christmas Eve tradition thanks to an elf known as nisse. Unlike the good-intentioned Elf On The Shelf in the U.S., the nisse is a mischievous spirit who likes to steal things and be naughty. To keep the nisse happy, families leave him a Christmas bowl of risengrød, or rice pudding. Even if you don't believe in elves, this easy rice pudding is still delicious, made with cinnamon, sugar, and a sprinkle of raisins. Who knows: Maybe your Elf On The Shelf would like some, too.  

Recipe: 15-Minute Rice Pudding

Mark Beahm, who developed this recipe, shares that it's one of his family's favorites to enjoy for Christmas brunch. It's a rich, chocolate loaf made with sour cream for a lovely, moist texture. Orange and chocolate pair very well together, and this bread has zest in the batter as well as zest and orange juice in the thick glaze that is poured over the top. It's a perfect addition to your Christmas breakfast or brunch celebration. 

Recipe: Orange Chocolate Loaf Cake

As The Old Farmer's Almanac points out, crumb bars are a favorite dessert because they're so easy to make and can be made with almost any kind of fruit filling. The crumb (or crumble) base and topping for these cranberry crumble bars is made from flour, butter, and baking powder. A simple cranberry sauce made on the stovetop is layered over the base, creating a sweet-tart filling in the tender bars. Santa would LOVE one of these crumble bars with his milk on Christmas Eve, and your holiday guests will enjoy them, too. 

Recipe: Cranberry Crumble Bars

The simple ingredients in this frosting means you can technically enjoy it any time of the year — but we all know that eggnog flavor tastes the very best during the Christmas season. The recipes shows you how to make an easy American-style buttercream frosting with cinnamon and nutmeg swirled in to give it the unmistakable flavor of creamy eggnog. Use it on holiday cakes, as a filling between chocolate or sugar cookies, or to fill homemade donuts. According to Wilton, buttercream frosting can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for three months. 

Recipe: Eggnog Frosting

Pumpkin isn't just for Thanksgiving: It's a welcome part of the holiday festivities right through December. Instead of pouring pumpkin into a pie shell, however, this dessert puts that sweet flavor into a creamy mousse — and uses only three ingredients. Blend canned pumpkin puree with cream and instant pudding mix. The mousse is ready to eat in only five minutes, or you can chill it in cups to serve for dessert later. Top your pumpkin mousse with whipped cream, chocolate chips, or a drizzle of caramel.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Mousse

Organize your cookie recipes now so you'll be ready for the Christmas cookie-making spree. Here's one that should definitely be part of your collection: Thumbprint cookies with soft, jammy centers. The classic Swedish treat is made from a simple sugar cookie dough that needs no chilling. Press your thumb into the center of cookie dough balls and fill the space with jam — this recipe calls for raspberry jam, but you can also experiment with your favorite flavors. They're ready in only 15 minutes. 

Recipe: Swedish Thumbprint Cookies

Keep this recipe handy for the holidays. It's easy to whip up when you need to bring a dessert to the party or find yourself scrambling for one last gift for that hard-to-please family member. Creamy peanut butter fudge is made with only five ingredients and in ten minutes. It's sweet and creamy with a hint of vanilla amidst the peanut butter. Once the fudge chills slice it into cubes and serve — or box it up for a gift. Tip: add holiday sprinkles to the top before the fudge sets. 

Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge

The mouth-puckering tartness of fresh cranberries is tamed really well in this creamy no-bake cheesecake, where the chopped berries are blended with cream cheese, sugar, whipped cream, and orange zest. Make your own vanilla cookie crust or pick up a store-bought cookie or graham crust. The cheesecake needs some chilling time, but is a cinch to make and a beautiful dessert centerpiece. To make sugared cranberries for a garnish, follow the easy steps in this other Mashed recipe for Brie Bites.

Recipe: No-Bake Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

If you're lucky enough to have a white Christmas where you live, this is the perfect recipe to try — especially if you have kids home on vacation who need something to do. Just as the name suggests, it's made from fresh snow along with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Stirred together, the mixture has an ice cream-like texture and tastes so good. Have your toppings ready, like chocolate sauce, holiday sprinkles, crumbled Oreos, or crushed candy canes, and eat it before it melts. 

Recipe: 5-Minute Snow Ice Cream

According to Bake It With Love, kringla are soft cookies that are a favorite in Norway and Sweden during the holidays. To make the nutmeg-scented cookies, mix the dough ingredients together and let it rest in the fridge overnight. The next day, roll out ropes of dough and fold them into pretzel twist or figure eight shapes. Their simplicity is what makes them so delicious. The recipe makes a generous batch of kringla to serve at Christmas or to share with neighbors. 

Recipe: Kringla

Fudge recipes seem to fall into two categories: Made on the stovetop while fussing with a candy thermometer or made lightning-fast with minimal ingredients. (TikTokers like @fitwaffle seem to prefer the latter method.) Since we love spending time in the kitchen during the holidays, this recipe finds a happy middle ground; you get to slowly simmer peanut butter, white chocolate chips, and chopped nuts together in a slow cooker with no thermometer necessary. It's fun to handcraft a perfect batch of creamy, sweet fudge for gifts and dessert tables alike. 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Fudge

After Christmas dinner when it's time to pour the coffee and indulge in dessert, present your friends with a cake that's lovely to look at and full of holiday flavor. The spice cake batter has white and brown sugar, but no molasses, so it's lighter in flavor than gingerbread. Every bite of the tender cake is full of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Top each of the layers with a tangy cream cheese frosting and some toasted, chopped nuts. Simple and delicious.

Recipe: Spice Cake

Sugar cookies are about as simple a cookie as you can make. That might lead some people to take the humble sugar cookie for granted, but the right recipe should be kept in your back pocket come holiday season when you need something quick and easy. These sugar cookies only take around 25 minutes to make. This recipe outlines how to make the perfect round sugar cookies, or you can use your favorite cookie cutter shapes instead — a jolly, plump Santa Claus shape or Christmas tree ornament is sure to bring the holiday vibes.

Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Buckeyes, a no-bake candy made from peanut butter and dipped in chocolate, are perfect to make at Christmastime for so many reasons. The sweetened peanut butter mixture is addictive, and pairs perfectly with the thin coating of semi-sweet chocolate. They're easy to make and an especially fun tradition to have with kids. The recipe makes plenty of buckeyes to package up and give as gifts, or to keep in a jar on the table for a sweet snack anytime. Plus, you only need six common ingredients to make them. 

Recipe: Buckeyes

Chocolate chip cookies are desirable no matter the time of year. Chocolate chip cookies around Christmastime, however, just hit different with lights, presents, and all of the other trappings of the holiday season around you. We've got the perfect from-scratch chocolate chip cookies for the occasion, complete with a soft and chewy center and crispy edges. What type of chocolate you use is your call, but chopped chocolate that you've cut yourself from a chocolate bar always ends up better — and meltier — than chips. Flaky salt on top makes these sweet treats more dynamic.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's a good chance you've built a gingerbread house or two over the years, yet the ultimate ginger-themed Christmas dessert is the gingerbread cookie. These cookies need no frosting or extra embellishments; they can be shaped like a person or just left round. The taste is sweet but not overly so, with a warming and balanced baking spice flavor. While the recipe is tasty as-is, there's room for variation. You can play with the ratio of butter to shortening, and also add more clove or more ginger if you like your cookies extra spiced. 

Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies

Save some of the holiday red wine for a unique and really yummy batch of cupcakes! The chocolate and wine cupcakes are really lovely, perfect to bring out after dinner or to make in advance and bring to a party. The from-scratch cupcake batter includes cocoa and a generous pour of your favorite type of red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The cream cheese frosting has a red wine reduction for extra flavor and a pale pink hue. They make a unique Christmas treat, and it's a great recipe to have on hand for other holidays, too. 

Recipe: Red Wine Cupcakes