71 Festive Christmas Desserts to Bring Joy to Your Mouth
It’s time to think about Christmas desserts. The gingerbread house has been decorated and displayed in the front hall and the perfect rib roast has been purchased from the local butcher. Now, let us inspire you with layer cakes, perfectly chewy halva, a showstopper of a banana cream pie with gravity-defying whipped cream peaks, and a handful of our best Christmas cookie recipes.
These holiday treats aren’t just for the big meal, though. This time of year is about gift-giving, so how about some sugar cookies for Santa, chocolate truffles for your loved ones, and peppermint candies for yourself? (They’ll fuel your wrapping and ribbon-tying.)
Whatever your holiday appetite, we’ve got the Christmas desserts to match—and there’s not one dry fruitcake in sight.
Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht1/71Cute-as-a-Button Gingerbread Cookies
Of course our Christmas desserts list starts with gingerbread cookies. (What are we, heathens? No, ma’am.) These ones get a hefty dose of molasses and just the right amount of warming spice.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Dayna Seman3/71Buttermilk Banana Cake
Think of this Christmas dessert idea as banana bread, all dressed up for a dinner party. The process, though, scratches the same itch that playing in the sandbox did when you were a kid: To mash the banana, place it in a zip-top bag and go to town with your hands.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni4/71Simply Brilliant Banoffee Pie
Photograph by William Crooks6/71Frozen Cookie Dough Pie
While this triple-layered pie with chunks of frozen cookie dough, chocolate ganache, and vanilla semifreddo makes for a delicious dessert any time of year, imagine the cooling but still decadent treat after a meaty, savory Christmas dinner...
Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht7/71Pear Snacking Cake With Chocolate and Rosemary
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Christina Allen8/71Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
If you didn’t get enough sweet potato pie or pecan pie at Thanksgiving, here’s your chance to hit both in one recipe after Christmas dinner.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni9/71Hot Buttered Rum Pie
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams10/71Raspberry Jell-O Salad
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Frances Boswell12/71Miso-Almond Butter Cookies
These sweet and savory cookies could act as Christmas dessert, or they could just linger by the Christmas tree for snacking. Their toasty color makes them look like chocolate-dipped gingersnaps or peanut butter cookies, but it’s actually thanks to a mixture of almond butter and miso.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin13/71Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
Photograph by David Cabrera, Prop Styling by Adriana Bonin, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen14/71The Creamiest Vanilla Bean Flan
Photograph by Guang Xu15/71Chocolate Pecan Pie
Maybe you had enough apple pie and pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but allow us to make the case for another round of pecan pie this Christmas: This rendition features chocolate in three different ways.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones16/71Tres Leches Cake
This tres leches cake is delicious as is, but if you want to dress it up a little further for the holiday, you could frost the top of the cake with sweetened whipped cream or gild it with sliced fruit.
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist17/71Classic Banana Pudding
For a homey kind of holiday, make this no-frills, no-fuss, absolutely delicious rendition of a classic. You may have seen other recipes calling for instant pudding mix, but making it from scratch adds about five minutes and a creaminess and complexity you won’t get from the boxed stuff.
Photograph by Christopher Testani, Food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Alex Brannian18/71Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Speaking of the classics: This Christmas dessert recipe has you upgrade a retro classic with really good cocktail cherries. (Use a few more cherries to make yourself a Christmas cocktail.)
Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon20/71Chewy Molasses Cookies
This easy cookie recipe might be the simplest Christmas dessert out there: little prep time, no stand mixer required, and a secret ingredient that keeps the cookies magically fresh and chewy for days. (Actually, it’s not a secret; it’s in the recipe title.)
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni22/71Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie
23/71Citrus Caramel Sundaes With Toasted Almonds
That $2 box of sugar in your pantry is worth its weight in gold. Cooked to a deep amber, it becomes a caramel sauce that you can spoon over juicy seasonal citrus and serve with a scoop of store-bought vanilla or homemade ice cream.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua25/71Salted Coffee Custard Pie
If you can’t bother to make coffee and dessert after a big Christmas Eve dinner—and trust us, we get it—consider this twofer instead.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua26/71Easy-Fancy Pear Galette
Canned pears, a simple almond cream, and store-bought puff pastry make this pear galette recipe feel sophisticated but entirely doable.
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski27/71Banana Cream Pie
Blitzing peanuts into the graham cracker crust and sprinkling more toasted nuts over the mound of whipped cream adds something lacking from most banana cream pie recipes: Crunch.
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Sophie Strangio28/71Raspberry-Hibiscus Poke Cake
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski29/71Lemon Meringue Pie
Just looking at this sunshine-colored, sky-high pie topped with a meringue formed into bon-bon-like shapes makes us happy, but the real fun comes from playing with fire: This recipe is an excellent excuse to buy a kitchen torch.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens30/71BA’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
What makes this the best chocolate chip cookie recipe? Crispy edges, chewy centers, can’t lose. (And if you’re gluten-free, try these cookies with milk, dark, and white chocolate.)
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh31/71Mini Knafeh With Rose and Pistachio
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni32/71Tiramisù-y Icebox Cake
This light, coffee-flavored cake is a fun twist on old-school tiramisù, with layers of Kahlúa-soaked ladyfingers set between a sweet mascarpone filling. In other words, it should be your Christmas cake this holiday season.
Kelsey McClellan34/71Blood Orange and Poppy Polenta Shortbread Cookies
Every holiday party has sugar cookies and sponge cakes, but polenta shortbread with blood orange icing and poppy seeds so beautifully strewn, it looks like modern art? This holiday treat is an original.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni35/71Mango-Yogurt Mousse
Some of the best Christmas desserts are unexpected, and this recipe certainly fits that bill. It’s a mango lassi, the beloved South Asian yogurt-based drink, as a silky mousse.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua36/71Hazelnut Butter Cup Tart
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni37/71Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake
This riff on classic flourless chocolate cake features meringue both in the batter and on top, which bakes into a light and crispy shell with van Gogh-esque swirls.
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones.38/71Coconut-Peanut Mochi Balls
Think of these snowball-esque mochi treats like sweet dumplings stuffed with a mixture of crunchy roasted peanuts and creamy peanut butter and honey.
Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich.39/71Candy Cane Ice Cream in a Bag
Photograph by Christopher Testani. Food styling by Victoria Granof. Prop styling by Alex Brannian.40/71Mini Baked Alaskas
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown41/71No-Mixer Vanilla Cake With Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting
If you’ve never tried the “dissolved sugar method,” then let this plush, fine-crumbed cake recipe be your reason for getting familiar.
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott43/71Chocolate-Peppermint Fudge
It’s been a stressful holiday, you say? This recipe gives you the opportunity to work out whatever’s bugging you: Take a rolling pin to a bag full of peppermint puff candies and crush.
Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich44/71Champurrado
This molten Mexican mixture of dark chocolate, piloncillo, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper thickened with masa is a far cry from Swiss Miss hot chocolate.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky45/71Black Forest Layer Cake With Cherry Preserves
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones46/71Sticky Toffee Date Cake
Why shouldn’t sticky toffee pudding be baked in a classic Bundt shape and bathed in a salted toffee sauce? We couldn’t think of a reason either.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski47/71Salted Chocolate Halva
Halva can be a little tricky to make at first. A candy thermometer is key to nailing the right temperature, which creates the desired flaky, crystallized texture.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky48/71Vanilla Layer Cake With Mango Curd
The typical bakery-style layer cake has thick, heavy cake layers separated by thinner smears of rich frosting, but this recipe uses a light, gelatin-set mango filling in equal proportion to the cake.
Christopher Testani50/71Double Ginger Sticky Toffee Pudding
She looks polished, glossy, and a tad minimalist, but she tastes, rich, gooey, and indulgent. We suggest inviting her to Christmas dinner. (You won’t regret it.)
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky51/71Tiramisù Layer Cake With Mascarpone Mousse
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li52/71Chocolate Sablés With Date Sugar
A sablé, which means means sandy in French, is a round, shortbread-like cookie. These chocolate ones get their structure from grated bittersweet chocolate. Serve them with airy chocolate soufflé for a double dose of the dark stuff.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Alison Attenborough53/71Cardamom Bread Pudding
Pistachios, heavy cream, sugar, cardamom, vegetable oil, and five slices of white bread are all it takes to make this no-bake recipe, an Indian dessert called shahi toast.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski54/71Glazed and Flaky Apple Tart
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li55/71Gluten-Free Chocolate-Tahini Brownies
Classic fudgy brownies get a modern twist with a sweet tahini swirl. Considering the sesame paste is such a dominate player, make sure you buy the best tahini you can find.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich56/71Apple-Walnut Upside-Down Cake
Here’s a hot tip for removing apple cores in a neat scoop: Use a melon baller or a sturdy teaspoon measure.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Judy Mancini58/71Blackout Cake
According to legend (a.k.a. the Internet), this decadent Christmas dessert was named after blackout drills during World War II. According to us, the three layers of rich chocolate cake and two layers of creamy chocolate pudding are incredible.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott60/71Vanilla Bean Tarte Tatin
This buttery delight of caramelized apples, flaky puff pastry, floral vanilla beans, and a little punch from apple cider vinegar is a true revelation.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen61/71Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls
Consider these two-biters a fudgy, indulgent energy bite to fuel you through the holiday season: Keep them in the fridge, then grab one when you need a boost.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime62/71Chocolate Ganache Tart
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski63/71Cranberry Linzer Tart
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski64/71Zebra-Striped Shortbread Cookies
And here’s a fancy-looking chocolate and vanilla swirl cookie that novices can succeed at, too. All you need is some eggnog on the side.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou66/71Heartbeet Chocolate Cake
See what we did there with that recipe title? Earthy-sweet beet purée gives this gluten-free chocolate cake both moistness and a sexy red velvet hue.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio69/71Tropical Trifle With Coconut and Rum
The high-low tension of this healthyish dessert—fresh tropical fruit and chia seeds paired with dollar-a-sleeve Marie biscuits or Nilla wafers—is a whole vibe.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio70/71Chocolate Date-Caramel Cups
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott71/71Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Cookies
This ambitious Christmas dessert recipe is a bit of a project: Make the cookie base and top with marshmallow on day one; cover it all in chocolate on day two.