71 Festive Christmas Desserts to Bring Joy to Your Mouth
- 1/70
Cute-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. See recipe.Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht - 2/70
Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie
Some like apple cubes or rough chunks, but for this dessert, especially considering that it’s a holiday, take the time to thinly slice the fruit instead. Slices melt into each other as they bake, leaving less room for air pockets to develop. In other words: more intense flavor. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards - 3/70
Buttermilk 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. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Dayna Seman 
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- 4/70
Simply Brilliant Banoffee Pie
A shopping tip: Choose ripe bananas that are fully yellow with maybe a spot or two of brown speckles. Steer clear of fruit with hints of green (too starchy) or one with too many spots (too mushy). See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni - 5/70
Hadji Bada (Iraqi Almond Cookies)
These chewy gluten-free cookies have a pronounced almond flavor thanks to almond flour. In other words, you can avoid using almond extract, which we sometimes find cloying. See recipe.Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones - 6/70
Frozen 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... See recipe.Photograph by William Crooks Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 7/70
Pear Snacking Cake With Chocolate and Rosemary
A snacking cake is meant for just that: afternoon snacking. Bake this cake on Christmas morning, leaving it on the counter, and your family members can have a pre-dessert Christmas dessert with tea somewhere around 3:00 p.m. (The holiday season is not a time for restraint.) See recipe.Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht - 8/70
Sweet 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. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Christina Allen - 9/70
Hot Buttered Rum Pie
Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, this boozy pie is cheerfully tipsy with dark rum. You can serve it warm or at room temperature, but it’s particularly good when cold. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 10/70
Chocolate Pie With Press-In Crust
We love the juxtaposition of dense chocolate pudding and fluffy whipped cream, but you will have some leftover egg whites; if you prefer a stiff-peaked meringue topping, by all means switch it up. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi - 11/70
Miso-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. See recipe.Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Frances Boswell - 12/70
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
The holy trinity, in our book, is vanilla ice cream, espresso-spiked fudge, and chocolate cookie crunchies. What are crunchies? Flour, sugar, butter, cocoa powder, and espresso powder, formed into bits and baked until—you got it—crunchy. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 13/70
The Creamiest Vanilla Bean Flan
The secret, non-traditional ingredient in this recipe for ultra-creamy flan? Cream cheese. It brings stability to the classic Spanish custard (and makes un-molding a breeze). See recipe.Photograph by David Cabrera, Prop Styling by Adriana Bonin, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen - 14/70
Chocolate 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. See recipe.Photograph by Guang Xu - 15/70
Tres 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. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 16/70
Classic 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. See recipe.Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist - 17/70
Pineapple 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.) See recipe.Photograph by Christopher Testani, Food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Alex Brannian - 18/70
BA’s Best Chocolate Lava Cake
Here’s a deep, dark, molten chocolate cake recipe with a liquid chocolate center thanks to a spoonful of ganache, which melts as the cake bakes. Merry Christmas. See recipe.Alex Lau Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 19/70
Chewy 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.) See recipe.Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon - 20/70
Basque Burnt Cheesecake
A burnt, cracked, cheesecake cooked at high heat can only mean one thing beyond, “It’s delicious”: It’s impossible to mess it up. See recipe.Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens - 21/70
Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie
This double-decker pie stacks two forever favorites—chocolate pie and coconut cream pie—inside a homemade salted graham cracker crust for a best-of-all-worlds situation. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 22/70
Citrus 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. See recipe. - 23/70
Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies
These pistachio holiday cookies are the color of the Grinch and they will definitely steal Christmas. Make a batch and watch as your family members gather around it. (Christmas tree, don’t be jealous.) See recipe.Kelsey McClellan - 24/70
Salted 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. See recipe.Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 25/70
Easy-Fancy Pear Galette
Canned pears, a simple almond cream, and store-bought puff pastry make this pear galette recipe feel sophisticated but entirely doable. See recipe.Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua - 26/70
Banana 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. See recipe.Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski - 27/70
Raspberry-Hibiscus Poke Cake
With bright red stripes and a fluffy white marshmallow whipped cream topping, this cake was practically tailor-made for the Christmas season. Its flavor was also inspired by a winter standard: Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea. See recipe.Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Sophie Strangio Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 28/70
Lemon 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. See recipe.Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski - 29/70
BA’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.) See recipe.Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens - 30/70
Mini Knafeh With Rose and Pistachio
When you bake this Middle Eastern dessert in a muffin tin rather than a party-size round, everyone gets as much of the crispy-crunchy, ghee-soaked pastry as possible. See recipe.Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 31/70
Tiramisù-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. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni - 32/70
Shoofly Pie
An often overlooked regional American specialty popular in Amish country and in the Mennonite community, it’s believed this chewy molasses pie was first made by the Pennsylvania Dutch. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi - 33/70
Blood 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. See recipe.Kelsey McClellan Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 34/70
Mango-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. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni - 35/70
Hazelnut Butter Cup Tart
This is exactly what it looks like: one giant nut butter cup. It rivals any store-bought candy, though, feeds a crowd, and has a crunchy filling thanks to crushed-up waffle ice cream cones. See recipe.Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua - 36/70
Flourless 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. See recipe.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 37/70
Coconut-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. See recipe.Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones. - 38/70
Candy Cane Ice Cream in a Bag
Make ice cream without an ice cream machine using zip-top bags, rock salt, a bunch of ice, and some muscle. As for the flavoring? Peppermint and candy canes, of course. See recipe.Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich. - 39/70
Mini Baked Alaskas
You’ve heard of baked Alaska, but do you really know what it is? The dessert involves cake, ice cream, and a meringue casing, if you will. Thanks to a blowtorch, the exterior gets beautifully caramelized. See recipe.Photograph by Christopher Testani. Food styling by Victoria Granof. Prop styling by Alex Brannian. Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 40/70
No-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. See recipe.Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown - 41/70
Bûche de Noël
Of all the quirky holiday desserts out there, making your own Yule log might take the cake. Our updated version resembles a slender birch branch adorned with mushroom-inspired meringues. See recipe.Christopher Testani - 42/70
Chocolate-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. See recipe.Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 43/70
Champurrado
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. See recipe.Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich - 44/70
Black Forest Layer Cake With Cherry Preserves
Some chocolate cakes can be overwhelmingly intense, but this one manages to feel light and balanced. No single component dominates the others. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky - 45/70
Sticky 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. See recipe.Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 46/70
Salted 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski - 47/70
Vanilla 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky - 48/70
Tahini Linzer Torte Bars
We’ve swapped out the nuts in a classic linzer for tahini, which makes for a rich, buttery crust. Then comes the jam filling, in whatever flavor you prefer. See recipe.Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 49/70
Double 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.) See recipe.Christopher Testani - 50/70
Tiramisù Layer Cake With Mascarpone Mousse
Marsala, a fortified wine made in Sicily, gives this layer cake a boozy, fragrant edge that plays well against the bitterness of the espresso. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky - 51/70
Chocolate 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 52/70
Cardamom 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. See recipe.Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Alison Attenborough - 53/70
Glazed and Flaky Apple Tart
If you like fruit desserts that go heavy on the fruit, this flaky, crunchy, juicy apple tart is for you. It involves halved apples, which means no slicing or dicing. See recipe.Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski - 54/70
Gluten-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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 55/70
Apple-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. See recipe.Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich - 56/70
Fruity Rum Bundt Cake
Flouring the fruit in this Bundt cake recipe helps keep it suspended throughout the batter, and using a serrated knife guarantees you won’t squash or shred the slices. See recipe.Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott - 57/70
Blackout 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Judy Mancini Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 58/70
Chocolate Grasshopper Ice Cream Tart
This is the ice cream tart of your fifties-era diner dreams. In every mid-century modern-looking slice, you’ll get a bite of cold, minty, chocolate-y goodness. See recipe.Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott - 59/70
Vanilla 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. See recipe.Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott - 60/70
Salted 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 61/70
Chocolate Ganache Tart
This deceptively simple Christmas dessert idea has a press-in nut crust—walnuts, blanched hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, whatever you like—that just so happens to be gluten-free. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime - 62/70
Cranberry Linzer Tart
Warning: This ultra-buttery dough is too delicate to weave into a lattice without breaking. Instead, arrange the strips in a crosshatch pattern. It will look just as pretty; we promise. See recipe.Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski - 63/70
Zebra-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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 64/70
Marranitos Enfiestados
This take on the popular Mexican pig-shaped cookie goes all out with a ginger-spiced dough and colorful sprinkles. These piggies came to party. See recipe.Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li - 65/70
Heartbeet 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou - 66/70
Ancho Mole Cookies
Hold these cookies up to the light to appreciate the stained-glass effect of the dried fruit. And inside? Chocolate, hazelnuts, and the subtle burn of ancho chile. See recipe.Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Michelle Gatton Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 67/70
Peanut Meringue Cookies
If you’re not a fan of marshmallow-y meringues, here’s a trick for getting drier, crispier ones: Bake them at 200º for about 45 minutes with the door slightly ajar. See recipe.Laura Murray - 68/70
Tropical 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. See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio - 69/70
Chocolate Date-Caramel Cups
These dessert cups only look like cupcakes, and there’s a reason for that: Assembling them in muffin liners helps ensure that the sticky date caramel stays neat. (Well, as neat as possible.) See recipe.Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio Yahoo News is better in the app
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- 70/70
Chocolate-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. See recipe.Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
Joe Sevier, The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors
Featuring custardy flan, towering layer cakes, sky-high pies, elegant tarts, and homespun cookies, our best Christmas desserts will sweeten your entire holiday season.
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
