The holidays are officially here, meaning so is the season of indulgence! Cozy cookie swaps, show-stopping cakes, and playful treats keep your plate full of sweets when the holidays hit. Whether you crave the comforting warmth of classic chocolate chip cookies, citrus‑infused confections, or more traditional holiday pastries, we’ve got you covered. This collection of 50 holiday dessert recipes is your ultimate guide to curing any sweet tooth, impressing guests, and filling your kitchen with the irresistible aromas of the season. Get ready to bake, share, and savor every sugary bite!
50 Holiday Dessert Recipes
Spiced Cranberry Tart
A festive showstopper, this Spiced Cranberry Tart features a silky cranberry-orange curd in a an oat crust and topped with pomegranate seeds.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies spice-kissed fall treats with a surprise cheesecake center wrapped in soft pumpkin-spiced dough.
Apple Crisp
A nostalgic dessert of tender tart-apple slices baked under a buttery, crunchy pecan-oat crisp topping. Maybe keep vanilla ice cream on hand for this one.
Spiced Mascarpone Cranberry Cake
A rich and warm spice cake that layers creamy mascarpone with tart cranberries and citrus notes for a festive, winter-ready dessert.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Indulge in this creamy sweet potato cheesecake where autumn spices meet a crisp gingersnap crust for a dessert that’s both comforting and beautiful.
Dutch Apple Pie with a Twist
Take your classic apple pie up a notch. This version layers sour‑cream–sweetened apples spiced with fresh ginger under a pecan, brown‑sugar crumble topping.
Dark Rum Blondies
Chewy, buttery blondies get a festive upgrade with dark rum and a decadent rum‑butter frosting, perfect for holiday indulgence.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Savor forkfuls of velvety pumpkin cheesecake in a buttery, crisp gingersnap crust that upgrades the pumpkin flavor you love.
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
A batch of irresistibly soft, chewy chocolate‑chip cookies. Martha Stewart brings us inspiration thanks to a generous helping of brown sugar and the right butter-to‑sugar balance.
Pumpkin Blondies
Decadent pumpkin blondies spiced for fall and studded with chocolate chips, finished with a dreamy cream‑cheese frosting.
Samoas® Blondies
These blondies combine chewy chocolate, toasted coconut, and a drizzle of caramel for a dessert that tastes just like your favorite Samoas cookie in bar form.
Dirty Blondies with Chocolate, Hazelnut & Coffee
A chewy blondie with both milk and semisweet chocolate, toasted hazelnuts, a hint of coffee, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt for a grown‑up treat.
SunButter® Blondies
A nut‑free crowd-pleasing bar that swaps in creamy sunflower-seed SunButter and layers in dark chocolate and crunchy pumpkin, sunflower, and black sesame seeds.
Chocolate Brownies with Lime Glaze
This flavor combination is unique yet addicting. Deeply chocolatey brownies get a zesty lift from a bright and tangy lime glaze.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
A moist, two-layer pumpkin cake meets a smooth, cream‑cheese–spiked filling that’s irresistible with every bite.
Chocolate Crémeux
For the true chocolate lovers out there. A silky, custard-like chocolate cream that melts on the tongue. It’s richer than a pudding but denser than mousse.
Mom’s Iced Christmas Sugar Cookies
Nostalgic and festive, these iced sugar cookies are soft cutouts that get dressed up with colorful frosting and sparkling sprinkles for a true holiday classic.
Strawberry Rhubarb Thumbprint Cookies
This recipe is simply cheerful. We’re filling crisp thumbprint cookies with bright and tangy strawberry‑rhubarb jam and colorful sprinkles.
Cookie-Jar Sugar Cookies
Learn a timeless recipe that’s as fun to bake as it is delicious. We scent these melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies with orange and vanilla.
Lemon Curd Bars
These lemon‑curd bars feature a tangy, zesty filling that sits atop a rich, buttery shortbread crust, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Crackly Sugar Cookies
These sugar cookies crackle on top as they bake, delivering a sweet and chewy bite that’s coated in sparkling sanding sugar.
Pumpkin Cookies
These pumpkin cookies mix fall spices and pumpkin puree into a cake‑like cookie, then finish with a tangy cream‑cheese icing and a milk‑vanilla glaze.
Gluten-Free Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
These delicate, gluten‑free shortbread cookies use almond flour and citrusy Earl Grey tea. Perfect alongside a cup of coffee or tea.
Ube Sweet Soy White Chocolate Cookies
A grown-up fusion of nutty purple yam and dessert decadence. These cookies are full of sweet white chocolate and earthy ube.
French Meringue Cookies
Try baking something new this year like these feather‑light cookies that use whipped egg whites and a hint of vanilla or almond.
Rosemary Butter Cookies
These Rosemary Butter Cookies blend sweetness with a delicate hint of fresh rosemary, creating a festive, aromatic treat that stands out.
Gingerbread Cookies
These Gingerbread Cookies bake up warm, spicy, and lightly molasses-sweetness. It’s a classic, nostalgic holiday treat that fills the kitchen with cinnamon-and-ginger scent.
Cherry Pistachio Sandwich Cookies
Bursting with sweet cherry filling and the delicate crunch of pistachios, these sandwich cookies bring a playful pop of color.
Baklava
Baklava layers crisp, buttery phyllo dough with spiced nuts and a sweet, syrupy finish. Bake up a rich, flaky dessert that brings indulgence to any holiday dessert table.
Judy’s Lady Locks
Judy’s Lady Locks showcase the charm of old-fashioned pastry making, offering a crisp shell and creamy filling that come together in a simple, timeless cookie.
Bisco-Chai-tos (A Chai Twist on Biscochitos)
These Bisco‑Chai‑tos infuse the classic New Mexico biscochito with warm chai spices of cardamom, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Chinese Five Spice Cookies
Obsessed with Chinese Five Spice? These cookies combine those spices with lush molasses for crumbly and delicious product.
No Chill Sugar Cookies
No‑Chill Sugar Cookies come together in minutes and bake into cookies with crisp edges — no refrigeration necessary.
Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Soft, chewy chocolate-chunk cookies with golden-brown edges and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Pistachio Wreath Cookies
Festive pistachio-studded wreath cookies with a buttery, cardamom-tinged dough and sweet glaze — a pretty, holiday-ready treat.
Orange Cranberry Swirl Cookies
Zesty, cranberry-and-orange pinwheel cookies swirl bright citrus and tart berries into sweet dough.
Italian Wedding Cookies
These melt-in-your-mouth almond cookies finish with a snowy coating of powdered sugar icing.
Blue Corn Macarons
Make macarons even more elegant with these airy blue-hued sandwich cookies that use nutty blue cornmeal and feature a creamy vanilla-bean ganache.
Green Chile Biscochitos
These tender, cinnamon-anise cookies get an unexpected lift from roasted green chiles, creating a uniquely sweet-spicy spin on the usual Biscochito.
Buckeyes
Classic Buckeyes are creamy peanut-butter balls coated in just enough in chocolate so a peek of peanut butter remains.
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Each vibrant layer of these Rainbow Cookies bursts with almond flavor, jam, and chocolate, making every slice irresistible.
Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies Recipe
Soft, spiced gingerbread rounds hug a creamy cinnamon‑buttercream center for a cozy holiday sandwich cookie.
Purple Barley Cookies
Purple barley flour transforms classic chocolate chip cookies into a subtly nutty, colorful twist on a favorite treat.
Peppermint Crisp Sugar Cookies
With a tender sugar cookie bottom, a swirl of creamy peppermint‑dulce topping, and a sprinkle of candy crispness, these cookies deliver wintery cheer.
Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
We swirl cinnamon‑sugar filling into buttery sugar cookie dough to create cookies that taste just like cinnamon rolls.
Peanut Butter Cookies
These Peanut Butter Cookies blend creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and butter into rich dough that bakes up crisp-edges and soft-centers.
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies
These Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies mix creamy ricotta and bright lemon zest into tender, cake‑like dough and glaze the tops with tangy lemon icing.
Peach Cookies
We sandwich peach jam between tender sugar cookies and dust them with colored sugar, creating cookies that look like tiny, edible peaches.
Hermit Cups (Lemon Curd Cookie Cups)
Each cookie cup holds a dollop of tart lemon curd and a swirl of creamy icing — delivering sweet, tangy, and rich in a single bite.
Cuccidati, Sicilian Fig Cookies
With every slice, these fig‑packed cookies deliver a blend of chewy fruit, crunchy nuts, cozy spices, and buttery pastry.
Story by Kylie Thomas
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