12 Holiday Desserts to Savor the Flavor of the Season

Who’s ready to whip up a baked good storm? Nothing sings of the holiday season like a kitchen ensconced in the scents of melting butter and sprinkling sugar.

If you’re on dessert patrol this year, we have a dozen of the best holiday desserts to ring in the season.

Consider yourself warned, however: these are not sugar-free, guilt-free delights. They will send you straight to the top of Santa’s naughty list. But, they’re well worth every last bite.

1. Cardamom Thumbprints

You know thumbprints – those adorable little cookies with dollops of jam in the middle to sweeten the deal.

These take things up a notch with a hint of cardamom. It provides a surprising little dash of spice to an otherwise sweet treat that people will love.

Best of all, each of these ingredients are simple and straightforward: almond flour, all-purpose flour, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, and jam.

In no more than 45 minutes, you’ll have a holiday dessert that's sweet and spicy -- much like yourself.

2. Basque Cake

A what cake? We know. We wondered the same thing. A basque cake is basically a more exotic cheesecake; it’s evenly brown on the outside with a smooth, creamy inside.

What’s fun about this one is that, if you’re on the air fryer bandwagon, you get to fire that bad boy up one more time.

You’ll still need the regular ingredients: a pound of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, whipped cream, and the like. However, when all is said and done, you get to pop this into the air fryer and watch the magic unfold. The end result will surely be one of your best Christmas desserts yet.

3. Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake

Let’s stay on the chocolate bandwagon. And, since raspberry always pairs well with chocolate, let’s explore the wonders of an icebox cake.

What’s nice about this chocolate raspberry icebox cake recipe is that you can give the oven a rest. This is a delicious confection of ice cream, raspberry sorbet, crushed cookies, raspberries, heavy cream and sugar.

Basically, you can’t screw this one up. You can’t burn it. You can’t really mismeasure the ingredients. It’s a simple delight that’s quick to whip up before you let it rest overnight while visions of sugarplums dance in your head.

4. Spiked Eggnog Bundt Cake

Yes, this spiked eggnog bundt cake is as good as it sounds. It’s an elegant, decadent, showstopping delight. This recipe takes the classic cake, swirls in a little bit of bourbon, and finishes it with a smooth and creamy glaze.

Most of the ingredients remain the same: butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. But, here you get to splash in a little bit of nutmeg and bourbon as a nod to the season.

Pair this with a holiday cocktail filled with spirit and you’ll have one joyous crowd on your hands.

5. Bourbon Ball Tart

Feeling motivated to finish up the last of that bottle of bourbon? Why stop now?

We’ve all tasted the delights of a bourbon ball. But, when you flesh it out into a tart, it becomes something truly spectacular.

Granted, this is not a holiday dessert for beginners. You have to make the crust, the ganache filling, and the bourbon balls separately.

But, once complete, you’ll be so proud of yourself, you just might go buy that necklace from Tiffany’s you’ve been eyeing.

6. Peppermint Brownies

Peppermint brownies don’t have quite the same wow factor as a basque cake or an icebox cake. But, if you have family members who enjoy the classics, then give them what they want.

You can zest up the batch with some peppermint candy canes, making them great Christmas desserts. The recipe calls for a little peppermint extract, as well. These brownies will have a nice zing as everyone sips on a glass of milk or clinks a glass of champagne.

7. Christmas Tree Brownies

Not loving the idea of peppermint in your chocolate delights? That’s okay; not everyone loves a chocolate and mint combination.

How about some Christmas tree brownies? They’re the best festive desserts.

Basically, you leave the classic staple as it is. Simply cut them out of the pan with cute little cookie cutters and then drizzle them with a bit of frosting to outline the tree in red, green, white, and gold.

8. Vanilla and Cider Panna Cotta

This sounds fancy, right? It really is. And the best way to serve these delights is in those gorgeous martini glasses that don’t get enough use throughout the year.

This holiday dessert hits every flavor palate because it contains vanilla and cinnamon panna cotta that’s topped with a decadent apple cider gelée.

Sure, this isn’t your run of the mill batch of brownies. But, boy are they worth the labor of love.

You’ll need all the panna cotta staples like whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, and gelatin. Then, there’s lots of mixing, straining, and chilling. In the end, you’ll be the talk of the town.

9. Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Let’s stay on the vanilla train. This cake will look gorgeous under the dazzling lights of your Christmas tree or beside your DIY mason jar decorations.

We’re talking layers of winter white on top of winter white, and it really rings in the taste of the holiday season. You might as well warn guests to bring a comfy pair of sweats to wear because this is not a low-calorie holiday dessert.

You’ll need cups of butter, cups of sugar, cream cheese, whole milk, and more. But, the end result will be satiated bellies and plenty of guests who will sleep well that night.

10. White Christmas Pavlovas

Pavlovas are bright and cheerful little desserts, and – perhaps best of all – they won’t leave people feeling like they need to roll away from the table.

They’re served up in cute little dishes and bring portion control back to the table.

This recipe is an eclectic mix of sugar, cornstarch, cream of tartar, egg whites, whipped cream, and sour cream. They’re topped with melted chocolate, macadamia nuts, sliced bananas, and crumbled vanilla wafers.

The end result is a smooth and creamy affair that won’t leave people with a sugar hangover. The same may not be able to be said of your eggnog. But, at least the pavlovas will be innocent.

11. Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These lemon ricotta cookies might look nice on the dish beside your pavlovas. They, too, are light and airy and a nice way to cap off any meal.

The cookies themselves are filled with all the essentials, such as butter, sugar, eggs, and ricotta cheese.

But what brings them home is the frosting: confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. These are tasty delights that give off a hint of healthiness as a nice way to round out the holiday feast.

12. Yule Log

This is possibly the best Christmas dessert on the list. Since many of us will be playing the classic yule log video on repeat, why not make it the centerpiece of your Christmas table, too?

Who’s ever turned down a bit of chocolate and cream? The Pioneer Woman takes the cake with her version of this Christmas classic.

While the oven is preheating, you’ll use your stand mixer to combine butter, eggs, cream of tartar, sugar, flour, cacao powder and more.

For the filling, you’ll need cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Finally, for the frosting, it’s all about the semisweet chocolate.

This one takes a little bit of elbow grease. But, who knows. It might be a nice opportunity to invite the kids to join the fun while a Charlie Brown Christmas plays in the background.

The Best Holiday Desserts That Sing of the Season

There you have it. This isn’t exactly a baker’s dozen, but it’s better! These are the best holiday desserts of the season because you have your chocolate, your vanilla, your classics, and some new twists.

Whether you select one of these or three, you’re sure to welcome a lot of smiling faces to the table.