Christmas is drawing closer and so are the holiday dinners and family gatherings. No matter what your experience was like last year, you want to make it even better this time with these nine best desserts for Christmas. Whether you are looking for something you can make in a few minutes or you do not mind taking as much time as needed, these impressive Christmas desserts will make every minute worth your while.
Some Best Desserts for Christmas You Should Try
From ice cream to pie to cake, here are the top 9 Christmas desserts that give you the opportunity to bring a different touch to the season. These easy Christmas desserts will perfect the magic of Christmas and create unforgettable moments in your mind and taste buds.
1. Santa Hat Cupcakes
Yields: 12
Duration: 1hr40mins
Ingredients
- 1 box Devil’s food cake
- 1/2 c. butter, softened
- 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Red food colouring
- Red sanding sugar
Procedure
- Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Follow package directions to make chocolate cupcakes
- Whisk butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until fluffy
- Put 1/3 of the frosting in a small bowl, and dye the rest red.
- Top red frosting on the cake in a conical shape to mimic Santa’s hat, then sprinkle red sanding sugar.
- Pipe white frosting around the edges using a star tip.
2. Peppermint Ice Cream
Yield: 4
Duration: 8hrs
Ingredients
- 2 c. heavy cream
- 1 c. whole milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1/4 c. (40 g.) crushed peppermints
- 3/4 c. (150 g.) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Red food colouring (optional)
Procedure
- Cook milk, cream, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer at the edge. Turn off the heat.
- Whisk egg yolks until smooth, then add 1 cup of hot milk. Next, pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for about 3 – 4mins.
- Again, pour the mixture into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve and add peppermint extract. Add colouring if desired. Then, refrigerate (3 – 12hrs).
- Follow the manufacturer’s information to churn custard in the ice cream machine. Add peppermints while the machine is working.
- Serve immediately or freeze for 4hrs – 1 week.
3. Chocolate and Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches
Yield: 8
Duration: 2hrs 30mins
Ingredients
- 2 pt. pumpkin ice cream or gelato
- 4 chocolate graham crackers
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
Procedure
- Allow ice cream to defrost at room temperature. Next, line the loaf pan with plastic wrap, pour in ice cream and freeze.
- Remove the ice cream from the pan and cut. Quarter crackers to form rectangles and sandwich ice cream between them. Freeze again
- Chop and melt chocolate, then drizzle over the sandwich and serve your best desserts for Christmas.
4. Matcha Snowball Cookies
Yield: 16-18
Duration: 1hr35mins
Ingredients
- 1 c. flour
- 1/2 c. pecan halves, toasted
- 3 tsp. matcha powder
- 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
Procedure
- Pulse flour, pecans, matcha (1tsp), and salt in the food processor until fine
- Mix butter and ½ c. in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and mix at low speed, then add flour in bits until just right. After, cover and refrigerate for 30mins
- Roll dough into 11/4 inch balls and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in oven at 375°F until all cookies turn golden brown.
- Next off, whisk ½ c. sugar and 2tsp matcha. Sprinkle mixture over cookies and serve the best desserts for Christmas.
Need more inspiration to spice up the season? try these recipes.
5. Pistachio and Cranberry Brownies
Yield:12
Duration: 35mins
Ingredients
- 200g unsalted butter
- 250g dark chocolate
- 5 eggs
- 250g caster sugar
- 11/3 cups (200g) flour
- 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (75g) dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup (75g) pistachio kernels
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Line brownie pan (18cm x 28cm) with baking paper
- After that, melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan, allow to cool and stir in the egg. Add other ingredients and stir. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for about 20-25mins.
- Serve your best desserts for Christmas immediately or allow them to cool
6. Barbecued Pavlova with Whipped White Chocolate
Yield: 8
Duration: 2hrs 30mins
Ingredients
- 5 eggwhites
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 cups (500ml) pure
- (thin) cream
- 250g sour cream
- 150g white chocolate
- 1 bunch mint
- 2 (125g) punnets of raspberries
- 1/4 watermelon
- 1 1/4 cups (275g) caster sugar
Procedure
- Preheat the barbecue over low heat (150°C)
- Whisk egg whites, sugar, and tartar using an electric mixer at medium-high speed.
- Grease one baking tray and line it with baking paper, then place a wire rack on another.
- Put meringue on the lined tray, make it into a circle and create curves and peaks using a palette knife.
- Separate mint stalks from leaves, and place the stalk on the barbecue grill. Next, stack the meringue tray on the wire rack and put it in the barbecue. Close the lid and cook for about 1hr15mins. After turning off the barbecue, leave the meringue there for 30mins.
- Boil water in a saucepan, mix chocolate and pure cream in a bowl and place it over the pan while stirring until smooth. Cool, then add sour cream and more pure cream. Refrigerate.
- Mash ¼ raspberries, 2tbs caster and 2tbs water in a bowl
- Finally, whisk the cream mixture in an electric mixer and put on pavlova before topping it with watermelon, raspberries, raspberry puree and mint.
7. White Hot Chocolate
Yield: 4
Duration: 15mins
Ingredients
- 2 c. milk
- 1 1/2 c. half-and-half
- 1 c. white chocolate chips
- Mini marshmallows
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Procedure
- Put a saucepan over medium-low heat and pour milk and half-and-half in it. Add white chocolate and stir until it melts. Then add salt and vanilla
- Pour mixture into a mug and use mini marshmallows and white chocolate chips as toppings.
8. Nutella Cookies
Yields: 1-2
Duration: 20mins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. Nutella
- 3/4 c. flour
- 1 egg
- 3/4 c. chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp. brown sugar
- Flaky sea salt
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 350˚C.
- Mix Nutella and brown sugar in a stand mixer at medium speed until smooth. Next, add egg and flour while continuously mixing. Scrap sides and bottom and mix thoroughly.
- Make the dough into small balls and press gently with the bottom of a glass.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and bake for 8-10mins.
- Finally, sprinkle with salt and leave for 3mins before putting on a cooling rack.
9. Filo Mince Pies
Yield: 12
Duration: 1hr5mins
Ingredients
- 1 cooking apple (peeled, cored and finely grated)
- ½ orange (zested and juiced)
- 400g mixed dried fruit
- 50g shredded suet
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 75g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 50g unsalted butter
- Icing sugar
- 140g filo pastry sheets
Procedure
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Make mincemeat by putting all ingredients into a large saucepan and cooking over medium-low heat until sticky. Stir frequently.
- Lightly coat the holes of the muffin tin with melted butter. Before now, cut the filo sheet into quarters, then line the holes with the sheet. Coat again with butter and place another sheet across to form a cross shape.
- Next, fill each hole with enough mincemeat and fold the overhanging filo inwards.
- Make filo nests by shredding leftover filo into tiny strips and putting them on each pie. Coat the exposed area with melted butter and bake till golden brown.
- After it cools, brush with icing sugar and serve.
Final Words
With these Christmas dessert recipes, you are about to have the best Christmas dinner ever. You can choose your preferred dessert; or, try all the nine best desserts for Christmas on different days. Whatever you decide, just get cooking!
Which of these Christmas dessert recipes will you be trying? Kindly let us know in the comment section below.
