Preparing a holiday meal can be stressful for anyone, so we like to slot in simple recipes when we can. Opt for a quick recipe rather than a baking project when you are hosting a holiday celebration to give yourself a break — of course, while still impressing your guests with presentation and flavor. These easy holiday desserts are even sweeter for their simplicity and range from cookies to cake. Here are more than a dozen festive dessert recipes that require less than 45 minutes of active work and are worthy of a spot at any holiday table.
Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Star Cookies)
Eva Kolenko
F&W’s Paige Grandjean shares a five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy, cinnamon-spiced cookies with a crispy meringue topping.
Chocolate-Raspberry Icebox Cake
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Creamy, dreamy, and simple to make, this gorgeous marbled layer cake takes 15 minutes to marry crushed cookies, fresh raspberries, and layers of tart raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream before freezing for four hours.
Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Almonds and Seeds
Julia Hartbeck
Iconic chocolatier Jacques Torres makes snack magic with dark chocolate, roasted whole almonds, and salted roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds in 30 minutes.
Vegan Brownie Bites
Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
It took baker Erin McKenna six months of making small adjustments to perfect these wheat-free, butter-free brownies, which can be made in 30 minutes.
Marranitos
Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Here’s how to make the traditional ginger-spiced, pig-shaped cookies from Mexican bakeries in three hours.
Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies
Greg DuPree
Justin Chapple combines a nice pop of saltiness from pretzels with a wonderfully chocolatey chewy center in this recipe that yields 60 cookies.
Cardamom Thumbprints
© Chris Court
Kay Chun spices these cookies with cardamom and fills them with apricot, seedless raspberry, or strawberry jam in the 45-minute recipe.
Chocolate-Peppermint Brownies
© Kristin Perers
Swirling peppermint chocolate into a fudgy batter, then topping the brownies with crushed candy canes makes this festive presentation from Claire Ptak of London bakery, Violet.
Jacques Pépin’s Favorite Pound Cake
© Edward Pond
Jacques Pépin’s take on this classic French dessert folds in candied citrus peels to make a fruit cake, but he also loves plain slices to dip in espresso.
Salted-Caramel Squares
© Lucy Schaeffer
Zoe Nathan tops a dense, buttery crust with tender caramel for a salty sweet treat that’s ready in two hours.
Slow-Cooker Sour Cream Cheesecake
© Ellie Miller
Cheesecake cooked in a slow cooker has an unbelievably silky texture because the machine steams the cake as it bakes. The toughest part about making it is resisting the urge to peek inside — the lid must stay closed to retain heat.
Vanilla and Cider Panna Cotta with Spiced Ginger Cookies
© John Kernick
Chef Shawn McClain tops his cinnamon-and-vanilla-flavored panna cotta with an elegant apple cider gelée. He likens the dessert to a Creamsicle because it successfully combines creamy and tangy flavors.
Salted Caramel Pie
Dana Gallagher
This super-easy caramel lovers’ dream pie is from Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop in Los Angeles. The filling is made with sweetened condensed milk sprinkled lightly with sea salt and baked until thick and gooey, then chilled in a simple graham cracker crust.
Ice Cream Bonbons
© Tina Rupp
At the Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, California, Kendra Baker uses caramel ice cream in her bonbons, which have a silky chocolate shell and flaky sea salt on top. Feel free to swap in your favorite flavor.
Almond Crescents
© Christina Holmes
The perfect balance of nutty, buttery, and sugary, Dorie Greenspan’s Eastern European kipfel, or almond crescent cookies, aim to please with their perfect buttery crumb and the nutty bite they get from the almond flour.
Dark Chocolate Pudding with Candied Ginger
© Michael Turek
Jean-Georges Vongerichten uses candied ginger to garnish dark chocolate pudding in this 15-minute dessert.