Bring a little extra cheer to your holiday table this season. Our collection of the best Christmas desserts features more than two dozen wintry treats to round out your holiday dinner. Treat your guests or hosts to traditional Christmas desserts, from the simple pleasure of gingerbread to the pageantry of Bûche de Noël and Croquembouche, with these festive recipes.
Pavlova with Caramelized White Chocolate Bark
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
So many levels of fruit and festive flavor go into this pavlova wreath. Highlights include a from-scratch caramelized white chocolate bark with freeze-dried raspberries and green chopped pistachios.
Ginger Spice Cake
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
This moist, dense ginger cake from Jennifer Latham has a beautiful deep-brown color and a lovely sparkling sheen. A light topping of fluffy whipped cream balances the spicy sweetness of the cake.
Bûche de Noël with Mascarpone Cream and Dark Chocolate Ganache
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Kay Clarke
This festive beauty from Food & Wine’s Paige Grandjean starts with a flourless sponge cake decorated with a mascarpone-cream filling and a dark chocolate ganache frosting. Meringue mushrooms bring the woodsy look to life.
Chestnut Pavlova
Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Nigella Lawson brings us this festive pavlova featuring a chestnut spread and billowy whipped cream.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Caitlin Haught Brown
Chef David Gaus’ wintry sticky toffee pudding sings of rich, plump dates and buttery, creamy caramel.
Sour Cherry–Cheesecake Trifle with Black Pepper and Saba
Christopher Testani
Pichet Ong’s adaptation of the British trifle features pound cake and a cheesecake filling, along with reduced grape must syrup. Swap out the fruits to make a seasonal version throughout the year.
Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies
Justin Walker
Homemade peppermint bark adds a lovely pink hue and minty flavor to these chocolate-rich cookies from Linda Levinson Friend.
Spiced Pavlovas with Oranges and Mulled Wine Caramel
Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee
These individual pavlovas represent a mash-up of Food & Wine editor Melanie Hansche’s Bavarian and Australian upbringing. The aromas and ingredients of a Bavarian Christmas market — glühwein, toasted almonds, spiced cookies — meet the classic Australian dessert.
Chocolate Cardamom Cream Tart with Pistachio-Sesame Brittle
Anna Stockwell
James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author Samantha Seneviratne’s lovely tart gets depth from bittersweet and milk chocolate, while cardamom tingles come through the custard and whipped-cream topping. The homemade nut brittle serves as the cherry on top of this holiday treat.
Chocolate-and-Citrus Cassata
Victor Protasio
This absolutely jaw-dropping holiday dessert features a buttermilk-chocolate frosting, pistachio praline, ricotta filling, and dark chocolate ganache glaze.
Butterscotch Pudding Parfait with Gingersnap Crumble
Tara Donne
Layers of butterscotch pudding, whipped crème fraîche, and spiced gingersnap crumbles make this festive parfait from James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Joanne Chang.
Coconut Arroz con Leche Tamales
DYLAN + JENI
These dessert tamales feature a coconut rice pudding filling and a goat milk caramel drizzle. Enjoy them for a special holiday breakfast or brunch.
Cornmeal Cake Trifle with Sabayon and Candied Kumquats
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Multiple layers of citrus flavors and aromas waft through this cornmeal trifle. A Prosecco dessert sauce and Italian meringue make this trifle feel (and taste) extra special.
Old Fashioned Doughnut Croquembouche
Photo by Sarah Crowder / Food Styling by Drew Aichele
In pastry chef Paola Velez’s holiday version of croquembouche, cinnamon doughnuts stand in for the typical cream puffs, while delicate strands of caramel and dots of gold leaf adorn the festive tree.
Vegan Coconut-Ginger Caramels
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
These festive ginger caramels from F&W’s Paige Grandjean are plant-based thanks to a creative substitution of coconut oil for the usual butter.
Tropical Mendiants
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Pastry chef Paola Velez’s beautiful chocolate buttons feature an array of tropical fruits and nuts. Chocolate is tempered in the microwave for an approachable holiday confection.
Goat Cheese Cake with Wine-Poached Cranberries
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
No crust is required in pastry chef Claudia Fleming’s holiday cheesecake. Candied pistachios and a cranberry gelée will bring loads of holiday cheer to your dessert table.
Cocoa Cola Bundt Cake
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Cookbook author Vallery Lomas concentrates the soda flavor in this Southern cake by making a reduced Coca-Cola syrup. The syrup adds deep cola flavor to both the cake and the icing.
S’mores Linzer Cookies
Greg DuPree
Graham flour and hazelnut give these Linzer-inspired cookies the flavor of s’mores. With marshmallow creme sandwiched between them and a drizzle of melted bittersweet chocolate on top, they’re a festive reminder of the campfire classic.
Triple-Ginger Rye Cookies
Greg DuPree
Three forms of ginger bring complex sweet, spicy, and warm notes to these festive, wintry rye cookies from F&W’s Justin Chapple.
Basque Cheesecake
Cedric Angeles
2020 F&W Best New Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph bakes a perfectly creamy cheesecake, minus a water bath or risk of a cracked or sunken top, by incorporating whipped cream cheese with heavy cream in the batter.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Fluff
© Christina Holmes
These are the vanilla-cream-filled whoopie pies of chef Michael Voltaggio’s childhood. Rolling the edges in crushed candy canes makes for a festive holiday treat.
Orange-Anise Croquembouche with White Chocolate
Christopher Testani
Wow your loved ones with this stunning tower of cream puffs, which seems more challenging to make than it actually is (seriously — only one hour of active time on your part).
Gingerbread Roll with Cinnamon Cream
© Tina Rupp
A ginger cake makes the sweet, spiced log in this cream cheese-filled holiday roll from Jennifer Giblin.
Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
© Christina Holmes
These adorable gingerbread cookies from Julianne Jones feature notes of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper, along with a wintry undertone of molasses.
Alfajores de Maizena (Sandwich Cookies Filled with Dulce de Leche)
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Argentinian League of Kitchens instructor Mirta Rinaldi brings us these traditional sandwich cookies featuring soft, buttery cookies and a rich dulce de leche filling.
Chocolate-Peppermint Brownies
© Kristin Perers
Perfectly indulgent for the holiday dessert table, these fudgy peppermint brownies also make a wonderful seasonal gift for friends, loved ones, and beyond.
Cherry-and-Chocolate Bûche de Noël
© Michael Turek
This festive bûche de noël from pastry chef Dominique Ansel features a lighter-than-usual sponge and a fluffy-soft whipped cream frosting.
Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian “Snow White” Cookies)
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Shandra Woworuntu’s version of the traditional Indonesian cookie Putri Salju omits the usual nuts but adds pandan flavoring for a vanilla-citrus touch with a festive green hue.
Gingerbread and White Chocolate Mousse Trifle
© Chris Court
Ideal for plated holiday feasts, this seasonal trifle contains three perfect desserts in one: mousse, gingerbread, and caramel. Guests will ooh and aah at each distinct layer.