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Christmas is a special time of the year that brings family and friends together to celebrate with love, laughter, and of course, delicious food. In the United States of America, Christmas is synonymous with hearty meals, festive drinks, and scrumptious desserts. We will explore some of the best American Christmas desserts that you can make at home to make your holiday celebrations more special.
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Classic Christmas Cookies
No Christmas celebration is complete without classic Christmas cookies. From gingerbread to sugar cookies to snickerdoodles, there are so many options to choose from. These cookies are perfect for gifting, serving at parties, or simply enjoying a cup of hot cocoa.
Decadent Cakes
Cakes are a staple dessert for any celebration, and Christmas is no exception. You can opt for a classic vanilla or chocolate cake or get creative with a peppermint or eggnog-flavored cake. One of my personal favorites is a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting (try adding crushed candy canes on top!).
Festive Pies
Pies are another popular dessert during the holiday season. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie are all classic options that are sure to please your guests. For a twist, you can try a cranberry pie or a sweet potato pie with marshmallow topping.
Yuletide Trifles
Trifles are layered desserts that are not only delicious but also visually appealing. They can be made in advance and are perfect for serving a crowd. Some popular Christmas trifles include peppermint brownie trifles, gingerbread trifles, and eggnog trifles.
Traditional Desserts
Some traditional American Christmas desserts have been around for generations and have become part of the holiday tradition. Fruitcake, for example, is a classic Christmas dessert that is often joked about but can be quite delicious if made well. Other traditional desserts include mincemeat pie, yule log cake, and figgy pudding.
Final Thoughts
Christmas desserts are a crucial part of the holiday celebrations. From cookies to cakes to pies, there are so many delicious options to choose from. Whether you prefer classic recipes or want to get creative with new flavors, these American Christmas desserts are sure to add a special touch to your holiday festivities. Try making them at home and share the joy of the season with your loved ones. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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American Christmas Desserts
Add some extra sweetness to your holiday celebrations with these scrumptious American Christmas desserts! From classic cookies to decadent cakes, festive pies, yuletide trifles, and traditional treats, this list has got you covered. Get inspired and start baking up some holiday cheer today!
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
This Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix makes a rich, sweet, flavorful, and chocolate-y cup of classic, yet nuanced hot chocolate – just add hot water to the mix! This hot chocolate recipe also makes a wonderful edible gift.
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie is a dessert that is perfect for dessert early Fall through the Winter. Filled with aromatic spices and delicious pumpkin filling, there’s nothing like a homemade, fresh-baked Pumpkin Pie! (vegetarian)
Red Velvet Cake Recipe
This Red Velvet Cake Recipe is a tall, dramatic, 2-tiered cake recipe that uses red cocoa, espresso powder, and is topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. This cake is festive, attractive and perfect for year-round celebrations, birthdays and gatherings!
Tiramisu Trifle Recipe
This Tiramisu Trifle has delicate ladyfinger sponge cakes soaked in an espresso-rum mixture, layered with a rich Mascarpone-whipped cream mixture, and topped with vanilla whipped cream, cocoa powder, and semi-sweet chocolate curls. A dessert at the top of many people’s favorite dessert lists, this homemade tiramisu trifle will impress anyone who is lucky enough to have a taste!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut Butter Blossoms are classic cookies, they are peanut butter cookies topped with chocolate Hershey’s kisses. (makes about 54 cookies)
Candied Pecans
Candied Pecans are a spiced, salty-sweet snack perfect for an edible gift! They are easy to make and easily customizable to your tastes. My version has halved pecans, cinnamon, regular and brown sugar, maple syrup, pure vanilla extract, a little bit of ground nutmeg, and Harissa seasoning.
Sand Tart Cookie Recipe
This Sand Tart Cookie Recipe is our family recipe perfect for the Christmas & Holiday season making a big batch of cookies. These cookies are easy to customize to your tastes with various toppings and make a fun activity for everyone involved. These sand tarts are a thin, crisp sugar cookies topped with crunchy nuts.
Peanut Butter Cookies
These Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic, homemade peanut butter cookie recipe. They are savory and sweet and can be made crispy or chewy. They taste delicious when drizzled or dipped in chocolate.
Easy Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Bark
This easy-to-make Easy Peppermint Candy Cane Bark recipe is a sweet and refreshing treat that only takes minutes to prepare. It’s perfect as a holiday stocking stuffer, great to give as a gift in jars, and make for yourself too!
White Chocolate Eggnog Fudge
This White Chocolate Eggnog Fudge is so smooth, buttery and the perfect indulgence to enjoy yourself or give as a gift to someone special. It's infused with eggnog making it perfect for the Christmas & Holiday season! This recipe uses mini marshmallows making it an easy-to-make, quick fudge recipe.
Almond Crescent Cookies
These Almond Crescent Cookies are classic, sugar-dusted cookies with buttery flavor and a crunchy texture from chopped almonds.
Chocolate Eggnog Fudge
This Chocolate Eggnog Fudge is so smooth, chocolate-y and the perfect indulgence to enjoy yourself or give as a gift to someone special. It’s infused with eggnog making it perfect for the Christmas & Holiday season! This recipe uses mini marshmallows making it an easy-to-make, quick fudge recipe.
Spritz Cookie Recipe
This Spritz Cookie Recipe is a favorite for Christmas as it uses a cookie press and makes a large batch of cookies. These sugar cookies have a great butter flavor and can be decorated as you like or left plain.
Ginger Cookies
These Ginger cookies are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside; they are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and also have molasses in them. These are classic cookies, perfect for the holiday season!
Pinwheel Cookies
Pinwheel Cookies are perfect for the Christmas holiday season; this family recipe has a dough that can be made ahead and then sliced when ready to make them. They are crisp sugar cookies with alternating vanilla and chocolate dough, and optionally coated in festive sugar sprinkles.
Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
Gingerbread Cutout Cookies are a classic & traditional Christmas holiday cookie to make every year, this recipe also has ground nutmeg and pure vanilla extract to take the flavor over the top! You can bake them to be crisper or chewier, depending on how you like them. These fun cutout cookies are perfect for decorating with classic, sweet & crisp Royal Icing!
Cutout Sugar Cookies
Cutout Sugar Cookies are a classic, butter and sugar-based cookie dough recipe that can be used for cutout Holiday cookies, to make a Sugar Cookie Candy House, or as a base for other classic cookie recipes. These cookies are perfect for decorating with Royal Icing! Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
Almond Nut Roll Recipe
This Almond Nut Roll Recipe is a classic, sweet, yeast bread with a swirl of almond pastry filling. This recipe uses a shortcut where you just use canned almond cake and pastry filling. It’s perfect for holidays and edible gift-giving as 1 recipe makes 8 nut rolls (12-13 slices each)!
Russian Tea Cakes
Russian Tea Cakes are a classic, simple, cookie recipe made with unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, pure vanilla extract, finely chopped nuts, and confectioner’s sugar. They are a popular cookie for swaps, cookie boxes, Christmas holiday parties, and Easter time. Makes 48 cookies.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
This Homemade Pumpkin Pie is a classic dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the fall-autumn season. It’s made with homemade Pumpkin Purée.
Orange Cranberry Bread
This Orange Cranberry Bread recipe is a classic, quickbread recipe that is perfect for the holidays or anytime you have a craving. It has chopped fresh cranberries, fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and a dense, moist texture to its crumb. Enjoy this seasonal favorite with a cup of hot tea or coffee!
Pignoli Cookies
Pignoli Cookies have a crunchy, nutty exterior and the most perfect, soft & chewy inside with almond flavor in every bite. They are made with almond paste, sugar, salt, pine nuts, and an optional dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy these classic, Italian cookies at Christmas time or any time of the year that you have a craving! (makes 38 cookies, vegetarian, gluten-free)
Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
This Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree is festive, sweet, and so easy to make with your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread and frozen, thawed puff pastry sheets. It's perfect for Christmas holiday parties, family gatherings, or when you are craving a sweet treat!
Peppermint Bark
This Peppermint Bark recipe is easy to make with white & dark chocolate melting wafters, peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes. It makes a great edible gift and a wonderful addition to a Christmas cookie box!
Stamped Sugar Cookies (Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cookie Stamps)
Stamped Sugar Cookies (Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cookie Stamps) are fun to make for Christmas, holidays, and any time you want to try making cookies with cookie stamps. We offer 2 of our sugar cookie recipes on the blog that would work for using cookie stamps.
Christmas Cookie Recipes
This list of Christmas Cookie Recipes will give you cookie recipe inspiration for the Christmas holiday season and whenever you have the craving for these cookies. Enjoy the Christmas cookie recipe list!
Reindeer Bait
Reindeer Bait (Christmas "Reindeer Crack") has corn Chex & rice Chex cereal, Butter snap pretzels, mini marshmallows, holiday M&Ms and coated with melted vanilla melting wafers and white chocolate, then topped with festive sprinkles. It's a sweet & salty, irresistible snack mix that you just can't get enough of!
Holiday Gin Moscow Mule
(msg 21+) Try this fresh, colorful & festive, sweet & tart, icy-cold, effervescent very merry drink! It has ice, gin, cranberry cocktail box, cranberry or rosemary simple syrup, and lime juice, and it's topped with a lime wedge, fresh cranberries, and a rosemary sprig - all in a signature copper gin mule mug.
Elf Bait
Elf Bait has a mixture of fun cereals, and mini marshmallows, coated in melted vanilla melting wafers and topped with festive & colorful sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. Enjoy this delicious, festive & sweet Elf Bait recipe during the Christmas holiday season or whenever you get the craving!
Donut Christmas Tree
Melting Snowman Sugar Cookies
These Melting Snowman Sugar Cookies are a fun cookie decorating project and a yummy treat. They use one of our sugar cookie recipes (or store-bought sugar cookie dough!), royal icing for the melting "snow", marshmallows for the head, food coloring pens to make the faces, black decorating gel for the arms, and fruit tape for the snowman's scarf. Enjoy these cookies for Christmas, all winter long, or whenever you are craving a sweet treat!
Christmas M&M Cookies
This Christmas M&M Cookies recipe is large, and thin, with crisp edges, chewy centers, and Christmas-themed M&M's throughout. Enjoy these classic cookies for the Christmas season or whenever you get a craving! (makes about 22 cookies)
Andes Mint Cookies
Andes Mint Cookies are chocolate cookies, topped with melted Andes Creme de Mente or Cookie 'n Cream candies. They are rich, soft, and chewy on the inside, plus they freeze well! They are very similar in flavor to Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, perfect for the holiday season or year-round when you have the craving! (makes about 62 cookies)
Grinch Sugar Cookies
Grinch Sugar Cookies are classic sugar cookies, tinted green with a red candy heart in the middle. These delicious cookies are inspired by the beloved children’s book and movies, The Grinch. enjoy these easy, fun, homemade, cookies during the holidays or throughout the year!
Nutella Linzer Cookies
Nutella Linzer Cookies (Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Cookies) is popular to make around the winter holidays and can easily be customized to any occasion and flavor with different jams, jellies, chocolate, nut butter, or curd fillings. It has crisp, Viennese cookie dough (with almond flour/meal) and they can be dusted with confectioner’s sugar or left plain.
Easy Yule Log Recipe (Bûche de Noël)
This Easy Yule Log Recipe (Bûche de Noël) has a store-bought pumpkin cake roll (or use our Pumpkin Cake Roll recipe!) with a cream cheese frosting filling; It’s covered in dark chocolate, chopped walnuts, sugared cranberries, decorated with raspberry-pretzel “mushrooms,” dried mango slices made to look like “chicken of the woods” mushrooms, dried orange slices, sugared lavender (or rosemary) sprigs and pretzel stick “twigs,” thyme & sage leaves, and surrounded by pine tree clippings. This traditional, French cake recipe is a perfect showstopping, a centerpiece for a Christmas holiday dessert table!
Linzer Cookies
This classic, Linzer Cookies recipe is popular to make around the winter holidays and can easily be customized to any occasion and flavor with different jams, jellies, chocolate, nut butter, or curd fillings. It has crisp, Viennese cookie dough (with almond flour/meal) and they can be dusted with confectioner’s sugar or left plain.
- First published: 5/17/2023
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