The holiday season is the perfect time to spread joy with homemade treats that everyone can enjoy—especially Santa! Whether you’re baking cookies to leave by the fireplace or looking for festive goodies to share with family and friends, there’s something magical about gifting a sweet treat made with love.
Let’s make this Christmas extra sweet with these 16 holiday recipes!
Molasses Espresso & Dark Chocolate Cookies
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp ground espresso or espresso powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp mild molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with aluminum foil, dull side up.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso, salt, and baking soda.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar, and beat until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the molasses, egg, and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the flour, and beat on low until combined. Using a spatula, make sure the molasses is completely combined into the dough and that the dough is uniform in color.
- Add the chocolate, and stir to combine. Shape the dough into 3 ounce balls. Place 4 balls an equal distance apart on the prepared pans.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 14-15 minutes, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
Cream Cheese Cookies
Cook time: 20
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the sugar, butter and cream cheese for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour and salt just until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and give it a quick stir with a spoon to make sure everything is evenly combined.
- Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 1½ inches between each (they will spread a little). Bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Do not overbake, or the cookies won’t be chewy.
- Let cool slightly on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp. (4 g) Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. (4 g) Morton kosher salt
- ¾ tsp. (4 g) baking soda
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks; 169 g) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup (200 g) (packed) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 oz. (170 g) bittersweet chocolate (60%–70% cacao), coarsely chopped, or semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cook ½ cup (1 stick; 113 g) butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, swirling often and scraping bottom of pan with a heatproof rubber spatula, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes. Transfer butter to a large heatproof bowl and let cool for 1 minute. Cut remaining ¼ cup (½ stick; 56 g) butter into small pieces and add to brown butter (it should start to melt but not foam and sizzle, so test with one piece before adding the rest).
- Once butter is melted, add both sugars and whisk, breaking up any clumps, until sugar is incorporated and no lumps remain. Add egg and egg yolks and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Whisk in vanilla. Using rubber spatula, fold reserved dry ingredients into butter mixture just until no dry spots remain, then fold in chocolate (the dough will be soft but should hold its shape once scooped; if it slumps or oozes after being scooped, stir dough back together several times and let rest 5–10 minutes until scoops hold their shape as the flour hydrates).
- Using a 1½-oz. scoop (3 Tbsp.), portion out 16 balls of dough and divide between 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake cookies, rotating sheets if cookies are browning very unevenly (otherwise, just leave them alone), until deep golden brown and firm around the edges, 8–10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.
Crescent Roll Danishes
Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients:
Danish:
- 2 cans of crescent rolls
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1 8oz package of room temp cream cheese
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¾ tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp sour cream
- Jam of choice
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp melted butter
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350º. Unroll the crescent rolls and separate the dough into rectangles, each made of two triangles. Pinch the cut between the triangles closed. Slice each rectangle into the 1 inch by 8 inch strips. Pick up one strip and twist the ends in opposite directions, forming a rope. Loop the rope into a spiral and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat for each strip.
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the cream cheese filling, mixing until smooth. Create an indention in the center of each danish, then add 1 tsp of jam or cream cheese filling to each one. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
- While the diminishes are baking, stir together the icing ingredients until smooth. Let the danishes cool for 15 minutes, then drizzle with icing.
Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
Cook time: 25-30 min
Ingredients:
- 2 sheets of puff pastry
- Filling of choice
- Powdered sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place one sheet of puff pastry in the middle.
- Spread your filling across the pastry, covering to the edges, then top it with the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into a triangle, removing the excess from the baking sheet. Then, cut 1 inch strips into the triangle on each side, stopping just before the cuts would meet in the middle.
- Twist each strip 1 to 3 times depending on length. Bake for 15-20 min or until golden. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!
Hot Chocolate Dip
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
- 1 package cream cheese
- 1 8 oz tub cool whip
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 Tbsp sugar
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a mixer until well combined and fluffy.
- Serve with cookies or graham crackers and garnished with sprinkles or mini marshmallows.
White Chocolate Pretzel Wreaths
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
- Mini pretzels
- White chocolate
- Sprinkles
Instructions:
- On a sheet pan lined with waxed paper, arrange 6 mini pretzel twists in a circle.
- Dip each pretzel top into a bowl of melted white chocolate and place it back into the prearranged circle, making sure the pretzels are touching.
- Form a second pretzel layer on top of the first, just offset. Add sprinkles to the white chocolate pretzels before it firms up.
- Place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to help them harden faster.
Cinnamon Cherry Cobbler
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients:
- 1 can cherry pie filling
- 1 tin of cinnamon rolls
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375°.
- Add the cherry pie filling to the bottom of a baking dish, spreading evenly.
- Top with the cinnamon rolls, then bake for 20 min or until golden.
- Top with icing, and serve.
Chocolate Filled Puff Pastry
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
- Chocolate bar of choice
- Powdered sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400°.
- Cut your puff pastry into three equal strips. Place a chocolate square in the middle of each strip. Fold one half of the pastry over the chocolate, then the other half over itself. Crimp the edges with a fork.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!
Reindeer Food
Cook Time: 45 min
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 ½ cups pretzels broken into pieces
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup red and green M&Ms
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine Rice Chex and pretzel pieces.
- Melt peanut butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring until melted and combined. Pour the peanut butter & chocolate mixture over cereal & pretzel mixture and stir to combine.
- Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture just barely begins to set, about 30 minutes. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator. In a separate, large bowl, put ½ cup powdered sugar on the bottom. Add half of the chilled cereal mixture, then add another ½ cup powdered sugar, then the remaining cereal mixture. Gently stir until the powdered sugar is evenly coating the cereal. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it’s set, about another 30-60 minutes.
- While chilling, the powdered sugar will “soak” into the chocolate. If you want, you can add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until the cereal mixture is coated again once you remove it from the refrigerator.
- Next, add your mix-ins—M&Ms, peanut butter cups, and marshmallows—and stir to combine.
- Serve and enjoy! You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
Candy Cane Crescent Danish
Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
- 1 tin crescent roll dough
- Cream cheese
- Jam
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375º. Roll your crescent dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Smear cream cheese in a straight line down the middle, then add jam. Using kitchen shears or a knife, make cuts on each side of the dough toward the center, about 1 inch between cuts. Grab the end of each dough segment and wrap it across the filling to the opposite side in a braid pattern. Take one end of the dough and curve it to make a candy cane shape. Bake for about 15 minutes.
- While it’s baking, add ¼ cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp milk to a small bowl to make a glaze. Stir until there are no lumps. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed to make it the right consistency – it should be a little thick, like syrup.
- Once the crescent is finished baking, let it cool for a few minutes. Then, drizzle the glass across the top. Slice and serve!
Saltine Cracker Toffee
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (227g) butter
- 1 cup (220g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 40 salted saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve)
- 1 package (270g-300g) milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- additional toppings like nuts, candy or sprinkles (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil (if using regular foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray for easy removal). Spread the crackers out on the foil in a single layer and fold up the edges of the foil to box in the crackers. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil for 5 minutes (set a timer), stirring occasionally. Quickly pour over the crackers and spread to cover completely.
- Bake for 5 minutes in the oven. Turn off heat. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
- Let stand for 1-2 minutes or until the chocolate starts to look shiny and is soft enough spread evenly over the toffee. If the chocolate is still not warm enough to spread after 4 minutes, place it back in the oven for a minute to help soften it.
- Top with any additional toppings if desired.
- Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to harden. Peel away the foil and break into pieces.
Pecan Snowballs
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pecans, finely chopped
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar for coating
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chopped pecans in a 9×13 metal baking dish. Roast in the oven until the pecans have a nutty aroma and are lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Beat butter and sugar together until lightened and creamy. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add vanilla extract and salt; beat to combine. Add flour and cooled toasted pecans, and mix on low until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop and shape dough into 1 inch balls, pressing the dough in your hands. (Note: the dough will be very crumbly, so you will be pressing the dough balls into spheres instead of rolling them between your palms.) Place cookies ½ inch apart on baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool until just cool enough to handle but still quite warm. Roll each cookie in powdered sugar, putting the cookie back on the baking sheet after it’s coated in sugar. Allow cookies to cool completely and roll them again in powdered sugar before serving or storing in an airtight container.
Date Balls
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients:
- 1 (8 oz) package pitted dates, chopped
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions:
- Add chopped dates, sugar, and butter to a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture combines and thickens. Remove from heat and fold in the crispy rice cereal, pecans, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Let the mixture cool for 10-15 minutes. Roll date mixture into 1-inch balls and let cool.
- Put the powdered sugar into a shallow dish and roll the date balls in it to coat.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- 1 package strawberries
- 5 oz cream cheese, at room temp
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp almond extract (you can sub vanilla)
- Chocolate for garnish
Instructions:
- In a bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Mix until well combined. It will be thick. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or a plastic baggie with the tip cut off.
- Cut the tops off of the strawberries and discard, then cut an x into the strawberries from the point. Open the x and squeeze the cream cheese mixture into the strawberries. Plate. Once all the strawberries have been filled, grate a chocolate bar over the tops.
Chocolate Pomegranate Hearts
Ingredients:
- Pomegranate seeds
- Dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Fill a heart-shaped silicone tray with pomegranate seeds as evenly as possible.
- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, and stir until smooth.
- Spoon melted chocolate over the pomegranate seeds.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.
- Pop the pomegranate chocolates out of the tray, and enjoy!
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