63 Best Christmas Treats for Your Sweetest Holiday Yet
The limit for cookies does not exist.
It's more important than ever to relieve stress during the holiday season: There are presents to be purchased, Christmas parties to attend, cards to mail out and Christmas dinners to plan. So why not treat yourself with, well, a festive Christmas treat or two? From chocolate, vanilla and fruity Christmas cookies to Christmas bars, biscotti and other festive bites, there is no shortage of sweets you can make during the holiday season.
We rounded up all of our favorite sweets to snack on this month, including Christmas dessert-worthy cakes, cookie swap-ready confections, stunning sweets that double as food gifts and more. Find jammy thumbprint cookies, sugar-dusted crescents, cutesy cupcakes, cookie trees and more. Need something sweet ASAP? Been there. Try our three-ingredient Chocolate Mousse, four-ingredient Nut Butter Cups or White Chocolate-Dipped Madeleines made with a box of the store-bought stuff.
Pro tip: It's a good idea to brush up on your cookie decorating skills before the big day to prepare for Santa's visit — and as a bonus, you'll get to sneak in a few extra sweets. And if you're lucky enough to have leftovers, you can freeze them (sealed in an air-tight plastic bag or container) for whenever your sweet tooth strikes. No matter which of these festive Christmas treats you have on hand, they're sure to make your season just a little more merry.
Lemon Thyme Coin Cookies
Think beyond the baking aisle for your next batch: Fresh lemon and thyme add earthy, tangy flavor to these sweets.
Get the Lemon Thyme Coin Cookies recipe.
The Best Royal Icing
Start with basic sugar cookies, then ice them like a pro (with our helpful guide!) for a dessert that doubles as a fun activity.
Get the Best Royal Icing recipe.
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake With White Chocolate Buttercream
Can't decide between chocolate and gingerbread? Now you don't have to.
Get the Chocolate Gingerbread Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream recipe.
Chocolate, Hazelnut and Caramel Tart
A pinch of flaky salt helps balance out the sweetness of the gooey caramel filling.
Peppermint Trees
To make these festive peppermint treats, heat the oven to 350°F before coating the insides of metal Christmas tree cookie cutters with nonstick cooking spray. Place them on parchment-lined baking sheet, then arrange green peppermint candies (breaking them as necessary) inside cutters; there should be space between the candies. Bake until candies melt, 5 to 6 min. Let cool completely, then gently pop out.
Old-Fashioned Eggnog
Never made eggnog from scratch? Then this creamy, lightly spiced sipper will be such a treat.
Get the Old-Fashioned Eggnog recipe.
RELATED: 48 Christmas Cocktails To Get the Holiday Party Started
Pressed Cranberry and Pear Tart
This surprisingly simple tart features a pressed crust, four ingredient filling and a glaze of apricot jam and orange juice.
Chocolate Spoons
Stir chocolate spoons in coffee or warm milk or another beverage to add an extra hit of sweetness to the season.
To prep the spoons, pour melted white, milk or dark chocolate in the spoons, then garnish with an assortment of sweet and salty fixin’s including things like mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut flakes, crushed candy canes and chopped espresso beans. Let stand for a few minutes until the chocolate has cooled and solidified.
Baked Applesauce Donuts
Full of apple pie spice plus applesauce, these sugar-coated sweets have all the flavor of the season.
Get the Baked Applesauce Donuts recipe.
Neapolitan Cookies
Making these ’gram-worthy cookies is easier than it looks: Just mix together one master dough and tint two-thirds of it with strawberry and chocolate.
Get the Neapolitan Cookies recipe.
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Create a holiday-stunner with this cake. It has ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and a mix of other spices in each bite. Plus, you can top with a glaze and pomegranate arils.
Get the Gingerbread Bundt Cake recipe.
Chocolate Spritz Sandwiches
If decorating cookies is not your thing, these cookies are a great way to go. All you need is a cookie press to make them picture-perfect!
Get the Chocolate Spritz Sandwiches recipe.
Linzer Stars
This cookie includes pecans in the spiced dough, plus seedless jam that gets sandwiched in the middle! There is no doubt that people will be reaching for seconds.
Get the Linzer Stars recipe.
Reindeer Profiteroles
Turn spiced cream-filled puffs into Santa's four-legged friends with melted chocolate, edible antlers and button noses (a red one for Rudolph, of course!).
Get the Reindeer Profiteroles recipe.
Black Forest Cookies
If you already love Black Forest cake, then these cookies are for you. The brandied cherries and homemade whipped cream on top really make these cookies shine!
Get the Black Forest Cookies recipe.
Matcha Snowball Cookies
Give classic snowball cookies a twist by dusting a mixture of matcha powder and confectioners' sugar on top.
Get the Matcha Snowball Cookies recipe.
Pecan Berry Bursts
Finely ground freeze-dried fruit adds both a burst of color and a pleasantly tart edge to these buttery pecan cookies.
Get the Pecan Berry Bursts recipe.
Jammy Walnut Rugelach
These cookies are more like mini, bite-size pastries, with spiced sugar, jam and toasted walnuts rolled up in the flaky crust.
Get the Jammy Walnut Rugelach recipe.
Sugar Cookie Trees
A single sugar cookie is great and all, but these edible pines give you eight times the sweetness. We'll let you decide which one is better...
Get the Sugar Cookie Trees recipe.
Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Baked in a 9- by 13-inch pan, these gorgeous cranberry-raspberry-swirled bars are perfect for sharing — but we won't blame you if you keep a few squares for yourself.
Samantha (she/her) is the Senior Editor at Delish, where she edits the most-talked-about food news and features on the internet. In her previous role as Assistant Editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, she taste-tested hundreds of products and recipes (tough job!). A graduate of Fordham University, she considers the kitchen to be her happiest place.
Joy (she/her) is an assistant food editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she develops and tests recipes to ensure both deliciousness and accuracy before they appear in titles like Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, Woman’s Day, Prevention and Country Living. After graduating from UChicago with a major in political science, she made the (best) decision to pursue her passion for food by enrolling in pastry school and working at her dream restaurant, Gramercy Tavern. Before joining the GH team, Joy assisted on cookbook and editorial shoots, ran an Instagram micro bakery, and worked as a freelance writer and developer with bylines appearing in Eater, Food52, Simply Recipes, Food Network and more. Joy has a special place in her heart for croissants and tiramisu, and is always on the hunt for the next cafe to explore in the city (a journey that never ends!).
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