‘Tis the season to go out. Whether you’re collecting hostess gifts, attending an event cookie swapor trying to impress school bake saleChristmas is a time to remove all inhibitions. However, we find that not everyone has time to spend hours on cupcakes. Whether you’re a once-a-year baker or a confectionary expert, here are our best sweet and savory recipes for holiday treats that are so sweet they’ll delight even the most staunch Christmas cranks! Plus, we’ve ranked them by difficulty so you can choose Yours The perfect recipe for spreading holiday cheer without any added stress.
Mini Strawberry Santa
Strong start with the big man himself as Strawberry. These Strawberry Santas are as cute as they are easy to make – just add some fresh strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream. Chocolate sprinkles or poppy seeds make perfect eyes!
Parmesan Puff Pastry Stars
For a simple and delicious dish, nothing could be easier than these two-ingredient puff pastry stars. Simply use cookie cutters to cut out different-sized star shapes (or any holiday shape you like!), sprinkle with a little Parmesan, and then bake until golden brown. These will take any holiday charcuterie platter from basic to show-stopping.
Nutella Pastry Christmas Tree
Another puff pastry masterpiece, this show-stopping dessert is (surprisingly) simple to make. If you’re looking for a dessert that also serves as a centerpiece, look no further. To make this, one needs no knowledge of a few ingredients and less than an hour of time.
Cream Cheese Penguin
If you’re not typically interested in edible crafts, try these easy penguins. Black olives, cream cheese, carrot slices, and roasted red peppers come together to create a delectable Antarctic dish—no cooking required!
Christmas Cornflake Wreath Cookies
Cornflake Wreaths are the perfect addition to any cookie platter or holiday cake. Even better? The easy, no-bake process means they make a great holiday activity to do with young children. “I’ve been making these with my mother-in-law for years,” says reviewer Kimberly. “This is a great way to have something fun in the kitchen for the kids and grandkids and they love eating them!”
Cheesy Pesto Roll Wreaths (Christmas Wreath Appetizer)
No disrespect to pretty cornflake cookies, but this garland really tastes as good as it looks, if not better! With crescent roll dough and a few other ingredients, you can whip up this gorgeous pull-up wreath for your next holiday party, even at the last minute.
Easy Polar Bear Cupcakes
Speaking of last minute, you can even turn store-bought cupcakes into adorable polar bears with this recipe and technique Allstar Kim ShupeShredded coconut ‘fur’, tiny marshmallow ears and nose, and black sprinkle details make these polar bears (almost) too cute to eat.
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Continuing the cupcake train, these Christmas Tree Cupcakes are so easy to make and perfect for a tree-trimming party. Tip: Buy some sprinkles of beads of different sizes and colors and let the kids decorate their trees with these sprinkles ‘ornaments’.
Reindeer Cookies
An AllRecipes classic, these reindeer cookies have been a staple on the site for years. Although this peanut butter cookie recipe is delicious, if you have a nut allergy, you can use sugar cookies (Including store bought) for these adorable Rudolph instead. All you’ll need are some chocolate chips, mini pretzel twists, and red cinnamon candies – for that distinctive red nose, of course.
Christmas Reindeer Cupcakes
For even more glitter noses to guide Santa’s sleigh, try these adorable Reindeer Cupcakes. For a fun holiday party activity, let the kids assemble their own reindeer on the table with frosted chocolate cupcakes and the remaining toppings. You’ll have Prancer, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen and more!
Melted Snowman Cookies
Melted snowmen may look a little sad, but these animated cookies are guaranteed to bring a smile to your guests’ faces! Super cute and creative, these are also incredibly simple to make and can even be made with store-bought cookies if you’re short on time. Take a time-saving tip from reviewer BakingBot, which suggests, “Ice the cookie, place on the marshmallow, and microwave the entire cookie for 10 seconds. (This is) much easier than heating the marshmallow separately.”
Christmas Santa Cupcakes
Raid your pantry for some white chocolate chips, red sprinkles, and coconut flakes to make these adorable Santa Cupcakes. You can make these with any cupcake canned mix (We won’t tell!) But to keep the Christmas colors consistent throughout, choose this REd Velvet Cake,
Santa Leg Cupcakes
If you’re really trying to impress, mix it up by making half the cupcakes with Santa’s face on them and the other half these adorable “Santa Leg” cupcakes that mimic going down the chimney to deliver presents. This recipe calls for fondant, but if you can’t find it at the store, you can use red licorice for the legs, frosting for the trim, and black jelly beans for Santa’s shoes.
Polar Bear Cheesecake Truffles
Another polar bear-inspired dish from Allstar Kim, we couldn’t resist adding these new Cheesecake Truffles to the list. As is the case with all of Kim’s desserts, they taste amazing, featuring everything you love about rich, creamy cheesecake and a graham cracker crust, all wrapped up into one (big) bite. Is.
candy cane cookies
A Christmas classic, these Candy Cane Cookies are a welcome addition to any cookie platter! Reviewer AOLGUIN05 shares a great tip to take the stress out of decorating, “Instead of rolling hot cookies in crushed candy canes, we’ve always mixed a little water with confectioner’s sugar and brushed it on top. Cool the cookies and then roll them in crushed candy canes, works great!”
Hedgehog Cookies
Now we’re moving on to seriously adorable recipes, even though it takes more time. “The tree trunk cake needed something extra to decorate, so baby hedgehogs seemed perfect,” says recipe author Kitty Johnson. Add a little raspberry or red berry candy with a drizzle of white frosting on top, and you’re guaranteed to have the cutest Christmas cookies on the block.
Brown Butter-Maple Shortbread Bear Cookies
If you’re looking for a sweet treat that tastes as good as it looks, these brown butter and maple-flavored shortbread will definitely do the trick. You can also make brown bears by adding a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dough (thanks to reviewer andrewshiloggmailcom for that tip). These bear cookies are so cute, that they might just steal the show and overshadow any other cookies on the platter. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Best Soft Christmas Cookies
Sometimes you can’t beat the classics, and with over 1000 5-star ratings, these soft Christmas cookies are as classic as they come. Reviewer BakingFun says they’re great to make with kids, because you can roll and re-roll them as many times as you want to get all those fun cut-out shapes without any waste. “This recipe is amazing! Baked these today with my 4.5 year old. You can re-roll these and have no problem – the first cookies are just as good as the last.” browse for decor inspiration hereOr Here are tips on how to decorate cookies with royal icing,
Yukon Cornelius Pull-Apart Cupcake Cakes
This is expert-level, but if you’re ever going to spend hours on a pull-up cupcake ‘cake’ inspired by a beloved childhood character, now is the time to do it! You don’t have to make the cupcakes and filling from scratch to get the same effect, but we have to admit we’re especially attracted to the pairing of dark chocolate cake with peppermint-white chocolate ganache in this recipe. So, watch a Christmas movie (especially). Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) and lose yourself in the process—it’s the season!
Christmas Tree Surprise Cake
For the ultimate show-stopper, try your hand at this holiday bundt cake. Slice to reveal green Christmas tree, or use same technique With another shape like a yellow star or a red heart. Just be prepared to surprise the crowd and explain how you got this surprise there. Candied cranberries and rosemary are just the cherries (or cranberries) on top.
