The tree is up, gifts are wrapped, plans are in place, the menu is set, and now all you need to do is end the Holiday season with a sweet bang! Whether you prefer traditional or modern flavours, simple or rich sweet treats, these easy Christmas desserts make the most festive finish to the holiday season.
We have curated some decadent christmas sweets and desserts ideas from cookies, candies to even a hot chocolate ice-cream for you to share with your friends and family. So let’s get baking and make an event out of it by involving your kids, folks and even your partner!
Eggless Christmas Sugar Cookies
These melt-in-your mouth delicious christmas sweets are a crowd favourite during christmas time. Only of the easiest christmas desserts that you can make, you can also turn it into a Christmas morning activity with your kids.
PREP TIME: 20 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling time
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
SERVES: Makes 18 cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar add ¼ cup more if you prefer sweeter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoon whole milk
For the icing:
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons milk – 1 more if required
• 1 tablespoon corn-starch
Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy on medium speed.
2. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
3. The mixture should still look fluffy.
4. Add the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and milk
5. Mix until just combined.
6. Do not over mix.
7. The dough shouldn’t be overly dry, if so add a tablespoon of milk and mix.
8. Bring the dough together using your fingers
9. Transfer the dough onto a cling wrap, shape it and wrap to seal.
10. Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.*
11. In the meantime, if you want to ice your cookies, mix sugar and milk to form a thin paste
12. Add corn-starch, mix well and keep aside
13. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
14. Unwrap the dough and divide it into two parts using a knife.
15. Refrigerate one half while working with the other.
16. Place the dough between two parchment papers.
17. Using a rolling pin roll the dough into a ¼th inch thickness.
18. Use your favourite cookie cutters and cut as many cookies as possible
19. Remove the extra dough around the shapes to make it easy to lift the cookies.
20. Lift the cookies gently using a spatula and transfer onto the lined baking tray.**
21. Bake the cookies at 175°C for 7minutes for soft cookies.
22. For crispier cookies bake for 8-10 minutes.
23. Continue rolling and cutting with the remaining dough or keep it refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.
24. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing or frosting. ***
25. If icing your cookies, transfer the frosting to a zip lock bag or piping bag.
26. Cut a very small tip and use that to frost your cookies
Please note:
*The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to three months.
Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before you roll out.
**Gather that excess dough into a ball and keep covered or refrigerated. This can be rolled and cut later to make more cookies.
***Remove from the oven and let them sit on the tray for 2 minutes and then gently lift using a spatula to transfer onto a cooling rack.
Sober Santa Rum Balls
Non-alcoholic rum balls are a perfect end to a heart christmas meal. This christmas sweet are a classic candy for a reason—they're easy to make, and taste amazing.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Serves: 30 candies
Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
2 1/2 cups crushed wafer cookies
1 cup powdered sugar (divided into 2)
1 cup mixed nuts and raisins (finely chopped)
Method:
Melt chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stir after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating.
Once the chocolate is melted, add the honey, coffee and combine
Stir in the wafer, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, and chopped nuts and raisins.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap
Cool the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour until it is firm enough to shape
Using an ice cream scoop, roll the candy into small 1-inch balls between your palms.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl, and roll the balls in the sugar.
Store the balls in the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before serving.
Ginger Cookies
These holiday cookies are the best christmas dessert I have ever eaten. Soft, chewy, buttery with a subtle hint of ginger makes it wasily a tasty treat.
Prep Time: 20 minutes + 2 hours chill time
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 24-28 cookies
Ingredients
2 + ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup coarse sugar or granulated sugar
Method
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
Add honey and vanilla and beat on low until combined.
Now add in the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, or up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 175C.
Line a baking pan.
Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time.
Roll into a 1-inch ball.
Roll the cookie ball into the sugar to fully coat it.
Place on the lined baking tray, spaced 2-3 inches apart.
Make sure to bake in multiple batches or freeze some uncoated cookie balls to bake later.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set.
Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool down completely and enjoy
Rustic Apple Pie
This Rustic Apple Pie Recipe has an irresistible homemade apple pie filling that’s adapted slightly from my grandma’s apple halwa recipe. The flaky pie crust complements the generous gooey saucy center.
Prep time: 2 hours 30 minutes including preparing and chilling the pie crust.
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour
Makes: 9” pie (serves 5-6)
Ingredients
1 double pie crust
2 5-6 Apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced)
3 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 10 tablespoons butter
5 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 1/4 cup water
7 1 cup granulated sugar
8 Melted butter for wash
Method
1. Click here for the pie crust recipe and chill per instructions while preparing the filling.
2. Preheat oven to 220˚C.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
4. Whisk in flour then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
5. Whisk in water, sugar and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and continue simmering for 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat.
7. Peel, remove cores and thinly slice apples and place them in a large bowl.
8. Sprinkle with cinnamon and toss to combine.
9. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apple slices.
10. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the bottom pie crust to a 12" diameter circle.
11. Wrap it around your rolling pin to transfer it to the 9" pie plate.
12. Add apple mixture to the center.
13. Be careful not to get the filling on the edges which would make it difficult to seal.
14. Roll second crust into an 11" round and cut into 10 even thickness strips.
15. Arrange strips in a woven lattice pattern over the top (see video tutorial).
16. Brush the top with melted butter.
17. Sprinkle with sugar
18. Bake at 220˚C for 15 minutes.
19. Reduce the heat to 180˚C and continue baking for another 50 minutes.
20. Once the filling is bubbling through the vents your pie is ready.
21. Rest at room temp 1 hour before serving.
Mini Berry Galettes
A tart berry filling and a homemade flaky butter pie crust, these adorable mini berry galettes are delicious and make for a amazing christmas dessert. These free-form pies are easy to bake and perfectly portioned for one, but you can follow this recipe to make two large galettes as well.
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook & Assembly time: 30 minutes
Makes: 8-10 mini galettes
Ingredients:
1 5 cups (315g) all-purpose flour, plus 1 tbsp more
2 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 cups salted butter, chilled and cubed
4 1 cup ice water, plus more as needed
5 3 cups mixed berries (strawberries & blueberries)
6 1 tbsp cornstarch
7 2 tbsp granulated sugar
8 1 tsp lemon juice
9 2 tbsp (30ml) whole milk, for brushing*
10 1 tbsp coarse sugar for topping
Method:
1. Whisk together the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add the chilled, cubed butter.
3. Using a pastry cutter, or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until all flour is coated. You’re looking for small pellet size bits of flour coated butter. A few larger bits of butter is not a problem.
4. Measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. Drizzle the cold water twice – 3 tbsp at a time, and stir/knead after each addition.
5. Now flour a dry cold surface and remove the dough onto it and knead. Here I added an additional 1 tbsp water. (Stop adding water when the dough comes together easily and begins to form large clumps. The dough will feel moist and a little sticky, but not feel overly wet.)
6. Using floured hands, fold the dough into 2 balls. Using your hands, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disc.
7. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
8. In a medium bowl, mix the berries, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice/vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined. Place in the refrigerator.
9. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure you have enough room in your refrigerator for these baking sheets because the shaped galettes must chill.
10. Work with 1 chilled pie dough at a time, place the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll into a large 12-inch circle.
11. From the circle, cut rounds using a 6-inch cookie cutter or the rim of a bowl that’s about that size. Seal in any cracking edges back together using your hands. You will have to re-roll the dough scraps a few times. (Work as quickly because the dough becomes much more delicate the longer it’s at room temperature.) You’ll get about 4-5 circles per pie crust.
12. Repeat with 2nd chilled pie dough.
13. Arrange dough rounds on prepared baking sheets.
14. Remove filling from the refrigerator and spoon about 1/4 cup into the center of each dough round, leaving any excess juice behind in the bowl.
15. Gently and tightly fold the edges over the filling leaving the very center exposed, as you see in the video tutorial above.
16. Make sure the mini galettes are tight and compact so they don’t lose shape while baking.
17. Brush the edges of the pie dough with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar
18. Chill the shaped galettes in the refrigerator, for a minimum of 30 minutes. This is a very important step.
19. Simultaneously preheat the oven to 180C.
20. Bake the chilled galettes for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
21. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying
No-Churn Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
For certain Indian city dwellers, Christmas brings everything but chilly weather. And this dessert is perfect for those who miss hot chocolate but are battling the heat at the same time. Make thiseasy christmas dessert - the Hot Chocolate Ice Cream with as few as 3 ingredients!
Prep time: 7-10 minutes
Chill time: 4-5 hours
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
250 ml canned sweetened condensed milk
15 tablespoons of cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix
Method:
Using an electric mixer whip the heavy cream until fluffy
Keep whipping until stiff peaks begin to form
In a separate bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk and hot chocolate mix to combine.
Combine and make sure there are no lumps.
Gently fold in the hot chocolate mixture into the whipping cream.
Pour mixture into a container and freeze for 4-5 hours until hardened.
Toast marshmallows on the burner and serve as topping to the ice cream
Eggless Caramel Milk Pudding
Not a classic christmas dessert, but this simple dessert has a rich, creamy texture and is topped with a layer of caramelised goodness that reminds of nougat. This milk pudding recipe proves that there is nothing more delightful than classic flavour combinations.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook & Chill time: 45 minutes
Serves: 5-6 people
Ingredients:
1 100 grams salted butter
2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups milk
4 ½ cup plus ½ granulated sugar, divided
5 1 tsp vanilla/ caramel essence
6 ½ cup water
7 1 tbsp cornflour
8 ¾ cup broken cashew
Method:
1 On medium heat, melt butter in a non-stick deep pan.
2 Add in the all-purpose flour, and fry for four to five minutes until completely combined and dry.
3 Now stir in ½ cup granulated sugar, and mix till combined.
4 Pour in milk and stir well, use a whisk to break down any lumps.
5 Cook for seven minutes on low to medium heat, stirring continuously.
6 Once it begins to thicken, add in vanilla/caramel essence.
7 At this point, transfer the mixture to a baking glassware that has a slightly wet surface.
8 Smoothen out the pudding using a spatula and keep aside.
9 To a pot on low heat, add in sugar and let it melt.
10 In a separate glass/ tumbler, make a slurry by mixing in water and cornflour until combined. Keep aside
11 Keep stirring at regular intervals using a silicon spatula to keep the sugar from burning.
12 Once the sugar has caramelised and melted, pour the water and corn-starch slurry as you stir the caramel. At this point, the caramel may harden. However, keep stirring and you will get the desired result.
13 Once combined, turn off the heat and let the caramel cool for three minutes.
14 Pour the caramel over the pudding and spread using a spatula.
15 Sprinkle broken/ chopped cashew as garnish.
16 Refrigerate, and enjoy cold.
Jam-Filled Butter Cookies
When it comes to Christmas dessert ideas, Jam-Filled Butter Cookies/Thumbprint Cookies are a must-make Christmas cookie recipe! A shortbread cookie with berry jam, the combination is intoxicating.
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 15 cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1 egg yolk
4 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 1 cup all-purpose flour
6 1/4 tsp salt
7 Berry jam of your choice
Method:
1 Preheat your oven to 175C.
2 Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3 Add the egg and vanilla and combine.
4 Add the flour and salt to the butter and sugar mixture and combine.
5 Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
6 Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
7 Bake for 5 minutes.
8 Then remove from the oven and using your thumb, make a circular indent in the ball to hold the jam.
9 Using a small spoon add about a 1/4 to 1/2 a tsp of jam to the indent.
10 Bake for about 12 – 15 minutes more.
11 Cool on a wire rack completely before serving.
Strawberry Tea Cake
This Strawberry Cake is an easy, moist teatime cake packed with fresh strawberries, what more do you want from a christmas dessert. You don’t need pro skills to bake this utterly simple cake. Serve it with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook & Assembly time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients:
1 2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1 ½ tsp baking powder
3 1 tsp salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
4 ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
5 2 large eggs
6 1 teaspoon strawberry/vanilla extract
7 ½ cup milk
8 About 1 ½ cup strawberries, hulled and halved
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Butter and line a 9-inch cake pan
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat butter and ¾ cup of sugar until pale and fluffy
4. Add the eggs, strawberry/ vanilla extract and beat on low speed until well combined.
5. Now gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl at regular intervals, using a spatula.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
7. Arrange the strawberries on top, halved side down.
8. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.
9. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and the toothpick test comes out clean.
10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from pan and onto the rack
11. Let it cool further before cutting into it.
Brookies
The best cookie to grace the christmas dessert table. A Brookie is part brownie and part cookie, a dessert mash-up of epic proportions!
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 16 large cookies
Ingredients:
1 300 grams dark compound chocolate, roughly chopped
2 1 cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1 tsp espresso powder
5 1 tsp baking powder
6 ½ tsp salt
7 100 grams unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
8 ¾ cup fine light brown sugar
9 ¼ cup granulated sugar
10 2 large eggs, at room temperature
11 1 tsp vanilla extract
12 ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method:
1. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 40 seconds, stir and microwave for another 20 seconds. Mix and fold until completely combined. Set aside to cool.
2. To a large bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar using a hand or stand mixer. Beat on high speed for two minutes, until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat for another three full minutes, scraping down the sides at regular intervals.
5. Now pour in the cooled melted chocolate, and beat on medium speed for two minutes.
6. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
7. Now beat in the chocolate chips.
8. This is the most important step. Chill the dough for exactly 20 minutes. If chilling for longer than 20 minutes, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking.
9. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 175°C.
10. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
11. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop the dough into balls, you may also use your hands to roll the dough into medium-sized balls.
12. Place them onto the baking sheet three inches apart.
13. Bake for 13 to15 minutes, or until the edges are set.
14. Remove from the oven, and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for eight to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The centre will be quite soft, but will set up as the cookies cool.
15. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.
Vanilla Sponge With A Sticky Sauce
Enjoy this on chritsmas eve with your coffee whilst you enjoy the cool breeze and the merriment in the air. The light sponge coupled with a gooey sauce is every dessert lover’s dream come true.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Makes: A 7-inch square cake
Ingredients
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup thick fresh curd
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the sticky sauce
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 100 grams salted butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
Method:
1. Preheat the oven at 180C and line a 7-inch square cake tin or round tin
2. In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give it a quick mix and combine
3. Now, add oil, curd and vanilla extract and mix well. Make sure there are no lumps.
4. To this thick batter add milk and mix again
5. Once the mixture is free of lumps, add in cornflour and give it a while whisk. Make sure not to over mix the batter
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes
7. Meanwhile, to a pan add granulated sugar and melt at medium to low heat
8. Once it reaches an ice light golden colour, add salted butter and give it a quick mix
9. Lower the heat and add heavy cream. Mix well, your sticky caramel sauce is now ready
10. Remove from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before you turn it over from the cake pan
11. Once removed, let it rest for 20 minutes before you cut into it
12. Cut and serve with a generous amount of sauce.
Dark Chocolate Pot De Crème
This decadent and sinful dessert is super easy to make and is a perfect recipe for Christmas Eve. The Pot De Crème is elegant, indulgent and keeps you wanting more
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45-50 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Makes: 4 individual servings
Ingredients
• 300 grams heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 100 grams dark chocolate / semi-sweet milk chocolate
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Unsweetened cocoa for garnish
For the Ganache:
• 150 grams dark chocolate
• 150 grams double/heavy cream
Method:
1. Heat cream and milk in a pan, on medium flame till it simmers at the sides, do not boil the mixture
2. Turn the heat down and add in 100 grams of chocolate and whisk till smooth
3. Remove from heat and set aside
4. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt just until combined
5. In batches, slowly pour the hot cream mixture over the eggs
6. Once combined, pour into four medium-sized ramekins, filling ¾ of the way up
7. Place the ramekins in a tray filled with boiling water
8. Bake for about 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 150C
9. Remove from the oven, cool completely then refrigerate the pot de crème for 3-4 hours
10. Meanwhile, heat cream in the microwave at intervals of 30 seconds
11. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, let it sit for 5 minutes
12. Stir or whisk into a smooth glossy chocolate ganache
13. Pour a small amount on the cooled pot de crème, fill till the top.
14. Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
15. Sprinkle some dark cocoa on it to give the pot de crème a bitter texture (optional)