A compilation of 15 different dessert recipes to make this Christmas! The recipes are ordered from beginner baker all the way up to experienced baker. Pick and choose which ones suit your level of comfort in the kitchen, or slowly build your way up the ladder!
Today I’m sharing a compilation of some of my favorite sweet Christmas recipes. They’re categorized based on the amount of baking knowledge you need to make them!
I wouldn’t say that any of these recipes are hard – none of them have any weird unheard of ingredients or techniques involved. And I DON’T want the leveling to discourage you from trying recipes outside of your comfort zone! The leveling is ONLY meant to be taken as a loose guide for anyone learning how to bake.
But some of these recipes require more effort/time than others.
Recipes that have more steps involved or need you to work quickly are categorized under the “experienced” level. Quicker recipes with minimal steps/ingredients involved are under beginner recipes. And intermediate is in between the two!
SOOO basically: make whichever recipes you like – just read through the instructions and posts beforehand if you’re a little intimidated by the steps! You’ll find that all the recipes here have very straightforward steps and ingredients – some just need more time and work.
Beginner Recipes:
1. Cranberry Apple Mocktail
Quite possibly the easiest recipe you could make, like ever! All it involves is combining your 3 ingredients together and pouring into your glasses! The red and green color is a huge bonus for added Christmas festivity.
2. Homemade Chocolate Truffles + 10 different topping ideas!
2 ingredients is all it takes to make homemade truffles. The most time consuming part is the chill time, but it otherwise comes together in a flash and they’re a breeze to make! They’re also super customizable in terms of what you can roll your truffles in.
3. Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are much easier to make than your average cookie recipe. This version of the classic Christmas treat involves mixing together your dry ingredients and nuts, and then cutting in some butter until you get a dough. No creaming butter and sugar together, no eggs required, and no time at all to make the dough!
4. Espresso Hot Chocolate
Elevate your hot chocolate game by incorporating some espresso into the mix! Same classic warm and comforting quality with a caffeinated kick. The espresso also helps make the chocolate flavor shine!
5. Turtles Brownies
Brownies in general are a super easy treat to make. This take on the classic dessert incorporates pecans and caramel pieces to replicate the nostalgic flavor combo of Turtles candies!
Intermediate:
6. Easy Thumbprint Cookies
Now this recipe kind of teeters between beginner and intermediate level. The cookies are actually quite easy to make, but because there are a few more steps involved (compared to the recipes under beginner level), I pushed it down to intermediate level.
7. Gingerbread Cupcakes
Also kind of tips between beginner and intermediate. These moist and tender cupcakes are an easier way to get the flavor of gingerbread cookies, without most of the work and wait time! They’re very easy to make, but again, just because there are a few more steps involved, I pushed it into the intermediate level.
8. How to Make Sugared Cranberries & Sugared Rosemary
Such a pretty edible decoration for Christmas desserts, drinks, and holiday boards! They instantly add sparkle and shine to anything. You do need a bit of care and quick working to avoid having the cranberries burst or the rosemary wilt, which is why it’s under intermediate.
9. Candy Cane Cookies
Melt in your mouth cookies that look like candy canes!! Can you get any more festive?? The cookie dough is outrageously easy to make, it’s just the shaping that is a bit more time consuming. But so, soooo worth the added effort!
10. Classic Gingerbread Cookies
The perfect mixture of spice, sweetness, and warmth. Use this recipe to make your cookies soft and chewy or thin and crisp! You can also make a gingerbread house from this dough, as long as you keep it on the crisp side for a stronger structure. Gingerbread cookies involve a bit more work, so they’re on the higher end of the intermediate level.
Experienced:
11. Brown Sugar Pound Cake
If you’ve never tried brown sugar in your pound cake recipe, NOW’s the time to start! Brown sugar seriously takes this cake over the edge. It gives it a beautiful golden brown color and an unbelievably moist center. This cake is well worth the added indulgence.
This may be the easiest recipe under the experienced baker level, but it does need a certain level of care when making. There’s a good amount of mixing involved, but it’s super important to watch out for over mixing – otherwise it can cause the cake to bake up dense and dry.
12. Meringue Cookies (with & without cream of tartar)
These delicious little morsels only require 5 ingredients, and most of the recipe is basically just mixing. They taste like crispy, melt in your mouth marshmallows!
The reason this recipe is under the experienced baker level is because they’re not your average cookie recipe. They can be a bit tricky to work with, so they do require some patience and care.
13. Chocolate Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)
This cake always has a place on my Christmas table! It’s an un-BE-lievably moist and soft chocolate cake, filled with whipped cream, rolled into a log shape, and topped off with chocolate ganache. Slicing into it has got to be one of my favorite parts because you get to reveal a stunning swirled center!
There are a few steps involved to make and assemble all 3 components for the cake, and certain steps require working quickly. But if you’re able to work relatively quickly and are willing to move through a few hands on steps, this cake is for you! Getting acquainted with sponge cake beforehand doesn’t hurt either.
14. Star Bread
Soft and buttery homemade bread, layered with cinnamon roll filling, allllllll twisted together into a GORGEOUS star shape!
It takes a certain level of experience working with bread dough, but if you’re comfortable working with yeast, it’s a breeze to make this bread – and so fun, too!
15. Cranberry White Christmas Cake
This cake is SO GOOD and incredibly festive! It’s pure joy and festive spirit in cake form! This recipe involves making your own homemade white cake, cranberry sauce, and frosting.
I’d say the hardest part about this cake is making the ermine frosting because it is the most prone to being fussy. If you’re already comfortable making other frostings (like buttercream or cream cheese), you should be all good to go.
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