There’s a reason people are afraid of gaining weight around the holidays, and it’s because of all the irresistible foods–specifically desserts! Holiday desserts are especially indulgent because we wait all year to enjoy them for such a short time. Hold on to your sweet tooth, because here are 10 desserts we can’t wait to eat over the holidays!
Okay, yeah, pumpkin spice lattes are alright, but pumpkin ice cream needs to take the spotlight to have its moment. Yes, ice cream falls more into the category of summer desserts, but you definitely won’t be mad curled up in front of a warm fire with a bowl of this perfectly spiced confection. Top it off with whipped cream, and a drizzle of chocolate or caramel, and you have a holiday dessert that you won’t put down well into spring!
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Bread pudding is just one of those desserts that take you back to holidays with your grandma. You may not have liked it when you were younger, but as you grew older, you learned to love and appreciate this baked treat for its simple composition and delightful taste. Soft, spongy, spiced bread with raisins, nuts, and fruit that filled the entire house with a heavenly aroma. Bonus points if your grandma’s go-to recipe called for a rum-based sauce to pour over the bread pudding. Booze and carbohydrates make the perfect pair, don’t they?
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Christmas cookies fall into the category of nostalgic desserts that become a family tradition for those who celebrate the holiday. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you may have partaken in the ritualistic action of decorating sugar cookies in festive icings and sprinkles. Those cute faces and designs are almost too good to eat–almost. Dip these in your coffee, hot chocolate, milk, or just enjoy them plain! Mark these under holiday desserts we don’t intend on sharing!
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Speaking of cookies, let’s skip the gingerbread cookies and have gingerbread cheesecake instead. Think of this as one of many new spins on traditional holiday desserts. Start with a classic, buttery shortbread crust. Creamy and decadent, the cheesecake base of this dessert is made with molasses and spices for that classic gingerbread taste. Top with icing and gingerbread figures for decoration and your gingerbread cheesecake is complete.
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Another on a growing list of desserts with a spin is hot chocolate fudge. You heard that right. The hot chocolate many of us know and love is consumable in fudge form. This fudge not only tastes just like hot chocolate, but it looks exactly like it too. This fudge gets its fun, cool look by layering dark chocolate, then white chocolate fudge, and topping it all off with adorable mini marshmallows. You may just have more fun making these desserts than eating them! Not only are they easy to make, but they make wonderful gifts during the holiday season.
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Love it or hate it, there’s really no middle ground when it comes to the topic of eggnog. However, when you pair it with desserts, specifically blondie brownies, you’re either going to love it or love it more than you did before. Set off the yuletide season right by baking a few dozen of these sweet, iconic treats instead of serving the traditional eggnog. Your guests will appreciate the twist on this holiday topic of debate, and it may definitely start a few heated debates.
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How can three ingredients make a dessert so incredibly delicious? Creamy, chocolaty, and minty, these desserts take no time at all to make and are eaten even faster. Melt your favorite chocolates and layer them in a sheet pan. Top them with crushed peppermints or candy canes, and wait for the chocolate to cool. Cut neat squares for serving, or break up your peppermint bark into generous pieces. This stores well, so find your best holiday-themed tin and stash this confection away for later. Mint is known to help settle the stomach, so this is the perfect dessert to try after eating a big holiday meal.
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If you’re Italian, you may know the pizzelle all too well. These desserts are truly a labor of love, but so very worth it in the end. Whether you prefer orange, almond, amaretto, anise, vanilla, chocolate, or a combination of flavors, pizzelles are a delightful holiday treat. They are incredibly fragile, require a special iron to make them, and some recipes call for a ridiculous amount of eggs to make the batter. Eat them on their own, or curl them and set them to make little tubes for cannoli. Once you start eating them, you might not be able to stop!
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Sorry to folks with tree nut allergies, but this one had to make the list. There’s nothing quite like taking your first bite into that gooey, sweet, nutty filling. Coupled with the savoriness of a buttery crust, and the slight crunch before reaching the center of tender pecans, this pie outranks many pies on the holiday desserts list. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of caramel, or eat it plain without all the fancy dessert frills. You can never go wrong with a slice of pecan pie.
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Again, I apologize to those of you with nut allergies, but this list wouldn’t be complete without baklava. Rich, dense layers of flaky phyllo pastry and nuts soaked in honey make for a dessert you won’t be able to pass up. This dish may not immediately come to mind when you think of the holiday season, but once you try it, you’ll want to keep a pan of it on hand at all times. Such a sweet dessert deserves a spot on this list, and in all of our stomachs.
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