25 Holiday Desserts So Legendary, Guests Will Start Counting Down To Next Christmas

Holiday desserts should do more than just fill the table; they should be the treats guests talk about on the drive home and secretly hope you repeat next year. They are big on cozy flavor and festive charm while still being practical, without keeping you trapped in the kitchen. These desserts look impressive, taste comforting, and take the pressure off planning, so you can enjoy the holidays instead of stressing over what to serve.

White Chocolate Mousse

White chocolate mousse brings a light, silky texture that feels extra special when you spoon it into little glasses and top it with bright raspberries. The gentle sweetness and pretty layers make it one of those holiday desserts that quietly steals attention from the more traditional pies on the table. Serve it once at Christmas and you may notice guests hinting that they are already hoping for a repeat when next year rolls around.
Get the Recipe: White Chocolate Mousse

Peppermint Patties

Peppermint patties are a fun way to bring that cool, minty holiday flavor everyone remembers from childhood straight onto the dessert tray. A homemade version that feels fresher and more personal than anything store-bought, especially when the chocolate has a nice snap, and the filling stays creamy. Set out a plate after Christmas dinner, and people will likely ask if you can make them again when the holidays come back around.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Patties

Cinnamon Palmiers

Cinnamon palmiers deliver legendary holiday charm with their crisp spirals, buttery layers, and cozy cinnamon-sugar coating. They look like something straight from a bakery window, yet are easy enough to stack high for guests to grab with coffee or cocoa. The tray rarely lasts long, and conversations quickly turn to hoping they’ll make a return next Christmas.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Palmiers

No Crust Cheesecake

No crust cheesecake delivers all the creamy richness you want from a holiday dessert without the fuss of dealing with a traditional base. The smooth filling and tangy sour cream topping make each slice feel indulgent, especially after a big festive meal. Once you bring it to the gathering, you may notice friends asking early in the season if that famous cheesecake is on the menu again.
Get the Recipe: No Crust Cheesecake

Christmas Popcorn Balls

Christmas popcorn balls bring playful energy to dessert time with their gooey marshmallow coating and cheerful pops of color. Kids and adults both tend to reach for them, since they feel part treat and part throwback to old school holiday parties. When you start sending guests home with a wrapped popcorn ball or two, they often start hoping it becomes a yearly tradition.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Popcorn Balls

Reindeer Chocolate Bark

Reindeer chocolate bark adds instant joy to the dessert table, thanks to the cute faces, candy noses, and crunchy toppings scattered over a chocolate base. The recipe is simple enough to pull together even on busy December days, yet the finished pieces look like you spent ages planning them. You will usually hear guests joking that they will be back next Christmas if the reindeer bark is invited too.
Get the Recipe: Reindeer Chocolate Bark

Angel Pie

Lemon angel pie brings a light, refreshing finish to rich holiday meals, with its crisp meringue crust and silky lemon filling. A cloud of whipped topping on top makes every slice feel airy, bright, and just special enough for Christmas dessert status. Once friends taste it, the pie often becomes one of those dishes they quietly hope will appear again when the holidays circle back.
Get the Recipe: Angel Pie

Christmas Oreos

Christmas Oreos bring instant cheer with candy melt trees, sprinkles, and a decorating process everyone can join in on. The classic crunchy cookie inside keeps each bite familiar and fun, even on a crowded holiday dessert table. Once you set it out in a platter, guests usually circle back for seconds while hinting they would love to see them again next year.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Oreos

Red Wine Poached Pears

Red wine-poached pears send warm spice and citrus aromas through the house, the kind that quietly announce dessert is going to be memorable. Tender fruit in a glossy, ruby syrup feels restaurant-worthy yet still cozy enough for a family celebration. Serve them one Christmas, and you will often hear gentle requests for a repeat long before the next holiday season arrives.
Get the Recipe: Red Wine Poached Pears

M&M Christmas Cookies

M&M Christmas cookies bring bright colors, soft centers, and that nostalgic candy crunch everyone spots right away. They work perfectly for cookie exchanges, office trays, and casual gatherings where you want something dependable and festive. Bake a big batch because they tend to disappear quickly, with guests hoping they become a yearly tradition.
Get the Recipe: M&M Christmas Cookies

Old Fashioned Fudge

Old-fashioned fudge delivers deep chocolate flavor and a creamy bite that feels exactly like classic holiday desserts should. Neat squares stack beautifully in tins and on dessert platters, making sharing and gifting almost effortless. Once it appears at a party, people often talk about it well into January and quietly hope it returns the following Christmas.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Fudge

Tiramisu

Tiramisu brings cool, creamy layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone that feel luxurious without demanding much from you. The chilled slices offer a light finish after a big holiday meal while still feeling special enough for the occasion. Share it once at Christmas, and guests are likely to ask early if it is making a comeback next year.
Get the Recipe: Tiramisu

Apple Tart with Puff Pastry

Apple tart with puff pastry tastes like something straight from a small café, with flaky layers, caramelized apples, and a hint of sweetness on top. Served warm with vanilla ice cream, it turns an ordinary evening into a cozy holiday moment. Once you make it part of your seasonal routine, people will soon start linking that golden tart with the start of Christmas celebrations.
Get the Recipe: Apple Tart with Puff Pastry

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Hot chocolate cookies turn a favorite winter drink into a soft cookie topped with melty marshmallow and a drizzle of chocolate. Every bite feels like curling up with a mug by the tree, just in handheld form. Add them to your dessert table, and they quickly become the treat guests ask about as soon as the next holiday season approaches.
Get the Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cookies

Peppermint Ice Cream

Peppermint ice cream brings cool, creamy sweetness and crunchy candy cane bits that instantly feel festive. It pairs easily with cakes and pies, but also shines on its own in simple bowls after a rich meal. Once friends taste it at Christmas, many start looking forward to that minty dessert moment all year.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Ice Cream

Red Velvet Cake

Red velvet cake makes a statement with its deep red crumb, gentle cocoa flavor, and smooth cream cheese frosting. Each slice feels celebratory, especially when you cut into it at the end of a holiday feast. After it earns a spot on the table a few times, guests often begin asking if the red velvet is returning as soon as December shows up.
Get the Recipe: Red Velvet Cake

Stuffed Dates

Stuffed dates bring a refined sweet and savory bite to holiday platters, with soft Medjool dates, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy walnuts working together. They require no cooking yet still look elegant nestled alongside cookies and chocolates. Offer them one season, and people tend to remember them clearly and hope they reappear at the next Christmas gathering.
Get the Recipe: Stuffed Dates

Almond Crescent Cookies

Almond crescent cookies come dusted in snowy powdered sugar with a delicate crumb that feels straight out of a favorite holiday memory. Each buttery, nutty bite melts the second it hits your tongue and quietly steals attention from flashier desserts. By the time the tray is empty, guests are usually talking about them like a Christmas tradition they never want to skip again.
Get the Recipe: Almond Crescent Cookies

3 Ingredient Shortbread

Three-ingredient shortbread keeps holiday baking calm while still giving you that buttery, crisp yet tender cookie everyone loves. The simple dough turns into classic little squares that feel wonderfully homemade without demanding much time. People often grab one, pause, and then ask for the recipe before the night is over.
Get the Recipe: 3 Ingredient Shortbread

Popcorn Balls

Popcorn balls show up with nostalgic charm, buttery chew, and just enough sweetness to make everyone feel like a kid at a Christmas fair again. The mix of light crunch and marshmallow stickiness is easy to shape, color, or decorate for any holiday party. Once a basket of them hits the table, they disappear quickly, and guests start hinting that they would love to see them again next year.
Get the Recipe: Popcorn Balls

Saltine Toffee

Saltine toffee brings an unforgettable sweet salty snap that stands out on even the most crowded dessert spread. Caramel, chocolate, and pecans layered over simple crackers turn into glossy shards that look unassuming and taste incredible. More than a few guests end up hovering by the pan, plotting one more piece and asking when you are making it again.
Get the Recipe: Saltine Toffee

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut butter blossoms offer soft, chewy cookies topped with a shiny chocolate kiss that look right at home on any Christmas cookie plate. The tiny ingredient list makes them easy to bake in big batches for swaps, gifts, or last-minute invites. Open a tin with these inside, and they are usually the first cookies to disappear.
Get the Recipe: 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut butter fudge comes in creamy, neat squares that vanish almost as soon as the dish hits the holiday table. Smooth peanut flavor with a light touch of vanilla feels cozy and familiar in a way people remember. Once guests realize how good it is, many start quietly campaigning for it to appear every Christmas.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie brings gooey, caramel-like filling and toasted nuts all tucked into a tender crust that glows with holiday nostalgia. Each slice delivers deep sweetness and crunch, exactly what people dream about when they think of Christmas dessert. Many guests plan their dessert plate around it and start counting the days until they can have another slice next year.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie

Matcha Brownies

Matcha brownies add a pop of green and a gentle earthy sweetness that gives holiday dessert tables a fresh twist. A chewy base topped with smooth white chocolate frosting feels both modern and cozy, especially for friends who enjoy trying something new. More often than not, they become the surprise favorite that guests ask you to bring back when Christmas rolls around again.
Get the Recipe: Matcha Brownies