15 Easy Holiday Desserts From Icebox Cakes to Star Cookies Make these quick holiday dessert recipes with 45 minutes or less of active time. By Alexandra Domrongchai Alexandra Domrongchai Alexandra Domrongchai is a food and travel writer based out of New York. With years of experience in the restaurant industry, food culture research, and as an avid traveler, she joins Travel + Leisure where she writes about all the best travel gadgets and more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 13, 2024 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Preparing a holiday meal can be stressful for anyone, so we like to slot in simple recipes when we can. Opt for a quick recipe rather than a baking project when you are hosting a holiday celebration to give yourself a break — of course, while still impressing your guests with presentation and flavor. These easy holiday desserts are even sweeter for their simplicity and range from cookies to cake. Here are more than a dozen festive dessert recipes that require less than 45 minutes of active work and are worthy of a spot at any holiday table. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 15 Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Star Cookies) Eva Kolenko F&W's Paige Grandjean shares a five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy, cinnamon-spiced cookies with a crispy meringue topping. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 15 Chocolate-Raspberry Icebox Cake Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Creamy, dreamy, and simple to make, this gorgeous marbled layer cake takes 15 minutes to marry crushed cookies, fresh raspberries, and layers of tart raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream before freezing for four hours. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 15 Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Almonds and Seeds Julia Hartbeck Iconic chocolatier Jacques Torres makes snack magic with dark chocolate, roasted whole almonds, and salted roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds in 30 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 15 Marranitos Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Here's how to make the traditional ginger-spiced, pig-shaped cookies from Mexican bakeries in three hours. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 15 Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies Greg DuPree Justin Chapple combines a nice pop of saltiness from pretzels with a wonderfully chocolatey chewy center in this recipe that yields 60 cookies. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 15 Cardamom Thumbprints © Chris Court Kay Chun spices these cookies with cardamom and fills them with apricot, seedless raspberry, or strawberry jam in the 45-minute recipe. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 15 Chocolate-Peppermint Brownies © Kristin Perers Swirling peppermint chocolate into a fudgy batter, then topping the brownies with crushed candy canes makes this festive presentation from Claire Ptak of London bakery, Violet. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 15 Jacques Pépin's Favorite Pound Cake © Edward Pond Jacques Pépin's take on this classic French dessert folds in candied citrus peels to make a fruit cake, but he also loves plain slices to dip in espresso. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 15 Salted-Caramel Squares © Lucy Schaeffer Zoe Nathan tops a dense, buttery crust with tender caramel for a salty sweet treat that's ready in two hours. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 15 Slow-Cooker Sour Cream Cheesecake © Ellie Miller Cheesecake cooked in a slow cooker has an unbelievably silky texture because the machine steams the cake as it bakes. The toughest part about making it is resisting the urge to peek inside — the lid must stay closed to retain heat. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 15 Vanilla and Cider Panna Cotta with Spiced Ginger Cookies © John Kernick Chef Shawn McClain tops his cinnamon-and-vanilla-flavored panna cotta with an elegant apple cider gelée. He likens the dessert to a Creamsicle because it successfully combines creamy and tangy flavors. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 15 Salted Caramel Pie Dana Gallagher This super-easy caramel lovers' dream pie is from Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop in Los Angeles. The filling is made with sweetened condensed milk sprinkled lightly with sea salt and baked until thick and gooey, then chilled in a simple graham cracker crust. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 15 Ice Cream Bonbons © Tina Rupp At the Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, California, Kendra Baker uses caramel ice cream in her bonbons, which have a silky chocolate shell and flaky sea salt on top. Feel free to swap in your favorite flavor. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 15 Almond Crescents © Christina Holmes The perfect balance of nutty, buttery, and sugary, Dorie Greenspan's Eastern European kipfel, or almond crescent cookies, aim to please with their perfect buttery crumb and the nutty bite they get from the almond flour. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 15 Dark Chocolate Pudding with Candied Ginger © Michael Turek Jean-Georges Vongerichten uses candied ginger to garnish dark chocolate pudding in this 15-minute dessert. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Recipes Desserts Was this page helpful? 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