Holiday Dessert Recipes

Holiday dessert recipes that make the final course of any holiday meal the best course, whether your preference is for tarts or cakes or pies. Or maybe all of the above. Includes something for everyone, from elegant to easy, impressively complex to simple and no-bake.

Gingerbread Cheesecake

: Sang An 1/11 This gingerbread cheesecake tastes like the classic Christmas spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove in each and every bite of this simple yet stunning dessert.
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Eggnog Pie

: Steve Painter 2/11 Essentially a slightly tipsy cheesecake, this bourbon-enhanced eggnog pie is something we're classifying as "holiday desserts for parties where people like to party."
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Coconut Carrot Cake

: Ken Carlson 3/11 Lighter, more delicate, some may even say more sophisticated, and we dare say better than any other carrot cake you've ever had. No pineapple. No raisins. No complaints.
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Vanilla Angel Food Cake

: HarperCollins 4/11 All the delicate loveliness of classic angel food cake but made even better with the addition of pure vanilla and a blizzard of confectioners' sugar.
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Christmas Tree of Cookies

: Katie Hammond 5/11 Holiday diet tactic #142: This stunning cookie tree. Because it sorta makes it harder to demolish a half batch of cookies when doing so would demolish the Christmas tree.
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Chocolate Tart with Pine Nuts

: Christopher Hirsheimer 6/11 We don't know Italian, but we're pretty certain this tart, with its molten filling and brownie crust, translates to "Damn good!"
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Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

: Evan Sung 7/11 When you've got leftover bread, sure, you could make bread crumbs. Or you could make this Southern melding of pie and pudding that's obscenely indulgent. Tough decision, eh?
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Apple Tart

: Peter Cassidy 8/11 If you took a look at this stunning tart and thought, “I can’t possibly do that!” think again. We suspect you can.
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Coconut Cream Pie

: Leigh Beisch 9/11 A retro classic with a velvety coconut custard buried beneath billows of sweet, luscious, airy meringue and cushioned by a tender, flaky, buttery lard crust. You're welcome.
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Wine Poached Pears

: Jennifer Davick 10/11 How to explain these wine poached pears? "Divine elegance" comes to mind. Also, easy, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, and lovely.
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Rum Balls

: Andrew Scrivani 11/11 Who could possibly say no when offered one of these homemade and inebriating edibles? Certainly not us.
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