These easy Christmas desserts are beginner-friendly, delightfully delicious, and take very little prep time! If you aren't a frequent baker, don't worry. Anyone can make these fabulous cookies, cakes, cobblers, and other festive treats!
Easy Holiday Desserts To Make
The best part of Christmas is getting to spend time with those you love. The second best part of Christmas is all the fantastic food and desserts!
You should never show up to a Christmas party or get-together empty-handed. With these easy Christmas dessert recipes, you don't have to be a seasoned baker to bring something delicious!
Jump to:
- Easy Holiday Desserts To Make
- Easy Christmas Cakes, Cookies, & More
- 1. Easy Chocolate Cake
- 2. Cherry Pie Bars
- 3. Pumpkin Dump Cake
- 4. Chocolate Frosting Fudge
- 5. Baked Cinnamon Apples
- 6. Apple Cobbler Bars
- 7. Chocolate Peppermint No Bake Cookies
- 8. S’mores Board
- 9. Apple Dump Cake
- 10. Snickerdoodles
- 11. Christmas Gumdrop Cookies
- 12. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
- 13. Crockpot Christmas Crack
- 14. Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
- 15. Christmas M&M Cookies
- 16. Fudge Covered Oreos
- 17. Baked Apples
- 18. Christmas Nougat
- 19. Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler
- 20. No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
- 21. Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies
- 22. No Bake Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Crisps
- 23. Christmas Cake Batter Meringues
- 🍰 More Tasty Treats
- 📖 Recipe Card
- Easy Christmas Desserts: Pumpkin Dump Cake (+More Festive Treats!)
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
Easy Christmas Cakes, Cookies, & More
Each of these desserts is beginner-friendly! There are a variety of flavors and textures, try one or try them all!
If this is your first time hosting dinner for the holidays, check out my Christmas guide for a step-by-step timeline for preparing Christmas dinner!
1. Easy Chocolate Cake
Everyone loves a rich chocolate cake, and you'll love how easy it is to make! Not to mention, the moist and decadent chocolate cake is topped with a creamy chocolate ganache that is downright heavenly.
2. Cherry Pie Bars
All the flavor of a homemade cherry pie in easy-to-share dessert bars! You only need 3 ingredients and an oven to make these sweet, fruity treats.
3. Pumpkin Dump Cake
Turn an ordinary box of spiced cake mix into an indulgent pumpkin dessert! This cake gets this name from the way you can just 'dump' all the ingredients into a baking dish and pop it in the oven.
4. Chocolate Frosting Fudge
Chocolate lovers rejoice because now you can make rich and decadent fudge with chocolate frosting! It only requires 2 ingredients: chocolate chips and chocolate frosting.
Of course, you can add any of your preferred toppings. Like nuts, coconut, or sprinkles!
5. Baked Cinnamon Apples
These apples taste like crust-less apple pie. The sticky, sweet, cinnamon sugar sauce caramelizes around them as they bake.
The apples become nice and tender. There's only one way to make them better- add some ice cream!
6. Apple Cobbler Bars
These dessert bars taste like the most incredible apple cobbler condensed into some easy-to-eat dessert bars! Top it all off with a simple 3-ingredient vanilla glaze for a dessert no one can resist.
7. Chocolate Peppermint No Bake Cookies
Chocolate and peppermint is one of the most classic Christmas flavor combinations! These no-bake cookies are as festive as can be, and you never have to turn on your oven.
8. S’mores Board
A s'mores board is like a dessert charcuterie board with all of your favorite s'mores toppings! Keep it classic with chocolate and peanut butter, or try some unique options like roasted berries.
Everyone will love building their perfect s'more this Christmas!
9. Apple Dump Cake
Another simple dump cake that is packed full of flavor! This one tastes like a blend of the most wonderful apple pie and fluffy yellow cake.
10. Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are a classic Christmas cookie loaded with cinnamon sugar! You could even try my snickerdoodles made without cream of tartar for an easier recipe with one less ingredient.
11. Christmas Gumdrop Cookies
These sugar cookies are filled with chewy bits of red and green gumdrop candy! They are so fun to make and even more fun to eat!
12. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Classic, homemade vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream frosting. They are simple to make with plenty of flavor from using actual vanilla beans.
13. Crockpot Christmas Crack
Christmas crack is an easy crockpot treat made with peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate, and almond bark. These yummy nut cluster candies are downright addicting!
14. Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
All you need is 4 ingredients to make a wonderfully rich and creamy peanut butter fudge in the microwave! It's optional, but I love to add some extra roasted peanuts for a crunchy texture.
15. Christmas M&M Cookies
Soft and chewy cookies loaded with red and green M&Ms! Kids and adults will love these cookies, and you will love making them!
16. Fudge Covered Oreos
The only thing better than Oreos is Oreos covered in rich chocolate! The fudge coating is a simple combination of cocoa powder, vanilla extract, milk, butter, and sugar.
17. Baked Apples
Baked apples are a great alternative to cakes, cobblers, or cookies. To make them, apples are filled with cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar and baked until soft and tender.
I love serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream!
18. Christmas Nougat
My easy Christmas nougat is fully loaded with red and green gumdrop candies. It takes just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make, then you let your nougat cool for a couple of hours. Anyone can do it!
19. Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler
All you need to make an incredible cherry cobbler is some pre-made sugar cookie dough and cherry pie filling! You can even try my sugar cookie apple cobbler if you prefer apples to cherries (it's just as easy to make).
20. No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
These sweet oatmeal cookies are loaded with pumpkin flavor! Heat the cookie mixture, form your cookies, and let them set, that's all there is to it!
21. Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies
This recipe takes butter shortbread cookies and makes them even better by loading them with sweet mixed fruit! You only need 5 ingredients to make these fun and festive cookies.
22. No Bake Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Crisps
Any dessert you don't have to bake always gets an A+ in my book. These cherry chocolate crisps only require a mixing bowl and a little time.
These crisps are made with just a handful of ingredients including Rice Krispies cereal, chocolate chips, cherries, and coconut!
23. Christmas Cake Batter Meringues
These red, green, and white meringue cookies are just as fun to look at as they are to eat. They are light as air and practically melt on your tongue!
🍰 More Tasty Treats
- Chocolate Pumpkin Pie - A decadent chocolatey twist on a classic pumpkin pie.
- Pumpkin Fluff Dip - It could be an appetizer or it could be a dessert, it's delicious either way!
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars - Easy-to-share dessert bars with all the flavor of a pecan pie!
- Blackberry Tart - A sweet and fruity blackberry tart in a shortbread crust topped with lime and coconut!
- Snickerdoodle Mug Cake - A moist and soft single-serving snickerdoodle cake made in the microwave!
- Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies - Perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookies with one secret ingredient!
These easy Christmas desserts may become a new family tradition! Let me know which recipes you try by leaving a comment below!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Easy Christmas Desserts: Pumpkin Dump Cake (+More Festive Treats!)
Ingredients
- 29 oz pureed pumpkin (1 29-ounce can or 2 14 to 15-ounce cans, *see note)
- 12 oz evaporated milk (1 12-ounce can)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (try my recipe or use your favorite brand)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 15.25 oz spice cake mix (1 15.25-ounce package)
- 1 cup butter (melted)
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs (optional)
- ½ cup pecans (optional, crushed)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, light brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice mix, and salt.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish.
- In a bowl, add your package of cake mix and melted butter. Stir until the mixture has a crumbly consistency and then sprinkle it over the pumpkin mixture.
- Sprinkle the optional crushed graham crackers and/or crushed or chopped pecans over the top of the cake.
- Transfer the baking dish to your preheated oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 50-60 minutes, or until the edges have been lightly browned (*see note).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before slicing and serving (*see note).
Notes
- For best results, use Libby's brand pumpkin as it contains the least amount of liquid.
- This recipe uses pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. However, if you only have pumpkin pie filling on hand, you can still use it. However, you will need to adjust (reduce) the sugar and spices so that it is not too sweet!
- Feel free to reduce your canned pumpkin by half, if desired - it will still be tasty!
- For some extra texture, you can add either of the optional ingredients - graham crackers or pecans. Or, use a combination of both crushed graham crackers and chopped pecans for the topping!
- If you notice that your dump cake is browning too quickly (but not done baking), simply top it with some foil and finish baking as directed!
- If you stick a toothpick into your dump cake, some of the pumpkin filling will stick to it. You'll know it is done when it is no longer jiggly in the center and the cake topping is set!
- Personally, I think this cake is the best on day 2 after spending some time in the refrigerator!
- To store: Place any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Wrap your dump cake in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before storing it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before enjoying!
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