142 holiday dessert recipes

Orange molasses cookies, soft and puffy with cracked tops, spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and a hit of black pepper, then rolled in orange sugar. Whole wheat flour and oats make them a wholesome holiday bake.

Cranberry sorbet simmers cranberries with orange juice and sugar syrup, purées smooth, then freezes with a splash of Chambord. A bright palate-cleansing holiday dessert.

Creamy cranberry sherbet whips fresh cranberries with evaporated skim milk and gelatin into a tart, frosty scoop. A low-calorie holiday dessert with rosy color and fluffy texture.

Silky pumpkin mousse pie made with whipped egg whites, evaporated skim milk, and a hint of orange zest. A no-bake holiday dessert that's lighter than traditional pumpkin pie.

Mincemeat bars with a buttery oat-walnut crust sandwiching a thickened mincemeat filling. Old-fashioned holiday dessert squares that store beautifully in a tin.

This is a wonderful and light dessert to offer people as a contrast to the heavy holiday meals and desserts normally offered at this time.

Orange gelatin dessert ring made with sweet white wine and apricot syrup, filled with fresh apricots, grapes, and banana. A retro molded dessert for parties and holidays.

A cashew twist on classic pecan pie with brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla in a flaky crust. Golden, gooey, and utterly irresistible for holiday dessert.

Cranberry star mold: a retro raspberry gelatin dessert folded with whipped cream, pineapple, and orange sections, chilled in a star mold. A classic holiday side or light dessert.

Frozen Christmas pudding made by folding brandy-soaked dried fruit with cocoa and orange zest into softened vanilla ice cream. A no-bake, make-ahead holiday dessert.

Plums in Port preserves whole plums in a cinnamon-orange syrup spiked with tawny port wine. A stunning canned fruit for cheese boards, desserts, and holiday gifts.

Pear-apple mincemeat pie: a lattice-topped classic with homemade or jarred pear-apple mincemeat, extra sugar, and buttery pastry. Old-fashioned holiday dessert at its best.

Kutia, a traditional Polish Christmas pudding made with wheat berries, ground poppy seeds, honey, walnuts, almonds, figs, dates, and rum-soaked currants. A treasured holiday dessert.

Fresh tart cherry pie with a lattice crust and a bright orange glaze drizzled on top while warm. A stunning holiday dessert that pairs citrus and cherry beautifully.

Eggnog parfait pies with lemon gelatin, vanilla ice cream, nutmeg, rum flavoring, and whipped egg whites in baked tart shells. A fluffy no-bake holiday dessert topped with whipped cream.

Cranberry wine gelatin mold with fresh cranberries simmered in red wine, set with raspberry gelatin, and studded with chopped walnuts. A jewel-toned holiday side or dessert.