For the Christmas dessert table
15 Christmas Desserts for Your Holiday Table
Fifteen Christmas dessert ideas, from cookies and cherry bars to chilled cheesecake cups, pumpkin bread, caramel apple bites, and pistachio chocolate.
By PedroPublished November 5, 2026 · Updated November 5, 2026
Not everyone wants the same sweet after a Christmas meal. I'd like a plate with something small to pick up, a spoon for a chilled cup, and a few squares to share. The cherry crumble, dark chocolate shell, and powdered sugar on the lemon cookies bring enough variety without another layer of decoration.
There are fifteen choices here, including eight cookie recipes. I'd narrow them down by serving style first: glasses, slices, squares, or a plate of cookies. The preparation matters too. Some need refrigerator space, some need a cooling rack, and the caramel apple bites are best served soon after they set.
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
These delicate butter cookies have a short ingredient list and lightly golden edges. I'd use them alongside a richer dessert rather than add icing. Allow the piped trays their full 30-minute chill and leave the baked cookies to cool completely before moving them.
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter, sugar, and an egg make cookies with familiar fork marks and soft centers. There's no required dough chill in this recipe. I'd fit a batch around a dessert that's waiting in the refrigerator, then give the cookies their short rest on the baking sheet.
Brown Butter Cookies
For a darker chocolate option, these thick cookies combine dark chocolate chips with browned butter. They take planning: the butter must become solid again before mixing, then the shaped dough needs at least two hours of chilling. I'd allow time for both chilling stages before starting.
Honey Cinnamon Cookies
Honey and cinnamon give these golden cookies a warm flavor, with tender centers and a light finish of flaky salt. I'd put them near the fruit desserts for a change from chocolate. Leave generous space on the tray because the dough spreads during baking.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
The powdered sugar coating cracks as the soft lemon cookies bake. Juice and zest provide the citrus flavor. These are the ones I'd choose when the table needs something brighter beside browned butter, cinnamon, and chocolate.
Marry Me Cookies
Oats add texture to cookies made with brown butter, cinnamon, and white and dark chocolate. I'd include these if I want a cookie with more than one kind of bite. The browned butter and sugars need a 15-minute chill before the eggs are added, as directed in the full recipe.
Soft Apple Pie Cookies
A soft cinnamon cookie holds cooked apple filling, with chopped pecans on top. These are substantial cookies, so I'd give them their own plate rather than squeeze them between smaller ones. The filling brings a different texture from the chocolate chip and plain butter batches.
Zebra Cookies
Vanilla and cocoa dough form the stripes inside each slice. The pattern comes from the dough block, so there's no icing stage at the end. Keep the block chilled before slicing to preserve the bands when you move the cookies onto the sheet.
Caramel Apple Bites
Pretzels, soft caramel, fresh apple, chocolate, and peanuts make a small sweet-and-salty bite. The five-minute bake softens the caramel; it isn't the full preparation time. I'd serve the bites soon after the chocolate and caramel set so the fresh apple and pretzel keep their crunch.
Cherry Pie Bars
These have a thick cherry layer and almond crumble over a buttery base. I'd choose them for a plate of squares beside the dessert cups. The pan needs to cool completely before cutting, so leave that time in the plan rather than serving straight from the oven.
Mini Cheesecake Cups
A fine cookie base and light cream cheese filling wait in the refrigerator for at least eight hours. The fruit and basil are finishing touches for serving. I'd choose the glasses before mixing because their size affects how many portions the filling will make.
No-Bake Oreo Dessert Cups
Oreos appear in the base, the filling, and the final crumbs, with fresh raspberries on top. The recipe makes three cups and needs at least one hour in the refrigerator. These are the shorter-chill choice if the overnight cheesecakes don't fit your plan.
Dubai Chocolate Bar
Pistachio cream and tahini bind the crisp toasted kataifi inside a dark chocolate shell. A mold and several freezer rests are needed to build the bar. I'd let the unmolded chocolate stand briefly before slicing pieces for the table.
Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
Cinnamon and chocolate chips run through a tender pumpkin loaf. I'd slice it for anyone who wants something cake-like without a separate frosting. The recipe starts with cooked pumpkin puree, and the baked loaf needs to cool completely before cutting.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
These no-bake cups have a cookie base and a fluffy pumpkin filling with cinnamon. Allow at least two hours in the refrigerator. The cocoa dusting shown in the photos is optional; I'd leave the finish simple enough to see the pale orange filling underneath.
A smaller selection works too
Pick how you want to serve dessert.
I'd choose one chilled cup, one dessert to slice or cut, and perhaps a cookie batch if I wanted a mixed table. Start the mini cheesecakes the evening before, leave room for the chocolate to set, and give the loaf and cherry bars their full cooling time.
The caramel apple bites belong nearer serving. Keep the dessert cups refrigerated until needed and finish their tops as directed. Fifteen options are here to help you choose, not to turn Christmas dessert into fifteen separate jobs.
Browse all easy desserts →