4 Heavenly Holiday Dessert Recipes to Wow Family and Friends

These will have guests coming back for seconds (or thirds).

Jenn Segal

Published November 07, 2024

As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to start thinking about those festive desserts that everyone looks forward to. Whether you're sticking with the classics like a moist pumpkin bread or a warm apple crisp, or venturing into something a little different like an astonishingly easy (yet delicious) Nantucket cranberry pie, there's something for every sweet tooth. As the creator of Once Upon a Chef, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite holiday treats that will have guests coming back for seconds (or thirds).

After all, what’s the holiday season without a little indulgence?

Pumpkin bread on red velvet tablecloth

Pumpkin Bread

Kids love it, grown-ups love it … this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!

Servings: Makes 2 loaves

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 eggs

• 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin

Preheat oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour (alternatively, use baking spray with flour in it).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until combined; set aside.

In an electric mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium until just blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in pumpkin.

Add flour mixture and mix on low until combined.

Turn batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cranberry pie

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

This is pure holiday magic — a delightful mix of pie, cobbler and cake that’s easy to whip up.

Servings: 8 to 10

Base

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

• ⅔ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

• ½ cup granulated sugar

Topping

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon sparkling or turbinado sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F and set the oven rack in the middle position.

Base: Add melted butter to a 9-inch deep-dish pan; swirl around to grease sides. Spread cranberries and pecans evenly in the pan; sprinkle with sugar.

Topping: In an electric mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on low until combined. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts; beat until smooth. Beat in flour and salt until evenly combined.

Pour batter over cranberries and pecans in the pan, using a spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle the top evenly with sparkling/turbinado sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. (The bottom of the dessert will remain gooey, so just check the cakey top.)

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Apple crisp

Apple Crisp

Apples bubbling under a crunchy oat-pecan streusel, this rustic apple crisp is the ultimate fall dessert.

Servings: 8

· ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

· ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

· ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided

· Pinch salt

· 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch dice

· 1 cup chopped pecans

· ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

· 2½ pounds tart baking apples (about 5 large), peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick

· Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F; set an oven rack in the middle position.

In a food processor, pulse flour with brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar and salt until combined. Add the butter; pulse. Transfer crumbs to a bowl; stir in the pecans and oats.

Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar.

Transfer apple mixture to prepared baking dish; cover with oat topping. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced and topping is toasted. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Molasses cookies

Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies

Soft and chewy with a crackled sugar crust, these gingery molasses cookies are loved by kids and adults alike.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground allspice

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of packed light brown sugar

• 1 egg

• ⅓ cup of unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma's Original

• ½ cup raw sugar (aka turbinado or demerara sugar), for rolling cookies

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat butter and granulated and light brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add flour mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.

Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the raw sugar to coat generously.

Arrange dough balls about 2½ in apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and set.

Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Is there a festive holiday dessert you tend to make every year? Let us know in the comments below.