25 Delectable Holiday Desserts

If you can manage to wait, chief baking officer Arnold Eric Wong of Raison d’Être bakery in South San Francisco recommends serving his moist brownies a day after baking because they develop an even fudgier texture and mintier flavor.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

The appeal: With its jewel-like filling, this cake is a snowy white showstopper

Baker’s tip: To make a pure white cake, use your fingers to rub off the browned surface of each layer before assembling.

Recipe: Cranberry Obsession Snow Cake

This party-size, extravagantly dense and creamy cheesecake comes from chef Peter Birk at Boka restaurant in Seattle. He infuses cream with fresh mint; we used extract for simplicity.

Recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

The appeal: Silky caramel, ripe bananas, creamy vanilla custard, all oozing from a stack of crunchy meringue layers: You want only certain people to see you get this messy

Baker’s tip: Dacquoise―a cake made of crisp meringue layers―works best if you pair it with soft, fluffy, or creamy fillings. This dessert is all about contrasts in texture.

Recipe: Banana Pecan Dacquoise

The party: New Year’s Eve bash

The appeal: A super-refreshing way to usher in the new year, and great with Champagne

Baker’s tip: Segmenting citrus fruit (removing the membranes so just fruit is left) makes it seem juicier and more tender.

Recipe: Orange Trifle with Grand Marnier Cream

The appeal: It’s so rich that even a small slice is satisfying

Baker’s tip: Run a spatula around the inside of the pan just after baking to help the cheesecake firm up without cracking

Recipe: Eggnog Cheesecake

The party: Cocktails with lots of finger food

The appeal: Dessert version of cocktail snacks; cute and tasty

Baker’s tip: When you dip the ice cream balls in chocolate, make sure you coat some of the skewer too―this keeps the ice cream from sliding off as it melts.

Recipe: Peppermint Ice Cream Bon Bons

The party: The office get-together

The appeal: They look impressively hard to make (actually, the opposite is true); easy to pack

Baker’s tip: As with any super-buttery dough, chilling it makes it much easier to slice

Recipe: Cardamom Brown-Sugar Palmiers

Clementines create a pure, intense sorbetto (sorbet) that practically explodes with flavor. Serve with chocolate biscotti for a little decadence.

Recipe: Clementine Sorbetto

These rich chocolate brownies are topped with a delicate layer of peppermint candy. They’re perfect for the holidays.

Recipe: Peppermint-topped Brownies

Our whipped cream cake sprinkled with crushed peppermint might just become your next holiday tradition.

Recipe: Candy Cane Cake

This towering cake, garnished with chunks of coffee-flavored toffee, makes a luscious centerpiece for the holiday dessert table.

Recipe: Spice Cake with Coffee Toffee Crunch

This pancake-like cake is great for after dinner or as a breakfast treat. And it comes together in less than 30 minutes.

Recipe: Apple Oven Cake

This bread is a versatile, easy-to-make crowd-pleaser, delicately laced with Grand Marnier and studded with tart dried cranberries and orange zest. It’s good for breakfast or as a gift.

Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Bread with Grand Marnier Glaze

This dark, moist cake is a favorite of guests at the Vista Verde Ranch in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where it’s cut into rounds and set on a pool of custard sauce.

Recipe: Cholly’s World-Famous Gingerbread Cake

Peppermint’s cool bite gets smoothed out when paired with creamy cheesecake.

Recipe: Crushed Peppermint Cheesecake

This delightfully clean and colorful dessert is ideal to serve after a rich main course.

Recipe: Sparkling Oranges

This show-stopping dessert is both elegant and delicious–just the thing for capping off your holiday in style.

Recipe: Caramel-cloaked Chocolate-Hazelnut Torte

You can make the jam mixture and dough for this elegant tart up to three days ahead of time.

Recipe: Cranberry Jam Tart

These golden-brown pears make a stunning finale, and they can be made well ahead of time. Chocolate sorbet adds a deep, rich flavor note.

Recipe: Caramelized Pears with Toasted Hazelnuts and Chocolate Sorbet

A spicy, molasses-rich gingerbread is the base of a wonderfully festive dessert.

Recipe: Gingerbread Pear Trifle

We love this cake from Doña Tomás restaurant in Oakland, California; it’s rich with a sauce like dulce de leche.

Recipe: Tres Leches Cake with Raspberries

The colorful mixture of fruit and nuts makes for a festive presentation atop rich shortbread.

Recipe: Florentine Bars

Dark beer, molasses, and crystallized ginger give this cake uncommon depth of flavor. Candied-ginger whipped cream gilds the lily.

Recipe: Guinness Stout Gingerbread Cake

This dessert has several components that can be made ahead of time, making for easy assembly after dinner is finished.

Recipe: Sticky Toffee Trifle with Cranberries