60 Holiday Treats to Make This Season

My kids love these light, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, and have fun making them. These were always on our Christmas cookie plate when I was a kid, and now the tradition continues. —Susan Marshall, Colorado Springs, Colorado

My 2-year-old son, Levi, helped me create this delicious recipe one day and it was the first day he told me “I love you”! I will always remember making these with him. —Emily Butler, South Williamsport, Pennsylvania

These miniature trifles are so fun for fall holiday parties! The assembly takes a little longer than making one big trifle, but it’s worth it to see everyone’s reaction to getting their own! —Rhiannon Brownell, Newport News, Virginia

I have been seeing “surprise inside cookies” for a few years and really wanted to come up with my own version. After a little brainstorming, I came up with the idea of making Santa’s belly cookies and filling them with miniature cookies. These are so much fun to give as gifts—just wrap in colored cellophane and tie with a festive ribbon. You can exchange the mini cookies for candy or anything you’d like; if desired, you can color the cookie dough red, too. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado

If you love fun baking gadgets, you’ll enjoy making these crispy, almond-flavored cookies, which get their unique waffle design from a pizzelle maker. They bake up golden brown in only a few minutes. Feel free to double the chocolate drizzle if you’d like to cover the cookies more generously. —Hannah Riley, Norwalk, Ohio

Off-the-charts cuteness makes it nearly impossible for guests to resist these fluffy, coconutty treats. Luckily, they’re really easy to make—no oven needed. Merry Christ-mouse to you! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My family and I pick Honeycrisp apples at our local orchard every September. We are always looking for new ways to use the apples and this has become a favorite. The kids go straight to the refrigerator, grab a crisp, top it with ice cream, and have a delicious after-school snack. I also put these in their lunches for a special surprise. —Sabrina Olson, Otsego, Minnesota

Make holiday magic! These extra-special ornaments are totally customizable—each filled with a little snowfall of edible sprinkles. Let it snow in your house with the prettiest of decorative cookie keepsakes. —Josh Rink, Food Stylist, Taste of Home magazine

My husband and I are big fans of Irish cream, so I wanted to incorporate it into a brownie. I started with my mom’s brownie recipe, then added frosting and ganache. This decadent recipe is the result, and we are really enjoying them! —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

This recipe is quick and easy to whip up and the kids will love it! They are perfect to pack for a picnic or to have as a snack for family game night I guarantee you can’t eat just one…hey are so addicting & they’re perfect for satisfying any sweet tooth! —Jennifer Erwin, Reynoldsburg, Ohio

This fruitcake can be made weeks ahead and stored in the refrigerator until served. It tastes better if it sits for a while. You can substitute brazil nuts, pecans and hazelnuts if desired. —Jason Boor, Manchester, New York

For my son’s first Christmas home from Iraq, I wanted everything to feel magical. He loves meringue cookies, so I made a big batch of minty snowflakes. —Patricia Lindsay, Independence, Kansas

My son and I came up with this recipe together to satisfy our cravings for chocolate and spice. —Anna Nicoletta, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvanis

My family loves Hostess Zingers, especially the raspberry flavor coated with coconut. So we came up with this treat to make for school bake sales. We can make about four dozen in 30 minutes, and they sell out fast! —Pam Clark, Wheaton, Illinois

I love spending time in the kitchen with my nieces. This is the perfect recipe to make with the little ones. Dang cute, easy and portable! —Emily Tyra, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

After stumbling across a community recipe for gingerbread biscotti, I made several batches and tweaked it to our tastes. These became an instant obsession at our house.—Susan Board, Palmer, Alaska

Though they hold their cute snowman shape well, these cookies are still nice and soft. Kids love the design and everyone loves the chocolate flavor packed into the cookie.—Evangeline Bradford, Erlanger, Kentucky

My daughter won the grand champion title at the Alaska State Fair with these bars when she was 10. The topping is delicious but a bit crumbly—for neatly edged cookies, freeze before cutting. —Mary Bohanan, Sparks, Nevada

I have tried numerous recipes for cutout cookies over the years—this one is foolproof. My daughter and my granddaughter love making these for holidays and social events. Most of all, we enjoy decorating them. You can try almond flavoring or another flavoring of choice. This recipe is easily doubled. —Irene Palm, Mansfield, Ohio

Fruitcake always looked so festive to me but I did not like the hard citron fruit so I came up with my own recipe using dried fruits and nuts. I place these in Christmas themed petit fours paper cups and give them to neighbors and friends along with the many other cookies and candies I bake. These keep well in the freezer in an airtight container. Just thaw to room temperature and they taste fresh baked and moist. —Lisa McDermith, Highland, California

With their bright color and frosty sugared look, these homemade gumdrops are irresistible. They’re softer than the store-bought kind and have tongue-tingling anise flavor. —Richard Bunt, Painted Post, New York

Surprise guests with a fun holiday treat—dipped cheesecake wedges you can eat without a fork. Whenever my son has one, he jokes that he wants to quit his job so he can sell them! —Maria Morelli, Kelowna, British Columbia

Plan your own tropical escape with these surprisingly light-tasting pops. Angel food cake is a nice change of pace.

When I wanted a new frozen treat for my family, I came up with this citrusy, chocolaty version of classic Italian semifreddo. For an elegant presentation on special occasions, top each serving with whipped cream, a tangerine section and baking cocoa. —Claire Cruce, Atlanta, Georgia

Julia Child had a love of life and French cooking, as she and and Alex Prud’homme described in the book My Life in France. The woman who introduced Americans to the delights of French cuisine would find these crisp, chewy French-style macarons cookies a delight, too! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

You can’t beat the combination of almond flavor with cherries. These light and fluffy dumplings are heavenly. Topped with the sauce and ice cream, it makes for a scrumptious dessert. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

When my children were younger, we’d make dozens of different cookies and candies. Then we’d pack up an assortment of each and deliver them to friends. These mouthwatering wafers were always a favorite.—Phyl Broich-Wessling, Garner, Iowa

A tower of creme de menthe-flavored puffs makes an eye-catching centerpiece for your dessert table. Guests will have this luscious pyramid deconstructed quickly! —Agnes Ward, Stratford, Ontario

My family looks forward to this luscious apricot-studded fudge every year. It’s easy to make a really does melt in your mouth. I like to wrap up small squares of the candy with ribbon and silk holly.

It was my dad who inspired me to first try making this candy. He remembered it from when he was a boy. The ultimate compliment was when he told me my version tasted even better! My husband’s a driver with a parcel service. As you can probably guess, he works long hours around the holidays—that gives me time for making treats! We have a 2-year-old (he likes to jump up on a chair and help in the kitchen) and a second child due in March.

Add a touch of whimsy to your holiday spread with these chocolaty treats. They’re perfect for getting little ones involved. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

This fudge is virtually foolproof and so creamy you won’t believe it. I’ve searched for years for the richest fudge, and this one does it for me. You can add just about anything you like to customize it.—Barbara Miller, Oakdale, Minnesota

I combined fresh cranberry salad with the rich custard known as pots de crème, and the result is ever so elegant compared to the usual desserts. —Carmell Childs, Clawson, Utah

My mother’s golden eclairs have a rich, creamy custard filling. If you prefer, replace the simple glaze on top with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or a drizzle of melted chocolate. —Laurinda Johnston, Belchertown, Massachusetts

Cornflakes take the place of traditional rice cereal in these sweet no-bake treats from our Test Kitchen. Dressed up with green food coloring and red candies, they’re a fun addition to cookie platters and dessert buffets. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I collect cookbooks from all over the world and use them to create new dishes. These smooth caramels have a scrumptious and exotic flavor. —Sharon Delaney-Chronis, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Calling for just a few ingredients, this is one candy that’s simple to prepare. I make lots of different candy at Christmas to give as gifts. It’s time consuming, but worth it to see the delight it brings to people. -Joanne Adams, Bath, Maine

What did I do when I couldn’t decide between two of my favorite desserts? Combined them! These blondie and snickerdoodle bars are even better with my other favorite ingredient: caramel. —Niki Plourde, Gardner, Massachusetts

Christmastime always means that this recipe comes out of my recipe box. The traditional holiday colors in this salad make the buffet table look so pretty. —Diane Schefelker, Ireton, Iowa

There are two super-duper treats in this brilliant confection for teachers, neighbors and friends—cream-filled cookies and candy canes. We keep a big supply ready for gift giving. —Robin Turner, Lake Elsinore, California

“This is my son’s favorite Christmas cookie. It is a very old recipe that I have used many times.” These delightful gems have great nutmeg flavor and are a perfect way to ring in the holidays. – Janie Colle, Hutchinson, Kansas

This recipe was my grandpa’s favorite. At Christmastime, he would be busy making marshmallows for his family and friends. —Diana Byron, New London, Ohio

These adorable goodies are a fun treat for kids, neighbors and friends. Get the little ones involved and let them help you create a new holiday tradition. —Abigail Vandersaul, Saint Paul, Missouri

These are fun, refreshing and low in fat! —Lynn Bernstetter, Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

Looking for a little something special to share with friends or family? Try these crunchy treats. They’re great with coffee or a glass of milk. —Peggy Woodward, Shullsburg, Wisconsin

Fun and festive, these cookie sandwich trees will be a huge hit with kids of all ages. They’re a super-cute holiday treat! —Steve Foy, Kirkwood, Missouri

As rosy as Santa’s cheeks, these merry morsels with chocolate kisses on top are a delightful yuletide favorite and one of my most-requested recipes. —Traci Wynne, Denver, Pennsylvania

With peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallows, these treats were very popular with our three kids as they were growing up—and now I make them for our two grandchildren. They’re perfect for the holidays when time is so precious. —Dody Cagenello, Simsbury, Connecticut

With its melt-in-your-mouth texture and scrumptiously rich flavor, this is the ultimate toffee! Drizzled on top are three different kinds of melted chips, plus a sprinkling of walnuts. Packaged in colorful tins, these pretty pieces make great gifts. —Lana Petfield Richmond, Virginia

I never cared for jam-filled thumbprints, so I decided to fill them with frosting instead. This makes them easy to ship, which you can’t do with the sticky jam filling. I sent these to my daughter while she was serving in Iraq, and they made the long haul in perfect condition. —Wendy Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota

Could these be any more adorable? To treat your guests to this chocolaty, peanut buttery goodness, just cover Nutter Butter cookies with chocolate and decorate! They’re a lot of fun to make and even more fun to eat. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

These light, airy morsels are twice as nice with two meringue cookies and velvety ganache in between. —Donna Pochoday-Stelmach, Morristown, New Jersey

After an afternoon of sledding, kids will love to warm up with hot chocolate and these special snowman toppers. The snowmen will disappear as they sip and so will the chill on their fingers and toes! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

I found this in a box of recipe clippings and decided to give them a whirl. I’m so glad I did! The minty flavor is perfect for Christmas. —Joe Mattes, Amana, Iowa

I first made these cakes for a friend when I lived in the dorms at college and had no access to appliances. Little did I know I would be making them 20 years later for my children! —Lara Pennell, Mauldin, South Carolina

I wanted to impress my husband’s family with something you’d expect to find in a European bakery, and these chocolaty treats are what I came up with. The flaky pastry melts in your mouth. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon

People say they love my coconut macaroon-like Christmas trees because they look so festive. Once decorated, these trees light up a room—just like the real thing. —Michelle Retterer, Marysville, Ohio

This was originally my daughter’s recipe, and she or I will make it for one or more of our holiday get-togethers. It can be served as a fruit salad along with the meal or as a light dessert. It’s particularly pretty in a cut-glass bowl on a buffet. —Ruth Bolduc, Conway, New Hampshire

Make these baked Alaskas ahead of time—you can torch the completed desserts and freeze them up to 24 hours before serving. —Kerry Dingwall, Ponte Vedra, Florida

Making these soft, chewy cookies with a rich flavor has been a family tradition since my children were small. At Christmastime, I shape the dough into gingerbread men with tasty raisin eyes and buttons. —Sue Bartlett, Berlin, Wisconsin