40 Last-Minute Holiday Baking Recipes You Can Make in 30 Minutes

Gloria tucks a rich chocolate surprise into each of these cute bites. Candied cherries add a colorful finishing touch.

Tart, juicy cranberries enhance the delicate pumpkin flavor of these muffins. Sometimes I dust the tops with powdered sugar to add a little sweetness. —Sue Ross, Casa Grande, Arizona

My dad sandwiches mint patties between two tender chocolate cookies to create these chewy treats. The blend of chocolate and mint is a big hit at our house. Best of all, these cookies are easy and fun to make. —Christina Burbage, Spartanburg, South Carolina

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

These rich, fudgy cookies are chewy and studded with tangy dried cherries. It’s a good thing the recipe makes only a small batch, because we eat them all in one night! —Trisha Kruse, Eagle, Idaho

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

This scrumptious trifle recipe is a family heirloom. My grandmother would make an enormous dish of it for Saturday night dinners when they often had guests. If there were leftovers, they'd eat that English trifle dessert every night that week until it was gone! —Ruth Verratti, Gasport, New York

I love making rum raisin rice pudding around the holidays. Those flavors inspired this recipe. Crispy rice cereal adds crunch, but nuts, toasted coconut, or candied pineapple could do the job, too.—Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado

Topped with a chocolate kiss, these cherry-flavored cookies look super cute on a dessert tray. Share them with family and friends. —Joy Yurk, Grafton, Wisconsin

These golden cakelike cookies are my favorite, especially around the holidays. They disappear quickly from my dessert trays. The subtle pumpkin and cinnamon flavors pair nicely with chocolate chips. —Tami Burroughs, Salem, Oregon

Using hot chocolate mix and marshmallow bits in the cookie dough really makes these cookies taste like hot cocoa. —Lisa Kaminski, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

When my husband came home from the grocery store with six bags of fresh cranberries, I launched a full-scale effort to creatively use them all. Bursting with tart and sweet flavors, these cranberry coconut cookies are my favorite result from that experiment. —Amy Alberts, Appleton, Wisconsin

The history of this whimsically named treat is widely disputed, but the popularity of this classic cinnamon-sugar-coated cookie is undeniable! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Thanks to frozen pound cake and a can of pie filling, this torte's easy to make. If layers slide, keep them in place with toothpicks around the edges as you build. Just remove before serving. —Joan Causey, Greenwood, Arkansas

These are so tasty and simple to prepare! Each delightful little cookie is loaded with cranberries, nuts and vanilla, giving them the taste of a treat that’s been slaved over. —Louise Hawkins, Lubbock, Texas

Nothing beats these quick muffins for irresistible, homemade pumpkin pie flavor. Serve them with any meal or as a satisfying snack. —Michel Karkula, Chandler, Arizona

Folks who love the flavor of the classic cookie will enjoy that same great flavor in these chocolate chip bars. This blondie recipe can be mixed up in a jiffy, tastes wonderful, and is perfect for occasions when company drops by unexpectedly or you need a treat in a hurry. —Rhonda Knight, Hecker, Illinois

This recipe came from an old family friend and is always high on everyone's cookie request list. I make at least six batches for Noel nibbling and give some away as gifts. —Beverly Fehner, Gladstone, Missouri

When I baked these moist, fudgy cookies for the first time, my three preschool children went wild over them! But I like them because they're lower in fat and easy to mix and bake. —Maria Groff, Ephrata, Pennsylvania

During college, my student job was in the bakery. These Red Velvet Cookies take me back to that special place and time. —Christina Petri, Alexandria, Minnesota

These nicely spiced, big soft ginger cookies are perfect for folks who like the flavor of ginger but don't care for crunchy gingersnaps. —Barbara Gray, Boise, Idaho

I bake a lot of different muffins, but this is the recipe I use the most. Their small size makes them difficult to resist! —Joanne Shew Chuk, St. Benedict, Saskatchewan

After opening our gifts on Christmas Eve as children, we would make these cookies for Santa Claus to snack on with his glass of milk. The crisp spice cookies are delicious dipped in that milk—or in your coffee on Christmas morning. —Charli Fontana, Pella, Iowa

These no-fuss candied fruit cookies are both nutty and fruity, so they're always a hit at holiday time. —Florence Monson, Denver, Colorado

Cookie butter and ground ginger add a new layer of flavor. The recipe makes about 18 cookies; they go fast so you may want to make a double batch. —Carole Resnick, Cleveland, Ohio

Talk about a stunning dessert! The best part? You need only five ingredients to put it together. —Daniel Anderson, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

These dainty cookies just melt in your mouth. I enjoy making them for get-togethers when there are lots of people around to enjoy them. —Mary Lou Welsh, Hinsdale, Illinois

Get ready to pour yourself a cup of tea, because you won’t be able to resist sampling one of these cookies. Almonds add taste and texture to the simple strips that are dressed up with raspberry pie filling.

These are great for breakfast. Once the family gets a taste, these delicious muffins will disappear quickly! —Karen Moore, Jacksonville, Florida

My mother used to make this easy 10-cup cookie recipe for my sisters and me. You could find one of our favorite ingredients in every bite, whether it was chocolate, coconut, raisins or nuts. —Tracy Powers, Byron Center, Michigan

Lots of moist, fruity flavor and nutty crunch give these sweet/spicy bites a kind of gumdrop richness. They make a delicious addition to cookie trays. Sneak one early—they’ll be gone before you can lick the sugar off your fingers! —CORLEEN HEIDGERKEN, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Coconut macaroons with sweetened condensed milk instead of egg whites are my version of a recipe my mom loved. All you do is mix, drop and bake. —Veronica Miller, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Cookies that melt in your mouth and are practically fat-free—is it any wonder these crispy meringue morsels disappear as fast as I can whip them up? Friends and family love them. —Jo Ann Blomquest, Freeport, Illinois

Here's proof that peanut butter and chocolate just belong together. These cookies are an easy family favorite and never fail to make my children smile. —Tammie Merrill, Wake Forest, North Carolina

These cookies freeze well, so it's easy to keep some on hand for last-minute munching. In summer, I often make them larger to use for ice cream sandwiches. —Mary Rempel, Altona, Manitoba

Baklava has amazing memories for me; my best friend made it for my bridal and baby showers. And then, she taught me how to make it! These delicious little miniatures give you the taste of baklava in a bite-sized package. —Margaret Guillory, Eunice, Louisiana

You’ll love to give tins of these chocolate-coated cookies to your lucky friends. The shortcut holiday recipe is almost too simple to believe! Here's how to make peanut butter cookies without eggs. —Jackie Howell, Gordo, Alabama

If you like coconut, you’ll love these no-bake, no-fuss sweets. They’re cute as can be and would make a great after-school snack to keep in the fridge. —Flo Burtnett, North Gage, Oklahoma

Chocolate lovers will go crazy over these cookies that feature loads of chocolate! When friends ask me to make "those cookies," I know exactly what recipe they mean.—Rebecca Jendry, Spring Branch, Texas

This recipe is one of my family's favorites, and I make the treats a lot, especially at Christmas. I have three children and eight grandchildren, and every one of them loves those "peanut butter thingies," as the grandchildren call them! —Jodie McCoy, Tulsa, Oklahoma