The holiday season is a time for celebrating with family and friends. As the host of a Christmas party, you want to provide your guests with a memorable experience, including serving delicious food and desserts.
However, with your busy schedule leading up to the holidays, you may not have time to prepare elaborate desserts that require fancy ingredients or complex recipes. The good news is there are many beginner-friendly desserts that are sure to impress your guests while being easy for you to make.
Here are some beginner-friendly dessert ideas that are perfect for your upcoming Christmas party. These desserts use simple ingredients you likely already have on hand, require minimal active cooking time, and produce professional-looking results.
Here Are Eight Best Beginner-Friendly Dessert Ideas for Your Christmas Party
Your guests will think you spent hours in the kitchen when, really, these desserts came together in a flash. From cookies and bars to pies, cakes, and more, there’s something for every type of sweet tooth.
Read on for eight dessert ideas that will make your Christmas party a massive hit without requiring you to spend all day in the kitchen.
1. Creme Brulee
Creme brulee is a classic French dessert made with rich custard topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar. It may sound fancy, but creme brulee is actually quite easy to make at home. If you’re unsure about the process, there are many online resources dedicated to making creme brulee, offering step-by-step guides and tips to ensure your dessert is flawless. The custard only requires egg yolks, cream, vanilla, and sugar, so the ingredient list is simple. You don’t have to worry about temperamental egg whites or folding anything delicately.
Just whisk together the ingredients and bake in a water bath for a smooth and silky custard. Top it off with some sugar and a kitchen torch or broiler to caramelize the sugar, and you have an elegant dessert with little effort. Your guests will be impressed by the crunchy topping contrasting the creamy interior. Creme brulee is the perfect make-ahead dessert, too, since the custard needs to chill overnight before torching.
2. Gingerbread Cookies
What’s more festive than decorated gingerbread cookies? Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and molasses, gingerbread cookies are a classic Christmas treat. Make a batch of gingerbread dough using your favorite recipe.
While the dough chills, get creative with cookie cutters to make gingerbread people, trees, snowflakes, etc. Let the kids participate in rolling out and cutting the dough. Bake the cookies until they are slightly crisp on the outside yet still soft inside.
Then, let the decorating begin! Set out frosting, sprinkles, and candy for decorating. Gingerbread cookies are fun for the whole family to decorate and make the perfect edible gift, too. Arrange them on a platter for your Christmas party, or tie them up with ribbon to give to guests.
3. Snowball Cookies
These festive bite-sized confections live up to their name. Also known as Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes, snowball cookies are buttery, nutty, and coated in powdered sugar resembling freshly fallen snow.
The dough is simple to make with just butter, flour, vanilla, and chopped pecans or walnuts. Chill the dough briefly before rolling it into balls and baking until set but not browned. While still warm, roll the cookies in powdered sugar.
Once cooled, roll them a second time in powdered sugar for the signature snowball effect. Snowball cookies’ melt-in-your-mouth texture makes them irresistible. Their small size also makes them easy to eat at a party. Drizzle with melted chocolate or sprinkles for extra decoration if desired.
4. Holiday Bark
Holiday Bark makes a festive and easy dessert for your Christmas party. Start with store-bought chocolate or candy bark. Temper chocolate or use candy melts if you want to make your own from scratch. Top with any combination of nuts, crushed candy canes, sprinkles, dried fruit, peppermint, caramel, etc.
Spread the topping evenly over the bark before the chocolate sets. Break the finished bark into pieces and arrange them nicely on a platter. With endless topping options, you can customize flavors to suit any preference. Peppermint, caramel, cranberry, and eggnog are all popular holiday flavors. The preparation is minimal, but the end result looks gourmet. Offering a variety of holiday barks is sure to please all of your guests’ tastes.
5. Eggnog Cheesecake Dip
Here’s a unique spin on cheesecake that’s perfect for a Christmas party. Eggnog cheesecake dip takes just minutes to prepare but looks and tastes like you spent hours on it. Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, eggnog, and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon until smooth and creamy.
Refrigerate until chilled and slightly thickened. Serve with gingersnaps, graham crackers, fresh fruit like strawberries, or other dippers. The eggnog flavor gives this dip a delicious holiday flair. It’s great for a dessert table or as an appetizer before your main meal. The creamy texture and sweet flavor will leave your guests wanting more than just one taste.
Related: Savoring Seasons: Irresistible Strawberry Shortcake Recipes for Every Occasion
6. Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Warm your guests with chocolatey hot chocolate cupcakes. Make a batch of chocolate cupcakes and fill the centers with marshmallow fluff for a melted marshmallow effect—frost with a Swiss meringue or whipped cream frosting. Sprinkle the tops with crushed peppermint, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, or dust with cocoa powder.
For an extra festive touch, serve the cupcakes in red or green paper liners. Offer some homemade hot chocolate to pair with the cupcakes so guests can enjoy the hot chocolate experience. The combo of chocolate cake, marshmallow filling, and festive toppings will make these a new favorite holiday treat.
Conclusion
Hosting a Christmas party is a great way to celebrate the holidays with loved ones. Providing delicious desserts is one of the keys to throwing a memorable party. The above beginner-friendly dessert ideas inspired you for treats to serve at your upcoming Christmas gathering.
Best of all, these desserts come together quickly with simple ingredients you likely have on hand. Your guests will be amazed that such gourmet holiday goodies could be so easy to make. With this list by your side, your Christmas party is sure to be a sweet success!
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