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Top 8 Christmas Desserts

December 21, 2021 by Chelsea Findling Leave a Comment

There are so many different Christmas treats out there these days that it’s hard to figure out which ones are the best to make. I like making an assortment to please everyone’s palate. Plus, it’s nice to have an assortment of treats and choices varying from chocolate peanut butter balls to chocolate chip cherry cookies. The top eight Christmas desserts are listed below for you to include in a friend or family gathering. Some recipes are made on the stovetop while others require you to put more effort and bake. I’ve also included a delicious vegan raspberry thumbprint cookie recipe for those of you who can’t eat wheat, milk or eggs.

Table of Contents

  • 1. Chelsea Cookies (Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies)
  • 2. Chocolate Oatmeal Drops
  • 3. Chow Mein Chocolate Christmas Desserts
  • 4. Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
  • 5. Vegan Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
  • 6. Marshmallow Yule Log
  • 7. Rice Krispies
  • 8. Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares
  • Final Thoughts
  • Additional Links

1. Chelsea Cookies (Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies)

Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies made from red and green cherries, chocolate chips sit in a plate. They are first on the Top 8 Christmas Desserts to make.
These Chelsea Cookies (Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies) are delicious!

My first favourite item in the top 8 Christmas Desserts is Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies. In my house, we call them Chelsea cookies as I love them! They are so delicious! Be sure to grab one before they’re gone! They are similar to a chocolate chip cookie, with a twist. The green and red maraschino cherries add a flavourful chewy texture when you bite into a cookie. I like adding both Christmas colours, to make it more festive. The shredded coconut adds a sweet taste. They make an awesome treat to bring to 5 Awesome Outdoor Skating Rinks.

These are simple to make and the recipe produces 3 ½ dozen cookies. It’s always nice to include cookies on a Christmas platter. This fantastic recipe will keep your guests fascinated with the different ingredients in this cookie. They’ll wonder where you got this wonderful recipe; be sure to refer them to my site!

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2. Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

Chocolate Oatmeal Drops made of cocoa and oatmeal sit on the plate. They are second on the Top 8 Christmas Desserts to make.
These Chocolate Oatmeal Drops are super easy to make!

You can easily double the recipe if you need more chocolate oatmeal drops, for a bigger crowd. It won’t require a lot of extra time to double the batch. They are chewy and easy to eat after being stored in the fridge. They thaw quickly after being taken out and put on the counter.

The second on the top 8 Christmas Desserts are Chocolate Oatmeal Drops. These don’t require any baking. They are super easy to make and don’t require very much time. You can start the process and put the dessert away in under an hour. They are made on the stovetop and need to be refrigerated for them to set. You can make these ahead of time. Take some out when you need a few to put on a plate or as a grab-and-go snack.

Tip: Make sure to use a big pot to ensure you can easily mix the oatmeal with the chocolate. Pecans are optional. If you like them, go ahead and add them. If you don’t, you can omit them.

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3. Chow Mein Chocolate Christmas Desserts

Chow Mein Chocolate clumps made from chow mein noodles, peanuts, butterscotch and chocolate chips sit on a plate.
These Chow Mein Chocolate Christmas clumps are a dessert that I make every year due to their popularity.

Chow Mein Chocolate Cookies are a favourite in our family and made the top 8 Christmas Desserts for that reason. The chocolate and butterscotch chips are melted on the stovetop or in the microwave before coating the chow mein noodles and peanuts. They are then placed on wax paper in the fridge. You can make them ahead of time as well and pull them out whenever they are needed. They are easy to make and don’t require many ingredients. You might have most of the ingredients available on hand, other than the chow mein noodles (not something I usually keep in stock), to create as a snack or offering for a family gathering or party.

Tip: Make small clumps otherwise they can be a bit difficult to eat if the drops are too big, as the chow mein pieces can jab you in the mouth. They can be more of a clumsy shape if you use big peanuts. It depends on what’s available at the store, but they might look slightly different than mine. I used chopped peanuts in the picture above.

Even with them being slightly awkward to eat, chow mein chocolate cookies are so tasty! They offer a crunchy and sweet dessert.

4. Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls made from peanut butter, chocolate and butter sit on a plate.
These are a great dessert if you love a combination of chocolate and peanut butter!

Do you love peanut butter and chocolate as much as I do? Someone decided to create a Christmas treat that includes those two main ingredients. Genius! I’m sold. This is why it is included in the top 8 Christmas Desserts. It’s another simple dessert to prepare at the last minute or ahead of time. You might need to head to the grocery store ahead of making these, though, to make sure you have all the ingredients.

Tip: Placing them on a Christmas platter can make a great addition to your other treats. Keep in mind to mention to friends and family who have a peanut allergy to avoid these goodies.

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5. Vegan Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Vegan Raspberry Thumbprint (raspberry in the center of the beige cookies) sits on the plate.
A vegan option for those with dietary restrictions who can’t eat milk, wheat and eggs.

This recipe is for people who need to eat or prefer vegan food. I found this recipe while on my sensitivity diet one Christmas. I needed new recipes to fill my Christmas dessert cravings. It’s so delicious that I’ve kept it as a standard recipe I make every year and have included it in my top 8 Christmas desserts. They are a fun recipe to include children in the process. Make sure to have those children around to put thumbprints on the cookies. What better way to get kids involved than by telling them that they are required to put their thumbs into the dough so that jam can be added before the cookies are baked? Children will be so happy to help!

If you often eat vegan food, you might have the ingredients available. If you’re trying this new recipe as a non-vegan, check the list of ingredients and shop before making the vegan raspberry thumbprint cookies. This recipe requires more work and planning. Since it’s a recipe that requires baking, it will take more time overall to make these cookies.

This is a delicious recipe. It’s a simple Christmas dessert but with the jam in the middle of the cookie, the tasty flavour bursts through! As a bonus, it doesn’t have chocolate. I love chocolate but sometimes it’s nice to have a treat that doesn’t include it.

6. Marshmallow Yule Log

Marshmallow Yule Log made from marshmallows, coconut, walnuts and chocolate sit in a plate, as well as cut up round pieces to see what the inside looks like.  They are sixth on the Top 8 Christmas Desserts to make.
Another wonderful dessert if you like chocolate! Photo credit: Carole Ross

This Marshmallow Yule Log was my grandma’s favourite Christmas dessert, for its crunchy, chewy and chocolatey flavours. That is why I included it in the top 8 Christmas Desserts to make this season. It contains walnuts, coconut, and multi-coloured marshmallows. White marshmallows can also be used, depending on your preference. I find that the multiple colours give it a more festive feel for Christmas, but it’s up to you. Mix all the ingredients and then roll the mixture in a log shape on waxed paper. It gets rolled up in the wax paper to create a chocolate log. It’s easy to make and store in preparation for your guests to pop over. This one provides a different crunch with walnuts instead of peanuts.

Tip: Buy small marshmallows instead of cutting up the big ones. Cut-up marshmallows tend to stick together and are a bit harder to manage when mixing the ingredients.

7. Rice Krispies

Three Rice Krispie Christmas Dessert squares sit on a plate.
A super fun Christmas dessert to make.

This is a staple for many families at Christmas. It’s straightforward to make and you can get your children involved. It only requires three ingredients: butter, large marshmallows and rice krispies. Because it’s such a simple recipe that the whole family can make, it had to be included in my top 8 Christmas Desserts. Follow the directions here. I chose the Holiday Rice Krispies for December to make it more of a festive treat but the plain colour works as well, if you prefer that one. These can be made all year round as a grab-and-go snack for a pick-me-up.

Tip: Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large pot. It will get incredibly sticky and could possibly overflow with a smaller pot when the rice krispies are added and mixed in.

Enjoy this festive treat!

8. Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

Two peanut butter marshmallow squares sit on a plate showing what they look like when finished. They have four or five layers of marshmallows with peanut butter in between.
If you love peanut butter and marshmallows, this is an awesome dessert for you!

More marshmallows! I feel like Christmas is a season to include as many marshmallow recipes as possible. I’m not a super big fan of marshmallows over the fire due to their stickiness but if it’s included in their natural form, I’m game. Have you guessed that I love peanut butter? Yes, I do! This recipe also includes butterscotch chips, which makes this recipe scrumptious. Normally, multi-coloured marshmallows would be added but I couldn’t find them in the grocery store. I chose to use white ones instead. This recipe was delicious regardless.

Tip: Make sure the peanut butter, butter and butterscotch chips mixture are cooled before adding the marshmallows. Otherwise, if you’re impatient (like I’ve done in the past), the marshmallows will melt into your mixture and you won’t end up with nice fluffy marshmallow squares. The linked recipe mentions adding vanilla. I omitted that ingredient and it tastes awesome without it. It’s up to you if you want to add it or not. I don’t freeze the marshmallows either.

Final Thoughts

These top 8 Christmas desserts are fantastic to bring with you as a snack on a variety of outdoor activities such as cross-country skiing, or to a family gathering. The treats offer different tastes and textures to please everyone at your next event. If your family and friends love baked goods, you could offer the homemade treats as a gift. As an alternative, you might choose some of the 6 Stocking Stuffers for X-Country Skiers. It’s time to start figuring out what you’ll make and start baking!

Additional Links

  • 6 Fun Edmonton Events at Christmas
  • Family Quality Time at Christmas
  • The Best Winter Activities Near Me for a Marvelous Season
  • 9 Extraordinary Winter Wonderland Banff National Park Activities
  • Carrot Apple Loaf

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I might receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend companies and products that I’ve used and tested myself. If you’d like to support me, I’d greatly appreciate it! It will help pay for the costs to run my website.

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Christmas baking, Christmas Desserts

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Hello! I'm Chelsea Findling. I grew up in an outdoorsy family and love spending time in the outdoors near and far from home. I created this blog to help you plan your next couple adventure in Alberta and British Columbia with camping recipes, reviews, tips and new adventures.

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