15 Perfectly Sweet Winter Desserts

ByJennifer A.December 9

Got a bit of a sweet tooth? We don't blame you! These 15 Winter Dessert Recipes are perfect when there's a chill in the air and you're craving something sweet to share. Whether you're a chocolate lover, a cheesecake expert, or you prefer a fruity treat, there's something for you in this sweet round-up!

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#1. Winter Wonderland Trifle

Later on, we will conspire about your thoughts on this dream of a dessert! Winter Wonderland Trifle will be a beautiful sight at the holiday dessert buffet. The sleigh bells will ring in delight when you take off with a dish full of angel food cake layered with a glistening, white-chocolate-infused whipped cream that's topped with a dollop of peppermint-flavored whipped cream. Are you listening?! Winter Wonderland Trifle is the plan that we've made for a lovely stroll along the perfect lane of dessert choices. In the kitchen you can build this trifle and we'll pretend that it is calorie-free (ha, ha)!

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#2. Cranberry Season Cake

Is there any way to celebrate the winter season with more joy than with a slice... or two... or three... of this Cranberry Season Cake? If there is, we haven't found or tasted it! This tender vanilla cake is filled with tart, juicy cranberries and then topped with a snowy, creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting. Mmm but the cherry (or in this case, the cranberry) on top is the syrup-soaked and coated cranberries with sparkling sugar all over! Cranberry Season Cake might just be the magic of the winter in dessert form!

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#3. White Chocolate Raspberry Pound Cake

This dessert looks like a winter wonderland and tastes even better than that! White Chocolate Raspberry Pound Cake is decorated with all sorts of incredible flavors, from the bursts of sweet and tart raspberries in the cake to the creamy, luscious white chocolate ganache on top! And of course, White Chocolate Raspberry Pound Cake has the cake itself, a tender and buttery confection that captures your tastebuds' attention! Let the magic of the wintery season manifest in your kitchen any time of the year with this decadent dessert!

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#4. Classic Iced Molasses Cookies

Molasses brings the wonderful contrast of sweet and smoky, a depth of flavor that makes desserts like Classic Iced Molasses Cookies such a treat! Tender and moist, with plenty of warming aromatic spices and a creamy, cool icing lusciously spread on top, Classic Iced Molasses Cookies can bring a smile to your face during even the coldest winter days; they'll certainly make the most of your next party! Classic Iced Molasses Cookies aren't just called classic for fun—they're an old-fashioned dessert that feels like a new invention!

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#5. Snow-Kissed Cupcakes

When beauty and food collide, it's such a wonderful treat! Snow-Kissed Cupcakes are not only beautiful, they are super yummy, too! Light and airy angel food cupcakes are topped with sweet whipped cream, a fresh raspberry, and gently glistening with a dusting of confectioners' sugar. Warm a blustery winter's day with Snow-Kissed Cupcakes for an enchanting and delightful dessert. It's a sweet vision to behold!

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#6. Peppermint Fudge Brownies

A moment of celebration for this simple yet elegant seasonal dessert delight is most certainly called for! Beautiful as it is tasty, Peppermint Fudge Brownies are the perfect "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" treat! A rich chocolate brownie is topped with a divine and refreshing peppermint frosting, a divine chocolate drizzle, and crushed peppermints for the perfect minty-chocolate combo. Checking the list twice, and we are pretty sure Peppermint Fudge Brownies are on the top of the nice list!

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#7. Cowboy Christmas Snow Cream

Now isn't this a treat? Take the beautiful, fresh snowfall just outside your door and turn it into a deliciously creamy dessert with the perfect holiday feeling — that's the Cowboy Christmas Snow Cream in a nutshell! Thick and creamy, with that subtle floral flavor of vanilla, Cowboy Christmas Snow Cream would be a joy regardless. But there's something about being made from actual winter snow that just makes it truly magical. Don't worry if you can't get actual snow; shaved ice works just as well in creating this delightfully simple and enchanting sweet!

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#8. Winter Citrus Bundt™ Cake

There is no dessert that brings more wonderful seasonal flavors to your eager taste buds all at once like this Winter Citrus Bundt™ Cake! This cake is tender and sweet, but everywhere you look you'll find holiday favorites: fresh, vibrant orange baked into the golden cake and drizzled atop it as a glaze! Tart cranberries and a warm cinnamon-sugar swirl fill each slice, and a snowy touch of vanilla brings it all together! Winter Citrus Bundt Cake is the perfect treat for your winter celebration, no matter the holiday or even if it's a holiday at all!

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#9. Boozy Hot Chocolate

One of the best things about winter is watching the snow as it falls outside the windows with a warm mug of hot cocoa in your hands. The only thing that could make it better is a little extra merriment in every sip. Boozy Hot Chocolate is a richer and more chocolatey hot cocoa — made with real chocolate — with just a splash of liquor to lift your spirits. For the creamiest Boozy Hot Chocolate, we recommend a cream liqueur, but you'll find that any of your favorite brews blend well with this dessert drink!

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#10. Sugar & Spice Apple Cheesecake

Everything is nice when you have THE dessert at your Christmas table. That would be this Sugar & Spice Apple Cheesecake! This cheesecake is stacked with a one-of-a-kind flavor combination. A graham cracker crust sets the stage for a creamy cheesecake filling, topped with a seasonally spiced apple layer topped with a delicious streusel crumble and salted caramel drizzle. In just one bite, you will fall in love with Sugar & Spice Apple Cheesecake.

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#11. Ultimate Christmas Shortbread Cookies

These Ultimate Christmas Shortbread Cookies are about to change the shortbread game for the better! Everyone already loves crumbly, crunchy, buttery cookies, but Ultimate Christmas Shortbread Cookies add more to each little treat by incorporating rich, sweet cherries, creamy white chocolate, and fragrant almond into each bite! Dipped in more white chocolate and crunchy nonpareils, Ultimate Christmas Shortbread Cookies are really the end-all, be-all of the holiday dessert table! Dive right in!

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#12. Candy Cane Cookies

Candy Cane Cookies take a kitchen-sink approach to making dessert, but with a holiday twist! Each tender, buttery cookie is filled with bites of chocolate sandwich cookie, chocolate peppermint crunch, and dark chocolate chips for a beautiful pairing of chocolate and peppermint flavors that is absolutely astounding. There is so much crunchy goodness, you can actually hear the Christmas cheer coming from each bite. Candy Cane Cookies are holly, jolly joy!

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#13. Red Velvet Cake Truffles

When it's hosting time, you want to make sure people have plenty of finger foods they can enjoy without breaking the flow of conversation. It's true of appetizers and it can also be true of desserts! Red Velvet Cake Truffles are just one example, but what an example they are! Each chocolate-coated (always a good start) sphere is filled with rich and tender red velvet cake already mixed with its beloved partner-in-crime, tangy and creamy cream cheese. These are essentially cake pops without the sticks, which is totally fine; those sticks tend to just get in the way. Red Velvet Cake Truffles are rosy desserts that you can pass around to friends and family... or, you know, just keep for yourself.

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#14. Deck-the-Halls Cake

Fa la la la la, la la la let's eat! Deck-the-Halls Cake is a better holiday decoration than mistletoe or holly because it's the prettiest Christmas thing that you can eat! Topped with snowy, creamy, and tangy cream cheese frosting and holiday-red sugared cranberries, Deck-the-Halls Cake certainly makes an impression. And this is all before you actually bite into the tender, sweet, walnut-filled cake! Now you just need to figure out how to sing this cake's praises in carol form!

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#15. Chocolate Lava Cobbler

Chocolate Lava Cobbler is another of those magic cakes that will blow your mind and blow your tastebuds away! During the baking process, the moist, tender, chocolatey cake rises to the top and the thick, luxurious pudding sinks to the bottom, so it has the fudgy, saucy goodness of a true chocolate lava cake! There's something quick and simple, yet endlessly decadent, about this Chocolate Lava Cobbler. Now, this is how to get your chocolate fix!

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