18 December Bakes to Bring to Last Minute Parties

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Peanut Butter Blossom Bars

Say goodbye to rolling, chilling, and baking cookies one by one—these chewy Christmas cookie bars give you all the flavor and nostalgia with way less effort. Every bite is soft, buttery, and packed with festive sweetness, just like your favorite holiday cookies. They’re perfect for when you want something homemade without spending hours in the kitchen. Plus, they’re easy to slice, share, and serve at parties, making them a total holiday win. Honestly, they might just become your go-to treat every December!
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossom Bars

Eggnog Cheesecake

Indulge in the flavors of the season with this decadent eggnog cheesecake, where rich, spiced eggnog is blended into a smooth and creamy cheesecake base. Every bite captures the cozy warmth of your favorite holiday beverage, making it feel like Christmas in dessert form. Perfect for gatherings or a special treat after dinner, it’s both festive and comforting. Topped with a hint of nutmeg or whipped cream, this cheesecake is sure to delight anyone lucky enough to have a slice. It’s the ultimate way to bring a little holiday cheer to the table.
Get the Recipe: Eggnog Cheesecake

Gingerbread Cookies

These gingerbread cookies are perfectly spiced with warming flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and baked to a satisfying crunch that’s ideal for decorating or dunking in your favorite coffee. Every year, they fill our kitchen with the comforting aroma of the holidays, making them an instant festive favorite. Soft enough to enjoy on their own, yet sturdy enough to hold elaborate icing designs, they truly capture the magic of Christmas in every bite. Honestly, this is the only gingerbread recipe you’ll ever need—we bake them every single December without fail. Sharing them with friends and family has become a beloved tradition that never gets old.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies

Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies

These cherry sugar cookies are little bites of holiday magic, each crowned with a classic Hershey’s Kiss. With every bite, you get that perfect combination of sweet, buttery cookie and rich chocolate, almost like a chocolate-covered cherry in cookie form. They’re soft, chewy, and utterly irresistible, making them a standout on any Christmas cookie tray. Plus, their bright red cherry and shiny chocolate topping make them look as festive as they taste. It’s a simple treat that brings a touch of nostalgia and a lot of holiday cheer.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies

Eggnog Bread with Rum Glaze

This eggnog bread with rum glaze is the ultimate holiday treat—moist, flavorful, and full of festive cheer. The combination of creamy eggnog, a hint of rum, and French vanilla pudding mix makes the bread rich and perfectly sweet, while the rum glaze on top adds a lovely, indulgent touch. It’s easy to bake in small loaf pans, making it ideal for sharing with friends and family or gifting during the season. If you freeze it for later, wait to drizzle the glaze until after defrosting so every bite stays soft and delicious.
Get the Recipe: Eggnog Bread with Rum Glaze

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

These Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars are the ultimate shortcut to enjoying a classic favorite without all the fuss of rolling, chilling, and shaping individual cookies. Every bite is soft, chewy, and packed with that warm, comforting cinnamon-sugar flavor you know and love. They’re perfect for sharing at holiday gatherings, packing into lunchboxes, or just keeping nearby for an afternoon treat. Plus, making them in a pan means you get a perfect batch every time with minimal effort. Trust me, once you try these bars, you’ll wonder why you ever made regular snickerdoodles any other way.
Get the Recipe: Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Old-Fashioned Pecan Cake Bars

These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are a total crowd-pleaser and surprisingly easy to make, even if you’re short on time. The buttery shortbread crust pairs perfectly with the rich, gooey, pecan pie-inspired filling, creating a delicious combination of textures in every bite. Topped with chocolate and studded with crunchy pecans, they’re like a little slice of holiday magic in bar form. They’re perfect for bringing to Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any festive gathering, and you might find everyone reaching for seconds (or thirds!). Honestly, these bars are so good, they could easily become your go-to holiday dessert year after year.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Pecan Cake Bars

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

These White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are everything you could hope for in a holiday treat—soft, chewy, and packed full of creamy white chocolate chips and crunchy macadamia nuts. Each bite has the perfect balance of sweet and salty that keeps you coming back for more. They’re rich and indulgent, yet still light enough to enjoy with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa. Honestly, they’re the kind of cookies that disappear fast at any holiday gathering, so you might want to make a double batch! A true must-have for your festive cookie platter.
Get the Recipe: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Cinnamon Roll Pie

This Cinnamon Roll Pie takes your favorite gooey cinnamon rolls and bakes them right into a buttery pie crust, creating a dessert that’s as fun to look at as it is to eat. Once it’s out of the oven, a sweet, creamy frosting is drizzled on top, making every bite perfectly indulgent. Inspired by Cracker Barrel, this copycat recipe is sure to be a hit at any breakfast or brunch gathering. It’s warm, comforting, and just the right amount of sweet—perfect for sharing with family and friends. Honestly, it’s one of those desserts that disappears faster than you can say “more, please!”
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Pie

Christmas Tree Linzer Cookies

These Christmas tree Linzer cookies are a total holiday treat—soft, buttery, and perfectly spiced, they practically melt in your mouth. They’re not only delicious but also super fun to make ahead of time, making your holiday prep a little easier. Their charming tree shapes and jam-filled centers make them an instant showstopper on any cookie platter. They also make thoughtful and edible gifts that friends and family will adore. Whether you’re sharing them at a party or enjoying them with a cup of cocoa, these cookies bring a festive touch to every celebration.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Tree Linzer Cookies

Maple Walnut Scones

These maple walnut scones are an absolute delight, with a perfect balance of sweet maple and crunchy walnuts in every bite. They’re soft and tender on the inside, with just the right amount of golden, slightly crisp edges that make them irresistible. We’ve made them more than a few times already, and they’ve quickly become a favorite treat in our home. Whether you’re enjoying them with your morning coffee or as an afternoon snack, they feel like a little café escape right in your kitchen. Trust us—you’ll want to bake a batch (or two) and share them with everyone you love!
Get the Recipe: Maple Walnut Scones

Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies

These cookies are soft, fluffy, and delightfully cake-like, made with just three simple ingredients that somehow capture all the cozy flavors of fall. They’re perfect whether you enjoy them plain or with a swirl of frosting, making them an easy but impressive pumpkin treat. Over the years, these Pumpkin Spice Cookies have become a family favorite, loved for their incredible flavor without all the fuss. What’s amazing is that you don’t need water, butter, eggs, or oil to make them, yet they turn out perfectly soft every time. Simple, quick, and utterly delicious, they’re the kind of autumn recipe you’ll want to make again and again for gatherings, school snacks, or just a cozy afternoon at home.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

These Christmas pinwheel cookies have quickly become my absolute favorite treat of the season. With their bright green swirls and sparkling red sugar edges, they instantly catch the eye and feel festive the moment you see them. The best part is that they’re surprisingly simple to make if you take your time rolling and shaping them just right. Eating them reminds me of something straight out of a storybook—like Cindy Lou Who’s cheerful holiday table after the roast beast. They’re playful, whimsical, and guaranteed to bring smiles to everyone at your holiday gatherings, making each bite feel like a little festive celebration.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Ginger and Clove

These molasses cookies are pure holiday magic! Each one has perfectly crispy edges that give way to a soft, gooey center that melts in your mouth. The warm, rich flavors of molasses and spices make them feel like Christmas in every bite. They’re the kind of cookies that fill your kitchen with a cozy aroma and bring everyone together around the cookie jar. Truly a classic treat that’s perfect for sharing with family and friends this season.
Get the Recipe: Chewy Molasses Cookies with Ginger and Clove

Father Christmas Cookies

These Father Christmas cookies are wonderfully light and crisp, with just the right touch of warm, festive spices. Each one is carefully topped with sugar paste, turning them into playful little holiday characters that are almost too cute to eat. Baking them is a joy in itself, whether you’re decorating with kids or adding your own creative twist. The result is a treat that’s as much fun to make as it is to share with friends and family during the festive season. Perfect for gifting, snacking, or simply brightening up a holiday table, these cookies capture the spirit of Christmas in every bite.
Get the Recipe: Father Christmas Cookies

Cranberry Gingerbread Loaf

This recipe is wonderfully easy to make, so you won’t spend hours in the kitchen during the busy holiday season. It’s light and not too heavy, making it the perfect little treat to enjoy while sipping coffee or unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning. The festive flavors instantly bring a cozy, cheerful vibe to your celebrations, and it’s the kind of dish that feels homemade and heartwarming. Whether you’re sharing it with family or sneaking a bite for yourself, it’s a simple way to make the holidays feel even more special.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Gingerbread Loaf

Christmas Cupcakes with Chocolate Peppermint Frosting

Celebrate the season with these absolutely festive Christmas cupcakes! Soft, rich chocolate cupcakes form the perfect base, and they’re topped with a decadent chocolate peppermint frosting that’s so irresistible you might be tempted to eat it straight from the spoon. They’re simple enough to make at home, but they feel special enough for any holiday gathering. Each bite is a perfect balance of chocolatey sweetness and refreshing peppermint, making them a crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike. Whether you’re sharing them at a party or keeping a few for yourself, these cupcakes are pure holiday magic.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Cupcakes with Chocolate Peppermint Frosting

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Hot chocolate cookies are the ultimate winter treat! They capture everything you love about a warm mug of cocoa, but in a soft, chewy cookie you can hold in your hand. Each cookie is topped with a gooey marshmallow and drizzled with rich chocolate, making every bite feel indulgent and comforting. They’re perfect for cozy nights by the fire or sharing at holiday parties with friends and family. Trust me, once you take a bite, you’ll wonder why these cookies aren’t a holiday tradition every year!
Get the Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cookies