Classic Holiday Dessert Recipes

Can’t figure out which desserts you should make this holiday season when family comes over? Well, I’ve put together a list of well-known delicious dessert ideas from various websites, which are simple for you to make!

1. Gingerbread Cookies from RicardoCuisine.com

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Ingredients:

750 ml (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour

15 ml (1 tablespoon) ground ginger

5 ml (1 teaspoon) baking soda

5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon

2.5 ml (1/2 tea spoon) ground nutmeg

2.5 (1/2 teaspoon) salt

180 ml (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

250 ml (1 cup) brown sugar

125 ml (1/2 cup) molasses

1 egg

Preparation:

  1. In a bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and molasses with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix well. At low speed or with a wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients until the dough is smooth.
  3. Shape the dough into two discs with your hands. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
  4. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F). Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, knead a disc of dough with both hands for about 1 minute. Roll out the dough into a 3-mm (1/8-inch) thick sheet. Cut the cookies using the cookie cutter of your choice. Place cookies of the same size on the same baking sheet as the baking time may vary.
  6. Bake one sheet at a time for about 8 minutes or until the outline of the cookies is lightly browned. Let cool completely.

 

2. Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies from myrecipes.com

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 ½ cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

5 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped and melted

Coarsely crushed peppermint candies, very fine pieces sifted out

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°. Grease a 9- by 13-in. baking pan; set aside. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder into a bowl.
  2. Microwave butter and bittersweet chocolate in a medium glass bowl, stirring often, until melted and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes.
  3. Whisk together sugar and eggs in a large bowl until blended. Add extracts and whisk to blend. Stir melted chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Gently fold in flour mixture with a plastic spatula until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
  4. Bake brownies until a toothpick inserted 2 in. from edge comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
  5. Put dark chocolate in a resealable plastic bag, snip off a small corner tip, and drizzle half over brownies. Sprinkle with candies and drizzle with remaining chocolate. Let cool until chocolate sets, 25 minutes, then cut into squares.

 

3. Cocoa Fudge Cookies from myrecipes.com

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Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
  3. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.