The holidays are right around the corner—and that means preparation for them is in full swing. As more and more Christmas trees appear on the roofs of cars and more and more houses on your street start twinkling with lights, many families are already beginning to plan their holiday gifts and meals. Since Thanksgiving is the real savory meal holiday, let’s skip right to the good part and talk about the best desserts this holiday season.

• Gingerbread

Call me unoriginal, but gingerbread is (and has been) the top winter dessert for as long as it’s been around. This year, I’d urge families to opt out of the arduous and inedible gingerbread houses and to make simple cookies instead. A variety of cookie cutter shapes gives them ample holiday spirit while reducing food waste and increasing edibility and counter space. My personal favorite recipe for gingerbread is published by The New York Times, but don’t let the beautiful cover image tempt you—when I tried this recipe for the first time in 2021, I ended up with a delicious but incredibly ugly house with only three walls and half a roof. Since then, I’ve been making the recipe and just going straight to cookies, since that’s how my house ended up anyways.

• Croquembouche 

For the more experienced baker (or just someone who’s feeling showy and ambitious this year), croquembouche, a pointed tower of creme puffs, is a good option to impress guests and family alike. Although not explicitly a holiday dessert, its impressiveness is enough to override any stereotypical Christmas dessert requirements. Its flavor is also much more customizable and neutral than other typical desserts—the traditional creme diplomat (a mix of whipped cream and custard) filling can be customized with any flavor or color, and further decoration can be added by dipping each puff in caramel or other flavoring. Croquembouche is also a good alternative to those looking for the decoration given by a gingerbread house; since the tower is pointy, it fits perfectly in with a Christmas tree or other tree decorations.

• Seasonal macarons

For me, seasonal macarons bring back fond memories of summer travel and the macarons that I had in Europe. Even for those who don’t have these associations, macarons are a delicious and beautiful treat that can be adapted in almost infinite ways for whatever your own tastes may be. One of my favorite holiday adaptations is a snowman macaron, which is essentially just two macarons piped together and decorated with royal icing to form a recognizable snowman. The flavor comes down to the baker’s preference—although I prefer keeping the delicious almond taste of the macaron shells, the filling could be anything from white chocolate ganache to a more seasonal spiced icing. 

• Swiss Roll

Swiss rolls are criminally underrated year-round, but especially so during Christmas. Although many are familiar with ‘tree log’ cakes in the winter, they don’t recognize it as a Swiss roll, a delicious dessert formed by rolling a sheet cake with any topping that’s available even outside of the holidays. It’s particularly hard to provide a good recipe for a swiss roll because both the filling and the sponge have plentiful options: any kind of soft cake is good for the sponge itself, although it should have a higher moisture content and be able to withstand being rolled shortly out of the oven. Swiss rolls can also be a good alternative for other Christmas desserts because of their versatility. For those who prefer cookies over cake, a gingerbread swiss roll is completely within the realm of possibility, along with almost any other flavor combination you can think of.

• Creme Brulee

Creme brulee is equally delicious in every month of the year and has no distinct ties to any season or holiday. In my opinion, it’s this freedom that makes it a particularly good fit for the winter holidays. The warmth of the toasted caramel top would be perfect to enjoy in an ugly Christmas sweater or in front of a warm fireplace, and if you get too warm from all the holiday joy, the chilled custard interior is sure to cool you off. If you’re looking for a momentary relief from the sweetness of Christmas desserts, pair your creme brulee with a few blueberries or raspberries for a tart intermission. 

The best time to start baking is always now, but if you’re looking for an excuse, the upcoming holiday season is a perfect one. No matter your skill level, it’s easy to graduate from the traditional “baking cookies for Santa,” and the rewards are plentiful (and delicious).