Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes Christmas Desserts Grandma's Favorite Christmas Desserts These classic holiday sweets are Grandma-approved. By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Senior Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on November 17, 2023 Close Photo: Molly Bolton/Southern Living When it comes to Christmas, Grandma knows how important it is to serve up sugar and spice in the form of dessert. Even though dessert is the last course of the holiday menu, it's most likely planned first and thought about most. Plus, in Grandma's opinion (and ours), there's no such thing as too many desserts.From luscious layer cakes to decadent pies to flavor-filled cookies and more, we've rounded up Grandma's favorite Christmas desserts that we'll always make. Grandma’s Favorite Christmas Casseroles 01 of 20 Cherry Delight Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Though the graham cracker crust for this classic church cookbook dessert requires a little bit of baking, the filling and topping don't require any cooking. It sets while chilling in the fridge. Get The Recipe 02 of 20 Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Unlike the cookies, this old-fashioned gingerbread is tender and fluffy. Not only will the gingerbread be filled with the warm flavors of the season when you take a bite, but your kitchen will smell just like Grandma's while they're baking. Get The Recipe 03 of 20 Rum Balls Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox This classic Christmas treat can be made in advance of Christmas dinner, but just make sure to store them in a safe place where you (or your family members) aren't tempted to eat them all before the holiday gathering. Get The Recipe 04 of 20 Easy Sugar Cookies Carlina Teteris/Getty Images Whether served plain or covered with icing and sprinkles, sugar cookies in festive shapes always belong on the menu. They cook quickly, so just make sure to keep an eye on them like Grandma does. Get The Recipe 05 of 20 Classic Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting Molly Bolton/Southern Living Homemade layers of red velvet cake are the ideal base for cream cheese frosting. Not to mention, the festive colors make it ideal for Christmas. Get The Recipe 06 of 20 Pecan Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox While pecan pie is a classic on Thanksgiving tables, Grandma knows it deserves a spot on the Christmas menu as well. We prefer serving with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. Get The Recipe 07 of 20 Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake Courtney West Grandma knows there's no occasion that can't be made better with a homemade caramel cake and Christmas is no exception. Get The Recipe 08 of 20 Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies Caitlin Bensel This classic Christmas cookie recipe calls for 36 milk chocolate kisses. So, if you're tempted to enjoy one or two while unwrapping them, just make sure you still have enough for your cookies. Get The Recipe 09 of 20 Hummingbird Cake Southern Living Since it first appeared in the pages of Southern Living in 1978, the Hummingbird Cake has become a beloved dessert. In fact, it's one of our most popular recipes ever. Get The Recipe 10 of 20 Fruitcake Southern Living While you may be a skeptic of fruitcake, this recipe just may change your mind. It's not only filled with plenty of fruits and warm spices, but you'll also find brandy and bourbon on the ingredient list. Get The Recipe 11 of 20 Cherry Winks Joy Howard These old-fashioned cookies are coated in crushed cornflakes which create a crunchy coating which pairs nicely with the soft texture of the inside. Get The Recipe 12 of 20 Chocolate Peppermint Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner Chocolate and mint are a classic duo, especially during the Christmas season. Chocolate cake is given a holiday makeover with the addition of peppermint extract in the frosting as well as using peppermints for garnish. Chocolate Peppermint Cake 13 of 20 Punch Bowl Cake Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Grandma knows it's possible to transform boxed cake mix and instant pudding into a holiday-ready dessert and this recipe proves just that. Punch bowl cake looks impressive, but is much easier to pull together than a time-consuming layer cake. Get The Recipe 14 of 20 Buche de Noel Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke The name of this holiday dessert can be translated to "yule log". Though it looks impressive, it's simpler than you may think to pull together. Get The Recipe 15 of 20 Spritz Cookies Micah A. Leal This classic Christmas cookie gets its shape from a cookie press. If you want to decorate with sprinkles, we recommend brushing cookies with light corn syrup so they'll stick to the surface. Get The Recipe 16 of 20 Christmas Fudge Micah A Leal While there are many variations of fudge made during the holiday season, Grandma knows that classic is best. Colorful sprinkles add a fun seasonal touch. Get The Recipe 17 of 20 Gingerbread Bundt Cake Molly Bolton Grandma knows gingerbread flavor isn't just for cookies. It's also delicious in Bundt cake form. Even though it's not a layer cake, a cream cheese glaze and sugared cranberries make it just as pretty. Get The Recipe 18 of 20 Millionaire Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox You can use homemade or store-bought crust as the base for this no-bake pie. No matter which you use, we bet there won't be a slice left after the holiday meal. Get The Recipe 19 of 20 White Cake With Cranberry Filling And Orange Buttercream Courtney West Cranberry filling and orange buttercream upgrade white cake into an impressive Christmas layer cake that delivers layers of flavor in every bite. Get The Recipe 20 of 20 Over-The-Moon Chocolate Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Chocolate lovers will always rejoice when there's a chocolate pie on the table. It does call for a homemade graham cracker crust, but it's easy to make. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit