In the midst of chaotic Christmas shopping, merry decorations and the perfect Christmas Eve planning, we hope you haven’t forgotten about the cherry on the top. Yes, we are talking about those lip-smacking Christmas dessert recipes that have people melting with joy. If that’s the case, you need not worry for we have got you covered with some of the best last minute Christmas dessert recipes.
1. A night before Christmas pudding to fool them all!
- Serves: 8-12
- Prep Time: NA
- Cook Time: – 3 hrs
- Ingredients: 12
- Difficulty: Easy
- Amount: NA
When we talk about Christmas dessert recipes, we can’t look beyond Christmas pudding. But, don’t worry. We aren’t talking about the one that takes you hours to just prepare for. This simple version will taste just as delicious and heavenly. Grab a pen and paper because here’s everything you need to do:
INGREDIENTS
- 125g each boysenberries & redcurrants
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 150ml pure (thin) cream
CHRISTMAS PUDDING
- 4 cups (725g) mixed dried fruit
- 400g store-bought Madeira or sponge cake, crumbled
- 100g dark chocolate, melted, cooled
- 1 tbs cocoa
- 50g unsalted butter, melted, cooled
- 1/2 cup (125ml) sherry or brandy
- 1 tsp each ground cinnamon & freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp each allspice & ground cloves
STEP 1:
Get a 1.5L bowl and line it up with plastic wrap. Make sure to leave plenty space for overhanging. Then take the boysenberries and the redcurrants, and lock them up in a bag and freeze till they’re ready to serve.
STEP 2:
For the pudding, mix up all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine well. Transfer this mixture to the lined up bowl and shake to remove air bubbles. Press it down to compress and wrap up the overhanging plastic wrap. Leave it to chill for 2 hours or even overnight.
STEP 3:
To make the glaze, place the chocolate, maple syrup and the cream over a double boiler. Keep stirring until you get that lustrous melted consistency. Finally, drizzle the glaze over your chilled pudding, and decorate it with the frozen berries!
Just 3 hours and you now have yourself a delectable Christmas pudding. Add this to your book to Christmas dessert recipes for those last-minute ideas.
2. A gingerbread trifle – Your Christmas wish come true!
- Serves: 12
- Prep Time: 25 Mins
- Cook Time: –
- Ingredients: 8
- Difficulty: Easy
- Amount: $1.93 per serving
Christmas dessert recipes are incomplete without gingerbread, right? This simple, no-bake and tasty addition to the Christmas Dessert recipes is here to make things merry.
INGREDIENTS
- 900ml thickened cream
- 1 cup (330g) dulce de leche (or other caramel sauce)
- 250g sour cream
- 1/3 cup (40g) icing sugar, sifted
- 800g gingerbread cake (or other bought cake)
- 90ml Marsala or brandy
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 200g gingerbread biscuits (or gingernut), crumbled
STEP 1:
Divide the thickened cream into two equal parts. In one bowl, add the dulce de leche and whisk till it gets a thick consistency. To another bowl of thickened cream, add sour cream and icing cream. Whisk it till its thick.
STEP 2:
Cut your gingerbread cake into even slices of about 2cm each. Take a 3L trifle dish, and layer one-third of these slices over the bottom. Drizzle a third of the marsala, sprinkle about a third of the cinnamon, and finally add a third of the gingerbread crumbs.
STEP 3:
To this layer now, add a third of the dulce de leche mixture, over that add a third of the whipped cream mixture. Repeat this layering process two more times and top it off with the remaining biscuit crumbs.
What did it take? Half an hour? You’ve got the dessert ready all while your guests are settling in. Bookmark this as one of the decadent Christmas dessert recipes, something that you can whip out quickly, and then enjoy after a hearty dinner!
3. Christmas special Rum balls, but with a twist!
- Serves: 12
- Prep Time: 1 Hour 20 Mins
- Cook Time: –
- Ingredients: 11
- Difficulty: Easy
- Amount: $1.59 per serving
Imagine its 30 degrees outside, and you are craving for a dessert that won’t sink you to the bottom of a pool, THIS is the one you are looking for! And well, of course we did not forget the Christmas traditions! Here is a special next one from our book of Christmas dessert recipes.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 2/3 cup (150g) desiccated coconut
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (125ml) melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup (185ml) coconut milk
- 1 cup (170g) pitted medjool dates
- 1/2 cup (40g) cacao powder, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbs rum
- 1/3 cup (80ml) melted cacao butter
- RAISIN BASE
- 1 cup (160g) blanched almonds, roasted
- 1/3 cup (30g) desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup (85g) raisins
STEP 1:
Take a loaf pan and grease and line it up with baking paper. Leave about 5cm overhanging long sides of the pan.
STEP 2:
You first need to prepare the raisin base. Whiz some almonds and coconut in a small food processor until it’s finely chopped. To it, add some raisins and about 2 tbs of water, and mix again till it’s well combined. Get a pan add this base to it.
STEP 3:
Next, get the desiccated coconut, maple syrup, about a 1/4th cup of coconut oil and 1/4th cup of coconut milk and add all this to a small food processor and give it a fine spin. Spread this mixture over the raisin base evenly. Cover it with a plastic film and set it in the refrigerator till it firms up.
STEP 4:
Now, place the dates and 1 tbs of boiling water in a food processor. Mix it until it’s smooth. To this, add cacao powder, rum, cacao butter, a pinch of salt flakes, and the remaining coconut oil and coconut milk. Mix it till you get a nice and smooth texture.
STEP 5:
Pour this mixture over the slice, cover it again with a plastic wrap and chill overnight. (4 hours can do too if you don’t have enough time)
STEP 6:
Remove slice from the pan, sprinkle some extra cacao powder (and a little love). And Voila! It’s ready to serve.
Now, sometimes the best and the easiest desserts might take time. But hey! Imagine, it’s snowing out and you are sitting in front for the fire, sipping some hot cocoa and enjoying a rum stick dessert. Isn’t that the Christmas dream?
4. Mini Mince Pies
- Serves: 24
- Prep Time: 8 Hours
- Cook Time: 25 Mins
- Ingredients: 16
- Difficulty: Medium
- Amount: $1.52 per serving
Up next from our last minute Christmas dessert recipes treasure is the one gem everyone adores. You guessed it right! Christmas would just be fly without some pie! Here’s how to make mini mince pies.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 apple, grated, excess water squeezed out
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- 100g brown sugar
- 100g drained morello cherries in juice (see notes), finely chopped
- 100g slivered almonds
- 100g candied peel, finely chopped
- 100g each currants, seedless raisins and sultanas
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 100ml brandy
- Icing sugar, to serve
PASTRY
- 2 2/3 cups (400g) plain flour, sifted
- 200g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
- 1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 teaspoons milk
STEP 1:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the icing sugar. Keep stirring well to make a smooth mixture. Cover this with a plastic wrap and let it cool overnight, just to get a little extra flavor.
STEP 2:
The next day, for the pastry, mix flour, butter and ½ teaspoon of salt in a food processor until the mixture is crumbly. To it, slowly add 80-100ml of cold water till the dough comes together. Halve the dough and shape it into 2 discs. Wrap it in a plastic film and let it chill for about 30 minutes.
STEP 3:
Now, drain the fruit mince and then mix it well in the food processor to finely chop it.
STEP 4:
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll out a pastry disc to about 3mm thick. Cut out circles, approximately 24x7cm. (Don’t throw away the trimmings!) Now in a muffin pan, place them and fill each of them with about a ½ teaspoon of fruit mince.
STEP 5:
Roll out the remaining pastry disc and cut out circles of the same size. Brush its edges with a little water. Place these lids over the ones stuffed with filling. Gently push the edges to seal and soak it in egg wash.
STEP 6:
Re-roll those pastry trimmings and cut out stars. Top the mini pies with stars and again brush with some egg wash.
STEP 7:
Bake this for about 20-25 minutes until it gets its rich golden brown color and crisp. Cool it down before you dust it with icing sugar!
Your mini mince pies are ready to serve!
Christmas is all about the merry times and delicious foods. You could be a master of the savory foods, but it does not mean you can miss out on desserts. With these traditional Christmas dessert recipes, you are sure to win over the hearts of your guests and family!
What are you waiting for? The sweet smell of holidays awaits you. Get the holiday season started with savory Christmas dessert recipes!
