5 Holiday Dessert Recipes

Everyone needs special holiday dessert recipes to pull out and wow your friends at gatherings and parties. Here are five dessert recipes with a holiday feel that will be the perfect ending to a wonderful meal!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Pie for an easy holiday dessert. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 medium egg
• 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. flour
• 1 prepared pie crust

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

1. Beat cream cheese until fluffy on medium speed with an electric mixer. Add vanilla, condensed milk and egg until combined.
2. Toss one cup of chocolate chips with flour and fold into cream cheese.
3. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until center is almost set. Allow to cool for one hour.
4. In a separate pan, combine half cup chocolate chips and whipping cream. Stir constantly as it cooks over low heat. Cook until chips melt and sauce thickens slightly. Pour over cheesecake and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

Great Pumpkin Dessert for a traditional holiday dessert with a twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin puree, eggs, milk and sugar and spice until well mixed. Pour into a 9 x 13 greased pan. 
2. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with nuts.  
3. Cook for one hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Eggnog Pound Cake for a special Christmas dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (4 serving) instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
• 3/4 cup prepared eggnog
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, eggnog and oil. Beat at low speed of electric mixer until moist. Add eggs and nutmeg. Beat at medium high speed for four minutes. Pour into greased and floured ten-inch tube pan. 
2. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Remove from pan. Allow it to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Champagne Lime Jell-O for a grown up holiday dessert.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups chilled champagne
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 3 (3 oz.) packets Lime Jell-O (original recipe called for orange, but switch to lime for a holiday look!)
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• 1 can mandarin orange segments, drained
• Whipped cream

1. Combine Jell-O with boiling water. Stir for two minutes to allow it to dissolve. Add cold water and chilled champagne.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until mixture thickens and then fold in fruit.
3. Divide the Jell-O mixture into eight individual serving dishes and chill for three hours. Garnish with whipped cream before serving.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars instead of the traditional pecan pie recipe.

Ingredients for crust:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened

Ingredients for filling:

• 1-1/4 cups light or dark corn syrup
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 tsp Spice Islands Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Prepare crust first by combining sugar and corn starch in a large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly and press into a 13 x 9-inch greased pan.
2. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for fifteen minutes. Edges should be lightly browned.
3. Prepare filling by stirring corn syrup, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla in a large bowl until blended. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.
4. Pour filling over crust and bake an additional 35 minutes or until filling is firm around the edges, but slightly soft in the center.
5. Cool for about two hours before cutting into 24 bars.