Go-To Holiday Dessert Ideas

Christmas is TEN days away! Eeeek!! I can hardly believe it. If you haven’t already nailed down your holiday baking, I’m here for you!

I’m sharing three of my go-to holiday dessert and decorating ideas along with a few simple ways to present and package them as gifts.

Holiday Sprinkle Cake

You will need:
(2) 8″ baked cakes, leveled/torted and filled and crumb coated with buttercream.
buttercream icing

Materials used:
Variety of Sprinkles: Wilton jimmies, sanding sugar, pearls, etc.
(2) 8”x3” cake pan
(2) Wilton cake boards
icing spatula

Directions:
1. Start with an 8″ baked, filled and crumb coated cake in your favorite flavor, placed on a 8″ cake board.  Let the crumb coat dry (about 30 minutes). Using a variety of sprinkles, mix them up and pour them into a jelly roll pan or small pan with an edge.

2.  Add a layer of buttercream icing to the sides of the cake.

3.  Place the second 8″ cake board onto the top of the cake.  Hold in place while you decorate around the sides, to give your cake an even coat of buttercream icing.

4.  After all sides have been covered evenly, pick up cake grasping the top and bottom cake boards.

5.  Roll cake into the sprinkle mixture.

6.  Repeat the rolling motion until all sides have been equally covered.

7.  Return cake to turntable.  Remove top cake board.

8.  Use remaining buttercream to ice the top of the cake.  Sprinkle the top of the cake.

Sprinkled Star Cookies

You will need:
Baked Sugar Cookies
Buttercream Icing

Materials Used:
Sprinkles
Disposable Pastry Bag
Buttercream Icing

1. Using a decorating bag filled with buttercream icing, draw a star on the cookie.

2.  Hold cookie from the bottom or sides and place upside down into tray of sprinkles.  Push cookie down into sprinkles to adhere sprinkles to buttercream icing.

3.  Return to drying rack/tray.  Continue until all cookies have been decorated.

Peanut Butter Christmas Crunch Cookies

You will need:
Ritz crackers
Peanut Butter

Materials Used:
Wilton Candy Melts
Wilton Warming Pot or microwaveable bowl
Wilton dipping tool
Sprinkles
Cooling Rack
Decorating bag

1. Place candy melts into candy warming pot. Stir until melted. 

2.  Place crackers on a sheet of waxed paper.  Fill decorating bag with peanut butter.  Snip tip of decorating bag about 1/4″ and pipe peanut butter onto crackers.

3.  Top each cracker with a second cracker, sandwiching the peanut butter in between.

4.  Candy in warmer should be melted and runny before dipping.  Check consistency with a spatula. 

5.  Dip cracker cookies down into melted candy.  Flip and cover each cracker with melted candy.  Return to a drying rack (placed over wax paper for easy clean up).

6.  Decorate cookies with  sprinkles.  Allow 30 minutes to dry.

Packaging your treats

Materials Used:
Ribbon
Kraft Boxes
Fabric Scraps
Scissors
Labels and Tags

Presentation is everything!  Package baked goods in ribbons, boxes and fun bags.  Tie stacks of cookies in ribbon before placing in boxes or wrap desserts in scraps of fabric.  Get creative!

What is your favorite holiday dessert to give/gift?

Pin this idea for later!

Photos by Kelly Clare Photography