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54 Winter Desserts Worth Cozying Up to All Season

It’s sweater weather, and you know what that means: Bring on the baked goods. Whether you’re a chocolate fiend (oh hi, three-ingredient truffles) or all about citrus (you had us at blood oranges), you’ll find a good reason to turn on the oven among these 54 winter desserts.

40 Mini Desserts That Are Almost Too Cute to Eat (Almost)


winter desserts citrus shortcake recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

1. Citrus Shortcake

It’s like a strawberry shortcake, but the biscuit is gigantic and the fruit is winter-friendly. We’re sold.

winter desserts blood orange granita recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

2. 3-ingredient Blood Orange Granita

We have it on good authority that this deceptively fancy dessert pairs really well with Champagne.

winter desserts ombre citrus upside down cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

3. Ombré Citrus Upside-down Cake

Ombré hair? Out. Ombré cake? Always in style.

winter desserts cinnamon meringue pie recipe
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

4. Cinnamon Meringue Pie

Fruit options are sparse, so we’re making this spicy pie instead. (It tastes like cinnamon-sugar toast.)

winter desserts instant pot deep dark chocolate pudding recipe
Christopher Testani/Instant Family Meals

5. Instant Pot Deep Dark Chocolate Pudding

As it turns out, your Instant Pot is good for more than just pulled pork.

winter desserts lemon meringue cookies recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

6. Lemon Meringue Cookies

You don’t have to toast the meringue (it’s fully cooked), but haven’t you always wanted to try a blow torch?

winter desserts chocolate glazed espresso cheesecake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

7. Chocolate Glazed Espresso Cheesecake

Everyone needs a little pick-me-up. Sometimes it’s a latte. Sometimes it’s chocolate. For us, it’s both.

winter desserts meyer lemon loaf cake recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

8. Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake

Psst: If you can’t find Meyer lemons, you can use regular ones as a substitute, but your cake will taste a little tarter. (Fine by us.)

winter desserts orange and chocolate brioche tarts recipe
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

9. Orange And Chocolate Brioche Tarts

Are you like a professional pastry chef or something?

winter desserts brownie bites recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

10. Chocolate-stuffed Brownie Bites

These take 35 minutes from start to finish, which could be great news or potentially dangerous considering how easy they are to eat.

winter desserts 4 ingredient lemon cookies recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

11. 4-ingredient Lemon Cookies

These cookies have a secret. (It’s lemon cake mix. There, we said it.)

winter desserts giant snickerdoodles recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

12. Giant Brown-sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies

They’re crackly, chewy and, if you ask us, an excellent lunchbox treat.

winter desserts churro saltine cracker toffee recipe
Christy Denney/Scrumptious

13. Churro Saltine Cracker Toffee

Homemade candy that takes 30 minutes to make and doesn’t require a special thermometer? Sign us up.

winter desserts mexican hot chocolate cookies recipe
Ed Anderson/Trejo’s Tacos Cookbook

14. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

They’re ultra-fudgy like a double-chocolate cookie, but with cayenne and cinnamon for a twist.

winter desserts three ingredient chocolate truffles recipe
Colin Price/Dinner Then Dessert

15. 3-ingredient Chocolate Truffles

Good luck not eating the entire batch.

winter desserts fig dark chocolate brownies recipe
Jonathan Meter/The Sweet Side of Sourdough

16. Fig–dark Chocolate Brownies

If you wanted to start with store-bought brownies and swirl in a little fig jam, we wouldn’t tell anyone.

winter desserts mini key lime pies recipe
Katherine Gillen

17. Mini Key Lime Pies

They taste like a vacation and bake up in 20 minutes—swoon.

winter desserts chocolate chip cookie cake with cream cheese frosting recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

18. Chocolate Chip Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

We’ve never met a dessert that cream cheese frosting didn’t improve.

winter desserts blood orange eton mess recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

19. Blood Orange Eton Mess

If you’re looking for a non-cheesy Valentine’s Day treat, we think we’ve found it.

winter desserts aran goyoaga lemon yogurt and olive oil pound cake recipe
Aran Goyoaga/Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple

20. Glazed Lemon, Olive Oil And Ricotta Pound Cake

It’s gluten free and dairy optional, but no one will know.

winter desserts easy chocolate marshmallow cups recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

21. Chocolate Marshmallow Cups

You’d pay top dollar for these at a fancy bakery, but they’re surprising easy to DIY at home.

winter desserts snickerdoodle chocolate chip bundt cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

22. Snickerdoodle Chocolate-chunk Bundt Cake

If a candy bar and a cookie had a very delicious baby, this would be it.

winter desserts cinnamon roll cookies recipe
Katherine Gillen

23. Cinnamon Roll Cookies With Cream Cheese Glaze

Cookies for breakfast are totally fine, guys.

winter desserts triple cookie pie recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

You could make a regular batch of cookies, or you could completely blow everyone away with three cookies in one giant skillet.

winter desserts flourless chocolate cookies recipe
The Fearless Baker

25. Flourless Cocoa Cookies

Flour, schmour—it just dilutes the chocolate flavor.

winter desserts cranberry curd thumbprint cookies recipe
Katherine Gillen

26. Cranberry Curd Thumbprint Cookies

You can use frozen or fresh cranberries, so no excuses, bakers.

winter desserts pineapple and ginger upside down cake recipe
Benito Martin/Always Add Lemon

27. Pineapple And Ginger Upside-down Cake

Baking the fruit concentrates its flavor, so even if your pineapple isn’t peak, this beauty will still taste divine.

winter desserts ina garten black and white cookies recipe
Quentin Bacon/Modern Comfort Food

28. Ina Garten’s Black & White Cookies

These taste best if you make them while wearing an oversized chambray shirt. Share with your Jeffrey (or don’t).

winter desserts jam shortbread bars recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

29. Jammy Shortbread Bars

Use any flavor of jam to make them your own.

winter desserts grapefruit meringue stacks recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

30. Grapefruit Meringue Stacks

Tart meets sweet meets impressive (yet secretly simple to make).

winter desserts chocolate raspberry fool recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

31. Chocolate Raspberry Fool

Dessert is ready in 25 minutes—like a fancy mug cake (but much tastier).

winter desserts kumquat upside down cake recipe
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

32. Kumquat Upside-down Cake

Meet our cute new friend, kumquat. She’s kind of tart, a little bitter and really tasty in this butter, caramelly cake.

winter desserts heart thumbprint cookies recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

33. Heart Thumbprint Cookies

Roses are red, violets are blue. These cookies are cute, and so easy to make…too.

winter desserts carrot cake doughnuts with cream cheese glaze recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

34. Carrot Cake Doughnuts With Cream Cheese Glaze

Your mom always said to eat your vegetables, right?

winter desserts caramel coconut macaroons recipe
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

35. Caramel Coconut Macaroons

They taste like the best Girl Scout cookie, especially if you dip them in chocolate.

winter desserts lemon curd with whipped cream recipe
Christopher Hersheimer/Canal House Cook Something

36. Lemon Curd With Whipped Cream

You can make this one up to two weeks ahead, people.

winter desserts mini sandwich cookies recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

37. Itty-bitty Sandwich Cookies

Eat your heart out, Oreos.

winter desserts cookies and cream shortbread cookies recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

38. Cookies-and-cream Shortbread Cookies

Oh wait—we take that back, Oreos.

winter desserts cardamom creme brulee recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

39. Cardamom Crème Brûlée

Adding fragrant cardamom and a pinch of cinnamon takes this dessert out of ’90s territory.

winter desserts almond raspberry cake bites recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

40. Bite-size Raspberry Almond Spoon Cakes

You can do a lot with a bowl, a whisk and 30 minutes.

winter desserts muffin pan lemon meringue tartlets
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

41. Muffin-tin Lemon Meringue Tartlets

Which would you prefer: a dry, sad muffin or a silky, citrusy tart?

winter desserts miniature banoffee cobblers recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

42. Miniature Banoffee Cobblers

Gooey caramel, soft bananas, airy whipped cream and crisp graham cracker crumbles—get us a spoon, ASAP.

winter desserts bundt cake recipe cardamom cream filled
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

43. Cardamom Cream-filled Bundt Cake

Baking this Swedish-inspired cake in a Bundt pan yields impressive results with minimal effort.

winter desserts easy cranberry pecan sandwich cookies recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

44. Easy Cranberry-pecan Sandwich Cookies

Before you even ask: You can totally use store-bought jam to save time.

winter desserts slow cooker oreo cheesecake recipe hero
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

45. Slow-cooker Oreo Cheesecake

Bye, fussy water bath.

winter desserts espresso chocolate chip cookies recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

46. Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

These guys don’t even require a mixer to make.

winter desserts peppermint devil s food hi hat cupcakes recipe
The Fearless Baker

47. Peppermint Devil’s Food Hi-hat Cupcakes

Watch these cuties turn a sophisticated adult into a giddy little kid in five seconds flat.

winter desserts ruby red grapefruit panna cotta recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

48. Ruby Red Grapefruit Panna Cotta

Six ingredients and you don’t have to leave your house. It’s even better than at an Italian restaurant.

winter desserts potato candy recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

49. ‘potato’ Candy

Lucky for all of us, this no-cook confection has nothing to do with potatoes.

winter desserts texas sheet cake recipe
Matt Armendariz/Eat What You Want

50. Texas Sheet Cake

Behold, a 40 minute, no-stand-mixer-required, impossibly chocolatey cake.

winter desserts caramel macadamia tart recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

51. Caramel-chocolate Macadamia Tart

You can go ahead and file this one under “gorgeous and secretly easy.” The crust is press-in and the filling comes together in a single bowl.

winter desserts aran goyoaga peanut butter banana cookies recipe
Aran Goyoaga/Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple

52. Peanut Butter–banana Cookies

We never thought we’d say this, but these cookies are kinda good for you. (Plant-based and no refined sugar, people!)

winter desserts black and white pudding recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

53. Black-and-white Pudding

Chocolate or vanilla? You don’t have to choose.

winter desserts roasted almond and chocolate chunk cookies recipe
Aran Goyoaga

54. Roasted Almond And Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies don’t need improvement, but it’s freezing outside and we have a lot of time on our hands.



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Former Senior Food Editor

  • Headed PureWow’s food vertical
  • Contributed original reporting, recipes and food styling
  • Studied English Literature at the University of Notre Dame and Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education