Christmas Dessert Recipes Baking — Easy Treats to Wow

Quick, crowd-pleasing holiday bakes: simple ingredients, big flavor, and make-ahead tips for cookies, bars, and cakes that sparkle.

You don’t need a culinary degree to deliver a jaw-dropping holiday dessert—just a smart recipe that works every time. Imagine the nostalgia of gingerbread, the decadence of white chocolate, and the pop of tart cranberries… all in one chewy, buttery bar. That’s the kind of dessert that disappears before you can say “save me a piece.” Your guests will think you spent hours; you’ll know it took less time than wrapping that oddly shaped gift.

Today’s hero is a one-pan wonder: chewy Gingerbread Blondies studded with white chocolate and cranberries. Big holiday flavor, minimal fuss, maximum applause. Bake once, slice cleanly, and serve to a chorus of “Wait, you made this?” Yeah, you did.

What Makes This Recipe Awesome

• Big holiday payoff, low effort: One bowl for wet, one for dry, one pan to bake. You’ll be out of the kitchen before your playlist hits track three.
• Chewy meets cozy: Molasses, ginger, and cinnamon bring classic gingerbread vibes, but in a dense, gooey blondie format that stays soft for days.
• White chocolate + cranberries: Sweet, creamy chunks meet tart pops of fruit for perfect balance. It’s not just dessert—it’s texture therapy.
• Foolproof for parties: 9×13-inch pan yields neat squares that pack, stack, and travel like a dream.
• Flexible and forgiving: Swap mix-ins, add orange zest, go gluten-free, or brown the butter for extra depth. You get options.

Ingredients Breakdown

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm (brown it for extra flavor, optional)
• 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (170g) unsulphured molasses
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Mix-Ins and Flavor Boosts

• 1 cup (170g) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
• 3/4 cup (100g) dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (optional but highly recommended)
• Coarse sugar or flaky sea salt for topping (optional)

Pan Prep

• 1 (9×13-inch) metal baking pan, lined with parchment with overhang for easy lifting
• Nonstick spray or butter for pan

Let’s Get Cooking – Instructions

1. Preheat and prep: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment, leaving handles. Lightly grease.
2. Brown (or melt) the butter: For next-level flavor, brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan until amber and nutty, 4–6 minutes. Cool 10 minutes until warm, not hot. (Or simply melt.)
3. Mix dry: In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Whisk wet: In another bowl, whisk warm butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until glossy, 30–60 seconds. Whisk in molasses, then eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
5. Combine: Pour wet into dry. Stir with a spatula until just combined—no dry streaks, no overmixing. We want tender, not tough.
6. Fold in the fun: Fold in white chocolate, cranberries, and orange zest (if using). Save a small handful of chips for the top if you’re feeling extra.
7. Pan and top: Scrape batter into the pan; smooth the surface. Sprinkle reserved chips and a pinch of flaky salt if you like that sweet-salty thing.
8. Bake: Bake for 22–28 minutes until edges are set and golden, and the center looks slightly soft with tiny cracks. A toothpick should emerge with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
9. Cool: Place pan on a rack and cool at least 45–60 minutes. Warm blondies will be too soft to slice cleanly—patience beats crumbs.
10. Slice and serve: Lift by parchment, transfer to a board, and cut into 20–24 bars. Cue compliments.

How to Store

• Room temperature: Store bars in an airtight container for 3–4 days. Slip in a slice of sandwich bread to maintain softness (grandma trick, still works).
• Refrigerate: For a firmer, fudgier chew, chill up to 1 week. Bring to room temp before serving for max aroma.
• Freeze: Wrap bars individually, then seal in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp 30–45 minutes or warm 10–15 seconds in the microwave.
• Make-ahead batter: Assemble the batter and hold (covered) in the fridge up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temp 20 minutes, then bake.

Health Benefits

• Spice power: Ginger and cinnamon bring antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. Your taste buds and body both win.
• Cranberry boost: Dried cranberries add polyphenols and fiber—small but mighty support for your wellness stack.
• Molasses minerals: Unsulphured molasses contains iron, calcium, and potassium. Not a multivitamin, but not nothing.
• Portion control, simplified: Pre-cut bars help you enjoy a treat mindfully without the “oops” slice that’s basically two.
• Homemade > store-bought: You control the quality of fats, sugars, and mix-ins. Fewer mystery ingredients, more real flavor.

Avoid These Mistakes

• Overbaking: Pull the pan when the center is just set. If the edges are dark brown and the middle is fully firm, you’ve gone too far.
• Hot butter + eggs: Add eggs to butter that’s too hot and you’ll scramble them. Let melted/browned butter cool until warm.
• Packing flour: Scooping flour compacts it and leads to dry bars. Spoon-and-level or weigh it (240g).
• Skipping salt: A little salt enhances sweetness and spice. Don’t fear it.
• Overmixing: Stir just until combined once flour is added. Gluten is great for bread; blondies, not so much.
• Too many mix-ins: If you overload chips/fruit, the bars won’t set properly. Stick to the amounts listed.
• No parchment: Wrestling sticky bars from a naked pan? Hard pass. Line the pan for clean lifts and clean slices.

Different Ways to Make This

• Gluten-free: Use a quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour with xanthan gum. Bake time may vary by a couple minutes.
• Dairy-free: Swap butter for refined coconut oil or a plant-based butter stick. Choose dairy-free white chips.
• Peppermint twist: Replace cranberries with crushed candy canes and use dark chocolate chips. Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract.
• Orange pistachio: Keep the orange zest, swap cranberries for chopped pistachios. Sprinkle extra nuts on top.
• Cheesecake swirl: Beat 8 oz cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg yolk. Dollop over batter and swirl before baking.
• Thick squares: Bake in a 9×9-inch pan for taller bars; extend bake to 30–36 minutes.
• Cookie format: Scoop 2 tablespoons per cookie onto lined sheets; bake 9–11 minutes. Instant gingerbread cookies, zero cutters.
• Party slab: Double the recipe for a rimmed half-sheet pan; bake 20–24 minutes. FYI, this vanishes fast.

FAQ

Can I use blackstrap molasses?

Blackstrap is very bitter and not a great choice here. Use unsulphured molasses (often labeled “original” or “robust”) for balanced sweetness and classic gingerbread flavor. If all you have is blackstrap, cut it to 1/4 cup and replace the other 1/4 cup with honey or more brown sugar.

How do I know the blondies are done?

Look for set edges, a soft, slightly glossy center, and a toothpick with moist crumbs (not wet batter). They’ll continue to set as they cool. When in doubt, underbake by a minute—chewy beats dry every time.

Can I cut the sugar?

You can reduce the total sugar by about 15–20% without wrecking the texture. Keep the molasses amount the same—it’s key to chewiness and flavor. If you cut more, expect less moisture and a drier crumb.

Do white chocolate chips melt weirdly in blondies?

They hold their shape but soften into creamy pockets—perfect against the spiced base. If you prefer more melt, use chopped white chocolate from a bar. It creates streaks and oozy bits (technical term, IMO).

How do I brown butter without burning it?

Use a light-colored pan, melt butter over medium heat, and stir until it foams and milk solids turn deep golden with a nutty aroma, 4–6 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl to stop cooking and cool for 10 minutes before using.

Can I make this ahead for a party?

Absolutely. Bake, cool, and slice up to 24 hours ahead. Store airtight at room temp, then warm the platter in a low oven (250°F/120°C) for 5 minutes just before serving to refresh the aroma.

Why are my bars dry or cakey?

Likely culprits: too much flour, overbaking, or overmixing. Weigh flour (240g), pull from the oven when a toothpick has moist crumbs, and stir only until combined once flour goes in. Your future self will thank you.

Can I skip the cranberries?

Yes, but replace the volume so the texture stays balanced. Try chopped pecans, pistachios, toffee bits, or more white chocolate. Keep the total mix-ins to about 1 3/4 cups.

Final Thoughts

Holiday desserts should be joyful, not stressful. These gingerbread blondies deliver bakery-level flavor with weeknight effort, slice like a dream, and taste even better on day two. Mix them up when you need a guaranteed win—no fancy tools, no drama, just chewy spice, creamy white chocolate, and bright cranberry zing.

File this under “repeat-worthy.” Change the mix-ins, double the batch, bring them to every party, and watch them disappear. If you’re chasing that perfect balance of festive and foolproof, this is your new December MVP.