Chef John's Top 16 Christmas Treats for Baking, Gifting, and Celebrating

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Chef John

From the elaborate (Yule Log with meringue mushrooms) to the technical (Italian torrone) and time-consuming (chocolate brioche is best after an overnight rest), Chef John's videos will show you how to make it all. Short on time? Bake a cherry-chocolate quick bread or whip up Grandma's 5-ingredient peanut butter fudge.

01
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Chocolate Yule Log

Chef John

"This classic holiday dessert is a showstopper," says Chef John. "If you haven't tried making a Yule log because you thought it required advanced baking and pastry skill, then get ready to buche up this Noel, since the techniques required are actually quite simple…thanks to a simple-to-make chocolate sponge cake and mocha buttercream filling. Garnished here with meringue mushrooms and rosemary."

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02
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Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Glaze

Baking Nana

This easy gingerbread cake with a quick lemon glaze is proof that delicious things can also be ridiculously simple. "This is a wonderful, moist, easy cake with perfect texture," says Kristin. "It's so nice to have a festive winter dessert that doesn't take butter. The glaze over the warm cake is the perfect touch."

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03
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Pavlova Christmas Trees

Chef John

After a rich holiday meal, a light-tasting dessert like a pavlova is welcome—especially when it's as pretty as these little Christmas trees. You can make the components ahead of time, too: store the meringues in an airtight container so they stay crisp until you're ready to assemble the pavlovas.

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04
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Chocolate Truffles

Eric Veronesi

"I have made these three times so far and every time it has been a hit!" says reviewer Becky L. "It's very easy to make different flavors by replacing the spices. So far I have made the spiced version in this recipe, mint, coconut, and orange. If you divide the ingredients, it's very easy to make 2 or 3 kinds at the same time with minimal added time."

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05
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Grandma's Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge

Chef John

"Great recipe! I love that you don’t need to cook to 'soft ball' stage or use a candy thermometer. So easy! And tastes SO good!" says Allrecipes member Carroll Shepherd.

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06
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The Queen's Christmas Pudding

Chef John

Here’s a traditional English steamed pudding worthy of A Christmas Carol. “There’s no sugar added, and no spices, either—it’s perfect as is!” says Chef John. “Serve with vanilla ice cream, heavy cream, or crème anglaise.”

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07
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Swedish Chocolate Balls (Chokladbollar)

Holiday Baker

"They say that these are the first thing a Swedish child learns to make, and for good reason: they're easy to do, there's no baking required, and mixing the 'dough' together makes for a fun activity," says Chef John. He recommends storing these in the refrigerator and let them sit out a bit before eating, so they're not completely firm.

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"Chef John is the best. We’re working our way through some of his recipes this holiday season, and loving each one!"

—Allrecipes member pconrad

08
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Holiday Monkey Bread

FrancesC

Chef John uses dried cranberries in this pull-apart bread, but you can substitute chopped fresh cranberries; they add a welcome burst of sour flavor to contrast with the sweet caramel syrup. "Blow-their-socks-off good! Sticky buns meets cinnamon roll meets pull-aparts. Forget using those 'refrigerator rolls'. You'll be so glad you did! If you have a stand mixer, this dough is super easy to make AND easy to clean up. The syrup is heavenly and is also very easy. One pan, and no critical timing or temperature futzing required. Will feed a crowd. Highly recommend!" —Mme Magoo

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09
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Chef John's Rocky Road

Chef John

"Chef John has done it again! This recipe is so easy and so delicious. I've done this with both walnuts and pecans and both versions were incredible. Only difference with mine was I didn't add the cocoa on top. This is definitely a keeper!" —Elaine Ferrell

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10
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Cherry-Chocolate Loaf

Linda C

Frozen or canned sweet cherries make this quick bread extra simple to put together. With an optional glaze, it makes a pretty loaf for gift-giving, too. "The combination of cherries, chocolate, and walnuts is delicious. I served it for dessert, but I'll make it for a brunch soon." —tina

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11
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"Thousand Layer" Chocolate Brioche

Jacob Greene

This rich dough rises very slowly—and brioche is much easier to work with when the butter in the dough has had time to chill, so plan accordingly. "These turned out great! I even made a tiny baby roll out of the scraps I cut off in step 9; it had no chocolate but was absolutely delicious. VERY IMPORTANT: Per comments other people left, I baked at only 375 degrees. After 25 minutes, the rolls were browned beautifully." —Jacob Greene

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12
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Candied Buddha's Hand Citron

Chef John

"Randomly found a Buddha Hand fruit in my shopping bag today when I got home…definitely did not pick one up. I wasn't charged for it, so I took it as a blessing. The cashier must've either slipped it in intentionally or accidentally when bagging my items. I've never eaten one before but I have heard the best way to consume one is to candy it, so that is what I did!" —

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13
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Honeycomb Toffee

Chef John

This old-fashioned sponge candy has "the most interesting melt-in-your-mouth texture," says Chef John. "As long as you're very careful and heat the syrup up to the correct temp, there's not a lot that can go wrong with this recipe." Reviewers agree: "Great easy recipe, very delicately flavored of caramelized honey. I coated mine in tempered dark chocolate to gift to a friend, and will be making this for the holidays too." —gaelin

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14
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Chef John's Panettone

Chef John

"House smelled great! Takes days to make, but only a little bit of work at different times. Will make again since I bought a bunch of paper baking molds!" —Hachiya Tree

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15
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Mulled Wine Cake

Chef John

"Mulled wine—which goes into the batter, the icing, and an optional mulled wine syrup—brings an acidity that goes well with warm holiday spices," says Chef John. The base of this moist, tender cake consists of "a dead simple cake batter."

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16
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Torrone (Italian Nut and Nougat Confection)

Chef John

"Incredible candy! So chewy and delicious. [Instead of making it on the stovetop], I made it like an Italian meringue [in a stand mixer]. When the hot honey-sugar syrup mixture was 300 degrees F, I started whipping the egg whites. I cooked the sugar syrup to 311°, then slowly poured it into the meringue while still whipping (taking care to aim for the edge of the bowl, not the beater). I beat it for two minutes, then stirred in the toasted nuts. I packaged squares of torrone in cellophane bags and gave it as gifts." —Doughgirl8

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17
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Chef John's Best Christmas Cookies