Baking the perfect dessert to go with your gourmet Christmas dinner is a breeze! We have some great Christmas sweets recipes for Christmas cakes, frostings and fillings.

I am a firm believer in mix and match when it comes to cakes, fillings and frostings, which is why each has its own page in my Christmas sweets cookbook.

Sure, a traditional Yule log is a chocolate cake with whipped cream filling and buttercream frosting. But, what if you prefer strawberry filling?

I'll let you know the traditional items that go with each cake, but each element will have its own page. That way, you can use your own creativity to make a truly unique dessert, or go with tradition. It's up to you!

Cakes known as tortes are included here, as are brownies and cupcakes.

At some point during the holidays, nearly everyone eats and/or serves up a delicious holiday pie or two.

What would the season be without an apple, cranberry or pumpkin pie to lend its festive touch to the dinner table?

We have several selections, from cream pies to seasonal fruit pies.

Want your guests to beg you for recipes? I have a great selection of fruit and cream tarts as well. They can be made as one large tart, or in individual portions with equal ease, and are fun and easy to decorate for that perfect personal touch.

I also have a wonderful crust recipe here, though I have to admit, I usually buy my pie crusts. Baker or not, there are just some things better left alone at my house! I have successfully used this one recipe, though, so I include it here for you to try.

Coffee cakes and other breakfast-type Christmas sweets have their own page, too.

It is tradition in our house that after Christmas breakfast, we all stop cooking for the day. (Our big dinner is on Christmas Eve.) I always have a selection of sweet-rolls, donuts and coffee cakes to snack on throughout the day.

Most years, these are entirely homemade.

Christmas Cookies of All Descriptions

The best quick and easy Christmas cookies to make are known as bar cookies.

All of the cookies will bake in the same pan - at the same time. This saves a ton of oven time! It is possible to bake all the cookies in one batch, at one time, and store them for later.

Usually, these cookies involve one to three layers. If this is the case, all recipes needed to complete all layers will be together. Because they look so complex, these Christmas sweets always get great comments!

Rolled cookies are also very popular. From peanut-butter cookies to snowballs, the best of our rolled cookie recipes are here.

They are simple to make, but do require time to roll all those little balls out. Some are flattened, some have patterns pressed into their tops, and some just stay like little balls.

Some of the richest cookies you can make are the rolled ones. Most of them will have some sort of a dusting of sugar on top. Usually this will be powdered sugar, but sometimes brown or table sugar is used as well.

There are a few that could be made extra-special with the use of specialty baker's sugars as well. Some stores carry these special sugars during the holidays, but they can be hard to find. I'll give you my best sources for mail-order offerings.

To simplify things a bit, most of the recipes that require a rolling pin are listed on the shaped cookies page. These include my version of kolacky, as well as cookie-cutter sugar cookies.

Also included here are the holiday recipes that use a cookie press, molds or other methods of shaping.

Some of the most popular Christmas cookies around are those known as drop cookies. These are your oatmeal, chocolate chip, potato chip cookies and their cousins.

These Christmas sweets are well-known and well-loved holiday recipes that anyone can bake successfully. Some of these make it onto my cookie platter every year, no matter what other goodies I come up with!

We also have a special page on cookies for special Christmas sweets and no-bake cookies. Even though they are technically rolled cookies, our rum balls are here in all of their glorious variations.

One reason for this is that they are, in fact, no-bake cookies. The second reason is that, because they are no-bake, and because they contain alcohol, I didn't feel they should be with the rolled cookies I would let my Grand-daughter get into.

You'll find some surprises in the Christmas Sweets cookbook, too!

Quite a few of the Christmas sweets on this page are what I would consider "adults only," mainly because of their ingredients.

Christmas Candy
Some for Home... Some for Gifts!

Christmas candy is not hard to make, but one has to be careful. Candy is cooked at a very high temperature, for a varying length of time. A candy thermometer, though not strictly required, is highly recommended.

There are lots of holiday sweets on our candy and baking tips page to keep everything safe and satisfying. Be sure to follow the rules when working with hot sugar, though - I can't stress that enough.

There are certain recipes that state you should not stir the boiling sugar mixture.

PLEASE follow those instructions! Stirring can cause these candies to fail miserably, and it would be a terrible waste. You will be tempted, but put that spoon down!

All of our hard candies are listed on one page. These include brickles and brittles, as well as hard flavored candies like cinnamon, cherry and other fruit flavors.

One of the best recipes I have found for candy canes is on this page!!

Chocolates are grouped together as well. There are recipes here for dozens of Christmas sweets, including solid chocolates, filled candies, and even a recipe to create your own turtles!

Soft candies include gummies, candied fruit rinds, caramels, taffy and the like.

These candies can be interesting to work with, but are well worth the effort. If you have family members to help you, these are some of the most fun candies to make!

** A note on the caramels - the caramel sauces for apples and ice-cream toppings are included here in this section (and yes, they are slightly different!) as well as in our sauces section.**

There is a recipe in the Christmas Sweets section for marzipan as well. This Christmas sweet is an almond paste can be colored and molded into just about anything.

It is a traditional frosting for certain Scandinavian cakes, though it scarcely resembles a true frosting. You'll find more information about marzipan on some of the pages in our Christmas Traditions section.

Each country listed in this section also contains a link to its own specific holiday recipe page. Be sure to check them out - especially if you would like to add some authentic heritage recipes to your holiday menu this year!

There are so many different types of fudge that I've decided to give the fudges their own page.

Fudge is the grand-daddy of all Christmas sweets. There are several traditional recipes included, as well as some interesting variations I've tried.

Christmas sweets and fudge mean nearly the same thing to me. I've tasted all kinds of fudge, from every conceivable source, and these are some of the best I've ever had.

I do have to admit - I make some pretty great fudge - but.... There is a fudge out there that is even better than most of these. One of my best friends makes it, and I'll be beat but she absolutely refuses to share the recipe (Go figure!).

Recipes for Frozen Christmas Sweets

We have several recipes for great ice-creams here, some do need a maker, and some don't. It goes well with any and everything - and most especially by itself with a topping or two!

Ices, sherberts and sorbets are on this page as well.

Sorbet is one of my favorite Christmas sweets. It is light, refreshing, and a terrific ending for a heavy holiday meal.

Sorbet is one of the healthiest Christmas sweets you could make, too! Yes, there is a bit of sugar, but sorbet is nearly always made with fresh or frozen fruit. It will help guests digest their meals without over-filling them!

We have a special section for Ice-cream toppings. It's really hard to make a great home-made ice-cream sundae, without the home-made toppings to go with it!!

My Very Best Baking Secret of All...

I get all of my flavorings, spices and baking powder from an industry expert with over 135 years experience...

Watkins' products are absolutely the finest in the world.

Several Watkins products have won medals at international contests. Some of our customers are famous, too!!

Did you ever taste Famous Amos cookies? Up until the time he sold his business (and possibly still...) he used Watkins ingredients in his cookies! In fact, just the other day in an interview aired on Food Network, he specifically mentioned his use of Watkin's Vanilla in all of his baking!!

And, since the best part of this site is dedicated to different ways to save money during the holidays, I've included a special page to compare prices on Watkins products as well.

Prices are compared with Spice Island and McCormick - the two leading brands carried at the major grocery stores.

Pick up a few staples and some flavors, and try some of our Christmas sweets recipes for your own celebrations this year! Then, come back and try some more when the holiday rush is over, too!

Top: Christmas Sweets