20 Amazing No-Bake Desserts For The Holidays
Photography, Erik Putz. Food Styling, Dara Sutin. Prop Styling, Krystin Leigh Smith.
After the turkey, baked brie, fresh pull-apart rolls and everything else you need your oven for this month, it can be difficult to find time (or oven space) for dessert. And if you're out of time to bake more holiday cookies—or you're interested in adding something new to the menu—these no-bake desserts are the way to go!
From bite-sized peanut butter balls, to a decadent chocolate trifle, here are our best recipes.
Classic Nanaimo Bars
Faster than anything requiring a pastry crust, and perfect for socially distanced porch drop-offs, this recipe for Nanaimo bars is truly bar none. Get our Classic Nanaimo Bars recipe here here.
Chocolate Truffles
These decadent truffles are both intensely satisfying and incredibly easy to make. After whipping together a simple ganache using melted chocolate, butter and cream, pop the mixture in the fridge and let it firm up. After that, it’s just a matter of rolling into bite-sized balls and choosing your favourite toppings to coat them in. Get our chocolate truffles recipe here.
Chewy Chocolate Coconut Bars
Once you add these homemade bars to your holiday repertoire, there’s no going back. Delicious and oh-so-easy to make, they may just be the start of a new holiday tradition. Get our chewy chocolate coconut bars recipe here.
No-Bake White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
If you’re not that into dark chocolate (we know you’re out there), try this simple holiday treat made with white chocolate and crushed candy canes. Get our peppermint fudge recipe here.
Salted-Almond Nanaimo Bars
These decadent salted-almond Nanaimo bars may be a star Christmas dessert, but they’re also a Chatelaine Kitchen favourite year-round. Get our salted almond nanaimo bars recipe here.
No-Bake Gingerbread Cookie Truffles
A no-bake delight you can make with just a few ingredients (think ginger cookies, cookie butter and tempered chocolate) and cute gem-shaped silicone molds (optional—you can also shape these truffles into balls). Get our no-bake gingerbread cookie truffles recipe here.
Turtle Fudge
This no-bake Christmas dessert is simply irresistible. (And using packaged caramels makes it incredibly easy.) Get our turtle fudge recipe here.
Black Forest Trifle
What do you get when you mix Black Forest cake with a trifle? A holiday party waiting to happen! Best of all, it’s easy to make ahead (and tastes even better the next day). Get our black forest trifle recipe here.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
These bite-sized snacks are an ode to one of the best flavour combinations that exists. (They’re also perfect for all holiday entertaining). Get our chocolate peanut butter balls recipe here.
Haystack Cookies
This recipe uses crunchy chow mein noodles, creamy peanut butter and butterscotch chips for easy, no-fuss drop cookies the whole family will love. Get our haystack cookies recipe here.
Mocha Biscuit Cake
Short on time (or baking know-how)? This cake—rumoured to be a favourite of Prince William’s—is the perfect, eye-pleasing Christmas dessert. Get our Mocha biscuit cake recipe here.
White And Dark Chocolate Pink Salt-And-Pepper Whiskey Truffles
While we never say no to Christmas cookies, these dark chocolate whiskey truffles are our new guilty pleasure. Get our salt and pepper whiskey truffles recipe here.
Prosecco Jelly Squares
We’ve added a little grown-up sparkle to make this guilty pleasure extra-fun. Get our prosecco jelly squares recipe here.
Cider Gelées
Gummy candies for grown-ups. These jellies have a healthy dose of hard apple cider, so they’re a great adult treat. Get our cider gelées recipe here.
Chocolate Mint-Crisps
Part cookie, part chocolate bar and all delicious, this easy treat is even prettier when decorated with candied sprinkles. Get our chocolate-mint crisps recipe here.
Chestnut Marzipan Rum Balls & Victorian Sugarplums
The no-bake Christmas dessert you didn’t know you needed. The flavours of chestnut and almond marry beautifully, while a little flaky sea salt adds crunch and contrast. Get our marzipan rum balls recipe.
Almonds and assorted dried fruits are the base of these bite-sized sparkly, sweet gems. Get our Victorian sugarplums recipe.
Honey Peanut Balls
The original 1957 version of these make-ahead bonbons were billed as a convenience treat. Sprinkling a bit of childhood-favourite sugary cereal overtop adds a bit of crunch, colour and fun. Get our honey peanut balls recipe here.
Pistachio And Rose Halva
Dried rose petals add extra colour and creativity to this pistachio- and rosewater-flavoured halva. Bonus: Like all halva, this recipe is vegan.Get our pistachio and rose halva recipe here.
Marbled Candy-Cane Bark
Absolutely irresistible! Marbled candy-cane bark looks too good to eat. But then again, with a double hit of chocolate – both white and dark – as well as crunchy pistachios and minty candy canes, who can resist? Treats don’t get much easier than this! Get our marbled candy-cane bark recipe here.
Gelatina Mosaico
On childhood trips to visit family in Mexico, I looked forward to running to the nearest corner store and digging into a cup of cold gelatina. Also known as gelatina mosaico (stained glass jelly) in Mexico and Brazil, this no-bake dessert is made from sweetened condensed and evaporated milks, and chopped Jell-O. You can set it in eight to 10 cups for a quick dessert fix, or in a Bundt pan for an easy summer stunner, as we’ve done here. This recipe makes a pretty firm-set cake; you can reduce the unflavoured gelatin amount by 1/4 for a wobblier one. Get our Gelatina Mosaico recipe here.
How to make turtle fudge
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