Make-Ahead Christmas Dessert Recipes

Coconut oil stands in for butter in this dairy-free, eggless cookie recipe for completely mouthwatering gingerbread cut-outs. Decorate cookies with a simple vegan icing or sanding sugar.

This recipe mash-up marries the sweet, subtle flavor of pumpkin with the nuttiness of pecans. Not only do the pecans create a beautiful pattern on top, their addition to classic pumpkin pie also creates an amazing textural combination of creamy and crunchy. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream to make it even more delicious.

Gluten-free flour stands in for regular flour in these crisp, festive cut-out cookies that taste amazing. To decorate, dust cookies with sanding sugar before you bake them or drizzle and pipe on royal icing once they've cooled.

Instead of topping your apple pie with a full crust, cover the dough in cinnamon sugar, roll it up and slice it like cinnamon rolls to make beautiful cinnamon swirls to top the pie. The fragrant cinnamon bun-like topping makes homemade apple pie even more special!

Make slicing this elegant cheesecake easier and keep the swirls in place by dipping your knife in water between cuts.

For a rich, nutty dessert, try this triple-chocolate frozen mousse.

Join the ranks of many southern families who make this perfectly spiced sweet potato pie their go-to holiday dessert.

These flourless cookies get their volume from whipped egg whites (like a meringue) instead of grains, making them gluten-free and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. A chocolate chip in each bite adds to the rich chocolate flavor.

Looking for a fun cooking project to do with kids? Make chocolate truffles! In this easy vegan dessert recipe, we make a chocolate ganache filling with peanut butter and coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Make chocolate bark with the leftover chocolate and wrap it up together with a few truffles for a beautiful edible gift.

Holiday cookies don't get any cuter than these mini gingerbread houses that kids and adults alike will love. Use a mini gingerbread house cookie cutter to cut out all the parts (the kids will love helping with this part), then build the houses and let the kids go to town decorating. Line up your finished creations to make a gingerbread house village, eat them up or prop them up on mugs of cocoa for dipping and munching.

For this slice-and-bake cookie recipe, we've knocked back the sugar a bit and used white whole-wheat flour for more flavor, fiber and nutrients. Keep a roll of the dough in the freezer so you can quickly bake a batch if company stops by.

This healthy, gluten-free dessert has everything--crisp-on-the-outside, gooey-inside meringue base, whipped cream, tart cranberry sauce and toasted nuts. Plus, you can make everything ahead of time, then simply assemble and serve.

This healthy cake recipe is like a pumpkin-flavored version of Boston cream pie. Rather than the traditional round shape, we use a 9-by-13 pan to make a four-layer rectangular cake that looks fun and provides more layers of creamy goodness.

A velvety, light custard surrounds ripe pears in this healthy pear pie recipe. Serve with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream.

Classic banana bread gets a delicious twist with chai spices and a cheesecake layer.

These classic treats can be made ahead and frozen for holidays and bake sales.

This light pumpkin dessert is like a crustless pumpkin pie. Gingersnaps top it off.

The key to making this healthy, smooth pudding is constant slow whisking. A staff favorite, this recipe is one you'll want to pin for an easy make-ahead dessert.

This maple-flavored pastry and pumpkin mixture is lower in fat and calories than the old-fashioned version, but it is every bit as good.

Get the classic creamy pumpkin taste but less saturated fat and sugar with this lightened-up recipe.