Food and Recipes Desserts 20 Spiced Christmas Desserts That Taste Just Like Grandma's By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 4, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez There's nothing quite like Christmastime to bring us back to the smells and sounds of Grandma's kitchen. From the ring of her old-school crank timer (why buy digital when you have the original?) to the aroma of freshly baked delights wafting from her oven, nothing could keep us from Grandma's kitchen come baking season. With a crack of her cookie jar, you'd find sweets just begging you to spoil dinner. On chilly December days, our favorite finds were full of holiday flavor—treats you were lucky enough to taste before the annual holiday party or after Christmas dinner. Classic spices, like gingerbread, molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg, filled these signature recipes with Yuletide spirit. These days, you can bring that same holiday cheer to your kitchen with the right spiced cookie, cake, trifle, or pie. Here, our best spiced desserts to bring a taste of Grandma's baking into your kitchen this holiday. 01 of 20 Butterscotch-Spice Trifle Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Butterscotch-Spice Trifle Nothing says Christmastime quite like a trifle, and this holiday showstopper layers on the spices. Making it in advance gives the flavors more time to meld. This crowd-pleaser will be the hit of any dessert buffet. 02 of 20 Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Swap out the Pecan Pie. Ground cinnamon and ginger give these portable bars a spiced twist. Turn these simple treats into a memorable dessert by topping with ice cream and caramel sauce. 03 of 20 Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake Toffee, almond candy bars, and a spiced cream cheese frosting combine to bring new life to a box of spice cake mix. Top with candy bits. No one needs to know how easy this sheet cake is to make. 04 of 20 Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans This simple pumpkin Bundt is literally dripping with seasonal sweets. Pour the rich icing on top while still warm to ensure a smooth finish. Candied pecans take this cake over the top. 05 of 20 Old-Fashioned Shoofly Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Old-Fashioned Shoofly Pie Molasses mingles with the richness of shortbread in this desperation pie that couldn't be easier to make. Guests will love this simple pie that's reminiscent of a trip to Grandma's. Top with whipped cream for serving. 06 of 20 Pumpkin Spice Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cookies Who says pumpkin spice recipes are only for autumn? This recipe's similarities to a classic snickerdoodle will surprise you, but its pumpkin flavor makes it a standout. 07 of 20 Cinnamon Coffee Cake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Cinnamon Coffee Cake A slice of this cinnamon-filled cake is fitting for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, and any time in between. Keep this on hand during the holidays when you're sure to have guests popping by. 08 of 20 Classic Gingerbread Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Gingerbread An upgrade from your classic cookies, this old-fashioned gingerbread cake is tender and rich. Gingerbread became popular for home bakers when affordable ingredients couldn't be found. Substitute pumpkin pie spice if you don't have the other spices on hand. 09 of 20 Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies Chocolate and gingerbread make a merry combination. Gather the kids before you decorate these spice cookies. Frosting together is half the fun. 10 of 20 Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies Whether you're using them to top your holiday white cake or taking them to your next cookie swap, these Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies give you the option to think beyond the gingerbread man. Use the recipe for more than snowflakes with fun cookie cutouts like a reindeer or car. 11 of 20 Eggnog Spice Cake with Bourbon Custard Filling and Eggnog Buttercream Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Eggnog Spice Cake with Bourbon Custard Filling and Eggnog Buttercream Creamy and slightly boozy, this seasonal spice cake offers a whole new way for Christmas guests to enjoy their eggnog. Dust with nutmeg as you would a traditional mug. 12 of 20 Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake Recipe: Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake Warm up your kitchen with this slow cooker dessert. Serve alongside a post-dinner cup of coffee and a generous helping of ice cream. This sweet combination takes the cake. 13 of 20 Molasses Crinkles Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Molasses Crinkles Loaded with Christmas spices, like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, you couldn't fit more holiday spirit into these cookies if you tried. Add these to your cookie swap or dessert tray rotation. 14 of 20 Persimmon Pudding Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Persimmon Pudding Persimmon puree is mixed with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a touch of orange in this dessert that warms and wows. Top with Cinnamon Whipped Cream for even more indulgence. Serve with persimmon slices. 15 of 20 Spiced Pear Hand Pies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Spiced Pear Hand Pies These little pockets are filled with pear that's perfectly spiced with anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. They're perfect to have on hand for gifting or when you need to impress holiday guests. 16 of 20 Pumpkin Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Dump Cake Dump cakes do not get any easier. Like their name says, they're built by dumping ingredients into a pan. This easy recipe relies on canned pumpkin mixed with brown sugar and spices for a delightful result. Boxed cake mix has never tasted better. 17 of 20 Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits Apples are the star of the show in this unexpected favorite that will transport you right back to Grandma's kitchen. Loaded with apple flavor, two varieties of apples mix with spiced apple butter for a winning combination. Easy drop biscuits make a satisfying topping. 18 of 20 Southern Sweet Potato Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar Recipe: Southern Sweet Potato Cake Use fresh or canned sweet potato in this scrumptious cake. Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, the cake's sweet Caramel Frosting offers the perfect balance. This cake is ideal for a holiday gathering or a weeknight finale. 19 of 20 Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling Proudly display this beautiful cake on your holiday table. Layers of spice cake and sweet cranberry filling will quickly become your new favorite. When you think this cake couldn't get any better, it's finished with an Apple Cider Frosting. 20 of 20 Spiced Caramel-Apple Bread Pudding Jennifer Davick; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine Recipe: Spiced Caramel-Apple Bread Pudding This is the dessert you want during the cold holiday season. Easy to throw together, this recipe relies on warming spices and apple cider. It tastes like comfort. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit