Food and Recipes Fruits Berries Cranberry 9 Desserts That'll Put You on a Cranberry Kick All Season 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 November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero It's a well-known fact that most families think of cranberries as the ultimate accompaniment to turkey. We often categorize them as that one-time-a-year, essential side that fits squarely with our holiday traditions–the cranberry salad your aunt always offered to bring or the cranberry sauce mom used to slide right out of the tube. But cranberries should be celebrated as more than your bird's sidekick. Their bright color and tangy flavor offer the perfect opportunity to amp up the ending to your holiday menu with a dessert that wows your guests. From bite-sized pies, like our Mini Cranberry Cheesecake Pies or our Mini-Pear Cranberry Pies, to can't-have-just-one cookies and bars, cranberries are the stars to some of our favorite festive desserts. Plus, once you make a cranberry cake (might we suggest our White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream?), you may never be able to go back to only serving this tangy-tart fruit as a sauce on the side. 01 of 09 White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream Hector Sanchez Recipe: White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream The ultimate holiday centerpiece, this layer cake is flooded with a homemade cranberry filling. It's a fan-favorite white cake for good reasons. 02 of 09 Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies These mini pies are the most festive little winter bites we ever did see. Cranberry compote makes the ultimate finishing touch for a cheesecake center and gingersnap crust. 03 of 09 Cranberry-Almond Cookies Ralph Anderson; Styling: Mary Lyn Hill Recipe: Cranberry-Almond Cookies These tasty drop cookies are ready in a snap. Plus, since the recipe makes three and a half dozen cookies, you'll have enough left after the cookie swap to save some for your own sweet tooth. 04 of 09 Cranberry Dreamsicle Trifle Iain Bagwell Recipe: Cranberry Dreamsicle Trifle This trifle is truly the trifecta of holiday desserts: easy to put together, tastes even better the longer it sits, and pretty enough to place at the center of the buffet table. 05 of 09 Hot Cranberry Bake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Hot Cranberry Bake This simple, crisp-like dessert can be made dairy-free for holiday guests with special requests by using an equal amount of melted or liquid coconut oil in place of butter. 06 of 09 Mini Pear-Cranberry Pies David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Mini Pear-Cranberry Pies They may be mini, but this petite dessert packs in the flavor. The perfect balance of tart cranberries and sweet pears, this bite-size pie can be made even simpler by using a refrigerated piecrust. 07 of 09 Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies This butter cookie is the holiday treat your cookie swap is missing. With notes of cranberry and orange, this festive cookie is destined for your next cookie tin. 08 of 09 Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Oxmoor House Recipe: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake This upside-down cake comes together in your slow cooker so you can keep the oven free for the rest of your holiday cooking marathon. 09 of 09 Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread Drizzled with melted chocolate and speckled with cranberry flavor, this shortbread is sure to disappear from the dessert table fast. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit