Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes Make-Ahead, Freezer-Friendy Desserts That Will Save the Holiday Season By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on September 26, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Sanchez Nothing can put the pressure on during the holiday season quite like our packed baking schedules. From cute cookie swaps to grand holiday dinners, we've got a never-ending march of holiday festivities lined up that require our most delicious Southern desserts. After all, it's not quite Christmas without prize-worthy pound cakes, decadent cheesecakes, and mountains of Christmas cookies. Get a leg up this holiday season by keeping some of our favorite freezer-friendly desserts stocked up and ready to go, with your friends and family none the wiser (unless you feel like bragging about your baking prowess). Whether our towering White Cake or our rich Chocolate Chubbies, these holiday desserts freeze well and taste even better. Conquer the holiday season with these make-ahead Christmas miracles that cover every occasion. Just make sure to have plenty of plastic wrap and freezer bags on deck all season long! 01 of 19 Fudge Cake Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Fudge Cake This indulgent yet totally portable dessert is everything you want in a make-and-take cake; and even better, you can make it way ahead of time. Make sure to line the square pan with parchment paper to make your life easier later, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap (followed by aluminum foil, for good measure) before popping it in the freezer. 02 of 19 Coconut Snowballs Hector Sanchez Recipe: Coconut Snowballs Drop cookies like these should be frozen in portioned balls in order to make baking them later easy and breezy. You'll need freezer Ziploc bags to get the job done, and you can spread the melted white chocolate over them after baking when ready 03 of 19 Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake Cheesecakes freeze incredibly well, and this chocolate-peppermint treat is an amazing holiday standout. After baking the cheesecake, let it chill in the fridge, then let it freeze uncovered in the freezer. Once it is frozen, wrap in plastic wrap (then aluminum foil, for good measure) and place in freezer bag. After letting it thaw in the fridge, garnish with Whipped Peppermint Cream and crushed peppermints. 04 of 19 Cassandra's "Light" Fruitcake Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Cassandra's "Light" Fruitcake Oh, the joys of fruitcake—these delicacies will last longer than most. If you're skeptical of this old-school holiday treat, find solace in that this recipe has been known to turn even the most fruitcake-hating people in the South. 05 of 19 5-Ingredient Sugar Cookies Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: 5-Ingredient Sugar Cookies These easy sugar cookies are a holiday essential, and you can have them on hand any moment by freezing the dough in flattened rounds that will thaw out quicker and bake easily. Freeze the rounds on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, then transfer to freezer bags. 06 of 19 Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Coconut-Macadamia Nut Pound Cake Sweet shredded coconut and toasted macadamia nuts make this pound cake truly tasty, and if need be, you can whip it out on short notice when the in-laws are coming into town. Just leave the glaze and garnishes for after it's thawed. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing to ensure it stays fresh. 07 of 19 Chocolate Chubbies Southern Living Recipe: Chocolate Chubbies These not-too-sweet nutty chocolate treats are great for any holiday affair, and you can have them ready to go in the freezer by freezing tablespoonfuls on a lined baking sheet, then putting them in a freezer bag. 08 of 19 White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Iain Bagwell Recipe: White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake This festive cheesecake combines a creamy white chocolate filling, delicious chocolate pie crust, and a tart cranberry topping for an amazing (and easy) dessert. Freeze this cheesecake, after it's been chilled, without the cranberry topping. When ready to serve, you can prepare the topping the night before and spoon over the pie right before serving. 09 of 19 No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Iain Bagwell Recipe: No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars We wouldn't freeze these gooey bars too long, but you'll probably want to break them out as soon as possible anyway! Thaw in the fridge, as they're best served chilled. 10 of 19 Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream This year's iconic white cake recipe raises the bar with its amazing Cream Cheese Buttercream and decorative Cake Ball Ornaments. Save time by baking the cake layers in advance; you can freeze them until you are ready to assemble the cake. 11 of 19 Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites Jennifer Davick Recipe: Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites These oh-so-Southern mini pecan pies can be frozen in freezer bags ahead of time and thawed for any occasion. 12 of 19 Easy Swirled Fudge Jennifer Davick Recipe: Easy Swirled Fudge This easy swirled fudge recipe is a holiday miracle, especially when made ahead and frozen to have on hand in a holiday baking emergency. Make sure it's covered tightly before popping in the freezer (after it's already been chilled) in order to keep it in top shape. 13 of 19 Easiest Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Southern Living Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies You simply cannot beat these four-ingredient peanut butter cookies. Freeze hand-rolled balls of the dough to have them ready to go. Don't forget to press the tops of the thawed dough with a fork for that quintessential peanut butter cookie look! 14 of 19 Cinderella Cheesecake Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cinderella Cheesecake Hold off on garnishing until you've thawed this cheesecake in the fridge, but it sure will be one pretty sight—filled with a creamy chocolate and peanut butter filling—when you do! Wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to freeze it until you're ready. 15 of 19 Minted White Chocolate Balls Hector Sanchez Recipe: Minted White Chocolate Balls These minty, white chocolate-covered bites are served best when chilled anyway, but you can freeze them in balls before coating in chocolate and garnishing with festive crushed peppermints. 16 of 19 Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue Ellen Silverman Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue The sky-high marshmallow meringue on this sweet potato pie is a showstopper; but if freezing, you'll need to hold off on it until just before serving. After letting the sweet potato pie cool completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to keep it ready in the freezer. 17 of 19 Milk Punch Frozen Custards Iain Bagwell Recipe: Milk Punch Frozen Custards For a fancier holiday occasion, we like to freeze these custards in elegant wine glasses or brandy snifters; but you can keep it laidback and fun by using small old-fashioned milkshake glasses. 18 of 19 White Chocolate-Cherry Cookies Southern Living Recipe: White Chocolate-Cherry Cookies Chocolate and cherries make an unstoppable duo when featured in cookies together, and you can freeze the dough in balls to have them ready to be thawed and thrown in the oven in no time. A last minute school party or church potluck has nothing on these! 19 of 19 Single-Crust & Double-Crust Pie Pastry Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Single-Crust Pie PastryRecipe: Double-Crust Pie Pastry While not a freestanding dessert on its own (obviously), you will thank us later for making this homemade pie pastry ahead of time because it takes any pie to the next level. You'll want this in your freezer for the holiday season. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit