Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes 28 Mini Christmas Desserts That Have Massive Holiday Flavor By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is an Associate Digital Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham It's the holidays, and for us at Southern Living, that means it's baking season. While we can appreciate a towering layer cake or elaborate Bundt, there's something special about a cookie tin full of tiny treats. These mini Christmas desserts will make for beautiful presentation on your favorite cake plates and serving dishes. Plus, mini desserts make incredible homemade Christmas gifts for neighbors, friends, and family members. Instead of cutting uneven slices of cake or spreading a bunch of germs with a big-batch dessert, these small creations are an easy, safe way to serve dessert this season. And do we even have to mention that personal portions mean no sharing is required? Try out a vintage mini dessert like our Peppermint Divinity or Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls. Make a lasting impression with our beautiful mini desserts like White Christmas Pavlovas and Butterscotch-Bourbon Lava Cakes. Occupy the kids before your Christmas movie marathon and bake a mini desserts that they can help with, like our Christmas Tree Brownies or Red Velvet Cake Balls. These easy mini desserts will be even more of a hit than your complicated layer cake was last year. 01 of 28 Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies Sugared cranberries and orange zest make the most festive topping for these mini cheesecakes. 02 of 28 Christmas Tree Brownies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Christmas Tree Brownies Christmas Tree Brownies aren't just delicious, they're the perfect project for your kids to help bake. 03 of 28 Homemade Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Southern Living Recipe: Homemade Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Looking for a baking project that will delight the littlest helpers in your house? Try a homemade version of this store-bought favorite this season. 04 of 28 Mini Red Velvet Cakes Southern Living Recipe: Mini Red Velvet Cakes Instead of decorating and cutting an elaborate cake, give each family member a personal mini layer cake. 05 of 28 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: Kellie Gerber Kelley Recipe: Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Bourbon balls are an old-fashioned favorite for the holidays, and this recipe makes two dozen of them to fill those pretty Christmas cookie tins. 06 of 28 Peppermint Divinity Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Peppermint Divinity We gave this old-fashioned candy a holiday makeover with peppermint flavor and a crushed candy topping. 07 of 28 Key Lime Tassies Iain Bagwell Recipe: Key Lime Tassies Brighten up your Christmas spread with tart mini Key lime pies. 08 of 28 Snowy Tree Cookies Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Snowy Tree Cookies Take your cutout Christmas cookies to new heights with this oh-so-fun stacked treat. 09 of 28 Christmas Fudge Micah A Leal Recipe: Christmas Fudge Fudge is the ultimate cookie-tin treat, and red, green, and white sprinkles make it holiday-ready. 10 of 28 Molten Red Velvet Cakes HECTOR MANUEL SANCHEZ Recipe: Molten Red Velvet Cakes Ultra-decadent and just the right size, these cakes are topped with cream cheese whipped cream. 11 of 28 White Christmas Pavlovas Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: White Christmas Pavlovas Test Kitchen Professional Ivy Odom created this fluffy pavlova recipe with an interactive toppings bar in mind. 12 of 28 Hot Chocolate Brownies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Hot Chocolate Brownies Your go-to winter drink is now your go-to holiday dessert, too! 13 of 28 Cheesecake Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Cheesecake Cookies Oh-so-tender cookies that bring us back to holidays at Grandma's. 14 of 28 Butterscotch-Bourbon Lava Cakes Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Butterscotch-Bourbon Lava Cakes Butterscotch and bourbon? Now those are two flavors that are absolutely meant to be together. 15 of 28 Chocolate-Pecan Tassies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Chocolate-Pecan Tassies A shortbread cookie crust, gooey pecan pie filling, and ribbons of chocolate make the ideal bite after dinner. 16 of 28 Red Velvet Cake Balls Southern Living Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Balls We used boxed cake mix to make these tiny treats even easier to make. 17 of 28 No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Iain Bagwell Recipe: No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Anything that has the words "no-bake" in the recipe title grabs our attention, and this sweet and salty creation has everything you need. 18 of 28 Candy Cane Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Candy Cane Cookies Santa will be wowed by these festive treats. 19 of 28 Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies Cornflakes and marshmallows come together in this festive treat. 20 of 28 Reindeer Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Reindeer Cookies Use peanut butter sandwich cookies as the base for these reindeer-inspired snacks. 21 of 28 Pecan Snowball Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pecan Snowball Cookies Powdered sugar brings the snowy feel to these bite-sized beauties. 22 of 28 Sprinkle Stocking Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Sprinkle Stocking Cookies Use red and green sprinkles to decorate these stockings. 23 of 28 Santa's Kitchen-Sink Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Santa's Kitchen-Sink Cookies Red and green candy-coated chocolate pieces turn these cookies into real holiday treats. 24 of 28 Peppermint Meltaway Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Peppermint Meltaway Cookies Prepare for these cookies to melt in your mouth with every bite. 25 of 28 Sprinkle Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sprinkle Sandwich Cookies Double the cookie, double the fun with these sweet sandwiches. 26 of 28 Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts An adorable mini dessert that comes together with pantry staples you probably already have on-hand. 27 of 28 Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites Jennifer Davick Recipe: Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites Get all the flavor of your favorite pecan pie in this one-bite dessert that uses phyllo shells from your freezer. 28 of 28 Triple Chocolate-Brownie Mousse Stacks Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Triple Chocolate-Brownie Mousse Stacks All eyes on this delightfully layered dessert that's the ultimate make-ahead holiday dessert. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit