Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes 29 No-Bake Christmas Desserts To Whip Up This Season Find your new favorite holiday dessert. 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.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 14, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Iain Bagwell Between the cookie swaps, church potlucks, and holiday parties on the calendar this season, it's hard to keep up with all those cookies. When we get a little burnt out on baking our favorite Christmas cookies—or when our cookies get a little burnt because of the many holiday distractions—it's time to break out the Christmas miracle that is the no-bake holiday treat.These delicious bites mean no hounding over the oven to ensure the cookies don't bake a minute too long. There will be no facing the disaster of crumbling cookies when moving them from sheet pan to cookie tins. From decadent bars to chewy cookies, these Christmas dessert recipes will be the hit of any party without even touching the oven. From Duvet Cover Sets To Holiday Wine Glasses, Here’s What Our Shopping Editor Is Buying For Black Friday 01 of 29 No-Bake Dark Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwich Cookies GREG DUPREE; FOOD STYLING: EMILY NABORS HALL; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS These cookies look fancy enough to fool any party guest, thanks to store-bought chocolate wafers. Crushed peppermint adds extra festive sparkle. Adding coconut oil to the chocolate is a baking tip to increase the cookie's shine. 02 of 29 No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Christmas cookies just got a lot easier. Speckle these rich, soft, chewy balls with peanuts for a cookie dough-inspired treat. You won't believe you can make these cookies in one bowl. 03 of 29 No-Bake Almond Butter Thumbprints Jen Causey Creamy almond butter, crushed pretzels, powdered sugar, and butter make up this perfectly sweet-and-salty treat. You'll love these thumbprints topped with a dollop of strawberry jam. These cookies look festive and bright on any holiday dessert table. 04 of 29 No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Iain Bagwell These gooey bars will be your new favorite holiday dessert, thanks to their perfect combination of chocolate, caramel, graham crackers, and toffee. You won't have to worry about overcooking or burning cookies. Plus, the graham cracker crust adds a nice texture to these bars. 05 of 29 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: Kellie Gerber Kelley These decadent little delights are a cross between bourbon balls and chocolate truffles. They make the easiest throw-together treat for any holiday occasion with only four ingredients. Dark chocolate and pecans jazz up the classic bourbon ball taste. 06 of 29 Wreath Cookies Photo: Oxmoor House Make these whimsical wreath cookies using shredded wheat cereal, such as Frosted Mini-Wheats. With some help from microwaved vanilla candy coating and green food coloring, you'll have an incredibly festive treat. Get your little ones to cover the wreaths with fun holiday candies for a homemade treat and activity. 07 of 29 Milk Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett We're all for any holiday treat that requires only two minutes of microwave time to get the recipe going. Stir in the delicious mint-chocolate cookies and top with crushed peppermints, letting the festive bark cool and harden before breaking. 08 of 29 Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Hector Manuel Sanchez A quick dig into our old microwave column recipes left us pleasantly surprised with these chocolate-peanut blondies. Chopped salted peanuts give the perfect finishing touch to the sweet bars packed with chocolate and brown sugar. 09 of 29 Peppermint-Pretzel Bark Photo: Iain Bagwell Layered with peppermint candies, pretzels, and white chocolate, this over-the-top Christmas candy will blow those everyday chocolate bark recipes out of the water. This no-bake recipe makes a perfect red-and-white treat to add color to your cookie platter. It's sweet and salty. 10 of 29 Peppermint Divinity Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer This classic Southern candy is made with granulated sugar, corn syrup, and stiffly beaten egg whites. Adding peppermint punches it up for a Christmastime special. This Peppermint Divinity texture is without rival: fluffy, crunchy, and completely divine. 11 of 29 Classic Bourbon Balls Photo: Jennifer Davick These no-bake bourbon balls make a batch big enough for your gifting and party needs. They pack a nice little punch, too! We love them rolled in powdered sugar for a sweet finishing touch. 12 of 29 Spicy Peanut Brittle Philip Friedman Before adding them to a traditional peanut brittle recipe, coat your peanuts with a cayenne and cinnamon blend. It'll be your new favorite holiday snack for guests this year. The subtle spicy kick makes this brittle stand out from the rest. 13 of 29 Whole Grain Marshmallow Crispy Bars Southern Living Dried cranberries bring holiday cheer to your classic, crowd-pleasing Rice Krispie treat-inspired bars. This recipe is the perfect crunchy, chewy, and portable treat for any Christmas event. With only four ingredients, this dessert is one you'll want to make more than once. 14 of 29 No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't celebrate the season with ice cream pie. This no-bake peanut butter pie is next-level good. Try using a hot knife to slice this pie so that it stays neat and everyone can enjoy a taste of each layer. 15 of 29 No-Bake Cookies and Cream Bars Jen Causey These bars are kid-friendly and portable, making them great for kids' parties and church dinners. We always recommend lining the baking pan and spraying it with cooking spray to ensure the bars don't stick and eliminate unnecessary cleanup. Only three ingredients do the trick when preparing this delicious no-bake treat. 16 of 29 No-Bake Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies Romulo Yanes These decadent no-bake cookies, lined in crushed peppermints, are an all-star chocolate-peppermint duo. Chocolate wafer cookies are made creamy and soft with rich mascarpone and cream cheeses, then wrapped and chilled in a 10-inch log before slicing. 17 of 29 No-Bake Chocolate Mint Snowballs Southern Living These sweet chocolate truffles get a holiday touch from the mint chocolate candy surprise in the center. This seasonal staple is simple, quick, and easy to pack into your holiday cookie tins. They taste exactly like Christmas. 18 of 29 No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Southern Living These deliciously quick cookies are a no-brainer when you get a last-minute bake sale or potluck alert. This recipe comes together quickly with oats, flaked coconut, and peanut butter. Allow enough time for cookies to cool before serving. 19 of 29 Hot Chocolate Icebox Pie Southern Living Hot chocolate reminds us of fresh snowfalls and cozy evenings by the fire. While this isn't a cup of chocolate goodness, it does have some of the same ingredients that make it a fan favorite. Add crushed peppermint, chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow creme for a festive combination. 20 of 29 Chocolate Lasagna Southern Living Lasagna for dessert? Plus, it's a no-bake option. This combination sounds too good to be true. Layers of cream cheese, cool whip, and chocolate pudding sit on a dessert crust formed with crumbled cookie sandwiches and butter. 21 of 29 Millionaire Pie Micah A. Leal Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean you can't celebrate with tropical flavors. Sweet coconut, pineapple, and whipped topping form the base for this no-bake pie. You'll discover why they call it Millionaire Pie after topping it with cherries and chopped pecans. 22 of 29 Mississippi Mud Medallions Alison Miksch Combine four ingredients to make this simple yet beautiful no-bake dessert. The pecan half-topping adds to its sophisticated presentation. If you'd like, you can substitute mini marshmallows for the espresso beans for a more kid-friendly option. 23 of 29 Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Even though this dessert requires some planning, it doesn't require an oven. Mix the layers of graham crackers, a cool whipped filling, and cherry preserves into this no-bake icebox cake. Refrigerate it overnight and enjoy it for the next three days—if it lasts that long. 24 of 29 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie PHOTO: HECTOR SANCHEZ Cheesecake has a sophisticated quality, but this recipe will have you rethinking everything you once thought about the dessert. Combining cheesecake elements with an ice cream pie makes this unique blueberry pie something your guests will love. Add some zest by topping it with fresh lemon juice and blueberries. 25 of 29 Classic Peanut Brittle Charles Walton It's a classic for a reason. Making a batch of peanut brittle during the holidays is always a great idea because you can give it to friends as a gift or set it alongside your holiday cookies on a tray. This no-bake solution is a sweet and simple Christmas treat, but keep stirring until it's resting and cooling on the baking sheet. 26 of 29 No-Bake Banana Split Pie Photographer and props: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall This no-bake pie is full of classic nostalgic flavors. Just like an ice cream banana split on a hot summer's day, this pudding pie combines bananas, strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and wafers into this reimagined dessert. Not only does this recipe taste great, but it also looks lovely covered in sprinkles—red and green if you prefer. 27 of 29 Turtle Trifle John O'Hagan; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey Inspired by the classic turtle candies, this no-bake dessert requires more time to chill than to prepare. Mixing mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, vanilla, and toasted pecans can only be better when adding fudge and caramel toppings. 28 of 29 No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hilegas Gingersnaps add a Yuletide quality to this lemony dessert. Allow for ample time to freeze. Top this dessert with any fruit to customize it to your preferences. 29 of 29 No-Bake Strawberry Pie Joy Howard Make this strawberry dessert with fresh berries and a graham cracker crust for a sprinkle of holiday red. You can prepare this dessert the day before your event and place it in individual containers for a unique presentation. Add lemon zest for extra brightness. You can always have more desserts during the holidays. Check out our heavenly holiday desserts that will wow guests. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit