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As Christmas approaches, it can help to have some go-to dessert recipes at hand. Not only are they perfect for indulging in when you get the chance but they’re also life savers when it comes to entertaining guests. Perhaps you don’t want to cook a meal for every visitor that comes to say Merry Christmas.

In that instance, a bit of dessert and a cup of coffee are just as welcoming. Similarly, most people are often so preoccupied with Christmas dinner that the dessert can fall by the wayside. Take a look at some simple recipes that are always crowd pleasers.

Night Before Christmas Pudding

Christmas pudding doesn’t have to be as complicated as it looks. There’s a simple recipe that will take you less than an hour to prep and cook. Then all you need to do is chill it overnight.

You’ll need a selection of dried fruits, crumbled sponge, dark chocolate, all spice, butter, and cocoa. You can also add a pinch of sherry and cinnamon for the wow factor. Mix and compress all of the ingredients and chill overnight in a bowl.

If you’d like to create a glaze for your pudding, you’ll need dark chocolate, maple syrup, and a thin cream. Mix together and pour a generous amount over your pudding.

No Bake Gingerbread Trifle

Gingerbread is a celebrated taste throughout the Christmas holiday period. This no bake trifle is simple, tasty, and brings with all the delights of the time of year. To make it you’ll need ginger biscuits, gingerbread cake, cream, and caramel sauce. Vegan options of course.

Firstly, mix thickened cream, sour cream, icing sugar and caramel sauce until the mixture is thick. Then layer a bowl with thin slices of cake and sprinkle with cinnamon and brandy if you wish. Sprinkle ginger biscuit over the top and then add your cream mixture. Repeat the layering process until your ingredients are gone and then top with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

Bread Pudding

Who doesn’t love bread pudding? Like this bread pudding recipe that can often be created with ingredients you already have at home. To create this delicious dessert, you’ll need a brioche loaf, sugar, milk, eggs, flour, brandy, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract. Vegan options of course!

Chop your brioche loaf into one inch cubes. Layer the cubes in a dish, making sure you don’t leave too many gaps. The rest of the ingredients will be mixed in a heated pan until a custard mixture appears. 

When you have your custard, pour it over the bread and place in a preheated oven for forty minutes at 350F. When your bread pudding is ready, let it cool and lightly dust with icing sugar.

Spiced Barbecued Pineapple With Chocolate Dip

It’s as easy as it sounds. Pick up a fresh pineapple and cut it into chunky strips. Make your spice mixture with cinnamon, anise, szechuan peppercorns, and whole cloves. Add your spice to some melted butter and brush the mixture over the pineapple strips.

Lightly barbeque each strip for ten minutes. While the pineapple is on the grill, you can make your chocolate dip by mixing melted dark chocolate with pure cream. This is one of those desserts you can quickly create when someone shows up at your door unexpectedly.

Rhubarb Tarts

These individual rhubarb tarts are the perfect choice for fussy guests. They’ll go down a storm each and every time. Around the Christmas holidays, it can help to keep some ready made puff pastry handy. Cut the pastry into 4 inch squares and pop into the oven.

Once the pastry is in, cut the rhubarb into small strips. Add the rhubarb, orange juice, vanilla pod and seeds, and sugar to a pan and heat until the rhubarb is soft. When your pastry is ready, top each square with some rhubarb and serve with ice cream on the side. Heavenly!

Pistachio and Cranberry Brownies

Brownies are a firm favorite all year round. However, when you add pistachios and cranberries, they become Christmas brownies. Perhaps you already have a brownie recipe you love to use. Brownie recipes are easy to adapt when you want to add extra ingredients. 

You’ll need to take the extra weight and moisture into account so don’t add any more than half a cup of pistachios and half a cup of cranberries. You may find that they also need slightly longer in the oven to firm.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, take a look at the others and happy holidays!