Here are all the best warming winter desserts to make it through the season! Try cozy crumbles, chocolatey cakes, and chewy cookies.
One way to survive gray, frigid days of winter? Snuggle up with cozy winter desserts! These recipes are meant to be an occasional treat, not an everyday affair. But anticipating a warming treat is what wintery meals are all about! Try a cozy-spiced crumble, a gooey chocolate cookie cake, or a skillet full of warm bananas swimming in rum sauce. What ingredients are best for winter dessert recipes? Treats in the colder months tend to feature:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Citrus
- Cherries
- Chocolate
Whatever the case, these treats will warm you from the inside out! Ready to get baking?
And now…the best winter desserts!
One of the best winter desserts? Apple crumble! This recipe is the best classic apple crisp: it hits all the right warm and cozy notes in the cold months. It’s a big 9 x 13 pan to feed a crowd, and fresh ginger accentuates the gooey filling perfectly.
Here's a favorite winter cookie recipe…iced applesauce cookies! These are so moist and irresistible, you’ll forget about everything else and you savory each chewy bite. The applesauce makes them ultra moist, and they’ve got a little oatmeal to balance the sweet. They’re almost like a lighter version of an oatmeal cream pie!
This Chocolate Mug Cake recipe comes out insanely fudgy and 100% delicious! It’s got a secret ingredient that makes a delightfully rich flavor. The hardest part? Waiting for it to cool until you can dig in. Here’s our tutorial: all you need to know about how to make a mug cake – and some variations for making it your own!
Here's the ultimate cozy dessert for a chocolate lover: flourless chocolate cake! This decadent flourless chocolate cake is meant for winter celebrations. Rich and fudgy, dense and dark chocolaty, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream cake. Top it with raspberry compote for a sweet tart pairing that cuts the sweetness of the cake perfectly
Here's an ideal warming winter dessert: bananas foster! The warm bananas swim in a gooey sauce of caramelized sugar and rum, topped with a dollop of melt ice cream. There’s usually a flame too, which brings in over the top drama! The best part: you can make it in 10 minutes.
What's a better decadent dessert recipe than cookie dough? Not sure about you, we'd always pick dough over a baked cookie 100% of the time. This cookie dough is perfectly safe to eat with a few tricks. Make the standard dough which has various diet options, or try our popular Chickpea Cookie Dough, an option that's a tad healthier without sacrificing on flavor.
Chocolate and cherries are an ideal combo for winter desserts. Here's a great way to experience it: as a rustic cherry tart, aka a galette! Here there's no pie plates or crimping needed. Instead, simply roll out the dough, spread on the filling, fold over the crust, and bake. The cherry maple filling has a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, it's perfection with a flaky crust and a dark chocolate drizzle.
This amaretto coffee is part drink, part winter dessert, and 100 percent irresistible! It’s one of those flavor combinations that’s years beyond the sum of its parts. The amaretto brings a nuttiness and spice to the coffee that’s hard to quantify in words. Topped with frothy whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, it’s truly to die for.
Of course, a list of winter desserts isn't complete without apple pie! No one would guess that this pie is fully made of plants, because it’s so satisfying. A flaky, golden crust encloses a filling that’s so full of cozy spiced flavor, you won’t want the bite to end. Here are all the tricks for making the most classic apple pie…with no butter to speak of.
Also try: Best Apple Pie Recipe
What's better as a winter dessert than a warm and gooey cookie cake? This chocolate chip cookie cake is 100% more delicious than a store bought cookie cake. (We think, at least!) The rich chocolate chunks and a hint of orange zest make it seriously irresistible: the flavor is oh so real. The texture is perfectly soft and chewy. Everyone will ooo and ahh about this one! (All our family does.)
Chocolate bark is perfect for winter and so easy to make! This combination is top-notch: dark chocolate with dried tart cherries, salty pumpkin seeds, and roasted quinoa for some added crunch. When something can combine both fantastic flavor and nutrients, it’s a favorite in our house. It's the best treat!
Last up in our winter dessert recipes: one more cake! Citrus abounds in the winter. Fennel and orange are a natural pairing, and here they star in an upside down cornmeal cake. The savory, herbal fennel adds just the right amount of complexity and pairs well with the lightly moist cake. And the thin orange slices come out beautifully sweet, almost like a candied orange.
More winter ideas
Want meals to accessorize with these treats? Here are a few more recipe ideas for winter eating:
- 20 Warming Winter Recipes These meals are full of nourishing ingredients, from pot pies to cozy soups.
- 10 Best Winter Salad Recipes Winter is a great time for salads: there are lots of beautiful fresh ingredients to feature.
- 12 Winter Drinks for the Season What’s cozier than a cup of mulled cider or masala chai?
- 15 Best Squash Recipes Grab all the best that winter squash has to offer.
- 30 Soup Recipes Everyone Should Try Soups are always in season in the winter.
Winter Apple Crumble (& More Desserts!)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
What’s a better winter dessert than a big pan of apple crumble? This one makes a 9 x 13 pan of classic crunchy topping and a gooey cinnamon and ginger apple filling.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 6 medium to large cooking apples
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the crumble
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour (or almond flour for gluten-free)
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (or coconut oil for vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Core, peel and thinly slice the apples. Peel the ginger and grate it.
- Combine the apple slices and filling ingredients in large bowl and toss with your hands until well coated.
- In separate bowl, make the crumble topping: stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, walnuts and kosher salt. Add the vanilla and stir. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to bowl. Use pastry cutter or fork to fully incorporate the butter (or room temperature coconut oil).
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place the apple filling in the bottom, then evenly distribute the crumble over the top.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until browned and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly, then serve with Greek yogurt or creme fraiche sweetened with a drizzle of maple syrup, whipped cream (classic, vegan or bourbon infused), or ice cream.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Winter desserts
Last updated: February 2021
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