18 Last-Minute Holiday Treats To Make Any Family Gathering A Fun One

If you’re looking for the perfect holiday craft-meets-snack activity to do with the whole family, look no further. True to form, these Reese’s Rudolph bites are bringing home the holiday cheer this year. The only special ingredient you'll need is candy eyes to build these jolly reindeer, which can be purchased online, but the rest comes together in a snap and makes for an adorably edible gift.

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The experience of dipping and dunking sweet treats in a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day is almost as good as the drink itself. But what to do when the hot cocoa craving hits when it’s not so cold out (it happens!)? What if you want hot chocolate but in a more shareable form? Enter this sweet, creamy hot cocoa party dip. It’s topped with swoops of whipped cream, a shower of mini marshmallows, and sprinkles, if you're feeling fancy.

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While peppermint and chocolate (à la classic peppermint bark) is a wonderful pairing, these bars really let the peppermint shine on its own. They're somewhere between a sugar cookie and a blondie, and have gorgeous swoops of minty cream cheese frosting with swirls of red and pink to mimic candy canes. This recipe also makes a ton, perfect for sharing!

Get the Peppermint Sheet-Pan Bars recipe.

Puppy chow (aka muddy buddies) is one of the easiest and most delicious sweet snacks EVER, and it's super-kid-friendly to make and gift too.

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Everyone decorates Christmas sugar cookies with icing, and we think not enough people roll them in sugar and turn them into pops. Pro tip: Dunk ’em in your hot cocoa.

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All you need is store-bought sugar cookie dough, an easy homemade buttercream (colored green to nail the Christmas vibes), and your desired decorations to create these tiny edible trees. In 30 minutes, you’ll have the cutest cookie stacks that everyone will be fighting over.

Get the Christmas Tree Cookie Stacks recipe.

Need a last-minute dessert that requires very little planning, but will be a showstopper on your holiday table? Stop here. We're obsessed with this holiday treat for two reasons: 1) It’s ridiculously cute and 2) ridiculously simple. All you need are 3 ingredients—store-bought cheesecake, whipped cream, and strawberries—and 10 minutes to create this adorable holiday dessert.

Get the Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites recipe.

What do you do when you’re craving tiramisu, but you don’t have the time or patience to chill it for hours? Enter tiramisu dip. It’s got all the right flavors—creamy mascarpone, rich espresso, and a generous dusting of cocoa powder—and it comes together in just 10 minutes.

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Need a centerpiece? Edible pine cones. Kid-friendly activity? Edible pine cones. Last-minute gift for that one person you always forget? Edible pine cones. They’re the Swiss Army knife of holiday treats.

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Watching Elf for the hundredth time? Us too! This twist on Buddy the Elf’s breakfast spaghetti is just the thing to add to your Christmas treat bucket list; plus, it's the perfect snack while you curl up on the couch and press play. If dessert for breakfast isn’t your thing, you’ll find the same sticky goodness in Rice Krispies format with crunchy chow mein noodles, chocolate galore, and even Pop-Tarts—no spaghetti required.

Get the Buddy The Elf Rice Krispies Treats recipe.

♫ "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel..." ♫ If you truly want to take your game over the top, play for homemade gelt! They're super-easy to make at home (we used a mini muffin tin), and you can decorate them however you like.

Get the Hanukkah Gelt recipe.

Using our delicious edible cookie dough recipe, white chocolate ganache, and a couple of candy decorations, these melted snowman bites are the perfect sweet treat to bring to any holiday party. Plus, they’re ready in just 30 minutes, making them perfect for last-minute gifts and get-togethers.

Get the Melted Snowman Cookie Dough Bites recipe.

If you’re a gingerbread head like us, congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon the perfect recipe for your holiday season. This bark blends white chocolate with all your favorite holiday spices and is topped with gingerbread cookies to create a simple yet delightfully cute holiday treat.

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This delightfully festive dip has all the warm, spiced flavors of your favorite holiday cookies transformed into a fluffy and light spread for gingerbread cookies, graham crackers, or pretzels. A mashup of gingerbread and creamy cheesecake, this is a great alternative holiday dessert to serve for your next party! Guests will constantly ask you for the recipe, and don’t judge if you catch some double-dipping action going on.

Get the Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip recipe.

If you love candy brittle and are as obsessed with brownies as we are, then this will be your new favorite snack. Crisp and crunchy with deep cocoa flavor, this sweet snack bark is both easy to make and incredibly tasty. Beware—you won’t be able to stop at just one piece!

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For fans of Rice Krispies treats, meet snowflake crisp, a popular Taiwanese confection. Think of this as a lighter version of nougat, but much easier to make at home with just a few ingredients.For our take, we use crunchy Biscoff cookies, which lend subtle sweet notes of caramel and malt.

Get the Cookie Butter Snowflake Crisp recipe.

Even if you're not well-studied in the arts of elf antics—or are particularly crafty—you can make this mischief munch. Your kids can even make it with you, so they can leave it out to lure their little pal. It just takes a little cereal, some M&M's and holiday sprinkles, but you could modify it to suit your tastes.

Get the Elf On The Shelf Mischief Munch recipe.

Looking for the easiest-ever Christmas cookie? Enter: Cool whip cookies. All you need is cake mix, whipped topping (aka Cool Whip), an egg, and powdered sugar to create these holiday treats. This genius boxed-cake-mix hack makes super-fudgy crinkle cookies—with a third of the typical ingredients. Whether you’re searching for a last-minute holiday dessert or a sweet homemade food gift, these cookies are the answer.

Get the Cool Whip Cookies recipe.