10 Winter Desserts and Baking Recipes

Craving cozy comfort and delectable treats? Dive into a winter wonderland of sweet desserts and savory bakes with this list of my favorite winter baking and desserts recipes. Whether you’re gluten free or a traditional baker, these 10 easy recipes, bursting with winter-inspired ingredients, will warm your soul and tantalize your taste buds.

Winter desserts and Baking Recipes

Ever wonder what a food blogger’s favorite recipes are?  While I tend to think of each recipe like a child and each one is the best, this list is a testament to the recipes that I adore.  Each is made multiple times, and when I’m craving something sweet, it’s usually one of these delights I go to first.

I find there is a consistent pattern in each of these:

• Easy – Even the croissants are relatively easy to make.  
• Healthier Slant – Whether its fruit or refined sugar-free, these recipes don’t contain copious amounts of sugar and fat.  Except for the croissants.  Those buttery, wonderful croissants!
• Simple Flavors – Each recipe has a single forward-flavor.  
• Versatile Treats – Most of these recipes are great for breakfast or dessert.  Or, any time in between!

Now, go and enjoy these winter baking and desserts recipes while the weather is still calling for chocolate, caramel, butter, and delightful seasonal fruit!

1. Maple Cinnamon Baked Pears

These baked pears feature my favorite dessert trifecta – easy, healthier, and utterly decadent.  You take one of the best winter fruits – the pear – and saturate it with butter, spices, and maple syrup.  The result?  Softened pears swimming in maple syrup caramel sauce.  Winter dessert at its finest!

2. Easy Buttermilk Biscuits

While buttermilk biscuits may not feature cozy winter spices, they do feature dozens of flaky and buttery layers.  Which is comforting in its own right!  Imagine soft and tender biscuits smothered with melted butter with a little drizzle of apple cider caramel or maple syrup caramel sauce.  Or, I suppose you can keep them in their natural form and make a delectable breakfast sandwich.

3. Fudgy Gluten Free Brownies

My delight is hardly contained with how fudgy these gluten free and refined sugar free brownies are.  The small batch recipe comes in a respectable third on my favorite winter dessert recipes list because of how much they taste like a traditional brownie.  The best part (aside from the fudge-like center) – the flaky chocolate brownie top.  The epitome of a wonderful chocolate bar!

4. Gluten Free Almond Coffee Cake

I love sweet treats for breakfast.  Any time I can dunk a confection in my coffee, it’s a good start to my day!  This small batch and gluten free almond coffee cake features a densely soft cake layered with cinnamon sugar and almond streusel.  And with all that, the spotlight of this breakfast cake is the insanely good almond flavor.  

5. Dark Chocolate Pots de Crème

It’s only appropriate that a chocolate dessert designed just for two would end up on my top 10 winter desserts list.  It is ideal for Valentine’s Day, but then again, silky chocolate custard is ideal any time of the year!  The chocolate pots de creme recipe is in effect a baked pudding.  But, not your pudding in small cup.  The most luxurious pudding with the taste and texture of a 5-star restaurant, but in reality, a simple dessert baked with love in your own kitchen!

6. almond Croissants

These buttery sweet croissants are the second most popular recipe on the blog – right after the homemade flaky croissants.  This recipe uses my day-old croissants and slathers them with a generous amount of homemade silky almond cream. The result is an incredibly flaky croissant bursting with almond flavor!  So while the snow is falling outside, whip up a batch of light-as-air pastries to go with your hot apple cider.

7. Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Next to the baked pears on this winter baking list, these flourless peanut butter cookies may be the easiest recipe to make the cut.  In just 15 minutes and only a few ingredients, you can have tender and crisp cookies.  Not to mention, the cookies are naturally gluten free and versatile enough to taste equally delicious when you add a little cinnamon, or drizzle with a little melted chocolate.

8. Maple Cinnamon Gluten Free Bread

Another gluten free recipe on the list (and on the blog!) that does not taste gluten free.  This recipe is made with a blend of almond flour and sweet rice flour.  The result is a sturdy mini bread that is sublimely moist, buttery, soft, and finished with a maple cinnamon glaze – a winter dessert symphony!  

9. caramel apple oatmeal skillet cookie

A cookie in a mini cast iron skillet is delightful enough.  But when it’s a caramelly soft oatmeal cookie dotted with apples, you may have the ideal winter dessert recipe!  The baked oatmeal cookie has a texture that pairs well with a dollop (or two!) of ice cream on top and is best eaten with a spoon.  Apples, spices, maple syrup, and butter have all the makings of the best oatmeal cookie!

10. Winter Citrus Cream Tart

To conclude the list of my favorite winter desserts and baking recipes, I had to go with a dessert that is light, refreshing, and celebrates winter citrus.  The base of the winter citrus and cream tart is a whipped coconut cream flavored with honey and lime.  To carry the flavors, the bright winter citrus is drizzled with same flavors.  Keeping it all intact is an incredibly easy gluten free oatmeal crust that allows all the flavors to shine!

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So, there you have it!  My favorite winter desserts and baked treats.  I love this time of year for baking.  I can still use some of the wonderful spices and flavors from fall and Christmas.  But now I get to lighten things up with fruit and a couple new year’s resolutions!  wink