18 Spiced Holiday Desserts Your Dinner Party Guests Will Love

Winter is all about staying warm and celebrating the holidays. Consequently, it’s no surprise that we begin seeking desserts that are warming, spiced, and rich with festive flavours as soon as the temperatures drop and the wreaths go up. Nothing says the holidays are here quite like gingerbread!

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cardamom appear in countless beloved holiday recipes. However, adding these spices to any food product is a simple way to add some holiday spirit. Contact the food experts at Hela Spice to learn more!

1. Gingerbread Yule Log

The Yule Log is a classic Christmas dessert adored by all who appreciate the sweeter things in life. Tender, chocolate sponge cake is slathered with fluffy whipped cream and then rolled to create a “log.” When sliced, your eyes feast upon a very aesthetic swirl of cream. 

Covering the outside of the log with bark-like chocolate can elevate the presentation. Incorporating gingerbread spices will boost your Christmas yule log to the next level. All in all, it’s an irresistible melt-in-your-mouth experience.

2. Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon sugar cookies are another holiday favourite. These tiny treats are the perfect balance of spice and sweetness. Traditionally a simple recipe, it showcases the slightly sweet and warm flavour of the cinnamon. They should be thick, chewy, and tender in the centre. 

3. Chocolate Gingersnaps

Chocolate, ginger, and sugar– a winning Christmas combination. These gingersnaps are full of delectable winter spices, resulting in an irresistible (yet complex) flavour. Combine ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, molasses, brown sugar, and finely chopped chocolate or cocoa powder.

4. Spiced Carrot Cake

Carrot cakes are dense, hearty, and perfect for the holidays. Food manufacturers can create a truly festive experience for their customers by adding spices. We suggest adding orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger to add depth to this sumptuous cake.

5. Rum Eggnog Cookies

Spiced eggnog cookies incorporate so many fantastic festive flavours. Cinnamon and nutmeg bring out the spicy sweetness of the eggnog, alongside vanilla and rum. After topping them with an eggnog icing drizzle, your customers will be hooked from the first bite.

6. Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are delicious, no matter the time of year. Nonetheless, the rich, warming, and subtly sweet cinnamon flavour suits the holidays. Add gingerbread spices to the classic cinnamon roll recipe for a more festive twist.

7. Pepparkakor–Swedish Spice Cookies

Pepparkakor are delicate, thin, crispy, spiced cookies baked across Scandinavia during the holidays. Traditionally, pepparkakor recipes featured a heavy-handed amount of pepper. Modern interpretations have substituted with less intense holiday spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. And, maybe, still a dash of black pepper.

8. Dutch Speculaas

Speculaas are traditional Dutch cookies moulded into beautiful Christmas shapes with elegant patterns. These details elevate an otherwise humble cookie into a refined dessert option. 

Their delicious flavour is owed to the speculaas spice mix, which contains cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ground ginger, cardamom, ground aniseed, white pepper, and orange zest.

Add this spice mix to other holiday recipes to create unique, Dutch-inspired products.

9. Chai Spiced Star Bread

Star bread is a beautiful holiday dessert that will impress dinner party guests. It doesn’t just look incredible- it also tastes delectable. Although there’s nothing wrong with opting for classic warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, we encourage you to get creative with this recipe. Chai spices (cardamom, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger) are ideally suited to Christmas star breads.

10. Pumpkin Spice Bundt

Pumpkin spice is a favourite throughout the colder months. This blend lends itself perfectly to various holiday recipes, including bundt cake. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are essential ingredients of pumpkin spice blends. Top the bundt cake with vanilla icing, candied pecans, and a sprinkling of even more pumpkin spice.

11. Molasses Crinkles

Molasses crinkles are simple, spicy, sweet, and irresistible. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt complement the slightly caramel-tasting molasses. These cookies taste reminiscent of gingerbread because of the high molasses content and brown sugar.

12. Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

Are you looking for a unique and mouth watering offering that will catch the attention of consumers? Spiced pecan pie bars could be the answer. These bars are moist, luscious, sweet, and loaded with warm spices. They’re the perfect holiday finger food. Ground ginger and cinnamon are the star spices. Sweeten with honey and decorate with a white chocolate drizzle.

13. Lafayette Gingerbread 

Lafayette gingerbread is an exciting twist on a holiday classic. It is heavily spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Orange juice and orange zest are two essential parts of this recipe–but don’t forget the molasses! The result is a cake slice that is tender, flavourful, and warm with fragrant spices.

14. Kanellängd–Swedish Cinnamon and Cardamom Bread

Kanellängd is a Swedish cinnamon-cardamom bread typically enjoyed with coffee during mid-afternoon breaks. However, it also makes a delicious holiday treat. This heavily spiced bread is cut into decorative patterns, making it a beautiful addition to any dinner party spread. Drizzle with icing sugar for a real treat!

15. Nutmeg Doughnuts

Doughnuts for the holidays? Why not! Creating a festive version of these tasty, circular treats is easy. Simply incorporate holiday spices into the recipe, such as nutmeg or cinnamon. Buttermilk and a sugar dusting take these old-fashioned cake doughnuts to the next level.

16. Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

This recipe is everyone’s new favourite holiday dessert. Creamy autumn pumpkins meet Christmas gingersnap. This cheesecake is smooth and velvety with a buttery crust that is irresistible. The filling is made from pumpkins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and vanilla. Ginger and butter are the stars of the crust.

17. Apple Butter Crisp

Apple butter crisps may scream autumn, yet they’re equally delicious in the depths of winter. Cinnamon is a core component of this mouthwatering recipe. Best served with vanilla ice cream!

18. Spiced Coffee Cake

The spiced coffee cake’s taste and texture are unparalleled. Some highlights of the recipe are the pumpkin spice, toasted pecans, brown sugar crumble, and maple glaze drizzle. The crumble and pecans offer a heavenly crunch, complementing the moist and fluffy cake. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are the dominant spices.

Hela Spice Is a Canadian Spice Company

This holiday season, infuse your next best-selling products with fragrant and festive spices. Hela Spice can help you use more cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, and cloves in your Christmas recipes. We are a Canadian spice company and North America’s food experts!

To discover our custom holiday spice blends at Hela Spice, visit us at www.helaspice.com or contact us here.