Good Holiday Party Desserts

Hosting a holiday party for about 30 people -- the bulk of the food will be catered but I am making the dessert. I'd like something that can be prepped ahead, doesn't require forks, and isn't too messy. People will not be sitting, so finger food would be nice. I'll be making cinnamon-sugared puff pastry straws from scratch which is labor intensive, so some easier ideas would be awesome. Killer cookie recipes? Mini pies? Help welcome!!

Posie (Harwood) Brien
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12 Comments

sexyLAMBCHOPx
sexyLAMBCHOPx December 3, 2014
Alice Medrich's Best Cocoa Brownies - perfect, delicious easy bites!
 
ChefJune
ChefJune December 3, 2014
DuFour and GoodWives both make mini tart shells that hold about 2 bites max. I would buy those and fill them with whatever you like: lemon curd, chocolate mousse, apple pie, sweet potato pie, mince pie, pecan pie... they look pretty on the plates and are easy to eat.
 
luvcookbooks
luvcookbooks December 3, 2014
https://food52.com/recipes/19292-nonna-s-ciambella-nonna-approved
This looks lovely and festive, too. A beautiful fruit and cheese plate is always appreciated for those who can't eat sugar and/or flour. Can add some sweet and spicy baked almonds or pecans and candied ginger.
 
luvcookbooks
luvcookbooks December 3, 2014
https://food52.com/recipes/19685-cranberry-pecan-banana-bread
Emily C's banana bread is way above the ordinary and has festive seasonal cranberries baked in. I left off the glaze and served it with a Camembert cheese. It was gone in less than a minute, so make lots! I'm sure it would freeze.
 
Nancy
Nancy December 3, 2014
Your mention of cranberries reminded me of chocolate bark in Christmas colors - make with white chocolate, dried cranberries & pistacio nuts. Sub milk or dark chocolate if you prefer them.
 
Kristen W.
Kristen W. December 3, 2014
These fulfill all your requirements and are SO FREAKING GOOD:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mini-chocolate-hazelnut-cheesecakes


 
HalfPint
HalfPint December 1, 2014
I recommend Merrill's Cream Cheese Cookies which can be baked a few days in advance. To make it festive, roll in some color sugar or sprinkles and bake. I've even used the dough as a base and changed up the flavorings and/or dipped in chocolate.
 
rt21
rt21 December 1, 2014
Mini Apple pies ,mini mince pies, use scraps of brownies to make rum balls, truffles...
 
aargersi
aargersi December 1, 2014
The shortbread article on the home page (Mandy@Lady and pups) has a couple of answers for you!

I always have a great response to these:
https://food52.com/recipes/3111-texas-sweet-heat-caramel-pretzles

And these:
https://food52.com/recipes/3061-indoor-s-mores

both can be made in advance!
 
drbabs
drbabs December 1, 2014
That's exactly why I created these: https://food52.com/recipes/8074-chocolate-fantasy-brownie-bites

I got tired of people buying brownie bites from Costco (yes, that's what people in my life do for dessert) and decided to make my own.
 
ZombieCupcake
ZombieCupcake December 1, 2014
This recipes is great, simple to do and tastes killer with a good homemade or higher quality jam http://www.thekitchn.com/joanne-changs-homemade-poptart-132453 Brownies are good too bake them and use holiday cookie cutters to get them out then the scraps you can freeze for parfaits later.
 
Nancy
Nancy December 1, 2014
think of this dessert course like hors d'oeuvre at a cocktail party - a series of 1-2 bite delicious morsels, so people can pace themselves (or think they are) and try many things. If you have a theme to the main dishes, echo it in desserts. If no theme, mini Xmas traditional foods with a twist - e.g. eggnog ice-cream or parfait in a shot glass.
 
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