Grandma's English Trifle
This scrumptious trifle recipe is a family heirloom. My grandmother would make an enormous dish of it for Saturday night dinners when they often had guests. If there were leftovers, they'd eat that English trifle dessert every night that week until it was gone! —Ruth Verratti, Gasport, New York
Spiced Rum-Nut Brittle
Seasoned with cayenne pepper and cinnamon, this spicy microwave brittle packs its own heat and warms up holiday visitors. It also makes a great stocking stuffer! —Terri McKitrick, Delafield, Wisconsin
Molded Cranberry-Orange Salad
I take this dish to potlucks during the holidays. People always ooh and aah. Feel free to sub whipped cream for the celery curl garnish. —Carol Mead, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Soft Peppermint Spritz Cookies
This quick recipe makes a lot of cookies, and the peppermint flavor is a change from traditional spritz cookies. I tint some of the dough green or red, and I leave the rest white. The decorating ideas are endless! —Carole Resnick, Cleveland, Ohio
Amaretto Ricotta Cheesecake
There's a good reason why this cherished recipe was handed down to me by a relative. It's a keeper! The amaretto and ricotta make for a truly unique dessert. —Isabel Neuman, Surprise, Arizona
Pumpkin Charlotte
My mother-in-law gave me this recipe a while back and I just love it! I make it for my husband and his friends during hunting season and it's a big hit. —Lorelle Edgcomb, Granville, Illinois
Apricot-Pecan Sugarplums
We deliver these fast and easy sweets to an assisted living home during the holidays and the residents love them! We also layer the ingredients in a canning jar, attach an instruction card around the lid and give the festive jars as gifts. These no-bake treats look beautiful in individual cookie tins, too! —Mandy Nall, Montgomery, Alabama
Granny's Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce
The rich molasses and spice flavor of this old-time dessert is complemented with a buttery caramel sauce.—Joy Sparks, Muskegon, Michigan
Dutch Speculaas
These Dutch spice cookies taste similar to the windmill cookies we enjoy in the United States. In Holland, it's tradition to mold the dough into the shape of St. Nicholas and serve the baked cookies on Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas Day). —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding
This rich dessert is not pudding in the American sense of the word. The moist, spiced cake is loaded with mincemeat and toasted walnuts, drizzled with warm buttery toffee sauce. We like our sticky toffee pudding steaming or at room temperature. —Denise Nyland, Panama City, Florida
German Chocolate Tassies
My son and I love chocolate, so I made this brownie-like recipe to satisfy any chocolate lover. The pecans add a welcome crunch. —John Williams, Beaumont, Texas
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
The classic Sticky Toffee Pudding is a traditional dessert in the United Kingdom. I love that I can just stay home and bake this cake version, featuring saucy butterscotch. —Agnes Ward, Stratford, Ontario
Mocha Baked Alaskas
Make these baked Alaskas ahead of time—you can torch the completed desserts and freeze them up to 24 hours before serving. —Kerry Dingwall, Ponte Vedra, Florida
Texas Pecan Pralines
My praline recipe is special to me for I received it from my mother, who was an excellent cook! I also am a Texas Aggie Mom and I use pecans from a South Texas Aggie grower that our Aggie Mom's club has purchased from for many years. The quality is outstanding and far better than you will find in any grocery store. —Carol Jones, Blue Ridge, Texas
Dark Chocolate Bourbon Balls
Remember the days at Grama and Grampa's house when you make these wonderfully traditional treats? The blended taste of bourbon and pecans is irresistible! We love these Kentucky Derby bourbon balls. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Greendale, Wisconsin
Steamed Carrot Pudding
This recipe has been in my family for at least three generations, passed down from my Canadian grandmother. It's been a favorite wintertime dessert for us and always included for Easter dinner and other holiday meals. —Ann Searcey, Kettering, Ohio
Baba au Rhum Cakes
Dry and candied fruit stud this baba au rhum. The rum is subtle, so it is suitable as a dessert or on a brunch buffet. —Diane Halferty, Tucson, Arizona
Coffee-Glazed Molasses Cookies
I dreamed up these molasses cookies while sipping coffee and watching snow fall. The aroma while the cookies bake reaches all corners of the house. —Faith Ford, Big Lake, Minnesota
Daisy's Fruitcake
I added pecans and candied fruits to an apple cake recipe for my Texan take on traditional English fruitcake. —Daisy Corene McHorse, San Saba, Texas
Eggnog Pie
Even better than holiday eggnog in a glass is eggnog on a plate! This creamy pie delivers all that rich, wonderful flavor. It’s pretty, too, with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. —Florence Shaw, East Wenatchee, Washington
Pecan Meltaways
This sweet, nutty pecan balls recipe is a tradition in our house at Christmastime, but the treats are great any time of the year. —Alberta McKay, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Chocolate Cake Roll with Praline Filling
This show-stopping cake roll was one of the first “complicated” recipes I ever attempted to prepare. I discovered it was easier to make than I’d thought--and worth every bit of effort! — Joan Carrico, Grand Junction, Colorado
Raspberry Linzer Cookies
These wonderful cookies require a bit of extra effort to make and assemble, but the delight on the faces of family and friends when I serve them makes it all worthwhile. —Schelby Thompson, Camden Wyoming, Delaware
Nana's Rocky Road Fudge
We make rocky road-style fudge every Christmas and it’s a tradition, but why wait until the holidays for a recipe this good? —Ashley Berry, Montgomery Village, Maryland
Mincemeat Trifle
Instead of fixing a traditional pie, I gussied up mincemeat by creating this fancy trifle. The recipe's a time-saver, since it can be prepared a day ahead.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
If you want to offer family and friends a dessert that really stands out from the rest, this is the cake to make. Beautiful high layers of rich sponge cake are drizzled with a succulent chocolate glaze. —Erma Fox, Memphis, Missouri
Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
Our two boys linger around the kitchen when these homemade gingerbread cookies are baking. I make this gingerbread cookie recipe throughout the year using a variety of cookie cutters. —Christy Thelan, Kellog, Iowa
Christmas Bread Pudding
I served this bread pudding at the first Christmas dinner I made for my in-laws. Everyone loved it! —Jennifer Dignin, Westerville, Ohio
Decorated Christmas Cutout Cookies
Rich, buttery sugar cookie cutouts like these never last long at a party. They're one of my favorite homemade Christmas cookies. I use seasonal cutters to celebrate the holidays tastefully. —Lynn Burgess, Rolla, Missouri
Apple-Walnut Cake with Orange Glaze
I tinkered with a plain apple cake recipe to create this moist, delicious winner. The result: old-fashioned goodness with a heavenly aroma! This cake is the perfect fall treat or holiday dessert, but it’s also great as a special breakfast or brunch item. —Lisa Speer, Palm Beach, Florida
The post 30 Vintage Christmas Desserts Inspired by Grandma appeared first on Taste of Home.
Grace Mannon