63 Best Christmas Treats for Your Sweetest Holiday Yet

Think beyond the baking aisle for your next batch: Fresh lemon and thyme add earthy, tangy flavor to these sweets.

Get the Lemon Thyme Coin Cookies recipe.

Start with basic sugar cookies, then ice them like a pro (with our helpful guide!) for a dessert that doubles as a fun activity.

Get the Best Royal Icing recipe.

Can't decide between chocolate and gingerbread? Now you don't have to.

Get the Chocolate Gingerbread Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream recipe.

A pinch of flaky salt helps balance out the sweetness of the gooey caramel filling.

Get the Chocolate, Hazelnut and Caramel Tart recipe.

To make these festive peppermint treats, heat the oven to 350°F before coating the insides of metal Christmas tree cookie cutters with nonstick cooking spray. Place them on parchment-lined baking sheet, then arrange green peppermint candies (breaking them as necessary) inside cutters; there should be space between the candies. Bake until candies melt, 5 to 6 min. Let cool completely, then gently pop out.

Never made eggnog from scratch? Then this creamy, lightly spiced sipper will be such a treat.

Get the Old-Fashioned Eggnog recipe.

RELATED: 48 Christmas Cocktails To Get the Holiday Party Started

This surprisingly simple tart features a pressed crust, four ingredient filling and a glaze of apricot jam and orange juice.

Get the Pressed Cranberry and Pear Tart recipe.

Stir chocolate spoons in coffee or warm milk or another beverage to add an extra hit of sweetness to the season.

To prep the spoons, pour melted white, milk or dark chocolate in the spoons, then garnish with an assortment of sweet and salty fixin’s including things like mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut flakes, crushed candy canes and chopped espresso beans. Let stand for a few minutes until the chocolate has cooled and solidified.

Full of apple pie spice plus applesauce, these sugar-coated sweets have all the flavor of the season.

Get the Baked Applesauce Donuts recipe.

Making these ’gram-worthy cookies is easier than it looks: Just mix together one master dough and tint two-thirds of it with strawberry and chocolate.

Get the Neapolitan Cookies recipe.

Create a holiday-stunner with this cake. It has ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and a mix of other spices in each bite. Plus, you can top with a glaze and pomegranate arils.

Get the Gingerbread Bundt Cake recipe.

If decorating cookies is not your thing, these cookies are a great way to go. All you need is a cookie press to make them picture-perfect!

Get the Chocolate Spritz Sandwiches recipe.

This cookie includes pecans in the spiced dough, plus seedless jam that gets sandwiched in the middle! There is no doubt that people will be reaching for seconds.

Get the Linzer Stars recipe.

Turn spiced cream-filled puffs into Santa's four-legged friends with melted chocolate, edible antlers and button noses (a red one for Rudolph, of course!).

Get the Reindeer Profiteroles recipe.

If you already love Black Forest cake, then these cookies are for you. The brandied cherries and homemade whipped cream on top really make these cookies shine!

Get the Black Forest Cookies recipe.

Give classic snowball cookies a twist by dusting a mixture of matcha powder and confectioners' sugar on top.

Get the Matcha Snowball Cookies recipe.

Finely ground freeze-dried fruit adds both a burst of color and a pleasantly tart edge to these buttery pecan cookies.

Get the Pecan Berry Bursts recipe.

These cookies are more like mini, bite-size pastries, with spiced sugar, jam and toasted walnuts rolled up in the flaky crust.

Get the Jammy Walnut Rugelach recipe.

A single sugar cookie is great and all, but these edible pines give you eight times the sweetness. We'll let you decide which one is better...

Get the Sugar Cookie Trees recipe.

Baked in a 9- by 13-inch pan, these gorgeous cranberry-raspberry-swirled bars are perfect for sharing — but we won't blame you if you keep a few squares for yourself.

Get the Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars recipe.