Freeze-Ahead Desserts, Make-Ahead Holiday Desserts, Freezeable Desserts

60 Freeze-Ahead Holiday Desserts

There's no question that the holidays are the busiest time of year...a good kind of busy, but busy nonetheless! We can all use a few shortcuts during this time, and one of our Test Kitchen's favorite tricks is making desserts ahead-of-time that you can freeze and save for later. We've got super holiday cakes, pies, cookies, and more — and great tips for freezing and thawing, too. Now, it's time to get bakin' and freezin' so you have one less thing to do this holiday season!

Test Kitchen Tip

Don't forget to double-wrap and label everything! One thing we like to do is bake several batches of cookies, brownies, and muffins — and then freeze them in separate containers. This way, we can grab a few of each here and there and enjoy throughout the season.

Holiday-Special Cakes

Always frost and decorate your cake after thawing. And if you're freezing a layer cake, double-wrap each layer separately. For cheesecake, freeze for about 30 minutes so that it hardens enough for you to wrap it without damaging it.

Coconut Cake	Pumpkin Pie Cake
Flourless Chocolate Torte	Lemon Pudding Cake
Butterscotch Spice Cake	Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Holiday Sponge Cake	Buttermilk Carrot Cake
Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake	Bourbon Fruitcake

Perfect Holiday Pies

Most pies should be frozen before baking, except for pecan pie which can be frozen after baking. Most cream pies cannot be frozen, except for shortcut cream pies using pudding!

Four-Layer Pecan Pie	Cherry Berry Pie
Classic Deep Dish Apple Pie	Macadamia Pie
Brownie Mint Pie	Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Lemon Crunch Pie	Sweet Potato Pie
Cranberry-Pecan Pie	Walnut Brownie Pie

Fantastic Frozen Desserts

Wrap these desserts tightly in plastic and then in a 2-gallon freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Add whipped cream or any other toppings just before serving.

Frozen Turtle Pie	Tortoni Squares
Rasberry 'n' Cream Brownies	Frozen Pumpkin Pie
Cherry Cordial Dessert	Elegant Cookie-Cream Torte
Mocha Mud Pie	Cherry Ice Cream Cake
Caramel Frozen Squares	Minty Ice Cream Pie

Freeze-for-Later Cookies

Bake your cookies first, then let them cool to room temperature before freezing. Defrost at room temperature for an hour or two.

Grandma's Spice Cookies	Chewy Fudge Cookies
Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies	Blonde Macadamia Nut Cookies
Almond Cookies	Chunky Hazelnut Toffee Cookies
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies	Maple Walnut Drops
Cinnamon-Pecan Cookies	Gingerbread Cookies

Best Holiday Brownies

Bake your brownies, let cool to room temperature, and cut into squares before freezing. Defrost at room temperature for an hour or two.

Marbled Brownie Bars	Brownie Point Brownies
Nutty Rocky Road Brownie Bars	Speckled Blonde Brownies
Dark Chocolate Mint Brownies	Chocolate-Rum Raisin Brownies
Caramel Walnut Brownies	Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Brown Sugar Brownies	Almond Toffee Brownies

Quick Breads & Muffins

Bake quick breads and muffins, let cool to room temperature and then freeze. And if you freeze muffins individually, you can thaw 'em as you need them!

Cherry Nut Bread	Nutty Pear Muffins
White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins	Cape Cod Cranberry Loaf
Blueberry Lemon Loaf	Orange Pecan Muffins
Holiday Quick Bread	Applesauce 'n' Spice Bread
Cinnamon Loaves	Country Sweet Potato Muffins

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60 Freeze-Ahead Desserts for the Holidays

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