Cooking Channel's All-Star Holiday + Christmas Sweets

Can't decide what to bake this holiday season? Choose from the highest-rated, most-popular recipes from each of Cooking Channel's all-star chefs.

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Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Marshall Troy Photography ©2012, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Right Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Brian Kennedy ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Marshall Troy Photography ©2012, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Chuck Hughes' Carrot Cake

Chuck Hughes goes above and beyond the usual carrots-and-spice combo for his carrot cake recipe. His batter is filled with fruits and nuts, including pineapple, golden raisins, dried cherries and chopped walnuts, for flavor and texture.

Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake

Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos' Tiramisu

Did you know that tiramisu is Italian for "pick me up"? After trying Debi and Gabriele's recipe that's filled with fresh cream and coffee-drenched cookies, you'll understand why.

Get the Recipe: Tiramisu

Alton Brown's Sour Cream Cheesecake

Alton's five-star cheesecake is rich, creamy and has just the right amount of tang. He covers the sides of the cake in crumbled graham cracker to increase the crunch-to-cream ratio and dress up this otherwise plain-looking (but not tasting) dessert.

Get the Recipe: Sour Cream Cheesecake

Michael Symon's 3 Minute Chocolate "Cup" Cake

Baked in individual mugs or ramekins and topped with a scoop of ice cream and a cherry, this cake is so rich your guests will never know your microwave did all the heavy lifting.

Get the Recipe: 3 Minute Chocolate "Cup" Cake

Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Build layers of flavor with this decadent bread pudding, starting with fall-spiced pumpkin bread and bourbon-spiked custard. Spicy star anise- and ginger-infused caramel sauce pairs perfectly with a sweet vanilla bean creme anglaise.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise

Alie and Georgia's S'mores Buffet

Create a customizable dessert course at your holiday bash with a sweet and festive buffet. Setting out stacked graham crackers and creative fillings, like boozy chocolate-hazelnut spread and sangria marmalade, will encourage guests to build their perfect s'mores.

Get the Recipe: S'mores Buffet

Nadia G.'s Panettone Bread Pudding

Nadia G. uses panettone, the sweet Italian holiday-season bread flavored with citrus and studded with raisins, as the base for her bread pudding; she folds in meringue to make it extra light and fluffy.

Get the Recipe: Panettone Bread Pudding

Alex Guarnaschelli's Chocolate Pots de Creme

Pot de creme is a sweet French custard that is traditionally served in the same porcelain cups that it's baked in. Alex adds almond extract to hers for a subtle nuttiness that blends well with semisweet chocolate. Baking the cups in a water bath prevents a skin from forming over the custard as it cooks.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Pots de Creme

Giada De Laurentiis' Rice Pudding

Arborio rice is a perfect choice for rice pudding, as the grains stay plump and chewy when cooked in milk. A hint of dark rum and grated orange peel makes Giada's pudding extra special for the holidays.

Get the Recipe: Rice Pudding with Vanilla Bean, Orange and Rum

Dave Lieberman's Challah Bread Pudding

Dense, eggy challah bread is set into creamy custard in this crowd-pleasing holiday dessert. But it's the chocolate and raisins layered in between the slices that really make the dish taste (and look) super indulgent.

Get the Recipe: Challah Bread Pudding with Chocolate and Raisins

Kelsey Nixon's Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Penuche

Kelsey frosts her fluffy, perfectly spiced pumpkin cookies with a butter and brown sugar caramel icing.

Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Pumpkin Penuche

Tyler Florence's Semi-Freddo

Tyler builds this frozen confection on a base of crushed gingersnaps, which he tops with pomegranate molasses-flavored whipped cream. After it has chilled, he drizzles dark amber caramel over the top.

Get the Recipe: Semi-freddo Cookies and Cream with Salted Caramel

Rachel Allen's Coconut Macaroon Tart

Don't let this tart's mild brown color fool you: It is crispy on the outside and moist and dense on the inside, just like the best coconut macaroon you've ever tasted.

Get the Recipe: Coconut Macaroon Tart

Laura Calder's Hazelnut Roll

Laura Calder's festive Hazelnut Roll is ideal for an impromptu holiday gathering. It bakes in only 10 minutes and is best enjoyed within a few hours of preparation.

Get the Recipe: Hazelnut Roll

Gale Gand's Featherlight Chocolate Cake

True to its name, this reliable cake has a springy and tender crumb thanks to the addition of ice water in the batter. Good-quality cocoa powder is crucial to achieving the deep chocolate flavor, and this cake retains its moisture so well that it will keep for as long as a week.

Get the Recipe: Featherlight Chocolate Cake

Ellie Krieger's Honey Pistachio Biscotti

Ellie uses a mix of whole-wheat and all-purpose flours in her nut-flecked biscotti, which she bakes three times for the ultimate crunch.

Get the Recipe: Honey Pistachio Biscotti

Aarti Sequeira's Date, Pistachio and Cardamom Cake

To achieve well-developed flavor, Aarti first soaks dried fruit and nuts in brandy for three full days. After that boozy bath, they're baked into an ultra-dense, moist cake that's scented with spices and molasses.

Get the Recipe: Date, Pistachio and Cardamom Cake

Lorraine Pascale's Macarons

Made mostly of ground almonds, egg whites, sugar and air, these delicate sandwich cookies make an excellent holiday gift.

Get the Recipe: Macarons

Bal Arneson's Spiced City Cake

The combination of ground fennel and cardamom in Bal's cake will fill your home with an intoxicating aroma of the holidays — with an exotic twist.

Get the Recipe: Spiced City Cake

Michael Chiarello's Chocolate Cannoli

The trick to serving crisp cannoli is to fill them at the last minute so they don't sit around getting soggy. Michael uses premade shells and pipes them full of a chocolate-ricotta filling that's dotted with pistachios and golden raisins.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cannoli