Hold off on those New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier. We’ve got a delectable array of New Year’s Day desserts that need to be enjoyed before you start skipping the sweets. From homemade chocolate truffles and sticky toffee pudding, to cider rum caramels and berry tarts, you’ve got to try at least one (or three) of the following treats to finish off your New Year’s Day meal.
New Year’s Eve golden glitter white chocolate Oreo truffles
Start the new year with a fanciful treat that will make your whole family giddy with excitement for a no-bake dessert. These New Year’s Eve golden glitter white chocolate Oreo truffles, from Alaina at Bullock’s Buzz, are ideal for all of your New Year’s activities. You make these shimmering balls of yum by crushing Golden Oreos and cream cheese together for the filling. Shape into balls and then generously coat each ball with melted white chocolate. Finish each glistening truffle with a dazzling sprinkle of gold and white sugar crystals. Once the chocolate hardens, serve these captivating confections in a clear bowl for easy grabbing.
Dark chocolate chip avocado cake
A chocolate avocado cake? Yes, don’t knock it until you try it! This ooey, gooey good dark chocolate chip avocado cake, from Meghan at Cake ‘n Knife, will scrumptiously surprise you with a decadent dark chocolate glaze, rich chocolate flavor and a satisfying sweetness. Your family will be so busy swooning over their dessert, they will never even notice that avocado stepped in for the butter. Avocado is a healthier source of fat and mimics the functional properties of butter, which means this New Year’s Day dessert is a mouthwateringly moist dessert that is better for you than a classic chocolate cake.
Funfetti cupcake for one
Home alone without the kids on New Year’s Day and pondering your New Year’s resolution to shape up your diet? Celebrate your quiet time with this funfetti cupcake for one, a lip-licking amazing recipe from Katie at Chocolate Covered Katie. Katie’s recipe includes a tasty array of choices for the ingredients so you can make it ultra healthy with whole wheat or gluten-free flour, applesauce and stevia, or you can treat yourself by whipping it up with all-purpose flour, coconut oil and sugar. The choice is yours! Regardless of your ingredients, follow the recipe and this single cupcake comes out perfect every time.
Sticky toffee pudding
This classic sticky toffee pudding recipe, from Closet Cooking, is so downright delicious you’ll want to make it a New Year’s Day dessert tradition. This tasty treat has British beginnings, featuring a lusciously lovely sponge cake generously topped with a homemade toffee sauce. You make the cake with brown sugar and a sweet date puree, which keeps the cake wonderfully moist and gives it a warm and cozy brown hue. The cake batter bakes into muffin-sized cakes that you turn over and serve bottom up. To make the toffee sauce, you whisk together whipping cream, sugar, butter, molasses, golden syrup and vanilla and heat it on the stovetop until thick. When you’re ready to impress your family and friends with dessert, generously pour the toffee sauce over the cakes and dig in.
Petite berry tarts with easy vanilla custard and graham cracker crust
Brighten up your New Year’s Day with these adorable petite berry tarts with easy vanilla custard and graham cracker crust, a special dessert recipe from Jenny Steffens Hobick at Everyday Occasions. These tarts are made with a basic graham cracker crust, homemade vanilla pudding and a medley of fresh berries. Plan ahead because you’ll need to assemble the tarts and let them chill in the refrigerator before serving. If you don’t have fresh berries on hand, swap in frozen (thawed) berries. This recipe makes eight tarts, but you might want to make a double batch because it’s hard to stop at just one.
Football brownies
Sports-themed brownies on New Year’s Day? Yes, please! These football brownies, from Amanda at Fake Ginger, will have your whole family cheering for dessert. You don’t even have to be an expert baker, nor a talented cake decorator. Simply make brownies from a box mix, cut them into football shapes and slather on canned frosting. Put some vanilla frosting in a small zip bag, snip the corner and pipe on the cute little football laces. Easy-peasy and a winning treat for your kids. Serve the brownies on New Year’s Day and then whip them up for every football game day.
Flourless chocolate cupcakes
If you need a scrumptiously satisfying gluten-free treat to finish off your New Year’s Day meal, bake these sugar-free and flourless chocolate cupcakes from Aysegul at Foolproof Living. You make these ultra-chocolatey and mildly sweet cupcakes with almond flour, cocoa powder and maple syrup. The yummy frosting is a melty mixture of chocolate and maple syrup. To serve, you garnish each lusciously frosted cake with fresh strawberries. The sweet-tart berry and deep, decadent chocolate flavors are a mouthwatering match made in heaven. Even your gluten-eating family members and friends will enjoy these gluten-free treats.
Cranberry Jell-O salad
Celebrate New Year’s Day with an amazing meal and a stunning dessert. This cranberry Jell-O salad, from Kathleen at Gonna Want Seconds, is as much a work of edible art as it is a dynamite dessert. Nothing says “happy New Year” like a gorgeous form of cherry Jell-O embedded with cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple and diced pears then crowned with a fluffy lemon cream cheese topping and sugared cranberries. If you’ve had bad Jell-O salad experiences in your past, this cranberry Jell-O salad is going to make you a Jell-O salad fanatic. Set it on the table and, guaranteed, your whole family is gonna want seconds and more.
Chocolate-covered cider-rum caramels
Not ready to start your New Year’s resolution to eat less candy? Good! Make these chocolate-covered cider-rum caramels, from Kate Ramos, blogger and founder of Hola Jalapeño, and you may just throw your resolution right out the window. You make the caramels with a bubbling hot mixture of reduced apple cider, butter, sugar, rum and cinnamon. Once the caramels are cooled and cut, you coat them with melted dark chocolate. To give your caramels a professional candy-maker look, lightly drizzle each one with leftover chocolate. You’ll be anxiously tapping your foot waiting for the chocolate to set so you can shove caramel after caramel into your mouth. Just be sure to save a few to serve your family after your New Year’s Day meal.
Nutella brownie cake
Looking for the perfect New Year’s Day dessert? You can’t go wrong by serving this Nutella brownie cake, an inventive recipe from Kat and Melinda at the creative blog Home. Made. Interest. This unforgettable cake features decadent layers of rich fudgy chocolate brownies, creamy Nutella filling and frosting, toasted hazelnuts, a smooth dark chocolate ganache, and pirouette crème-filled wafers for garnish. This is the dessert that chocolate-lovers’ dreams are made of. We suggest serving this indulgent cake on New Year’s Day and waiting until after you’ve eaten it to make your diet-related New Year’s resolutions.
Raspberry and lemon cream “martinis”
If drinking less is one of your goals for the new year, these raspberry and lemon cream “martinis”, from Hostess with the Mostess, will become your new favorite way to sip on a martini glass. You make these whimsical yet elegant desserts by folding together whipped cream and lemon curd then decoratively piping the cream into martini glasses. You top each glass off with a few fresh raspberries, more lemon cream and a shaving of lemon zest. These dessert “martinis” are a great dessert to serve on New Year’s Day for kids and adults alike.
Salted caramel apple doughnuts
Start the new year with homemade doughnuts for dessert. These salted caramel apple doughnuts, from Jessica Gavin, feature a sweet and spiced cinnamon and nutmeg cake that is bursting with bits of tart green apple and unsparingly topped with a homemade salty caramel glaze and chopped salted peanuts. Your family is going to go wild for these scrumptious treats. You can serve them as a New Year’s Day dessert with a scoop of ice cream and then save the leftovers (if you actually have any leftover doughnuts) as a special dessert the next day. Anytime is a good time for doughnuts.
