9 Desserts That Are Straight Out of a Winter Wonderland

Our favorite dessert ingredients just happen to resemble winter's quintessential element: snow! Powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and white chocolate remind us of snow mists and drifts. Whether you're on shovel duty or still waiting for flakes to stick, these nine snowy desserts will whisk you off to a dreamy winter wonderland.

French for "yule log," a bûche de noël (BOOSH duh noh-EHL) is a chocolate cake rolled into a log shape and filled with mousse or buttercream frosting. It can be decorated in all manner of ways to resemble a log. To get our look (pictured above):

To create branches coming off the central log, we baked a second batch of the cake. (It's best to make and bake it separately instead of doubling the first batch.) Roll up the second cake in half on a diagonal, arrange the halves on opposite sides of the log, and conceal seams with frosting.

Frost the rolled log with chocolate or vanilla buttercream. Drag fork tines through the frosting to resemble tree bark. Or for a more modern take, gently swoop an offset spatula through the frosting. Then dust with as much or as little powdered sugar as you'd like.

You can find prepared meringue mushrooms in stores or at your local bakery. (Or DIY with this recipe: armagazine.com/meringue-mushrooms.) Dust them with a little cocoa powder before placing at the base of the cake for a more realistic feel.

Holly's green leaves and red berries are synonymous with Christmas, but they're also poisonous. Adorn your cake with this nontoxic look-alike instead: Wet fresh rosemary sprigs and fresh (or thawed frozen) cranberries with a little water, then roll in decorating sugar.

Nanaimo (nah-NIGH-moe) bars, named after a city in British Columbia, Canada, are a triple-layer dessert. The creamy middle layer and coconut-flaked bottom layer remind us of winter drifts piled high.

Get the Recipe: Nanaimo Bars

Coconut flakes add a perfect crunch — reminiscent of icy snow under boots and sleds — to sweet treats. For a winter-white blowout, consider dipping in white chocolate instead of semisweet.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

A double-dip in powdered sugar gives these little tea cakes their snowy look. The dough may seem dry, but the end result? Cookies that melt in your mouth.

Get the Recipe: Chef John's Russian Tea Cakes

"Semolina and ground almonds give this cake a luxurious weight and the whole oranges provide moisture and a sunny citrus flavor without using any dairy. The cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days." — foodfanatic

Get the Recipe: Orange Cake with Semolina and Almonds

"This is one of my favorite cookies of all time, although technically they're closer to a pie than a cookie. Nothing prepares you for that intense, awesome sweet-tart lemon flavor and custard, perfectly contrasted against that crisp, sweet buttery shortbread cookie." — Chef John

Get the Recipe: Chef John's Lemon Bars

"This is a really simple, yet very tasty cake. You can use rice flour or something other than wheat. You can also add chocolate chips and, or nuts." — Angel

Get the Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Cake

"Moist and buttery cake made from readily available ingredients with a luscious butter sauce." — Suzanne Stull

Get the Recipe: Kentucky Butter Cake

Related: These Bundt Pans Are So Beautiful They Turn Every Cake Into a Gift

"A moist and creamy coconut cake that will have all begging for more. If I don't make it for work or family gatherings I end up in trouble." —Julia

Get the Recipe: Creamy Coconut Cake

Check out our collection of Winter Dessert Recipes.

This article originally appeared in the December/January 2019 issue of Allrecipes Magazine.