What comes to mind when the winter holidays roll around? Mittens drying over a whistling steam radiator, the smell of burning wood in a crackling fireplace and parties festooned with ribbon-wrapped gifts and sparkling lights? Or perhaps it’s the perennial wish of waking up to a wonderland of freshly fallen snow.

While I can’t guarantee that our holidays will be blanketed in fluffy flakes this year, I can offer some festive sweets to satisfy your craving for white.

What does a winter dessert look like? To me, it’s heapsof billowy meringue topped with cranberries, or tender little cookies dusted with powdered sugar. It’s also milky white panna cotta that’s adorned with jewel-like, syrupy dried fruit.

Winter invites us to linger in a warm kitchen, where making 20 crèpes for a stunning ginger-pear cake requires a bit of time—but promises a chorus of praise when you present the first slice. A dusting of powdered sugar delivers the snowy vibe.

The thread running through these recipes is cottonywhite, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to add your own color. Not a fan of pears? Apples can step in beautifully. I adore the anise flavor in my snowball cookies—it reminds me of my Sicilian grandmother’s biscotti. However, if almond suits your palate better, simply use almond extract and leave out the anise seeds.

Goat milk—widely available in large grocery stores—gives delicate panna cotta a pleasantly tangy undertone. If you can’t find it, or don’t like it, you can use cow’s milk instead. When it comes to the compote, choose your favorite dried fruits; it’s flexible!

Pavlova can be crowned with any kind of fruit. When local berry patches are covered in snow, I turn to the humble, easy-storing native cranberry. In this show-stopper, the tart gems are briefly stewed with sugar and lime (or lemon or orange) and kept intact. The juices are then boiled down separately until syrupy. When it’s all put together, the bright red mixture perfectly offsets the sweet, airy meringue, with a handful of sugared whole berries perched on top like jewels in a crown.

As the winter chill settles in and the holiday season unfolds, enjoy time by the fireplace, family traditions and some merriment. And remember to indulge a little. If the white stuff doesn’t come, at least we can create our own snowy scene on the dessert table.

This story appeared in the Winter 2025 issue.