10 Baked Goods Our Editors Are Gifting This Holiday Season
Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing
Recipe: Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing
For years, Editorial Fellow Marissa Wu would host holiday cookie decorating parties and invite friends and school clubs to help decorate them for a local women's shelter. "I love using royal icing to decorate because it looks beautiful and won't smudge. The decorating options are endless!"
King-Size Gingersnap Cookies
Recipe: King-Size Gingersnap Cookies
Assistant Editor Pat York makes these King-Size Gingersnap Cookies every year—what started as a mission to find her own family holiday cookie is now her special treat. "I have shared them at family dinners, sent them overseas, and added them to the mix of goodies at the Southern Living Office Cookie Swap," she wrote.
Cracker Toffee
Recipe: Cracker Toffee
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Assistant Digital Editor, likes to whip up a few batches of Cracker Toffee. "I usually make a few variations—some with milk chocolate, some with dark, different nuts, coconut flakes, etc." The sky's the limit when it comes to customization, so this is your recipe if you want to easily personalize your holiday baking gift.
Bourbon Balls
Recipe: Bourbon Balls
"My mom always made them for her annual Christmas cocktail party," recalled Patricia Shannon, Senior Digital Editor. "Now, they've become a tradition for me, too."
Spiced Glazed Pecans
Recipe: Spiced Glazed Pecans
Editorial Fellow Emma Phelps enjoys sharing her aunt's highly-prized glazed pecans. We may not be privy to the family recipe, but you can make a batch of these Spiced Glazed Pecans and we're sure your recipients will still go nuts.
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Katie Rousso, Digital Editor, recommends our Chocolate Peppermint Bark—you'll have a delicious Christmas treat in pretty much one easy step.
Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies
Recipe: Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies
"These things should come with a warning label," wrote Lisa Cericola, Senior Food Editor. "You should definitely eat one when it is still slightly warm from the oven, but be aware that you will then want to eat an entire dozen."
Santa's Kitchen-Sink Cookies
Recipe: Santa's Kitchen-Sink Cookies
Mary Shannon Wells, Assistant Digital Editor, baked and left these cookies in her neighbor's mailboxes. "If you drop off any baked goods this season, don't forget to leave a note that covers dietary concerns, as it can be hard to tell with some recipes," she advised.
Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter
It might not be a baked good, but Rebecca Baer, Digital News Editor, makes the case for jars of this fruit butter. "Last year I made this for all my neighbors and it was a huge hit," she said. "Because it's made in the slow cooker, it's so easy to do and your home will smell fantastic."
Cheese Straws
Recipe: Cheese Straws
Grace Haynes, Associate Homes Editor, will be making the acclaimed Cheese Straws. Cheese straws have been deemed the ultimate party snack, so it's safe to assume that no one will be disappointed to find these savory treats in their cookie tin.
We take our baked goods seriously at Southern Living, and there's no time like the holidays to show off our favorite family recipes and start new baking traditions on our own. Over the years, our editors have perfected recipes from our magazine pages. They bring us joy, so come holiday season, we spread the love. Gifting friends and family a pretty tin full of baked goods is in our DNA. While you can't go wrong with any of our recipes, we have a few favorite holiday baked goods we gift year after year. The treats run the gamut from sweet to savory, traditional and not, with the likes of our King-Size Gingersnap Cookies, Cracker Toffee, and Cheese Straws all garnering recommendations. Preheat your oven, pull out your mixer, and tie on that trusty favorite apron. It's time to get ready for an afternoon (or several days, if you fancy it) of edible Christmas gift baking. And, while you're perusing these recipes, you might as well stock up on some of those essential Christmas cookie tins, too. Get ready to spread that holiday cheer, one cookie (or toffee, or Bourbon Ball) at a time.