Delicious Holiday Desserts to Give as Gifts

chewy chocolate chip cookies (2)

Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

c-h-e-w-y. Browned butter meets caramel. chocolate cake-07

Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies

My mother has made this rich recipe for at least 26 years

so you’ll likely understand that

I am 3/4 Irish and 1/4 fudge.

peanut_butter_cup_cheesecake

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake with Milk Chocolate Sauce

Cheesecake came to mind. And then a roasted peanut and graham cracker fusion crust. And a silky sweet peanut butter filling. And a layer of freshly whipped cream. And chopped peanut butter cups. And a creamy milk chocolate ganache for drizzling, or guzzling, whichever came first.

twix_bars

Homemade Twix Bars

These bars begin with a crust of buttery, rich shortbread, and then a thick, chewy caramel layer above that, followed by a coating of intense dark chocolate. In other words, we’re sinking our teeth into the most deliciously decadent little logs imaginable.

cinna_minis

Homemade Cinna-Minis

They’re reminiscent of my favorite Burger King boxed breakfast item, but a world better. The cream biscuit dough is flaky, oh-so-tender, and buttered. The inner swirl is warmly spiced with cinnamon and gooey with caramelized brown sugar. I couldn’t help but stir together a glaze to drizzle across their golden brown coils. Frosting makes life more manageable for me.

vanilla_whoopie_pies

Vanilla Whoopie Pies

The cakes are moist, tender, and vanilla-scented, with beautifully intense dark chocolate cream filling. They remind me of a softer, fluffier Milano cookie. They’re much less sweet than old-fashioned whoopie pies, and I love that they taste more grown up, more sophisticated.

pumpkin_spice_cheesecakes

Individual Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

passion_cookies_2

Passion Cookies

These teeny tiny squares are intensely rich, buttery, and sticky-sweet. A base layer of crumbly shortbread, with a gooey, caramel pecan pie-like filling, and a silky vanilla frosting smeared across the top.

shortbread_cookies

Shortbread Scrabble Cookies

Tender, flaky, and unforgettable in buttery sweet flavor. I’d liken the dough to a thicker, crisper slab of pie dough. It’s rich. The sweetness is delicate and subtle. It’s the kind of mouthful you chew and savor and crave more of. Rounded, nutty notes of vanilla and butter sit on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed your last bite. Shortbread, with its honest taste, is among the absolute best of cookie varieties.

black_and_white_cookies

Black and White Cookies

Like a pillow between my teeth. And chocolate was flirting with vanilla. And cake had crossed with cookie.

molasses_cookies

Chewy Molasses Cookies

It is still the best recipe I’ve tasted. Uniquely thin, ultra-chewy, and positively popping with gingery molasses flavor, these are the cookies of my girlhood, and they’ll be the ones I make until I’m…well…not in my girlhood.

german_chocolate_pecan_pie_bars

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Just look at them.

pumpkin_whoopie_pies_2

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

These petite pumpkin pie sandwiches are full of spice and warm autumn flavor. The cakes are fluffy, moist, and light. The cream cheese filling is luscious and tangy- the best balance for the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Bake them on a fall day. Bake them just because. Rather, eat them just because.

eggnog_squares

Eggnog Squares

These teeny tiny squares are intense in the most pleasurable way. Creamy, ultra-rich, and warmly spiced, like eggnog. Dense and silky like custard pie. I am unabashedly in love with them. The crust is a buttery shortbread and the filling tastes like a perfectly set creme brulee. Together they melt on your tongue.

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26 thoughts on “Delicious Holiday Desserts to Give as Gifts

  1. Emily

    Oh wow. These all look amazing! I think I may have to make my fiance some scrabble cookies. He’s a scrabble nerd. Thanks for the ideas :)

    Reply
    1. admin

      Hey Nancy,

      Just click on the bolded name of the recipe- they’re all hyperlinked to recipes! Thanks for reading :)

      Reply
  2. cybele

    I read the titles out loud to my teenaged son, who had to walk away in self-defense. I continued to scroll and make yum noises, and he hollered down the stairs, “Mama! I can hear you getting fat from here!”

    I am imagining whom I might love enough to be a recipient of these delicious treats.

    Reply
  3. raquel

    for me every recipe is different and they are all great I don’t what to choose, I think I would love to try is the Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake with Milk Chocolate Sauce coz I love cheesecake and it really drive me crazy whenever I have one on the fridge =)

    Reply
  4. tK

    I made the chocolate chip cookies for my coworkers and they barely last 5 minutes! The molasses cookies are next up. I’m a huge fan of using the darkest possible sugar in every recipe to achieve my desired chewiness level and moisture content, so these sound perfect for me.

    tK :)

    http://suburbanhypocrite@hotmail.com

    Reply
  5. Midwest Girl in LA

    Sigh. I love to cook and think I’m a decent one, but gosh I cannot bake to save my life. I saw your ridiculously delicious looking cookie recipe and instantly wanted to try it. I did. But the timer I set was too quiet and they burned. Tragic. Once I recover from the trauma of losing an entire batch of cookies, I will try again.

    Reply

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