Best baking treats as holiday presents

[viann]

Hey all,

I was just wondering what baking goodies will be good to give as holiday gifts!? Please include/link recipe if possible!!!

THANKS

[sugarsugar]

I usually make up baskets of homemade goodies as gifts for teachers, DH's coworkers, negihbours, etc. I typically fill them with some assorted cookies (shortbread, almond crescents, gingerbread, etc.), homemade marshmallows, and usually a little cake of some sort. This year I'm making baby rum cakes - last year it was brandied cherry cake.

Breads like challah or brioche, wrapped up with some local honey or homemade jam, would make a lovely gift. Good quality cocoa mix with a couple of flavours of homemade marshmallows would be nice, too - the options are pretty endless!!

Quickbreads, like apple or cinnamon cakes, are good to make - they tend to keep very well, improve in flavour over a couple of days, and freeze well too (if needed).

[skyflyer3]

I'm thinking banana bread, choco chip cookies (Alton's), russian tea cakes and some rugelach. Oh, and lardsnaps.

[Zee]

Rugelahs, fig cookies (fig newtons), shortbreads and mini pecan pies.

I am in search of a solid spiced nuts recipe. Can anyone help?

[Abbey]

Rugelahs, fig cookies (fig newtons), shortbreads and mini pecan pies.

I am in search of a solid spiced nuts recipe. Can anyone help?

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Hi, I do a very simple one. I egg white per 500gms nuts, 2 teaspoons of ginger powder and a tablespoon of cinnamon, 1 cup of caster sugar to 500gms of mixed nuts. I used cashew, peacan and macadamia. Bake in a very slow oven 140d F. for about two and a half hours and turn the nuts a few times during the baking process.

Everyone loves this recipe and I have been nicknamed Mrs Nuts!

[srhcb]

Here's a long thread with lots of good ideas!

SB (likes to make mini quick breads because there's so many varieties)

[Lindacakes]

West Indian black cake -- started this last year and now there are those that expect it. Going to spring it on a new boss this year, who is from the West Indies, and I can't wait to see his face . . .

Gingerbread tiles made with a spekulaas mold of Santa Claus.

Orange and ginger florentines.

[StephMac]

I have a spiced nuts recommendation - my father-in-law raved about the "Warm-Spiced Pecans with Rum Glaze" from Cook's Illustrated (it's in the New Best Recipe book, and probably online somewhere). He made them for Thanksgiving and said they were delicious - and the first thing gone from the pre-meal snacks

I like giving a good spicy gingerbread (the Guiness recipe is my current favorite) in mini-loaves or mini-bundt shapes, along with a couple of sauces - lemon curd is a favorite, and some people like it with chocolate...

[SusanGiff]

Epicurious has loads of spiced nuts recipes. The one I used this year, for Thanksgiving and again for a holiday party, has cumin, cayenne, and sugar--very tasty.