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  6. 16 Homemade Treats That Make Great Holiday Gifts

16 Homemade Treats That Make Great Holiday Gifts

By Jenny Comita Updated October 13, 2022
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three types of cookies and coffee
Credit: Mikkel Vang

There's a lot to enjoy about the holiday season, but one of the best parts of the festivities is getting to show loved ones—both near and far—that you're thinking of them. And what better way to do so than with some homemade confections?

Our sparkling selection of gift-worthy sweets runs the gamut of irresistible and arresting flavors, textures, and shapes. There are thumbprint cookies and nougat, chocolate-dipped orange slices and sparkling sugar cookies, cookies that look like acorns, and meringue-like confections. Each is a delicious jewel; combine them as you like and cause a happy commotion at your cookie swap or pack up a box as a heartfelt gift.

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Lemony Brown Butter Crinkle Cookies

lemony-brown-butter-cookies-0043-hero-d113086.jpg
Credit: Stephen Kent Johnson
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Powdered sugar-dusted cookies are a classic during the holidays. Nutty homemade brown butter and tart lemon juice and zest are the special ingredients we didn't know these sweets needed (but they so do).

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Chocolate-And-Nut-Crusted Candied Orange

Chocolate-And-Nut-Crusted Candied Orange
Credit: Justin Walker
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They look fancy, but these chocolate-dipped treats are actually one of the easiest holiday gifts to whip up. If you have 10 minutes, you can make them.

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Vanilla-Bean Sugar Cookies

vanilla-bean sugar cookies
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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What would the holidays be without a batch of flavorful, chewy sugar cookies? Shape the dough into a log, coat it in sugar, and then chill, slice, and bake. It doesn't get easier—or more delicious—that that.

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Holiday Divinity

holiday divinity
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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These flawless Christmas confections are a cumulus cloud of meringue full of glacéed cherries, candied citron, and pecans. They look like individual snow mounds peppered with eye-catching warm hues.

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Meyer Lemon Shortbread Wreath Cookies

meyer-lemon shortbread wreath cookies
Credit: Mikkel Vang
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No frosting needed! Meyer lemon brightens the shortbread dough and the glaze and these treats are finished with sugared herbs and red, white, and green candies for the full wreath effect.

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Spiced Cashew Coconut Brittle

spiced cashew-coconut brittle
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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Punctuated with black pepper, cinnamon, and coconut, this cashew brittle shatters lightly when you bite into it. That's all thanks to baking soda, which unleashes tiny air bubbles as it cooks.

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Orange-Almond Thumbprint Cookies

orange-almond thumbprint cookies
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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Thumbprint cookies get their delicate crumb from almond flour and confectioners' sugar. Fill their little wells with warm marmalade or the jam of your choice.

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Tropical-Fruit Biscotti

tropical fruit biscotti
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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Stuck in a blizzard, but dreaming of the beach? These cookies will take you straight to the tropics. They're studded with dried papaya, spicy candied ginger, and pistachios for a crisp and chewy bite.

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Chewy Fruitcake Meringues

chewy fruitcake meringues
Credit: Mikkel Vang
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Forget heavy fruitcake and go with these heavenly meringue snowballs. They're as light as air on the outside and delectably chewy inside.

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Chocolate Spice Cookies

chocolate spice cookies
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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Packed with chopped semi-sweet chocolate and rolled in sanding sugar for sparkle, these are a sweet and spicy upgrade to a classic chocolate chip cookie. We have another version laced with cocoa, embossed with a cookie stamp, and brushed with an orange-butter glaze.

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Gingerbread-Cookie Letters to Santa 

envelope cookies
Credit: Louise Hagger
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Here's a fun take on gingerbread cookies. Instead of cutting into individual shapes and outfitting them with facial features and accessories, cut the dough into large rectangles and pipe royal icing to resemble an envelope.

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Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

peppermint-fudge-02-d112409r.jpg
Credit: Chris Court
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For chocolate-peppermint lovers and fudge lovers everywhere, this trifecta of unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, and white chocolate—plus a crushed peppermint candy topping—sets this holiday fudge recipe apart.

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Cinnamon-Log Slices

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Credit: ANITA CALERO
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Whimsical and warm, these cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate cookies make a fun and delicious gift. They're like an amped up snickerdoodle and we can't get enough.

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Coffee-Meringue Acorns

meringue-acorns-001-hl-mld110178.jpg
Credit: ANITA CALERO
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These adorable acorns are easy to create and fun to eat—make a simple meringue, then pipe and bake. After they're cooled, dip them in melted chocolate and pistachios.

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Hazelnut Tricolor Cookies

hazelnut tri-color cookies
Credit: Alpha Smoot
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An homage to the Italian-American classic, these triple-deckers owe their subtle hues to matcha powder and pulverized freeze-dried raspberries, and their unique flavor to ground hazelnuts.

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Easy Pistachio-Cranberry Nougat

Easy Pistachio-Cranberry Nougat
Credit: Justin Walker
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Using mini marshmallows and milk powder are two of the ways this easy nougat recipe skips the usual scary pot of molten sugar on the stovetop. You don't need candy-making credentials or even a candy thermometer for this irresistible treat. 

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By Jenny Comita

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    1 of 16 Lemony Brown Butter Crinkle Cookies
    2 of 16 Chocolate-And-Nut-Crusted Candied Orange
    3 of 16 Vanilla-Bean Sugar Cookies
    4 of 16 Holiday Divinity
    5 of 16 Meyer Lemon Shortbread Wreath Cookies
    6 of 16 Spiced Cashew Coconut Brittle
    7 of 16 Orange-Almond Thumbprint Cookies
    8 of 16 Tropical-Fruit Biscotti
    9 of 16 Chewy Fruitcake Meringues
    10 of 16 Chocolate Spice Cookies
    11 of 16 Gingerbread-Cookie Letters to Santa 
    12 of 16 Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
    13 of 16 Cinnamon-Log Slices
    14 of 16 Coffee-Meringue Acorns
    15 of 16 Hazelnut Tricolor Cookies
    16 of 16 Easy Pistachio-Cranberry Nougat

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