Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Gifts 9 Baked Goods Our Editors Are Gifting This Holiday Season By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 7, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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 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. 01 of 09 Cracker Toffee Abbi Wilt 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. 02 of 09 Bourbon Balls Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett 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." 03 of 09 Spiced Glazed Pecans Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas 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. 04 of 09 Chocolate Peppermint Bark Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett 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. 05 of 09 Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies Victor Protasio 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." 06 of 09 Santa's Kitchen-Sink Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis 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. 07 of 09 Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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!" 08 of 09 Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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." 09 of 09 Cheese Straws Lee Harrelson 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit