There are several things that get us excited about the holidays. Tasty desserts are a seasonal staple, and if you want to make homemade deserts this year, following a few guidelines can help you prepare delicious treats that may become part of your celebratory traditions in the coming years. Whether you’re baking a holiday treat for a coworker, family member, or friend, here are some edible gift ideas that you’ll be proud to give.
Assess Your Skill Level
If you want to bake holiday treats this year, think about your expertise when it comes to baking. Do you bake cookies, cakes, and pies every year? Have you been practicing throughout the year? Are you new to baking? This will help you decide which holiday-themed desserts you can create with confidence. If you have some experience with baking but you don’t want to do anything too complicated, try a sugar cookie. You can customize the cookie with flavors like cinnamon, ginger, or extracts like mint or butterscotch to make these mini desserts extra special. You can also add shredded coconut or chopped nuts to the top of the cookies or in the batter for more texture and flavor.
Plan Ahead
If you’ve been asked to bring a holiday dessert to the company party or a family get-together, practice before the big day. This can increase your confidence in baking and ensure that your dessert will be ready for the event even if you have a busy schedule. If you want to try a cake this year, try baking a mini version of the cake to make sure the flavor and texture of the cake is to your liking. After a few trial runs of adding or taking away ingredients to put your own spin on the holiday treat, you can feel good about making the cake that you’ll take to your next holiday celebration.
Focus on Flavor
While you may want to try your hand at baking a complex or gourmet dessert this holiday season, remember that your friends and loved ones are looking forward to a dessert that is just as delicious as it is visually appealing. While you may want to add fancy icing to the cookies you’ve prepared or pair sweet and savory flavors for an innovative holiday treat, it’s best to stick to classic treats that everyone looks forward to and add your own little spin. For instance, if you want to make cookies shaped like candy canes, add a little mint extract to the icing so the cookie will taste similar to an actual candy cane. If you’re making red velvet cake and it’s a favorite in your family, make this treat more fun to eat by turning the cake into cupcakes and giving your family the option to add toppings such as mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, crushed peppermints, and hot cocoa powder to the top of the desserts.
As with any dessert, make sure that you follow the baking directions when it comes to how long to bake the dessert and what temperature to use for baking. Keeping it simple while still adding your own special touches will everyone at the party will remember the dessert you prepared for years to come.