One winter when I was in high school, my friend’s family dropped off a box of cookies on my doorstep.

It was the type of assortment of cookies that I had previously only ever dreamed of: Nutty melt-in-your-mouth Russian tea cakes; gooey bars layered with chocolate, caramel, and shortbread; candy canes woven out of red and white dough that actually tasted like peppermint…

http://madebymary.se/2014/november/annas-lingon-limited-edition-en-mysig-fredagsmorgon-med-varm-pepparkakschoklad-minimarshmallows.html

It was clear that a lot of effort had gone into the cookies, and I was touched by the gift. Since moving into my own home, I have tried to extend that gesture around the holidays.

My go to has been homemade treats in jars. We’ve made caramel corn, spiced nuts, even gingersnaps.

This year and the last, we’ve been fortunate enough to know Natasha at What the Cake (more on Natasha here), and have ordered her gold dusted gingerbread angel cookies (which double as ornaments). But I am itching to make something as well. A few years ago, a friend handed out homemade vanilla extract, and I am finding myself tempted by that contingency . But then today, I saw this decadent hot chocolate mix…

What about you? What is your favorite homemade gift that you have given or received?

http://pureella.com/amaretto-snowballs-glutenfree-vegan-quick-no-bake-dessert/