Classic Peanut Brittle

For anyone with a sweet tooth on your list, there's nothing sweeter (perhaps literally) than the gift of homemade peanut brittle. It hardens very quickly, so be ready to stir in the peanuts and baking soda immediately. Be sure to spread the candy out as evenly as possible on the baking sheet before the sugar is too hard to handle. The red skins on the peanuts add a nice hit of colour, but feel free to use any unsalted peanuts you can find.

Marshmallow Puff Tartlets

Strawberry jam and marshmallows star in these little chocolate tartlets that your kids will enjoy making with you as much as they will eating! They’re easily transportable, making them ideal for packing up and taking to potlucks or cookie exchanges.

Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Decadent little chocolate cakes with rich molten cores are enough to make any meal special. The batter for this dessert can be prepared ahead, but the cakes are best eaten immediately after baking, so don't put them into the oven until your guests are ready for dessert. If you're making this on an occasion when you can eat dairy, try the Flourless Chocolate Lava Cakes variation.

Salted Caramel Panna Cotta with Caramelized Pecans

Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream Sandwiches

Sandwich chocolate ice cream with layers of tender cake and sour cherry for a summertime take on a classic Black Forest.

Black Forest Ice Cream Sandwiches

White Chocolate Coconut Truffles

Chewy toasted coconut plays off creamy, coconut-scented white chocolate in these decadent truffles from our Holiday Best 2002 special issue. Resembling tiny snowballs, they add a pretty contrast to a plate of dark chocolate truffles.

Icebox Cookies

Shaping cookie dough into logs, ready to slice and bake, is an ideal way to have cookies ready to enjoy quickly ­ whenever you need them or crave them. Here¹s the basic butter-and-sugar-rich dough with candied cherries, but you can add to it or dress it up as your whims dictate.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

How do you make creamy fudge even dreamier? Add chunks of homemade cookie dough, of course! Stir the fudge mixture gently to ensure the cookie dough stays in bite-size chunks.

Peanut Butter Slice-and-Bake Cookies

Top these addictive cookies with mini peanut butter cups for an extra treat.