Whether your thing is cake or candy, there are many fabulous choices this holiday season. Here are my top choices (BTW, some of them make terrific stocking stuffers)!
Lady M’s Dubai Chocolate Mille Crêpes is their luxe take on the viral “Dubai chocolate bar” craze. It’s made with delicate, paper-thin French crêpes layered between rich chocolate pastry cream and pistachio cream. The top is crowned with a knafeh-inspired mix of crispy kataifi, roasted pistachios, and tahini, all framed by a swirl of chocolate cream — a harmonious blend of silky, nutty, and crunchy textures. For Holiday 2025, Lady M’s seasonal menu leans into both warmth and elegance. Their collection includes festive favorites like the Pumpkin Nuage — a creamy fusion of pumpkin pie and cheesecake — as well as returning hits like Noisettes au Chocolat, a hazelnut-chocolate mousse cake topped with salted caramel and toasted nuts. New offerings specifically for the holidays include a Carrot Cake Mille Crêpes and an illy Coffee Matcha Mille Crêpes, giving guests options that are both comforting and sophisticated. For more info, go to ladym.com.
Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods doesn’t publicly list a very elaborate seasonal “Holiday 2025” menu — instead, their holiday pre-order page features curated gift boxes for the season, allowing fans to pick from their timeless cookie roster and send them as festive gifts. Notably, their “Really Delicious” Holiday Classics Cookie Sampler (sold via Goldbelly) remains a centerpiece of their holiday offerings, with 12 large, soft-baked cookies in flavors like Apple Cider Donut, Apple Cobbler, Browned Butter Oat Toffee, Pumpkin Snickerdoodle, and Salted Caramel Pecan — all packaged in a charming pink gift box tied with a ribbon. Beyond the sampler, Janie’s allows quite a bit of flexibility: you can build your own holiday cookie order by choosing from their year-round menu of perennial favorites — like pie crust cookies (Apple, Pecan, Triple Berry), gooey “Really Delicious” cookies (Half-Baked Chocolate Chip, Coffee Toffee, S’mores), and even their signature Cookie Pies. This mix of customizable gifting and curated classics makes the holiday drop feel both heartfelt and personal, rooted in Janie’s story of resilience and community. For more info, go to janiebakes.com.
Effie’s Biscuits are a line of handcrafted, small-batch “biscuit-crackers” that strike a lovely balance: lightly sweet, buttery, and finished with a delicate touch of salt. Inspired by a generations-old Nova Scotia oatcake recipe passed down from Effie MacLellan, the brand builds on tradition while exploring a variety of sophisticated flavors — from classic Oatcakes to rich Gruyère accented with black pepper, and spicy ginger. Their texture is crisp, refined, and more elegant than a cookie, yet more substantial than a cracker, making them an ideal pairing for cheese boards, spreads, or a cup of tea or coffee. If you love nuts, try the Pecan or Hazelnut—you won’t be able to stop eating them (those two are my personal favorites). There are great sets available including the pack of 12 pictured above. Go here for more info: effieshomemade.com.
SusieCakes is a beloved bakery known for its classic, scratch-made desserts inspired by founder Susie Sarich’s grandmother-taught recipes, and for the 2025 holiday season they’re rolling out a festive lineup that leans into bright peppermint, cozy spice, and nostalgic winter décor. Their Chocolate Candy Cane Cake anchors the collection with four layers of rich chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, and crushed peppermint under a minty frosting, while holiday cupcakes come in themed varieties like Chocolate Mint, decorated classics in vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, coconut, and mint, plus an assorted Holly Jolly dozen with hand-piped messages and holly designs. There are also Holiday Mini Cupcakes, charming seasonal layer cakes such as the Vintage Christmas Wreath and SusieSanta, a Holiday Wreath Cookie Cake, and warming pie options including Apple Crumble Pie and take-and-bake versions. You cannot go wrong with any pick from their holiday collection—my favorite is the Chocolate Candy Cane Cake pictured above. For more info, go to susiecakes.com.
PieCaken is the wildly imaginative, multi-layered dessert brainchild of pastry chef Zac Young—often called the “turducken of desserts”—that artfully fuses whole pies and cake into one show-stopping treat. Its classic Thanksgiving version stacks pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and spice cake, held together with cinnamon buttercream and topped with apple pie filling and oat crumble. For the 2025 holiday season, PieCaken’s limited-edition Christmas treat makes a festive comeback: this version layers chocolate pecan pie, cherry swirl cheesecake, and red velvet cake, all frosted in cream cheese buttercream and sprinkled with red-and-white holiday sprinkles. They also offer a combo box on Goldbelly that features both the original and Christmas PieCakens—a perfect celebratory duo for gifting or feasting. Pictured above is the PieCaken 10th anniversary “DecaCaken” which you can purchase on Goldbelly. It’s twice the size of the original PieCaken and features ten layers made from his favorite indulgent flavors — including butterscotch brown-butter blondie, chocolate cream pie, coffee cake, and New York cheesecake. The whole thing is enveloped in sweet-and-salty pretzel buttercream, topped with fudge frosting and dollops of creamy dulce de leche, and finished with chunks of cookie dough, brownie bits, and gold sprinkles. For more info, go to piecakenbakeshop.com.
Setton Farms, known for its premium California-grown nuts, offers a range of chocolate-covered products that combine indulgence with quality. Their signature dark chocolate pistachios and dark chocolate almonds are made in small batches, delivering rich chocolate coating over crunchy, protein-packed nuts, while their dark chocolate nut blend mixes pistachios, almonds, and cashews for a balanced texture and flavor. For a festive or fruit-forward option, they offer dark chocolate pistachios with cranberries, pairing tart sweetness with the smooth chocolate and nut crunch. All of these products are vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and free of artificial colors or flavors, reflecting Setton’s commitment to thoughtful, high-quality snacks. Beyond chocolate, the brand also produces flavored pistachios, plant-based snack blends, and chewy cranberry-pistachio bites, making their lineup versatile for both snacking and gifting. I think that the Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds and Dark Chocolate Covered Pistachios are the perfect stocking stuffers for folks who, like me, are “nuts for nuts.” For more info, go to settonfarms.com.
O&H Danish Bakery, a family-run bakery in Racine, Wisconsin founded in 1949, is famous for its traditional Danish kringles—flaky, oval-shaped pastries made from layered butter dough and filled with a variety of sweet or boozy flavors. Their lineup includes classics like Raspberry and Wild Blueberry, indulgent creations such as Bourbon & Butterscotch and Cookies & Cream, and seasonal specialties that showcase creativity and quality craftsmanship. A standout holiday offering this year is the limited-edition Tipsy Elf Kringle, filled with cocoa, Irish whiskey, and cream, then topped with frosting and red-and-green sprinkles for a festive, playful touch. (You can see this tempting and unique seasonal item pictured above.) Loved for their buttery layers, rich fillings, and wide flavor variety, O&H kringles are popular gifts and treats that ship nationwide, combining Danish-American baking tradition with imaginative, modern twists. For more info, go to www.ohdanishbakery.com.
Bissinger’s, a historic chocolatier with centuries of tradition, has curated a luxurious holiday 2025 lineup that blends classic festive flavors with premium ingredients. Their centerpiece is the Palace Advent Calendar, inspired by Versailles, featuring daily surprises like dark peppermint marshmallows, toffee, macarons, and truffles. Other highlights include the White & Dark Peppermint Cookie Bark, a swirl of dark and white chocolate infused with natural peppermint and topped with candy cane pieces, and the Milk Caramel Filled Red Presents Tube, offering bite-sized milk chocolate treasures with creamy caramel centers. For dark chocolate lovers, there’s the Dark Solid Christmas Presents Tube, while the Holiday Truffles Flight and larger Sugar Plum & Holiday Cheer Truffle Boxes showcase seasonal flavors such as sugar plum, eggnog, gingerbread, peppermint, and Christmas cookie. Bissinger’s also offers playful and interactive options like their Paint-Your-Own Santa, a chocolate figurine with edible paints for decorating, as well as festive foil-wrapped chocolates including Milk Chocolate Santas and ornaments. These holiday offerings stand out not only for their rich European-style chocolate and flavorful fillings but also for their elegant, gift-ready packaging in tubes, foil, and keepsake boxes. Combining tradition, quality ingredients, and festive presentation, Bissinger’s 2025 holiday collection is designed to provide both indulgence and a celebratory experience, making it ideal for gifting, entertaining, or enjoying at home. For more info, go to bissingers.com.
Shark Tank veteran Like Air brings out festive snacking options for the holidays, offering cozy and playful flavors that fit the season’s mood. Their lineup includes Peppermint Mocha, which blends refreshing mint with a hint of mocha richness; Salted Caramel, a sweet-meets-savory classic perfect for cold-weather cravings; Pumpkin Spice, delivering warm autumn spices that carry straight into holiday celebrations; and the quirky Thanksgiving Dinner flavor, a savory mix inspired by stuffing, buttery potatoes, and herbs. These limited and seasonal varieties give their airy puffcorn an indulgent, holiday-ready twist. Everyday Like Air puffcorn comes in simple, craveable flavors that feel familiar but feel a little lighter: there’s the Like Air Classic Puffcorn, which delivers that buttery, movie-theater popcorn vibe with no artificial ingredients; the Like Air White Cheddar Puffcorn, for a savory, cheesy kick made with real premium cheddar; the Like Air Cinnamon Bun Puffcorn, which gives you a warm, sugary cinnamon-sugar swirl that melts in your mouth; and the Like Air Pancake Puffcorn, which tastes subtly sweet with a hint of maple-like syrup. Plus, they’ve recently added sour cream & onion as a newer everyday savory flavor. All Like Air products are gluten free and low calorie but big on flavor. Check out their official site, likeair.com.
La Maison du Chocolat’s Triomphe Advent Calendar for Holiday 2025 celebrates the Parisian Arc de Triomphe with an elegant cardboard design filled with 24 gourmet chocolates, including classic ganaches, pralines, and a special limited-edition bonbon made with roasted short-grain rice and almond-hazelnut praliné in silky milk chocolate, all crafted for optimal freshness with an eight-to-fifty-four-day window and best enjoyed at room temperature. Priced at around $100 in the U.S. and often offered for in-store pickup only, it’s a sought-after seasonal release that also has a French version boasting 30 chocolates. For those who prefer a personalized touch, the brand hosts “fill-it-yourself” Advent calendar workshops at its Rockefeller Center boutique, where guests choose about two dozen chocolates to create a custom Triomphe-style calendar in a festive hands-on experience. Visit lamaisonduchocolat.com for more details.
