Circus Cookie CuttersRemember those animal crackers you used to love as a kid? Now you can make your own with this cookie cutter set. You get five animals: giraffe, lion, tiger, seal (which kind of looks like a squid), and elephant. They all come in a fun circus trailer shaped box. Sadly, pink icing is not included. But you can buy the cookie mix.
$19.95, Williams-Sonoma
Nintendo Mushroom Sours Three PackHere are some more Super Mario-inspired goodies: little mushrooms from the game stuffed with sour candies. In the game, the green mushroom gives you an extra life, the red mushroom makes you bigger, and the blue mushroom... wait, there was a blue mushroom? I have no idea what the blue mushroom does, but anyway, there's candy inside. So, all good.
$11.99, Perpetual Kid
Wilton Ice Cream Cone Cupcake PanThis is kind of bizarre/awesome. It's a pan that helps you create cupcakes in the shape of ice cream cones. The bottom half has markings like a cone, and the top swirls like a helping of ice cream. The cupcakes look really yummy, but I imagine they would give you a hankering for soft serve.
$27.95, Sur La Table
John & Kira’s Caramel BeesHere's a sweet way to say, "Be mine." (Get it? Bee? Har har.) These little chocolate-covered caramels from John & Kira's are painted to look like pudgy bees. Each one is filled with salted caramel and, of course, honey. Each box comes with 12 bees.
$32.00, John & Kira's
Fran’s Chocolates Perfect Duo Gift BoxNothing says I love you like a box loaded with enough chocolate to put you into a diabetic coma. This set comes with 14 different flavors of Fran Bigelow's chocolate truffles, which are very dark and really, really delicious. It also comes with 19 of her famous chocolate-covered caramels.
$45.00, Fran's Chocolates
KitchenArt Elite Spice CarouselMy brother and sister-in-law got me this awesome spice rack for Christmas. The spinning carousel, which comes with eight spices, has some pretty cool tricks. When you twist the bottom of the spice container, 1/4 of a teaspoon of spice comes out automatically. (That's great for people like me who aren't sure if they own measuring spoons.) And if you pull up on the top, it reveals little holes, so you can sprinkle the spice.
$36.99, KitchenArt
Truffle and SaltI recently bought this sea salt with bits of Italian truffles mixed in as a gift for a foodie friend. We opened it for a sample, and I was wishing I had bought some of this ridiculously expensive salt for myself too. It was delicious. We were wishing we had some fresh tomatoes to sprinkle it on.
$28.00, Williams-Sonoma
Barefoot Contessa Breakfast SetI recently learned that it’s actually not that hard to make pancakes from scratch, so long as you have a ton of flour and some baking powder sitting around. (Which I don’t.) If you want to go the easy route, try this cool set. It comes with Ina Garten’s pancake and waffle mix, a bottle of amber maple syrup, and a silicone spatula.
$26.95, Sur La Table
Recchiuti Holiday Motif BoxFor a decadent holiday treat or a nice hostess gift, pick up this beautifully packaged box of eight chocolate truffles. The delicious sweets are decorated in fun holiday motifs and filled with my favorite--Recchiuti's burnt caramel. It's toasty and sweet.
$18.00, Recchiuti Confections
Vosges Exotic Caramel CollectionI've always thought caramel was kind of boring, but these wild chocolate-covered caramel creations knocked my socks off. The nine varieties (you get 18 caramels in the pack) are flavored with things like chilies, pumpkin seeds, tupelo honey, anise, blood orange, and maple syrup. It all comes packaged in a gorgeous two-tiered hat box.
$37.00, Vosges Haut Chocolat
Wicked Hot ChocolateIn New York, people will travel miles–or at least a few subway stops–for a steaming cup of this sweet, thick brew from chocolatier Jacques Torres. Its heady combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and chili peppers is absolutely delicious.
$18.00 for an 18-ounce tin, Jacques Torres
See’s Candies Little PopsI really, really like See's Gourmet Lollypops --chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, caffe latte-- I like them all. This is the same candy, only in an individually wrapped, bite size form. The best part is that you can snack on them at work without being self-conscious that you look like a five year old.
$3.30 for a 4-ounce box, See's Candies
Butter Toffee & Walnut Crunch 2-Gallon Gift TinI was cheerfully snacking away on a handful of this amazingly delicious Butter Toffee & Walnut Crunch, when someone pointed out to me that Dale & Thomas is co-owned by Isiah Thomas, coach of the New York Knicks who was recently found guilty of sexual harassment. Why must he make such tantilizingly good popcorn? If you feel bad about buying from him, you can get a free bag here.
$35.00, Dale & Thomas
Nintendo MintsDid you ever dream of becoming a Nintendo Game Counselor? What, it would have been fun to sit around playing Zelda all day--for money! Even if your thumb reflexes aren't what they used to be, you can still freshen up your breath with these mints (while humming the Super Mario Bros. theme song, of course).
$6.00, Fred Flare
Bianca Couture CocoaAs the nights get cooler, you would do well to treat yourself to a cup of this creamy white hot chocolate. It has delicate hints of lemon, lavender, and vanilla. And because it is caffeine-free, it's nice and soothing to drink before bed.
$17.00, Vosges Haut Chocolat
