Bake the Perfect Coworker Gift

Before you even get started, you need to do a little self-evaluation. If you want to bake the perfect coworker gifts, you need to know your way around the kitchen, and not just to press the buttons on the microwave. When you bake, do you find that everyone scatters, or they are suddenly on a strict diet? There is a reason for this! Some people are just not naturally gifted in this department, but that is okay; this is what bakeries are for!

Consider the Person

Although baked goods can be the perfect gift ideas for coworkers, they are not always practical or well thought through. You need to know if the person you are baking for has any dietary restrictions. For example, do they need gluten-free food, or are they lactose-intolerant? Are they vegan or vegetarian? Do they have any allergies to nuts, honey, coconut or any other ingredients you may use?

You also need to consider if they will even eat baked goods. Some people just do not eat sweets, and believe it or not, everyone does not share the same love affair with chocolate as you. Could you make some homemade granola or something similar instead?

Plan the Day

While you might think coming home from work Thursday evening and baking all night so you can give everyone their goodies on Friday is a great idea, you won’t feel the same way when it is 3am, you’re still not done, nothing is wrapped and you have to get up for work in 4 hours. You do not have to give your gift the last day you will see them before the holidays. Bake on a Sunday and then hand everything out Monday. You don’t want to rush the process, and then feel as though the desserts are not up to your usual standards.

Ideas

Whether you consider yourself to be as good as the local baker, or if you only light your oven a few times a year, there are plenty of recipes available. Ideally, you will pick foods that are easy to indulge in on their break. Something that requires a fork, knife, microwave, plate, etc., should be avoided unless everyone has access to these items at work. Below are some great ideas that are sure to be a huge success.

  • Cookies – The great thing about cookies is that they are generally easy to make and recipes can often be easily altered to accommodate certain diets. Using applesauce instead of eggs or soy or coconut milk instead of regular milk are prime examples. Some great cookie gift ideas include gingerbread people, Viennese cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut, thumb print cookies with jam, sugar, holiday shortbread, macaroons, snicker doodle, orange spice molasses and spiced pumpkin.
  • Fudge – It is pretty hard for most people to turn down a piece of fudge that melts in your mouth while making your teeth hurt, but in a good way. If you always make chocolate, consider making something a little different, such as peppermint, maple with walnut, butterscotch with peanut butter, pumpkin pie, s’mores, salted rocky road, triple peanut butter, creamy marshmallow peanut butter, chocolate with rum and coconut, chocolate and caramel, chocolate layered mint, candy cane, Bailey’s and white chocolate, eggnog, vanilla and macadamia nut, gumdrop, pina colada, red velvet, espresso, orange dreamsicle and butter pecan.
  • Other – Although cookies and fudge are the most common gift ideas for coworkers, there are other baked goods that will be a huge success as well. Just a few of these include biscotti, truffles, walnut crescents, chocolate pecan cookie bars, cannoli, pumpkin petit fours, cinnamon cheese danishes, éclairs, baklava, yule logs, baby cheese cakes, cupcakes and seven layer bars.

Speak Your Mind

*