DIY peppermint patties (quick, easy!), caramels with salt or cinnamon, old-fashioned whipped divinity, herbed almonds, fruit jellies, and slabs of toffee -- here are all of our favorite recipes for Christmas candy. Browse through; you might find one more treat to round out your holiday giving.

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My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Chez Panisse this week -- a first for both of us. I had eaten upstairs in the café, but never downstairs in the evening dining room. It was a lovely meal, of course, full of the pleasures of comfort and excellence. (I share a dilemma with Dana: how to talk about a meal there without using the words delicate, seasonal, or perfect.)

The really lovely thing, though, about Chez Panisse, is that it was always intended to be a neighborhood restaurant. It accomplished this so well that it became a world-class establishment, but it still feels cozy and homey, in a dignified way. One of the small touches we loved was the dish of roasted almonds that began the meal. More

Here is a very, very last-minute food gift that takes literally five minutes to make, and yet everyone you share it with will love it (and you). Too good to be true? No -- it's just chocolate-dipped pretzels. More

We weren't going to let one failed attempt get us down - we still think that homemade honey roasted peanuts would make a terrific homemade holiday gift. Here's the recipe we wound up with, and it's even easier than we hoped. This gives the peanuts a sweet glaze of honey with some crunchy sugar bits that dissolve on the tongue. This is a basic recipe, and we'd like to experiment with adding some extra spices and flavors. Enjoy! More

Here's another wonderfully easy candy recipe for the holidays - salt caramels! Here's the recipe, along with links to great ideas for pretty wrapping and packaging. More

Whether you're planning on making candy for the holidays or want to make your own candy in general, it's a great idea. Candymaking is both economical and fun, and since you're choosing your own ingredients, you know exactly what's going into it. You can easily make your own organic, low-sugar candy without additives and preservatives. In this post, we'll share a recipe for making your own peppermint patties. You'll never buy them at a store again! More

Spicy and sweet, crystallized ginger can add a wonderful zing to cookies, cakes, ice cream, and cranberry sauce. We also like it finely chopped and sprinkled over savory dishes like roasted acorn squash and pumpkin soup. Chewing on the ginger treat can even help soothe an upset stomach. Although a jar of it can be outrageously expensive at the store, crystallized (or candied) ginger is quite simple to make at home. More

We're talking about local apples this week, and we couldn't let the week pass without a mention of crab apples. Crab apples are the wild, cherry-sized fruit clustered on trees all over our neighborhood this time of year. The trees are prized for their hardiness and gorgeous flowers, but the fruit usually goes to waste. Have you ever tasted a raw crab apple? So sour it will make your mouth pucker and your eyes squeeze up!

But there is one very, very good use for crab apples that we've found, and it's ridiculously easy. More

Buttercream...doesn't hearing that word just make you want to close your eyes and lick your lips? So decadent. So indulgent. And here's how... More

Whether you're boiling sugar, making cheese, or planning a little deep-fat frying, a candy thermometer is an essential tool to have on hand. More