What's Your Go-To Baking Gift?

It seems like St. Patrick's Day is a golden opportunity to bake, what with all the recipes for classic soda bread and chocolate Guinness cupcakes flying around. Baking is also a favorite way to give someone a gift: to participate in a meal, welcome someone to a new home, or just say hello with something sweet. We've baked a couple gifts this past week, and it made us wonder: what's your favorite go-to baking gift?

The old standby of banana bread, perhaps? Or a batch of muffins? Maybe cupcakes or an easy tea-cake? Cookies?

What do you bake when you want to take a gift or a dessert to share?

Here are a few past favorites from the archives:
• Mini Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Zucchini Muffins from Simply Recipes
• Jam and Ricotta Muffins
• Easiest Cake Ever

(Image: Faith Durand, of Martha Stewart Oatmeal Raisin Squares)

Comments (18)

homemade granola! It's healthy and great for energy boost, and satiates sweet tooth =)

www.eatifs.com

What is that yummy thing in the photo? That looks like something good to give or get!!

I want to eat the intro picture. Please give more info.

Hey guys - the link to the photo's recipe is in the photo credit at the bottom of the post....

my famous, thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. sometimes a dozen or so huge ones, and sometimes a bag full of baby bite sized ones.

I have a lemon poke cake that I make in little bitty loaf pans as gifts. It's not very exotic, but it's always a bit hit.

Brownies, easy to make, easy to take and they keep well. I have a foolproof recipe from Cooks Country and it allows variations. Although any good brownie recipe will do.

I like to try something new if I can, but brownies are my go to if I don't have time for anything else. I use a recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens Dessert Cookbook my mom has.

Fruit crostata with a cornmeal crust. Fast and yummy.

Blondies, with pecans. Chocolate chip cookies. Sour cream pound cake, good fresh and then toasted the days after.
California fruit cake, loaded with dates, dried apricots and nuts. And who doesn't love a loaf of banana nut bread.
Oh, I'm hungry now.

Cupcakes with beautifully colored frosting in a custom box

Ooooh banana bread! Good one lawoman. I want that now too : )

My own banana bread- it's the only recipe I've really perfected, and it's delicious!

Peanut butter cookies. They're not common at all in Japan and everyone loves them.

Apple pie. But generally only if I can justify making at least four- once all the prep work is done each pie isn't really very time consuming to put together. And I like to carve shapes related to the event into the tops for the vent.

Banana bread! :) I got one for a gift once and LOVED it. So I got the recipe they used, and I've used it ever since!