While we love a good scroll through a review section both for entertainment and should-I-buy details, we also know the absolute best recommendations for clothing, TV shows, desserts, books, and the like usually come from friends.

So we’re introducing a new column this year which is, simply, Our Favorite Things. We’ll switch the focus monthly; the idea is to scroll through a few of the favorites we’ve gathered from the AMR Team, and then add your own in the comments below.

Three days before Thanksgiving, we realize you’re probably focused on turkey and Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. But let’s be honest: Thanksgiving is just one meal requiring a whole lot of work. Those potatoes don’t peel themselves, amiright?

Holiday cookies, on the other hand? They require just a bowl or two, and are the gifts that keep on giving. Whether you’re a gingerbread aficionado or more of a peppermint fan, the AMR staff has you covered with our favorite holiday treats. Our only request? Be sure to save a few for yourself.

Chewy Peppermint Sugar Cookies
My daughter and I found this recipe while looking for something fun to bake for a cookie exchange we participate in each December. It became and instant family hit, and we realized we could just eliminate the peppermint flakes and enjoy these year round.

White chocolate chips are my husband’s favorite, so it’s an extra bonus that we found a recipe he loves!
Brooke Thames, BAMRbassador Coordinator

Gingerbread Latte Cookies

These take a little extra time to make, but they are so worth it. I have doubled the recipe to make enough for my family and friends while having plenty left over for me. Over the holidays, I will eat these with my morning coffee with zero guilt.
—Cathy Engstrom, Train Like a Mother Club Manager

Dream Bars

I love the sweet mixed with the salty—and of course, the dark chocolate, which I can basically live on. If I plan to give them to friends, neighbors, and teachers, I have to hide them from the kids (and myself) because they are NOT safe in our house! They’ll be gone in minutes.
—Sarah Wassner Flynn, Train Like a Mother Club Creative + Many Happy Miles podcast co-host

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Our family easily makes 8? 10? 20? dozen of these every holiday season. And we eat them all; they’re especially good, IMO, when frozen. Key: use Skippy (or other more processed peanut butter), not the stir-it-up kind. And I’m excited to try colored sugar this year–had not seen this trick yet!
—Dimity, Chief Training Director and AMR Co-Founder

Cream Cheese Kolnacky

So hard to pick a favorite, but if forced, I’d choose what my family called Hungarian Cakes, but the closest thing I’ve been able to find a recipe for online are called Kolacky: a Polish dessert.

They’re delicious cookies, and so pretty, too, but they’re also way more than that. My grandmother made these every year at Christmas, and then my Mom took over. And as my Mom got too old to do her Christmas baking, the mantle was passed on to me. The family recipe I use is just a list of ingredients on an index card, and although I had made them with my Mom a few times when I was younger, I didn’t remember all the tricks and tips she had shared, so making them the first time involved some phone calls to her for advice on working with the not-so-easy-to-work-with dough.

And the year after she passed, as I stood at my kitchen counter rolling out the dough, I burst into tears, because they’re not just cookies; they’re an expression of family, and love, and togetherness, and I am so grateful that I have the privilege of carrying on the tradition.
—Michelle San Antonio, Facebook Manager

Homemade Caramels

They’re AMAZING, melt-in-your-mouth delicious and make a great little gift for someone.
—Megan York, AMR Graphic Designer

Hot Cocoa Cookies
Perfect winter snack: chocolatey, but not TOO chocolatey! Plus super easy to make!
—Christy Diller, Many Happy Miles physical therapist