Food News

10 Treats to Keep Your Holidays Extra Sweet

We're home for the holidays, and indulging in all the sweets.

By Sydney Bartos /

‘Tis the season for comfort, joy, and eating our weight in chocolate Santas or gingerbread cookies. But really, after the year we’ve had, we’re treating ourselves this season because we definitely deserve it. Here are some sweet seasonal features around the city.

1. Yuletide Spirit from Mon Paris Pâtisserie

For their holiday collection, Mon Paris’ owner and pastry chef Elena Krasnova has created several decadent treats to indulge in. Some highlights include holiday chocolate gifts, like the chocolate tree embellished with nuts and dried fruits, and festive cookie sets for at-home decorating. The Yule logs, in pistachio raspberry, orange crème brûlée and gluten-free hazelnut crunch are also bound to bring good tidings to you and your kin. 

Price: from $16

More info: monparis.ca

2. Christmas Cheesecakes from Buttermere Pâtisserie

Buttermere Pâtisserie is bringing teatime sugar cookies, Christmas macaron boxes (with festive flavours like mulled wine and eggnog—yes you heard us, an eggnog macaron) and standalone cakes to your table this holiday season. And we must say, the limited edition silent night-themed Oreo and chocolate cheesecake looks almost too good to eat. Almost.

Price: from $18

More info: buttermere.ca

3. Build-it-yourself Gingerbread Houses from The Bench Bakehouse

The Commercial Drive bakehouse is warming up this holiday season with fruit cake, rum balls and build-it-yourself gingerbread houses. Some specialties include shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and pistachios, and co-owner and baker Tracy Steele’s German stollen, made from scratch right down to the little candied fruit. 

Price: from $8.50

More info: thebenchbakehouse.com

4. French Favourites from Ladurée

With Ladurée’s holiday collection, we can all pretend we’re in Paris for the holidays, indulging in macarons by the Seine. They’ve got seasonal macaron gift boxes, and their line of Bûche de Noël and smaller Buchette de Noël—also lined with macarons—are sure to be a sweet treat for yourself and your loved ones.

Price: from $11

More info: www.ladureecanada.ca

5. Chocolate Decor from Temper Pastry

From miniature chocolate santas to almond and walnut shortbread cookies to Bûche de Noël to caramel-stuffed chocolate ornaments, Temper Pastry has all the treats to make your holidays merry and bright. 

Price: from $4.25 to $65

More info: temperpastry.com

6. Beaucoup Bakery’s Bonbons and Cookie Tins

Beaucoup has classic bonbon and cookie gift tins ready to gift this holiday season. But if you’re feeling like a little DIY, or BIY (bake-it-yourself), the bakery’s signature Valrhona chocolate chip cookie dough is available to take home and bake yourself. Make it a cute holidate.

Price: from $15

More info: beaucoupbakery.com

7. Christmas Classics from Thierry

This season, Thierry has holiday desserts like raisin-filled kugelhopf and Bûches de Noël in raspberry vanilla, maple hazelnut, poached pear, a trio of chocolate, or chestnut (in classic French fashion). 

More info: thierrychocolates.com

8. Chocolate Showpieces from Chez Christophe

For this winter season, Chez Christophe has chocolate bars, lollipops and chocolate-filled giftboxes. They’ve also crafted special showpieces like “Frosty’s chocolate meltdown,” a melting chocolate snowman and “Gnome for the holidays!” a dark and white chocolate figurine, filled with milk chocolate macadamia dragee. Really, there’s no place like gnome. 

Price: from $2.65

More info: chez-christophe.ca

9. Share-worthy Holiday Treat Boxes from Thomas Haas

Ring in the holidays with chocolate truffle trees, ornaments, lollipops, or one of Thomas Haas’ signatures gift boxes that feature a bit of everything—confections, holiday baking, and chocolate bonbons. Perfect for sharing, or not. 

Price: from $3.20

More info: thomashaas.com

10. Bean-to-Bar Chocolate from East Van Roasters

The social enterprise and chocolate maker just debuted new holiday white and dark chocolate bars for the season. They’re are all crafted using single origin, direct and fair trade beans, in festive flavours like crème caramel toasted white chocolate, cardamon and pistachio and gingerbread. Plus, they’re all wrapped up in festive colours, ready to pop in a loved one’s stocking. 

Price: from $8

More info: eastvanroasters.com