If there’s one Insta-famous foodie we can’t get enough of, it’s Half Baked Harvest. Whether or not we actually end up making her drool-worthy drinks, desserts and decadent holiday appetizers, is one thing, but rest assured: we definitely have a million pinned and saved for when the perfect occasion strikes.
This holiday season, Tieghan Gerard (a.k.a. Half Baked Harvest) teamed up with Amazon to share her 2022 Holiday Gift Guide picks, featuring a variety of home and kitchen presents and one very covetable espresso machine—more on that later.
Tieghan also attended Amazon’s annual holiday soiree to school everyone on how she makes her gourmet holiday cookies look so cool and we’re sharing a few of her best tips below.
Here at Parade.com, we’re all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however, all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.
Related: The 85+ Best Food and Beverage Holiday Gifts
What kitchen essentials are on your wish last-minute list?
- If you have seen any of my content, you know I use my food processor all the time. This Cuisinart 14 Cup Food Processor, Includes Stainless Steel Standard Slicing Disc (4mm) is of great quality and has tons of great reviews!
- Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my beloved Kitchenaid Artisan Mini Plus 3.5-Qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Flex Edge Beater. I LOVE my Kitchenaid, I use it every day. It truly is a modern kitchen essential—it’s gorgeous and does it all.
- Okay not a kitchen essential, but the UGG Women’s Tazz Slipper is definitely a necessity. These UGGs are my absolute favorite. I was so excited to see them on Amazon’s Holiday Gift Guide. When I’m in my studio cooking and trying out new recipes I need to be comfortable and cozy and these are the perfect shoes for that. They keep my feet warm, but I can move around and even wear them to run out and grab an ingredient if I need something!
- I love Snif candles and this Snif Old Saint Wick Christmas Candle is so delicious and really gets me in a holiday mood. Sometimes when I’m brainstorming new holiday recipes I’ll light this candle, turn on some holiday music and just get in the mood to get the juices flowing!
Is there one recipe gone viral you wish you had come up with?
That’s a good question. I don’t think there’s a specific recipe that I wish I came up with that’s gone viral…the beauty of sharing recipes with my followers is that those recipes are a unique reflection of my style, taste and experiences. I will say though I’m really loving the butter board trend that’s popped up as of late.
What other cookbooks have you read recently?
I actually don’t read many new cookbooks. I love my grandma’s vintage cookbooks and Eden Grinshpan’s Eating Out Loud is amazing.
What’s the trick to getting awesome food photos for Instagram?
Food photography is one of those things that can look so easy, but once you step behind your camera (or phone), it becomes incredibly complex. Lighting and scenery play a huge role in any photo. Most of my followers know that I take most of my content in my kitchen at home—it offers great natural light and the surface is flat and consistent. Find a place that will really showcase your beautiful ingredients or final dish with natural light and a clean surface. If you feel like taking it to the next level, add “texture” to your photos by including some small decor (tiny pumpkins, ornaments, event parchment paper under your baked goods).
Related: 100 Food Captions For Your Instagram Pics
What are your pro tips for decorating cookies?
- Go into cookie decorating knowing that every cookie is meant to be unique! Most people think that the most gourmet cookies are perfectly identical—half the fun of decorating is the process of icing and sprinkling something.
- Use different textures and sprinkles to help you. Some of my most gourmet-looking cookies (like The Santa Claus Cookies) are a lot more complicated than they look. Play around with different sprinkles (in this particular recipe, I mixed three kinds of sanding sugars and sprinkles), colors, and textures to make your cookies look more complex than they are to actually make.
Related: 200+ Best Christmas Cookies Ideas & Recipes
Your hands. You can have all the gadgets in the world, but there’s nothing better than kneading dough with your own two hands and just putting love into your food.
If you’re going to invest in one kitchen splurge this holiday, what do you recommend?
The Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine is simply the best. If you’re looking to step up your barista game, or just love coffee in general, you absolutely need this.
I like that it’s an all-in-one machine, and it works so fast. I go to bed looking forward to using it to make my morning espresso the next day. It’s definitely a splurge, but it does save me from buying an expensive cup of coffee every morning.
And with that, here are 7 Sensational Coffee Recipes.
For more latest Food & Drinks News Click Here