By Aliana Moss
Sprinkling treats to those you love is one of the sweetest ways to share holiday cheer.
Baking and beauty go hand in hand,especially this time of year, when both show up in their most delightful, glittery forms.
From “baking” (letting your setting powder work its magic) to “beating” (when your contour is so flawless RuPaul would approve), the overlap between the kitchen and the vanity runs deep. Glitters and jellies shimmer like desserts—so tempting you almost have to ask: is that for a cookie or a cheek?
Try some of my favorite baking and beauty pairings to solve the what to bring? what to wear? what to gift? question so common this time of year. Take your pick from these easy festive looks to wear, choose a classic treat that will be a hit, and pair them together for a gift guaranteed to spread cheer and sweeten up any holiday occasion!
Holly, Jolly & Jelly:
Recipe for the Look :
Cheeks and lips bitten with bright stains of color are sweet and utterly irresistible. I am in love with the stained glass effect of Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain. These multi use jellies go on light and build up for a beautiful pop of color that’s totally wearable and will last all night long. Try pairing two shades together for your own holiday look or as a gift, both will bring pure joy!
Aliana’s favorite pairings: Fizz (soft peach) + Burst (poppy pink); Spritz (coral orange) + Chill (red); Fresh (soft pink) + Splash (berry plum).
Recipe for the Sweet: Jelly Thumbprints
Ingredients:
2 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 cup almond flour (112 grams) spooned and leveled
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 sticks (1 cup or 226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temp
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup raspberry and/or apricot jam and/or jam of your choice
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- .In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until fluffy. Gradually add the flour and mix until combined.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough, roll into balls, and place on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down to form disks and use your thumb to make an indentation in the middle of the cookies. To create a heart shape, push an indent with your index finger and then push again with your index finger at a slight angle to create a heart shape.
- Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam onto each cookie.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
* yields 30 cookies. Recipe from love and lemons
Lips that Sparkle & Spritz :
Recipe for the Look:
Lips that sparkle and shimmer are the real treat of the party. A shimmery, high shine luscious lip look just feels right this time of year. Candy Crush x Pat McGrath Labs Lust: Gloss offers just that. With the choice of a nude or orchid shade they are gorgeous on their own or layered over your favorite holiday lipstick color. Make sure to prep first by exfoliating with a sugar lip scrub like Fresh Sugar Lip Polish. This is a winning duo for a super sweet gift idea as well!
Recipe for the Sweet: Spritz
Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk, at cool room temperature
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
*Sprinkles or colored sugars for decorating
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, cream, vanilla, and almond extract.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to cream the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale in color (2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolk mixture. Beat until thoroughly combined. Slowly beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Do not overmix or the cookies will be tough!
- Fit a large reusable pastry bag with a ½-inch star tip (ex: Ateco #846). Fill with the dough and twist to close. Pipe rosettes or swirls onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Garnish with Sprinkles or colored sugars.
*If the dough is warm or soft, pop the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer until firm to the touch before baking.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
*Yields about 60 cookies. Recipe from The Ultimate Cookie handbook by Tessa Arias, Handle the Heat.
Gingerbread ‘Doe’ Eyes
Recipe for the Look: Nothing says doe eyes like a shimmery glaze of bronze inspired by gingerbread dough! Softly smokey with a touch of sugared sparkle, the Natasha Denonana Baby Bronze eyeshadow palette is all you need for this sweet look. Try pairing with Youngblood Cosmetics Everglow Lip Oil in Macchiato for a sumptuous monochromatic finish, or the shade Bitten Berry to spice it up. Bonus-they come with a cute ornament option for the perfect present.
Recipe for the Sweet: Gingersnaps
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups (354.37 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 ¼ cups (248.1 grams) packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
½ cup granulated sugar
Directions:
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in bowl; set aside.
- Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Reduce heat to mediumlow and continue to cook, swirling skillet frequently, until butter is just beginning to brown, 2-4 minutes. Transfer browned butter to large bowl adn whisk in ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and cayenne. Let cool slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Whisk brown sugar, molasses, and fresh ginger into butter mixture until combined. Whisk in egg and yolk until combined. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 1 hour.
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300°F . Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread granulated sugar in shallow dish. Divide dough into heaping teaspoon portions; roll dough into 1-inch balls.working in batches of 10, roll balls in sugar to coat; space dough balls evenly on prepared sheets, 20 dough balls per sheet.
- Place 1 sheet on upper rack and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer partially baked top sheet to lower rack, rotating sheet and place second sheet of dough balls on upper rack. Continue to bake until cookies on lower sheet just begin to darken around edges, 10-12 minutes longer. Remove lower sheet of cookies and transfer upper sheet to lower rack, rotating sheet; continue to bake until cookies begin to darken around edges, 15-17 minutes longer.
- Slide baked cookies, still on parchment, onto wire rack and let cool completely before serving. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
*yields 80 cookies. Recipe from The Perfect Cookie by Americas Test Kitchen
Some more ideas to guarantee you’re on the Nice list? Double up a batch to drop at a local food bank so everyone gets a taste of the joy of the holiday season. When gifting, find a fun tin to arrange both makeup and baking treats, along with a print out of the corresponding recipes to make it easy for someone else to share in the fun. Or better yet, add in a copy of this month’s SheTalks Magazine to the mix for a gift that is pretty, sweet and empowering!
