Christmas treats and last-minute gifts

Carmen's Best's Christmas bundles come with an insulated bag, a gift card and free delivery. —CONTRIBUTED

Less than two weeks to go before Christmas–are you ready? Here are some special holiday offerings to enjoy with your loved ones, mall finds you can reward yourself with as you go hunting for presents (even Santa needs a treat!), and gift ideas for the food lovers on your list.

Ice cream bundles from Carmen’s Best

Carmen’s Best makes gifting easy with its holiday ice cream bundles which all come with a festive Christmas insulated bag, a gift card and free delivery! (But we won’t judge if you order them for yourself). There’s Festive Classics, which includes pints of Dark Chocolate and Strawberry; Merry Medley, a trio of prints—Salted Caramel, Malted Milk, and Brazilian Coffee; Delightful Treats—Salted Caramel, Malted Milk, Strawberry and Dark Chocolate; and Keep Things Lite which is a bundle of Strawberry, Mango and Mixed Berries.

Our pick are the bundles featuring the limited edition Christmas flavors—Jolly Ol’ Eggnog (creamy cinnamon-based ice cream with rich chocolate sauce), S’mores the Merrier (marshmallow-based ice cream with real graham crackers and rich chocolate sauce), and our favorite Merry Mint Chocolate (mint-based ice cream mixed with real chocolate pieces). Choose between six cups or three pints—but we say go for the pints. (Order via carmensbest.com)

Butter Butler’s Butter Financiers come in a box that’s perfect for gifting. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Butter Financier from Butter Butler

Rejoice, butter lovers. The Tokyo-born Butter Butler is now here in Manila, at PowerPlant Mall in Rockwell. That means you can now easily get your hands on Butter Butler’s delicious buttery creations.

We are obsessed with the Butter Financiers—super rich, moist, little buttery cakes with a golden-brown crust. They’re made using two kinds of fermented European butter plus sun-dried Guérande salt from France. Each bite is a luxurious delight. They come in a beautiful box (in 4s, 8s, 12s or 16s), making them perfect for gifting. Plus Butter Butler’s eye-catching yellow-and- black paper bag will stand out in a sea of red and green.

The Butter Croffle (yes, that’s a portmanteau of croissant and waffle) is great too—crispy, buttery, fluffy—and it’s exclusive to Manila. Butter Butler also offers Butter Galettes, French butter cookies made with fermented European butter and Guérande salt.

“Butter, usually a supporting role in sweets, is the star here,” said Bryan Tiu, president and CEO of iFoods Inc., the company that brought Butter Butler to the Philippines.

(Butter Butler is at R2 Level of Rockwell, Power Plant Mall in Makati. Visit butterbutler.ph.)

For the holidays, The Matcha Tokyo offers warabi mochi and minty drinks.

Warabi Mochi from The Matcha Tokyo

The Matcha Tokyo introduces a new Japanese confection just in time for the holidays–Warabi Mochi, a sticky, melt-in-your-mouth treat that comes in three variants: Kinako Warabi Mochi, which is coated in kinako (roasted soybean flour) powder with cookie butter sauce and brown sugar syrup on the side; Matcha Kinako Warabi Mochi, coated in matcha kinako powder and served with matcha and brown sugar syrup on the side; and Chocolate Warabi Mochi, which is coated in cocoa powder and comes with chocolate sauce, and brown sugar syrup on the side.

There are also two new Warabi Mochi drinks—Iced Warabi Matcha Latte and Iced Kinako Warabi Latte.

Mint lovers will be happy to hear that The Matcha Tokyo has introduced minty drinks this season. They’re serving Hot Matcha Mint Latte and Matcha Mint Frozen Latte, which lets you pour the sauce over your drink to create your own Christmas tree.

(The Matcha Tokyo has branches in Mitsukoshi Mall, Gateway 2, Opus, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Parqal and Robinsons Magnolia.)

Cocina iberica

Cocina Iberica offers all kinds of Spanish treats for your holiday needs. They have gift sets, bottles of sangria, Iberico XO, their signature hot sauce, and chorizo butter.

They also offer party platters for your gatherings—lengua, callos, albondigas, gambas al ajillo, chicken salpicao, croquetas, different paellas and more.

(Message @cocinaibericaph on Instagram.)

This year’s Pan de Manila holiday bag features the art of Krissie Phee.

Pan de Manila’s holiday bag

Here’s an easy gift idea (and you won’t need to wrap it): a Pan de Manila holiday bag stuffed to the brim with goodies.

Since 2008, it’s become a holiday tradition for the bakery chain, known for its pandesal, to come out with a limited-edition paper bag for each Christmas season.

“We’re proud to say that our paper bags have become a canvas for our country’s most talented artists,” said Terrence Ignacio of Pan de Manila.

This year, Krissie Phee’s design is featured on the bags. Fill them with pandesal, other breads and also Pan de Manila’s spreads like jam and peanut butter plus our favorite Spanish sardines.

(Pan de Manila has branches nationwide. Visit pandemanila.com.ph.)

‘Tres leches’ from 1205

Here’s a milky treat your recipients can share with their loved ones: tres leches from 1205. They come in five variants: classic, strawberry, cocoa, a mix of strawberry and cocoa, and matcha.

(Message @1205_twelvezerofive on Instagram.)

Llaollao’s Luxe Line

Llaollao, the frozen yogurt favorite from Spain, has launched its Luxe Line in the Philippines. Dig into these new creations, which offer layers of deliciousness: Choco Soul (frozen yogurt, double dark choco brownie, hazelnut sauce, crispy cookie pieces), Cookie Mania (frozen yogurt, crushed Biscoff cookies, muesli, fresh mango pieces, and Lotus Biscoff sauce), and Pistachio Lover (frozen yogurt, pistachio, kiwi, almond crocant, and pistachio sauce).

Take a break from the Christmas shopping and sit down with one of these. You deserve it.

The Luxe Line is now available in Llaollao stores across the Philippines.

Baked Blind Boxes from Gotbaked

Blind boxes are all the rage now, and the people behind Gotbaked Dessert and Coffee Bar along Katipunan Ave. had a brilliant idea. It doesn’t have to be just toys—why not put baked goods in blind boxes, too? Inside each Gotbaked blind box are two of their delicious cookies (they’re really good cookies—trust us, we became addicted) plus two limited edition stickers. You might get the Original Pack (Fudge Up and Brown Butter), the Campfire Pack (S’mores cookies Campfire and Bomb), or the Limited Edition Pack (Biscoff Hazelnut and Cranberry Hazelnut cookies). Get lucky and you might get the secret box which includes two secret cookie flavors, limited edition stickers plus keychain and coupons.

(Message @_gotbaked on Instagram.)

Sous vide steaks from Hai Chix & Steaks

There’s an abundance of sweet gifts during the holidays, but what about those people who don’t really have a sweet tooth? For the meat lovers in your life, here is a gift that won’t fail: sous vide steaks from Hai Chix & Steaks. Choose between porterhouse and rib-eye. They’ve been prepped perfectly and are ready for cooking. They’ll make a great Christmas meal.

(Hai Chix & Steaks has branches at Estancia, Home Depot in Pasig, BGC, and Westgate in Alabang. Visit haichixandsteaks.com)

Honeybon’s gingerbread houses come in two designs: Candy Cane Cottage and Santa’s Snowy Lodge

Gingerbread houses from Honeybon

Here’s a gift that’s fun for both adults and kids—decorating gingerbread houses. And Honeybon has one that’s bound to impress: the Candy Cane Cottage. It’s big and it comes pre-built—all you have to do is decorate it with candy and icing (and you know that’s the best part). There’s also Santa’s Snowy Lodge, a smaller but still impressive creation that you’re meant to cover in snow. Honeybon also offers Gingerbread Cookies and Hot Chocolate Cake.

(They’re available at Honeybon Festival Mall and select Tokyo Bubble Tea branches, including Banawe, Fort, and Wilson. You can also order via honeybon.ph).