News | International
21 Dec 2025 14:06
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > International

    Easy last-minute baked gifts

    From super-quick shortbread to giant chocolatey cookies, your guests will be delighted to take home something they will actually use.


    Christmas is just around the corner and maybe, like me, you've left some things until the last minute, or had some unexpected additions to the guest list. 

    Easy baking is great way to whip up some budget-friendly, sustainable gifts.

    From super-quick shortbread to fun-filled gingerbread men, your guests will be delighted to take home something they will actually use eat.

    With just five ingredients, these rich, buttery shortbreads take less than 30 minutes to make.

    They look gorgeous popped in see-through bags or recycled jars finished off with ribbon and will keep for a couple of weeks, so you can make them a little ahead of time.

    These bikkies are perfect for the tea lover in your life and while they're simple to make the addition of icing and aromatic leaves make them a little bit special.

    They're an easy afternoon project — quick to make and bake with just a little extra time to add the finishing touches once cooled.

    These ones are for the kids (or kids at heart). Nothing says fun like a biscuit as big as your head!

    The dough needs some chilling time after mixing but otherwise the process is quick.

    They spread as they bake, resulting in thin, chewy, chocolatey cookies with crisp edges that are big enough to gift just one, or stack and wrap them.

    For a decadent treat, it's hard to beat these chocolate ganache biscuits. 

    They're surprisingly simple to make, look impressive and the inclusion of ganache makes them luxurious to eat. 


    ABC




    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

     Other International News
     21 Dec: Hopes the community will prevail at Australian memorial events, a week on from the Bondi Beach terror attack
     21 Dec: A local councillor's condemning the actions of a Destiny's Church linked group, who tried to block a pre-planned Sikh parade in Auckland
     21 Dec: Survivors search the Jeffrey Epstein files but find no sign of their evidence
     21 Dec: He may be only 12-years-old but Prince George is already showing the real spirit of Christmas
     21 Dec: It's reported the US has seized another vessel off Venezuela as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the nation
     21 Dec: Who's named in the Jeffrey Epstein files and who else was he connected to?
     21 Dec: Spain uses an algorithm to rank how safe women are. Sometimes it's wrong
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has had titanium plates fitted and teeth removed after breaking his jaw in two places during his defeat to two-time world champion Anthony Joshua More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle has shed light on the challenge sports administrators face between balancing transparency and confidentiality More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Kelly Ripa "tries not to act so much anymore" because she does not want to be away from her family 13:50

    Environment:
    The weather's looking cloudy with a chance of RAIN-deer for most of the country this Christmas 13:47

    International:
    Hopes the community will prevail at Australian memorial events, a week on from the Bondi Beach terror attack 13:47

    Soccer:
    Wellington Phoenix gaffer Giancarlo Italiano believes it's the sides with the best balance who will triumph in a congested A-league competition 13:47

    Accident and Emergency:
    Emergency services are at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on the Waikato Expressway (SH1), northbound, near Hampton Downs 13:27

    Entertainment:
    King Charles' cancer treatment "can be reduced in the New Year" 13:20

    Entertainment:
    Kim Kardashian's law mentor has praised the star for being transparent about failing her California bar exam 12:50

    Soccer:
    All smiles for the Phoenix women - after recording the biggest win in the team's history 12:27

    Entertainment:
    Glenn Close wants to die in the replica of her grandparents' stone cottage that she is building 12:20

    Boxing:
    YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has had titanium plates fitted and teeth removed after breaking his jaw in two places during his defeat to two-time world champion Anthony Joshua 11:57


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd