The holidays are here! Finally. If there’s one thing 2020 desperately needs, it’s holiday cheer, delicious desserts, and time spent with the ones we love. Oh, and socks. You didn’t think we here at Socksmith would forget socks, did you? 

This is the time of year when our goal is pretty darn simple: stay warm, no matter what it takes, and stay full, no matter what that takes. On that note, we’ve come up with two things to make all that happen: socks that are sweet and sweets that’ll sock ya. 

Using inspiration from some of our most popular holiday socks, we hunted down recipes for some of the season’s tastiest treats from the good folks at Taste of Home.  

Here’s to a warm, cozy, and crazily caloric holiday season! 

"COCOA CHRISTMAS"

If you’re like me, you want your holiday treats just like you want your feet in the winter: oh so incredibly warm. Our specialty is making ridiculously cozy socks that keep your feet as toasty as winter’s first cup of hot chocolate does your insides.

Case in point is our “Cocoa Christmas” socks for women, a favorite among gals who have no interest in ever having cold feet. With Santa and Christmas tree mugs, candy cane stir sticks, and a whole bunch of whipped cream, these cute socks ooze Christmas cheer. 

As for the drink portion of this blissful combo, here’s a highly recommended recipe for that winter’s first cup of hot cocoa:

Ingredients

4 cups milk

2/3 cup instant chocolate drink mix

5 chocolate mint candy canes, crushed

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the milk and drink mix. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Remove from the heat. Set aside 1 tablespoon crushed candy canes for garnish. Stir remaining candy canes into cocoa; keep warm.
2. In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Ladle cocoa into mugs. Top with whipped cream; sprinkle with reserved crushed candy canes.

"PUMPKIN SPICE UP YOUR LIFE"

Pumpkin + spice = love. At least that’s how I see it. But seriously. Who doesn’t get super excited once they start seeing “pumpkin” and “spice” in the same product description - no matter what it is! 

And as it pertains to footwear, our stylish “Pumpkin Spice Up Your Life” socks for women will cause you to immediately start rolling in the leaf piles. 

Once you’re done frolicking in the leaves, you can come inside for a different kind of autumnal goodness as you sip your hot and tasty pumpkin spice latte:

Ingredients

3 cups 2% milk

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1-1/2 cups hot brewed espresso or strong brewed dark roast coffee

Instructions

1. Place the first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Stir in hot espresso. Pour into warm mugs. If desired, top with whipped cream and additional nutmeg.

"GOODIE GUMDROPS"

Our “Goodie Gumdrops” socks for women are so amazing that they could’ve easily been called “Greatie Gumdrops” socks, but that’d make a heckuva lot less sense. 

Anyway, like every pair of our socks, they’re cute and comfy to no end. 

And speaking of no end, you seriously will not want to stop eating these last treats on our list. They’re called goody-goody gumdrops, and they’re reason enough to come home for the holidays. 

Here’s the sinfully sweet recipe for goody-goody gumdrops: 

Ingredients

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1-1/4 cups water, divided

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

4 drops each red and green food coloring

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water; let stand 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and remaining 3/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add gelatin mixture; simmer and stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in extract.

2. Divide mixture between 2 bowls; tint 1 red and the other green with food coloring. Transfer each to a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan; cool completely. Refrigerate, covered, until firm, about 3 hours.

3. Loosen the sides from the pan with a knife; turn onto a sugared cutting board. Cut into 1/2-in. cubes; roll in additional sugar.

4. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until all sides are dry, 3-4 hours, turning every hour.
   
   

"AUTUMN PIES"

The best part about wearing our comfy women’s “Autumn Pies” socks is that you can wear all those calories anytime you want without actually wearing all those calories.

As for actual pies? Well, I’m not quite sure where to begin.  

We all know and love the classic seasonal pies, apple pie, rhubarb pie, and pumpkin pie. But did you know there’s a pie named after autumn? And that it’s really, really good? And that simply talking about it right now is making me way too hungry?

Anyway, sorry for momentarily losing my mind. Pie does that to me. Here’s how to make autumn surprise pie:

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

FILLING:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

5 cups sliced peeled apples

2 cups sliced peeled ripe pears

1/3 cup raisins

3/4 teaspoon rum extract

TOPPING:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon coarse sugar

Instructions

1. Mix first four ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Mix milk and vinegar; add gradually to crumb mixture, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Shape each into a disk; cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll a larger portion of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a greased 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust even with rim. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

3. Mix the first five filling ingredients. Place apples, pears and raisins in a large bowl. Add sugar mixture and extract; toss to combine. Spoon into crust.

4. Roll out remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; cut into 3/4-in.-wide strips. Arrange over filling in a lattice pattern. Trim and seal strips to the edge of the bottom crust; flute edge. Brush lattice with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

5. Bake on a lower oven rack for 15 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30-35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Closing thoughts

So there you have it. This time of year is the perfect excuse to wear wonderfully wild and witty socks while chowing down on deep dishes of delicious desserts. 

And with all the fancy footwear and tempting treats we’ve provided in this article, we’re pretty sure you’re all set for this year’s holiday season. 

Happy holidays to you and yours!

See our full collection of Holiday socks here!