Ina Garten's Go-To Chocolate Candy She Loves To Use As A Hostess Gift

When someone requests the present of your presence in their home for cocktail hour, a dinner party, or a murder mystery adventure destined to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, the least you can do is bring them a gift. If they have a stated preference, that's terrific, and if not, there are certain visitor fallbacks that rarely fail. A bottle of wine is always a classic, as is a floral arrangement. And, truly, should anyone look askance at either, you might just want to provide a firm "non" as your next RSVP. But there is always room for a little creativity, and Ina Garten's preferred hostess gift breaks a bit from the norm for a very good reason.

"For a hostess gift, I prefer not to bring something that the host feels obliged to serve for dinner, but instead I bring something they can serve after dinner, like a box of Fran's Chocolate's caramels," Garten responded to a fan question on the Barefoot Contessa website. As though it needed further endorsement, Fran's Chocolates is also a favorite of Garten's Food Network colleague, Bobby Flay. The celebrity chef-preferred sweet treats are available in a few different flavor and presentation styles, should you wish to do as culinary nobility does. Or, you can simply take Garten's lead but go your own way when choosing your next de facto thank you token.

If you do simply opt for Ina Garten's go-to hostess gift, you'll likely earn plenty of repeat invites. But hand-picking gifts is also one of life's great pleasures — a signal not only of your fondness of the recipient, but also an expression of the self. One of the best ways to achieve both halves of the equation and demonstrate that you're the caring listener that you are is to first ask what you can bring. When your host inevitably replies "just yourself!," you still have two paths around this well-intended roadblock.

If you know your host fairly well, you'll probably recall that they haven't yet bought that whiskey decanter that they want, but might not need, or maybe they've been going on about getting a kit to finally start smoking bourbon at home. Bring some similarly situated pick by, and not only will the item itself be appreciated, but the fact that you remembered. 

For the host that has everything, on the other hand, it's a lovely gesture to simply share with them something that you enjoy in your own home, provided it isn't too obviously far afield. A fancy hand soap, your favorite chili crisp, or even a reliable umbrella brand would all be nice finds from your personal best-of list. Worst case scenario, they'll re-gift your selection and spread all that thoughtfulness even further.