The holiday season brings many traditions: office parties, questionable white-elephant gifts and that one coworker who swears they’re “just having a sliver” of cheesecake before returning for three more.

But perhaps the most unifying tradition of all is the parade of treats that magically appear in break rooms everywhere. And as it turns out, the same goodies that dominate office trays across the country are also fan favorites right here in Utah.

But why rely on national rankings when we have something even better — actual opinions from the experts? To get the real story behind the most beloved (and occasionally controversial) holiday treats, I went straight to the people who know their way around a cookie tray: Megan Ross, Director of RevOps at Fullcast; Nathan Thompson, Director of Marketing at Fullcast; Doug Fox, Content Manager at Stage Marketing; and David Mecham, Media and Facility Director at Silicon Slopes.

These are the people who can debate peppermint bark with the intensity of a sports analyst and offer powdered-sugar survival tips like seasoned professionals. So before you take sides in the great Toffee vs. Peppermint Bark showdown — or determine how many Snowball Cookies you can eat without leaving evidence — read on to see how our panel sizes up the nation’s top holiday office treats.

Let the sugary showdown begin.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

The undisputed cookie-exchange champion. Soft, peanut-buttery and topped with that classic chocolate kiss.

Nathan: Love this, but get yelled at by people who are allergic to peanut butter at my kids’ school, so I get nervous with sharing anything peanut buttery.

Megan: I would echo Nathan on this. I’ve had to adjust holiday treat gift bags because of allergies. And we always called these cyclops cookies.

Doug: Peanut Butter Blossoms are the cookies that say, “I’m sweet, I’m salty, and yes, I am better than whatever you brought.”

David: I’ve never quite understood the allure of these cookies. I don’t hate them, but I also don’t love them, and for me, there really isn’t anything about them that says it’s Christmas.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Fudgy centers, powdered-sugar crackle exterior — always gone by lunchtime. But do they deserve such warm accolades?

Nathan: On my end, anything with a “fudgy” center will be gone by breakfast. I also love it when sweets give a good crunch!

Megan: This is always a hit with my family, too. I’ve actually started to branch out to red velvet and lemon crinkle cookies as well.

Doug: Chocolate crinkle cookies are for when you feel like a brownie but also want it to look like it was lightly snowing when you carried an uncovered plate from your car straight to the office party.

David: A tasty treat that is not only popular in the office but also seems to show up frequently in neighbor gifts. The downside is that they don’t age well. You have to get to them while they’re fresh.

Russian Tea Cakes / Snowball Cookies

Buttery, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth classics dusted in powdered sugar.

Nathan: My only problem with these is that the powdered sugar left on my face always tells people who ate the last one (and all the ones leading up to the last one).

Megan: Anything covered in powdered sugar is a win. The trick is to use a toothpick to alleviate some of the evidence from your fingers. Plus, people will think it’s fancy.

Doug: Powdered sugar is harder to keep off your clothes than Cheetos dust. However, there’s always the high-brow trick exhibited by Mr. Pitt of Seinfeld fame — using a knife and fork to consume all candy bars and dessert options.

David: I’ve got to admit, any cookie that leaves a trail in its wake gets an instant demerit from me. So these cookies rate a bit lower on my scale.

Peppermint Bark or Toffee?

An office staple: chocolate, white chocolate, crushed peppermint. Easy, festive, addictive. But, look out for toffee, the dark horse of homemade candy.

Nathan: I love peppermint, but I always forget how much I love toffee until Christmas … then I eat pounds of it and forget about it again for 11 months. For me, toffee all the way.

Megan: Peppermint bark for the win. Toffee is always too sticky for me, and I spend the next few days getting it out of my teeth.

Doug: Peppermint bark? Oh, you mean, shattered candy canes glued to chocolate out of spite? I suppose the taste of toothpaste wasn’t festive enough on its own? How is this even a question? (Even though I’ve just delivered five straight sentences ending with one?) Toffee is the holiday treat that respects you enough to be both sweet and sophisticated.

David: This is a bit of a Sophie’s choice for me. I love them both, but peppermint and Christmas are synonymous, and the peppermint bark gets better with every bite.

MINI Cooper-sized Costco cheesecakes or cookie trays

Proof that there’s always room for more dairy and chocolate chips in one’s diet.

Nathan: I know people prefer “homemade,” but Costco Cheesecake gives my mom’s cookies a run for their money (which is saying a lot). I’m a sucker for cheesecake.

Megan: Literally just finished a personal blueberry caramelized cheesecake croissant from Costco. And as someone who does the “homemade” baking and also is an avid Costco shopper, I’d fight the Costco crowds for their baked goods over mine any day of the week.

Doug: Costco cheesecake is so deliciously big it should come with a mortgage – albeit one with an executive membership discount. And yet, the door checker will still side-eye your receipt like they’ve been trained at Quantico specifically to spot dessert-related crime.

David: Costco desserts and baked goods are flat-out lethal. So delicious and so very, very, large. But the calories, oh the calories.

Orange Sticks: Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Throw in the raspberry option, and you have a battle on your hands. On your chin. On your keyboard …

Nathan: A big ol’ thumbs up (but only one thumbs up, because the other hand is busy picking up the orange sticks).

Megan: No holiday is complete without inhaling a box of orange sticks.

Doug: What’s the deal with orange sticks? They have the vibe of something that came off Willy Wonka’s conveyor belt, not long after Augustus Gloop fell into the chocolate river.

David: To me, this is the ultimate Christmas treat. If there is a downside to orange sticks, it’s their uncanny ability to disappear lightning fast.

Cherry Chocolates

Homemade is wonderful, but is store-bought a viable option?

Nathan: Homemade … store-bought … I don’t think you can go wrong with this combination.

Megan: I’ll pass on this one. But they are a good store-bought option for anyone who wants something a little fancy.

Doug: Ah, yes … the main antagonist in the grand holiday detective mystery of “Chocolate Roulette.” Let’s just say that cherry chocolates are the reason some people have trust issues. Just barely behind peppermint bark and mail-order fruitcake as the least desirable holiday taste traps.

David: This is another family favorite. There was a time I ignorantly thought the store-bought boxes were yummy. That was until my wife introduced me to her hand-dipped version that are so good we had to rename them cheery chocolates.

Homemade caramels

The moment when waxed paper is at the top of its game.

Nathan: These are so good with sea salt chocolate and a few slices of apples. These are 100% kid-friendly (though my kids’ dentist tries to convince me otherwise).

Megan: Homemade caramels are the best.

Doug: Homemade caramels are the Van Halen of desserts — some people want the classic, chaotic originals that grip to your teeth tighter than David Lee Roth’s spandex pants, while others swear by the smoother, sweeter, radio-friendly caramel era of Sammy Hagar. Either way, you want them “right now.”

David: So yummy and so versatile. Homemade caramel rocks on its own and as a part of so many other treats. It’s a Christmas must-have.

Homemade OREO cookies

The country cousin of Whoopie Pies, but with that local Utah charm.

Nathan: I can’t say I’ve had these, but Google tells me I can have a batch in 2-3 hours. Challenge accepted.

Megan: The only way to truly get the best cookie-to-frosting ratio correct.

Doug: It’s like the makers of Double Stuf OREOs said, “Look how much filling we put in our cookies,” and the response from kitchen confection creators everywhere was, “Hold my offset spatula!” Plus, one homemade OREO with toothpaste filling per plate is guaranteed to freshen up any holiday office party.

David: I’ve only had a version of the homemade OREO that was too large, too decadent and filled with crunchy peppermint filling that I can’t wait to have again … and again … and again …

At the end of the day, holiday office treats are sprinkled with tradition, nostalgia and the shared joy of discovering that someone has quietly replenished the cookie tray. Whether you’re Team Peppermint Bark, a secret Snowball Cookie hoarder, or a diehard Costco cheesecake devotee, there’s something comforting about knowing these treats show up like clockwork every December. Based on our expert panel’s feedback, it’s safe to say that strong dessert opinions are alive, well and amped up on high-fructose corn syrup.

So as you wander through the maze of potlucks, gift exchanges and dessert-laden counters this season, consider yourself fully briefed on what’s worth grabbing first and what might leave evidence on your shirt.

If your personal favorite didn’t make the list, we want to know: What treat do you think deserves a spot in the holiday office hall of fame?

J’Nel Wright is the social media manager/content writer at Fullcast, a Silicon Slopes-based, end-to-end RevOps platform that allows companies to design, manage and track the performance of their revenue-generating teams.