Your family’s next favorite blanket is already out there. You just need to know where to look.

Cold nights call for something better than a pilling fleece throw from three winters ago, and if you’ve been eyeing a serious upgrade, two picks from Taste of Home’s tested roundup of the best luxury blankets are worth your attention: the Original Lola Blanket and the Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket. Both have been put through real-world testing by shopping editors, and both earned high marks for softness, style, and staying power.

The Original Lola Blanket earns the top spot for good reason. Shopping editor Mary Henn describes the texture as “next-level soft, almost like bunny fur or a giant luxury stuffed animal.” That’s not marketing copy. That’s someone who owns both the baby size and the Lola XL talking about a blanket she reaches for constantly, from couch movie nights to bundling a toddler into a winter stroller.

Four sizes are available.

The baby size comes in at 30 by 36 inches and weighs just two pounds. It fits in a standard washing machine, travels well, and has become a go-to for family trips where you want comfort without hauling a massive load. On the other end, the Lola XL measures 80 by 90 inches, which is enough real estate for three people to share on a movie night with room left over. Henn calls it magical, and that’s hard to argue with when the math adds up to nearly 50 square feet of faux fur.

Fifty patterns and colors are available, from neutral creams to multiple shades of green, which makes gift-giving easy whether you’re shopping for a baby shower, a birthday, or just because someone you love deserves a treat. The faux fur texture also doubles as a soft, fuzzy backdrop for baby photos, which is a practical bonus most blankets don’t offer.

Stain-resistant. Shed-free. Elastic banding that holds the shape wash after wash. Those aren’t small details when you’re handing a blanket to a family with young kids.

The Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket sits at $278 on Cozy Earth’s website and $305 on Amazon, and that price tag is not something to breeze past. But deputy editor Katie Bandurski, who tested the large faux fur throw, didn’t flinch once she felt the fabric. “I joked to my husband that it felt like chinchilla fur,” she said. That’s the kind of softness that justifies a splurge, especially for a gift meant to last.

Bandurski didn’t stop there. “I have yet to encounter another comparable blanket on the market that is equally high-quality and cozy,” she said. After first testing the Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket in 2023 and then running it through another round of evaluation, the editors named it one of the best home decor products available.

Worth noting on the Cozy Earth: the standard throw runs a little smaller than you’d expect if you’re planning to share it with a partner. The large size solves that problem but can be harder to clean at home. If you have a front-load washer with a big drum, you’ll be in better shape. If not, a trip to the laundromat’s commercial machines isn’t the worst trade for a blanket this good.

Both blankets land in a category that suburban families know well: things that seem indulgent but earn their place in daily life fast. The Lola is more accessible on price and easier to care for across all sizes. It’s the one you give to a new mom, a college-bound kid, or a neighbor who just moved in and deserves something warm and welcoming. The Cozy Earth is the elevated pick, the kind of gift you bring when the occasion calls for something that feels genuinely luxurious.

Spring is here, but summer nights in the suburbs can still get cool, especially on the porch or during late outdoor movie setups in the backyard. Keeping one of these on the arm of a chair or tucked in a basket by the firepit is exactly the kind of small touch that makes your home feel like everyone’s favorite place to be. If your gift list is already filling up, consider getting a head start before the holiday season, when the most popular colors and sizes tend to sell out early.

The American Cleaning Institute offers care guidance for specialty fabrics if you’re unsure how to handle a faux fur blanket at home.