Mariska Hargitay is praising Taylor Swift’s baking after the singer brought homemade treats to the Law & Order: SVU set.
Swift joined Hargitay and her costars to film a comedy segment for the 2026 Emmy Awards.
Her costars on the project included Kelli Giddish, who plays Amanda Rollins on the NBC procedural.
Hargitay recalled the collaboration in an interview with PEOPLE at the Oct. 7 opening of NBC’s Law & Order “Dun Dun Diner” in New York.
Swift’s Cookies Won Over Hargitay and a Self-Described Cookie Snob
Swift arrived with a large box of cookies she had baked herself, Hargitay recalled. “They might have been the best cookies I’ve ever had,” Hargitay said.
Giddish identified the batch as sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies. “They were delicious. And I’m a cookie snob,” she told USA TODAY.
The Cast Filmed Swift’s Emmy Appearance in Secret
Hargitay had told the cast that Swift was coming, but Giddish said the production had to stay confidential from the start. “We went covertly and filmed on a Sunday,” she recalled.
During an Oct. 8 appearance on the Third Hour of TODAY, Giddish explained that they used a small crew, with Emmy writers serving as background performers. She recalled Swift’s excitement at joining the cast of a show she already knew well.
The sketch aired during the Sept. 14 ceremony, which Hargitay hosted. Her character, Olivia Benson, led an investigation into whether Swift would attend, using the elaborate clues and song references familiar to Swift’s fans. Swift entered as a rookie detective and held her real cat, Olivia Benson, whom she named after Hargitay’s character in 2014.
Producer Jesse Collins told Entertainment Tonight that Hargitay helped get ideas to Swift, who chose the SVU concept. Swift also contributed some of the lines involving Easter eggs.
After the broadcast, Giddish heard from childhood friends in Georgia who now had daughters of their own. They called wanting to know what Swift had been like during the shoot.
Their Friendship Includes Bad Blood and Matching Courtside Shirts
Hargitay appeared in Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video in 2015 and joined her onstage during the 1989 tour that year.
On June 10, the friends sat courtside at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, wearing matching blue-and-orange “Stevie Knicks” shirts. Alana Haim made the shirts and brought extras for friends, she told Vogue.
Hargitay described the Emmy shoot as “cozy and familiar” in her PEOPLE interview. She praised Swift’s professionalism, willingness to try different ideas and ease as an actor, and said her presence excited the crew as well as the cast.
Swift Has Been Giving Friends Homemade Bread, Too
During the October 2025 promotion of The Life of a Showgirl, Swift gave Jimmy Fallon sourdough labeled “The Loaf of a Doughgirl,” according to PEOPLE. Fallon used his loaf to make avocado toast and shared the recipe on Instagram.
BBC Radio 1 host Greg James received lemon-blueberry sourdough labeled “The Fate of Doughphelia” during the same album’s promotion.
In July 2025, Swift gave Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco bread with a message reading “It’s a loaf story,” a play on her song “Love Story.”